The Hope Scholars Programme (HSP) is an after-school programme implemented by the South African Education and Environment Project (SAEP) in Cape Town, South Africa. After-school programmes (ASPs) are widely described as programmes that are implemented independently of the school day and are aimed at improving the learning outcomes and advancement of kindergarten and high school learners. The HSP began in 1998 with a goal to equip HSP learners with foundational literacy and numeracy skills for the future education and training (FET) phase and subsequent education. HSP activities are implemented under four broad service areas: (a) academic tutoring sessions; (b) experiential learning; (c) psychosocial support services; and (d) community engagement. The scope of this evaluation was the academic component under which the programme offers intensive tutoring in mathematics, natural science and English literacy. The objective of the evaluation was to assess the implementation fidelity of the academic component for programme quality and effectiveness improvement purposes. A conceptual framework for measuring implementation fidelity by Carroll, Patterson, Wood, Booth, Rick and Balain (2007) was used to guide this evaluation. Using the logic model for the programme, the evaluation focused on examining whether the HSP sessions were implemented with the intended process mechanisms through which the programme was designed to lead to its desired academic outcomes. Both primary and secondary data were used to conduct the evaluation. Primary data were collected through oneon-one in-depth interviews with HSP staff members and the volunteer tutor and focus group interviews with the HSP learners. Secondary data were obtained through the review of the HSP documents. An inductive content analysis was employed to analyse the data. The results indicated that the academic component of the HSP was implemented with limited fidelity and poor quality. Programme implementation challenges identified need to be resolved to enhance the quality of the HSP services and programme effectiveness. This evaluation contributes to the literature on: (a) the duration and frequency of the tutorial sessions; (b) the extent to which learners attend; and (c) dropout from the programmes and causes for dropping out in the context of after-school programmes. Among the contributing factors of learner dropout from the HSP, influences that were found unique to the South African context were mistrust between the learners and their parents (mistrust at home) and sweeping of classrooms.

Professional identity has shown to affect the manner in which people conduct themselves at their places of work, how people feel about their work, and how successful they are in their execution of it. Little research has yet been done on the professional identity of psychologists and, as such, this study aimed to construct a measure and explore the dimensions of psychologists’ professional identity. After an online recruitment process, 306 psychologists filled out an online survey and an exploratory factor analysis was employed to examine the data. Seven dimensions were found: 1) Humanistic Values, 2) Directiveness and External Focus, 3) Professional Confidence, 4) Connectedness to the Profession, 5) Neutrality, 6) Primacy of Intuition, and 7) Professional Development. The data was further examined in a cluster analysis and five clusters were found, differing in degree of identification with different theoretical orientations, age, and most common areas of work throughout one’s career.

Undergraduate male and female students enrolled in an introductory behavior analysis course with minimal instruction on self-management were given modified exploratory logs to use in a self-management project. Students self-monitored behavior via the log, constructed their own interventions, and reported changes in behavior and extent of success in a write up at course end. Changes in self-reported descriptions in the logs as well as the written results of a pre and post survey of emotional responses were counted. Successful self-management project interventions were reported by most students. Correspondence between planned and actual events increased. Negative reinforcement procedures characterized most students' intervention. Correspondence between events at pre and post and actual log reports was highest at post.

Literature on child abuse supports the conception that physical abuse is a multidetermined behavior. Multifaceted treatment programs have shown some promise in dealing with the heterogeneity of abusive parents. Most of the reported comprehensive intervention programs have provided predetermined doses of a variety of treatment components to each subject. The intent of this study was two-fold: (a) to provide treatment components based on assessment of the parent and (b) to train the parent to a specified level of competency. A multiple baseline design was used in this clinical study of six agency-referred, physically abusive parents. Based on initial assessment and ongoing observation, subject parents were provided with one or two of four available parent-training components (child behavior management, cognitive modification, relaxation, and systematic desensitization). Treatment effects on 16 dependent variables were measured by self-report, coded audiotape, coded observation, physiological measures, and reports of abuse to public agencies. Results indicated improvement by all the subjects on most of the dependent variables (i.e., 77 of 90 comparisons). However, only three of the six subjects met all of the predetermined criteria for termination of all intervention. Subjects met 15 of 22 training competency criteria. Reductions in abuse indicators were maintained on most of the dependent measures during 30- and 90-day follow-up probes. Only one subject was re-reported for child abuse during the year following treatment. The low attrition rate was seen as a function of assessment.

Undergraduate biomechanics is classically viewed as one of the most difficult courses included in kinesiology programs, often leading to poor student performance and attitudes. By adjusting the interactions students have with course material, it may be possible to positively impact student outcomes. Past work has shown that interactive learning episodes can positively impact student attitudes toward difficult course content, as well as improve student performance variables (Catena & Carbonneau, n.d.; Moreno & Mayer, 2007; Pandy, Petrosino, Austin, & Barr, 2004; Zhang, Zhou, Briggs, & Nunamaker, 2005). In the present study, I investigated the effectiveness of interactive, exploratory based learning episodes in undergraduate biomechanics laboratory sessions. Episodes consisted of a brief introduction of the laboratory topic, which was consistent across groups, followed immediately by a pre- laboratory assessment. Students then completed the laboratory, which either included exploration in interactive computer applications or still images of the applications displaying the necessary information for completion. Intervention sessions utilized custom interactive computer applications where students were prompted to explore course concepts centered around reciprocal relationships between variables specific to each laboratory topic. Student performance was collected and assessed for Work Loop Muscle Mechanics and EMG signal processing laboratory topics at two independent instances. For both learning topics, intervention and control groups both, improved their scores between pre- and post-laboratory assessments indicating learning. In the post-laboratory testing, the intervention group significantly outperformed the control group on the most challenging assessment question (P = 0.005). Adversely, the intervention group achieved significantly lower scores for the simplest signal processing questionnaire item (P <0.001). Although the present study contained mixed results, it supports the utilization of exploratory based learning episodes on typically challenging topics with abstract concepts. Further investigation is needed in order to explore the chronic learning effects of such instructional methods. / Graduate

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In accordance with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Boards’ Closing the Gaps by 2015, this research study analyzed self-reported perceptions about college-going culture from students (n = 151) who attended four House Bill 400 schools serving Latino and African American communities in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. This study utilized exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with a maximum likelihood extraction technique to identify hidden perceptions (latent factors) that account for common variance among student perceptions about college-going culture. The study also tested the validity and inter-item reliability of the 15-item College-Going Culture Survey used in data collection. The parallel analysis, EFA, and Cronbach’s ? identified two latent factors of Verified College Potential (? = .70) and College Capital Awareness (? = .71) that, together, explained 40.1% of students’ perceptions. The two factors were non-significantly negatively correlated (r = -.495, p = .354). By utilizing the two latent constructs, a 10-item revised College-Going Culture Survey is recommended to improve the inter-item reliability coefficient from ? = .46 to ? = .77. Descriptive statistics revealed that Latino and African-American students affirmed aspects of the college-going culture at HB 400 schools. However, latent factors suggest the possibility that students who reportedly feel most encouraged to attend college (Verified College Potential) may tend to be least aware of the actual logistics of college such as admissions processes and financial aid (College Capital Awareness) and that, conversely, those with the most logistical knowledge may tend to feel least encouraged.

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