The purpose of this dissertation was threefold: To determine if parental involvement in monitoring mathematics homework of seventh grade Hispanic students improved their achievement, to assess the effects of parental homework monitoring on the students' self-esteem and to determine if the students' perceptions of their teachers, their parents and their own involvement in mathematics homework changed after the monitoring experience. A total of 28 families/31 students participated in the study. A pretest-posttest control group design was used. The experimental group subjects' parents received training in homework monitoring. The Computation section, Level 2 of the Mathematics subtest of the Stanford Achievement Test, the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventories and, a "Student Mathematics Homework Perception Scale" constructed by the researcher were used for pre and posttest measures of achievement, self-esteem and students' perceptions. The students' grades and the percentage of homework they completed and returned for the first three quarters were obtained from their mathematics teachers. Ten of the experimental group subjects' families were interviewed at the end of the study. Statistical analysis revealed no significant differences between either the computation or the self-esteem posttest scores of the two groups. No significant differences were obtained for teachers' grades and the percentage of homework completed and returned. However, the grades and percentage of homework completed and returned by the experimental group showed a trend in the expected direction. A significant difference was found (p $<$.05) in the perception posttest scores of teacher involvement in mathematics homework. Significant negative correlations were found between parent level of education (p $<$.05) and self-esteem measures and between teachers' grades and self-esteem measures (p $<$.05) for the experimental group. The home interviews revealed: Positive feelings and sense of closer relationship between parents and students, a heightened sense of responsibility for mathematics homework by parents and students in their respective roles, and conflictual issues between parents and students in following the homework monitoring program. Educational implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Motivated by the struggles of couples seeking to create intimate and enduring partnerships, this study develops a structured self-help format for enhancement of couple relationships that can also be used as an adjunct to formal therapy. Couples and their counselors are guided in an exploration of two interwoven areas of concern: the Inner Child--and--the effects of gender conditioning. To provide a theoretical basis for the creation of the practical instrument, a review was conducted of selected works from three major subject areas: the Inner Child, Gender Difference, and Couple Relationships. This research into psychological and self-help literature resulted in the synthesis and elaboration of a concept of the gendered Inner Child. The identification of specific gender with what has usually been a gender-less concept contributes a systemic dimension to the multi-leveled child within. "Systemic" here refers to the inclusion of both intra- and inter-personal psychological dynamics and consideration of the impact of social context and conditioning on problems and their possible solutions. The concept of the Inner Child has already been a highly effective vehicle for individual healing through many different approaches because of its ability to be utilized in the service of all four forces in psychology--psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, existential-humanistic, and transpersonal. With the addition of the systemic dimension, more of individual reality can be meaningfully addressed, and its potential for use with couples can be more fully explored. The Couples Workbook is a practical application of the theoretical construct, to help couples differentiate the gendered Inner Child within themselves as a means of countering the effects of both childhood wounds and sexist conditioning on their intimate relationships. Consisting of sections of text interspersed with questions, exercises, and guided meditations, The Couples Workbook integrates Stone Center Self-in-Relation theory, the work of Riane Eisler and an emphasis on mindfulness to help couples move from "Dominator" to "Partnership" modes of relationship. A questionnaire administered to experienced couples therapists elicited evaluations of the potential usefulness of the Workbook in professional practice. Responses indicated possible wide applicability.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 188-199). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

