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This study explored the relationship between student-teacher compatibility and perceived student discipline scores. The six measures of compatibility included in FIRO-B were tested to determine their relationship to perceived student discipline.;The study was conducted with a total sample of 12 sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade teachers and 550 students. Both groups completed Schutz's Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior (FIRO-B), questionnaire. The six composite measures of compatibility were determined from the FIRO-B.;In addition the 12 teachers completed Brown and Hammill's Behavior Rating Profile. This instrument measured perceived student discipline. The relationship between compatibility scores and perceived student discipline scores was determined by using the statistical technique of Pearson Product-Moment Correlation and analysis of covariance.;As a result, it was determined that teachers with a high need to control and students with a high need to be controlled worked well together and the students exhibited good behavior. The analysis also demonstrated that good behavior resulted where teachers with a higher need for inclusion are matched with students who desired the same need.;The study also revealed that there was a significant correlation between the perceived student discipline scores and compatibility in the inclusion area and between the perceived student discipline scores and compatibility in the control area. Three teacher variables were significantly related to perceived student discipline scores--grade taught, subject taught, and highest degree attained. The results of covariance indicated that five compatibility indexes were significantly related--positively or negatively--to perceived student discipline scores with sixth-grade students.

For many years, the technique of puppetry has been successfully utilized within child counseling programs (Jenkins and Beckh, 1942) (Grant, 1950) (Koenig, 1951) (Dinkmeyer and Caldwell, 1970). Only recently the use of puppets was popularized by the introduction of the DUSO program (Dinkmeyer 1970, 1973). In fact, puppetry was cited as a potentially invaluable intervention strategy to facilitate affective educational programs to help stimulate young children to explore their feelings. However, little experimental evidence was gleaned from the literature to support the efficacy of the puppetry techniques (Strage, 1979) (Zingle, 1972) (Buffalo Public School System Project, 1975). Only testimonial and anecdotal statements supported the use of puppets as a counseling strategy (Liss, 1950) (Vidler, 1972) (Sang and Wickersham, 1975) (Burn, 1977). Puppets and structured story telling (Bibliotherapy) were described in the literature as a successful joint child therapy approach although without the support of a controlled experiment setting.;Fifty second and third graders, of six Southeastern Virginia public schools, volunteered for divorce adjustment counseling. These groups were led by different counselors at each school. These counseling groups ran for approximately one month with pre and post testing based on a specific experimental design cited in Campbell and Stanley (1963). The E explored the efficacy of specific child counseling techniques, puppetry and bibliotherapy. Standardized measures of attitude and behavior for this select cross section of elementary children were obtained. Frequency charting of affective words were derived from individual responses to a projective technique, sentence completion responses. The hypotheses were statistically analyzed through the employment of ANOVA and T-Test procedures. Covariates were established and analyzed to control for the influence of the dependent variable test results and other potentially significant factors.;An attempt was made, through this research project, to develop quantitative results to measure the changes in the S's attitude, behavior and emotional expression based on their exposure. The results of the post test data proved to be inconclusive. Some changes in the dependent variables were noted, however, these dependent variables did not exhibit the anticipated differences which were hypothesized.;Several extraneous variables influenced the experimental outcome. The most important of these were the observable counselor differences in style and group leadership. Future research should aim at controlling, through standardization, the impact of counselor ability and application of these techniques of puppetry and bibliotherapy.

College students with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) must cope with the expected challenges of college in addition to managing health-related concerns. Therefore, they may navigate college in a different way than students without chronic health conditions, such as RA. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between perfectionism and quality of life among a sample of college students with RA (n=33) compared to students without RA or another chronic health condition (n=190). Students completed dimensional measures of perfectionism (self-oriented, socially prescribed) and quality of life (physical, psychological, social relationships, environment). Students with RA also completed questions related to illness perception. Major findings indicate that students with RA reported greater self-oriented perfectionism and poorer quality of life only related to their physical health and environment compared to their relatively healthy (non-RA) peers. While self-oriented perfectionism was not significantly correlated with quality of life among students with RA, greater self-oriented perfectionism predicted higher quality of life in psychological and environment domains of quality of life. Socially prescribed perfectionism among students with RA was significantly negatively correlated with physical-, psychological-, and environment-related quality of life. Furthermore, it predicted poorer quality of life in all four quality of life domains among students with RA. The results of this study highlight the need for counseling psychologists in university counseling centers or disability services to attend to perfectionism reported by students with RA, especially socially-prescribed perfectionism, and help students improve quality of life in the domains of physical health and environment.

Dimensionality assessment provides test developers and users with a better understanding of how test scores make human abilities concrete. Issues dealt with by dimensionality assessment include, but are not restricted to, (a) whether unidimensionality holds; (b) the number of dimensions influencing test scores; and (c) the relationships among items, among underlying dimensions, and between items and dimensions. Results from dimensionality assessment allow test developers and users to carefully validate specific interpretations and uses of test scores. The widespread use of mixed-format tests complicates dimensionality assessment both conceptually and methodologically. This dissertation is the first to propose a framework tailored for exploratory type of dimensionality assessment for mixed-format tests. Based on real data from three large-scale mixed-format tests, this dissertation examined the performance of a number of popular and promising dimensionality assessment methods and procedures. Major findings were summarized, along with more extensive descriptions of the similarities and dissimilarities among methods and across different test subject areas, forms, and sample sizes. Limitations and possible further research topics were also discussed.

