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Several studies have investigated the psychosocial impact of breast cancer, however, there is a paucity of research examining interventions geared towards breast cancer survivors. This study investigated the effects of group music psychotherapy on improving the self-concept of breast cancer survivors. Eleven breast cancer survivors where randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups - group music psychotherapy or a cognitive behavioral based support group. Pre and post intervention comparisons were made using the Body Image After Breast Cancer Scale and the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale on measures of identity, role performance, self-esteem, and body image. After ten weeks, results from the Wilcoxon U test indicated participants in the music psychotherapy group significantly improved on measures on identity, family role relationships, self-esteem, and body image. Furthermore, as compared to participants in the cognitive behavioral support group, participants in group music psychotherapy improved on measures of identity, role relationships, and body image. Implications and suggestions for further research are discussed. / Music Therapy

Students with visual impairments represent less than one-tenth of one percent of the total student population (Ferrell, 2005) yet require skills in self-determination that are prerequisite to accessing the core academic curriculum. Self-determination reflects "a combination of skills, knowledge, and beliefs that enable a person to engage in goal-directed, self-regulated, autonomous behavior" (Field, Martin, Miller, Ward, & Wehmeyer, 1998, p. 2) and "involves knowledge of self and the environment, decision-making, problem solving, goal setting, personal advocacy, communication skills, self-control, and knowledge of how to interact with the environment to achieve desired outcomes" (Cleveland et al., 2007, p. xi). Unfortunately, students with visual impairments are often denied the opportunities to learn these fundamental skills, thus denying them an appropriate education as outlined via federal initiatives such as The Rehabilitation Act Amendments and IDEA 2004. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Empowered Curriculum, a comprehensive, experiential program designed to improve the self-determination skills of adolescents with visual impairments. Thirty secondary students with visual impairments participated in the study. Pre-intervention and post-intervention measures that addressed self-determination skill acquisition, self-esteem, and self-concept were provided to the students. Students were assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. The results suggested that the students who received the intervention did not improve their self-determination skills, self-esteem, or self-concept. Future directions are discussed. / School Psychology

This longitudinal study assessed education achievement outcomes among a cohort of eighth graders for whom future college-level academic success would be predicted. The sample was drawn from the NELS:88 database and was comprised of students who scored in the top quintile on a mathematics achievement test and who were identified as representing the top two quartiles of a measurement of socio-economic status. This group, identified as low-risk for academic failure, was predicted to attain a bachelor's degree by the age of twenty-six. A subgroup from among this sample did not attain a bachelor's degree by age twenty-six. In the interest of illuminating features of latent vulnerability, differences between the two groups were explored. Data from the nationally representative sample of 2,355 students was analyzed using several approaches. Results suggest that certain vulnerabilities which may be considered to be dormant (e.g., negative self-concept), eventually have negative effects on academic outcomes for the non-graduating group despite predictions to the contrary. These adolescents exhibit features of latent vulnerability. / Educational Psychology

This dissertation focuses on the digital presentation of athletification, a process through which non-athletes incorporate an athletic identity into their self-concept. Although many studies have explored consumer behavior driven by team identification and how athletes manage impressions on social media, extant literature has devoted little attention to the symbolic meaning of virtual athletic identity and its impact on consumption from a non-athlete’s perspective. Using a multimethod approach, this dissertation is divided into three standalone essays and examines the following in the context of influencer marketing: 1) the use and role of digital athletic identity in building a digital self-brand; 2) the motivation and consequences of constructing a digital identity; and 3) the impact of a digital athletic identity on consumers. This dissertation contributes to the literature by constructing a theoretical foundation for athletification as a self-branding tool on social media and uncovering its influence on consumers’ attitudes and behaviors. These studies offer insights for social media influencers and marketers attempting to leverage their impacts on consumers. Findings also provide actionable strategies that could improve the promotional messages presented online. / Tourism and Sport

This study explored the factors that influence public high school students' advanced math course-taking. The factors investigated were parental involvement, peers' educational aspirations, students' own educational aspirations, and math self-concept. These factors were further examined for students in different settings as defined by school demographic variables of urbanicity, minority concentration, and poverty concentration. The study analyzed longitudinal data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS: 88), using structural equation modeling. Results indicated that parental involvement was much more important than peer influence for students' educational aspirations, and in turn, for their advanced level mathematics course-taking. Parental involvement had a larger effect for students in high-minority, high-poverty urban schools, who, on the average, had taken the smallest number of advanced mathematics courses, compared to students in other settings. Results from the study indicated that African-American students' math self-concepts were not affected by their previous math achievement, suggesting the lack of feedback about their mathematics performance. Recommendations based on the findings included improving parental involvement for all students, especially for students in high-minority, high-poverty urban schools, and providing more feedback to African-American students about their level of performance in mathematics and its consequences in terms of advanced math course-taking. / Ph. D.

An acute shortage of African American teachers is well recognized. This shortage poses a problem as school systems attempt to employ a representative number of African American teachers commensurate to their diverse student population. The purpose of this study was to examine why 10 African American teachers in Roanoke City selected teaching and remain in the profession and how those reasons were influenced by two motivational variables (academic self-concept of ability and self-efficacy). Factors further affecting this relationship, such as environmental influences (i.e., home, school, and community)and institutional influences (i.e., experiences in the workplace,job satisfaction, and school climate), also were examined. The research design was a single explanatory case study. Yin (1994) contends that "how" and "why" questions (as used in this study) are explanatory in nature and suitable for a case-study design. Two sources of data were used: an initial survey instrument on environmental factors and a second survey on institutional factors. Two separate interviews were conducted with both instruments. Both sources were intended to capture participants' perceptions relevant to their experiences. A purposive sample of 10 local African American teachers was selected. Pattern matching and explanation building were the dominant modes of analysis. A conversational style with narratives written was used to reflect the richness of language used by the participants to describe their experiences. Findings revealed that home environmental experiences and preparation for teaching were positive overall because of practices used by parents and family members to socialize the the participants for success in school. Both direct assistance with school work and verbal encouragement enhanced academic self-concept of ability and self-efficacy for success in school and in teaching. School experiences before and during college were found rewarding and challenging. However, both types of experiences enhanced self-concept of ability and self-efficacy in attaining a teaching career as well as succeeding and remaining in the profession. Overall, rewarding experiences outweighed challenging ones. High expectations, assistance with school work, and teacher role models were typical examples of such experiences. Two major community influences played a significant role in interest and retention in teacher-education programs: (a) involvement in church activities and (b) sponsorship for teacher-education programs through partnerships with business and industry. The former reinforced self-concept in ability, and the latter afforded some participants an opportunity to attend college and enter a teacher-education program. Results on institutional factors and teacher retention were associated with experiences as classroom teachers, interactions with colleagues,relationships with building principals, and perceptions of the school system as a whole. / Ed. D.