<p> This study examined peer victimization, specifically indirect peer victimization and cyber victimization, in a sample of 311 college fraternity and sorority students at a large, public university in the southwestern United States. Of specific focus was the relationship between peer victimization&mdash;both within fraternity and sorority groups and between fraternity and sorority groups and outside members&mdash;and co-occurring psychological stress (i.e., anxiety, depression, stress). The potential mediating roles of group identity and campus connectedness were also examined. This study utilized the social psychological theory of Social Identity Theory to predict the relationships between the aforementioned variables. Results indicated that a majority of college fraternity and sorority students (58%) have experienced at least one instance of indirect peer victimization since being initiated into their respective organization. Collectively, the majority of respondents reported low levels of peer victimization and high levels of group identity and campus connectedness. As hypothesized, peer victimization was significantly and positively correlated with stress. In addition, higher ratings of within-group peer victimization were related to lower ratings of group identity. However, ratings of between-group peer victimization were not significantly related to ratings of group identity, which did not support the hypothesis that there would be a significant and positive correlation between the two. </p><p> It was also found that campus connectedness mediated the relationship between peer victimization and Stress. Specifically, campus connectedness served as a protective factor from stress. Alternately, group identity did not protect against stress. Lastly, a specific subgroup of participants was identified as experiencing significantly high levels of peer victimization. Participants designated as "Victims" were significantly more likely to report ethnic minority status, be male, and be a fifth-year college student. Moreover, these students reported significantly higher levels of stress, and lower levels of group identity and campus connectedness. The implications of these findings for university and educational settings are discussed.</p>

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 164-173).

This study reports on a research project that examines teenage young women's themes of power. The themes emerged within a community education program that was conducted in a small, low-income, semi-rural town in Western Massachusetts. The teenagers engaged in theater games and improvisations that were eventually performed live on public-access television. The research also looks at power relations imbedded within the project itself. The program was designed to create an educational experience that provided teenagers with a public voice about their own concerns and issues, and to do so in a way that addressed feminist and postmodern critiques of "liberatory" pedagogy. The study seeks to understand what teenage young women express about self-efficacy and power in relation to themselves, their schools, families, and communities; and an analysis of how the project encouraged or discouraged this expression, particularly in regard to my attempts at utilizing a postmodern feminist perspective in its design. It is framed within a feminist approach to research and incorporates several methodologies to explore these questions. Three definitions of power are indicated by the teen women: Power as control over oneself, others, and events; power as speaking for oneself, being heard, and being understood; and power as intuitive, creative and spiritual experience. The study provides an examination of these themes and a deconstructive analysis of the pedagogy. A primary finding of the study suggests that a special time and place is needed by teen women as a means of finding empowered voices. This "ritual space", is a safe place for honest expression, outside of the space and time norms of an adult secular world.

The purpose of this study was to develop a preventive intervention useful in helping first-time expectant fathers deal with the exigencies of pregnancy and prepare for parenthood, thereby diminishing the anxieties, stresses, and marital-family problems commonly associated with the birth of a first child. A pretest-posttest design with control was used to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. Tests were administered at the start and end of the intervention (four weeks apart for controls) and at six weeks post-partum. Subjects were a self-selected sample of 21 first-time expectant fathers, nine of whom participated in the intervention and 12 of whom functioned as no-treatment controls. It was hypothesized that, after participation in the intervention, first-time expectant fathers would: (1) exhibit less state anxiety; (2) have higher paternal self-esteem; (3) feel more positively about their infants; (4) exhibit greater expected role flexibility; and (5) predict a higher level of involvement with their newborns. It was also hypothesized that psychologically androgynous subjects, as indicated by the Bem Sex-Role Inventory, would show less change as a result of the intervention than less androgynous first-time expectant fathers. State anxiety was measured by Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Form Y). Paternal self-esteem was measured by the Paternal Self-Report Inventory, a modification of Shea's Maternal Self-Report Inventory. Attitude toward forthcoming infants was measured by the Expectations of Newborns Inventory, a modification of Broussard's Neonatal Perception Inventory. Two new instruments were developed for this study: the Survey of Expected Role Flexibility and the Father's Behavior Inventory, which measures direct paternal involvement with the newborn. The data did not support any of the hypotheses. The small sample size,exploratory nature of some of the instruments, and selectivity of the sample are factors which contributed to the paucity of significant results. The results and problems inherent in this kind of research are discussed in a frank manner and implications for future research are noted.

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.