With the widespread use of technology in the assessment field, many testing programs use both computer-based tests (CBTs) and paper-and-pencil tests (PPTs). Both the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA, APA, & NCME, 2014) and the International Guidelines on Computer-Based and Internet Delivered Testing (International Test Commission, 2005) have called for studies on the equivalence of scores from different modes to support the uses and interpretations of scores across modes. Studies of administration mode effects, however, are quite limited and have found mixed results in the early childhood literature. In addition, little research has focused on both construct comparability and score comparability. The purpose of this study was to examine comparability in two stages. The first stage consisted of a series of analyses performed to investigate construct comparability through methods such as Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA), Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT). The second stage included summary analyses performed to investigate score comparability by evaluating the means, standard deviations, score distributions and reliabilities for the overall test scores. Correlations between the two modes and Test Characteristic Curves (TCCs) for the two modes were evaluated. Results indicated that, in general, the constructs and scores were comparable between PPTs and CBTs. The item and domain level analysis suggested that several items and domains seemed to be influenced slightly different by mode, while the scores at the total test level were not impacted by mode. This information could be useful for test developers when making decisions about what items to include on both modes. The current study sought to address gaps in the existing literature. First, this study examined how young test takers perform in a CBT testing environment. This work adds to previous literature in that young test takers have more access to technology than they did when many research studies were previously conducted. Second, this study discussed potential sources of mode effects such as test items and the characteristics of test takers in early elementary grades, another area in which comparability research is lacking. Third, the study evaluated comparability issues in two stages in a comprehensive manner.

This dissertation details a qualitative study that examined nine individuals living with sexual side effects of SSRIs that had persisted after the discontinuation of pharmacological treatment (referred to as post-SSRI sexual dysfunction or PSSD). The investigation sought to answer the following research questions: (1) How do individuals with persistent sexual side effects make sense of and meaning from their experience?; (2) How have these individuals' sense of self or identity changed over the course of their sexual difficulties?; and (3) What role could a counseling psychologist have had in helping the individual with his or her situation? Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis methodology, eight themes emerged from the data including: (1) difficult emotional experiences; (2) varied coping strategies; (3) negative impact on romantic relationships; (4) changed identity; (5) changed attitude toward sex; (6) problems with medical providers; (7) mixed feelings about SSRIs; and (8) desire for collaborative healthcare. A review of relevant literature, a detailed explanation of the research methodology, a description of the results incorporating participant narratives, and a discussion of the results highlighting implications for counseling psychologists and limitations of the study are included in this dissertation.

Previous research has suggested that increases caregiver interaction quality may lead to subsequent reductions in child problem behavior. However, there is little research evaluating whether successful reductions in problem behavior through behavioral treatment may positively impact the caregiver-child relationship. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether successful implementation of an empirically validated, reinforcement based-treatment for children who display challenging behaviors (functional communication training, or FCT) leads to changes in caregiver interaction quality. A retrospective data analysis was conducted using assessment and treatment sessions conducted via telehealth for a federally funded research project (Lindgren & Wacker, 2011). Five caregiver-child dyads were included in the current study, and caregivers conducted all sessions while being coached on behavioral procedures via telehealth by a trained behavior specialist. No caregiver received any direct training intended to improve or modify caregiver-child interactions during playtime. Appropriate and inappropriate interactive caregiver behaviors were recorded throughout all playtime intervals during assessment and treatment. Results indicated that child problem behaviors were significantly negatively correlated with caregiver interaction quality for 3 out of 5 caregiver-child dyads; however, for 1 caregiver-child dyad, child problem behavior and caregiver interaction quality were significantly positively correlated. Additionally, positive increases in caregiver interaction quality rarely maintained throughout treatment. In conclusion, the results show that improvements in child problem behavior can favorably impact caregiver interaction quality. However, additional supports may be necessary to maintain these effects over time.

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) occurs in up to 16% of U.S. children and is characterized by defiant, disobedient, disruptive, and antisocial behavior toward adults or authority figures that persists for more than 6 months, which can be burdensome for parents. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how parents of a child newly diagnosed with ODD select the treatment for their child. Social cognitive theory and decision theory provided the theoretical framework. A demographic questionnaire and semistructured interviews were used to collect data from 6 parents about their decision-making process. Data were analyzed using the 7-step procedure outlined by Moustakas. Results indicated parents' decisions about treatment were predicated by seeking information about different treatment options, seeking advice from professionals and other parents of children with a diagnosis of ODD, insurance coverage, and rapidity of response to treatment. Parents indicated that support from other parents of children diagnosed with ODD was an essential component of any decision they made about treatment. Findings may encourage parents of children with ODD to educate themselves and consult with others about treatment options. Practitioners may also use the findings to guide parents in making informed choices for their children. Knowledge, treatment, and education can properly advise parents of children diagnosed with ODD regarding appropriate treatment options.