This study compares children's friendship quality in after-school programs and regular school day classrooms. Participants were drawn from ten after-school program sites and a control group from ten elementary school classrooms. Three hundred and thirty six children in grades three, four and five were asked to describe their friendship experiences by identifying their friends using a program or class roster and completing a questionnaire about the quality of their very best friendship. Friendship quality information was compared in six areas: companionship and recreation, validation and caring, help and guidance, intimate disclosure, conflict resolution, and conflict and betrayal. Findings showed a significance difference in the quality of friendships based on student age, gender, friendship level and whether the student attended an after-school program. Results supported the hypothesis that students in high-quality after-school programs have higher quality friendships than children in low quality programs. Findings did not support the hypothesis that children in after-school programs have higher quality friendships than children who do not participate in after-school programs. Preliminary evidence suggests that after-school programs have both a higher number of children with challenging behaviors and a higher number of children who receive special education services as compared to school day classrooms. This difference in population may account for the friendship quality difference between the after-school program group and the control group.

<p> The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the influence that a threat to university students&rsquo; academic competence had on their reported competence, self-efficacy, and the avoidance of help seeking in academics. This dissertation was conceptualized based on symbolic self-completion theory which maintains that when individuals are actively committed to pursuing certain self-definitions, they define themselves as complete (e.g., competent or possessing a desired quality) through the use of symbols of attainment. These symbols can consist of any behavior or material possession that is accepted by others as proof that the individual possesses the desired self-definition. In the present study, the desired quality is being a competent university student, and potential symbols of attainment are measures of perceived competence, self-efficacy, and the avoidance of help seeking in academics. Providing written advice to future undergraduate students was also examined as an additional symbol of attainment. A pre/posttest design was used to gather measures surrounding an academic threat to current undergraduate students (n=203). Results of this dissertation support that being an undergraduate student does represent a self-defining goal and suggest that some students are invested in establishing and maintaining competence within this desired self-definition. This dissertation found that following an academic threat the experimental group did exaggerate (i.e., increase) responses to some of the measures. In addition, both academic commitment and self-esteem were important in determining the extent to which a student engaged in the symbolic self-completion process using measures that focus on competence, self-efficacy, and the avoidance of help seeking in academics. </p>

<p> Although there is a large investment made in technology in our public and private schools each year, there has been comparatively little effort made into understanding the impact of that technology on our students. This study examines the relationship between student boredom, media multitasking, and distraction in an effort to understand the impact of media multitasking on our students. To examine this, a mixed methods design was utilized, consisting of a memory recall experiment, student interviews, and a survey instrument. This study found that laptops are preferred over iPads for both focus and academic reasons, and it discovered classroom environments and teaching methodologies that caused distraction to occur as well as strategies employed by students to attempt to overcome distraction. Ultimately, this study did not find an impact on academic performance as assessed by a memory recall experiment. As a result, this study contributes significant knowledge into technology distraction at the high school level as well as modifications that can help improve student focus.</p>

<p> The purpose of this research was to investigate how parental stress is related to student behavior and the impact of the family system on student behavior. Bronfenbrenner&rsquo;s (1994) ecological model was used as the theoretical framework with a focus on relationships within the family and direct links to student behaviors. The sample size (n) was small equaling 10 parents and 10 students. The study investigated two groups of parents and children, one group consisted of five students identified as typically developing students with behaviors and numerous office referrals of more than five visits per year. The second group of five students received special educational services and had medically diagnosed behavior disorders. This study used the Parent Stress Index (PSI-4) survey to measure parental pressures and the direct influences on the parent to gain insight into four main domains: Total Stress, Life Stress, Child Domain, and Parent Domain. Interviews of both parents and children offered insight to the social occurrence of behaviors and the relationship between the parent and child. The study revealed themes describing a relationship between parenting stress and child behavior that were representative of a bi-directional relationship between a parent and child reflective in the influence of one&rsquo;s direct environment within the family unit. This research adds to the body of literature looking at parenting stress and the effect on child behavior.</p>

<p> The university environment in science can feel unwelcoming for ethnic underrepresented minority (URM) students due to cultural incongruity. Thus, it can be difficult for a Latino student&mdash;seeking congruity in social and value domains&mdash;to develop a coherent identity as both an ethnic minority and as an emerging scientist. Using longitudinal archival data spanning an academic year, the proposed study sought to examine whether and how motivational experiences for freshmen and sophomores contribute to identity processes, specifically among Latinos in science education. Current hypotheses were mostly unsupported, but unexpected findings suggests there is room to explore a differential influence of Social Congruity and Value Congruity on two components of Identity Integration: Conflict and Closeness. Greater Social and Value Congruity at the beginning of the academic semester independently and positively predicted greater Conflict and Closeness at the end of the same semester, respectively. Potential interpretations and implications are discussed.</p>

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title from title page (viewed Apr. 19, 2007) Includes bibliographical references.

<p> This study was designed to examine if a correlation exists between regular school attendance and academic success. As an outcome of concern for educational expectations in American schools, the government of the United States increased accountability for schools through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, requiring schools improve student achievement levels in designated core academic areas (Tyre, Feuerborn, &amp; Pierce, 2011). Unlike the findings of Robert Balfanz and Vaughan Byrnes (2012) of Johns Hopkins University, which found most educational agencies do not keep detailed statistics regarding student attendance, Missouri public school districts do have an accountability structure in place. Core Data and Missouri Student Information System (MOSIS) data collection systems are used by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (2014) to monitor attendance among Missouri&rsquo;s school children. Using data collected from Core Data and MOSIS, this study was designed to correlate variables in relation to student performance on Missouri end-of-year standardized tests to the students&rsquo; annual attendance rates within a specific school district. Results were supportive of the research hypotheses; a correlation exists between chronic absenteeism and basic or below basic performance on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) grade-level assessments for students in the sample. These findings were generally consistent with previous research. Recommendations for future research are suggested.</p>

Thesis (PH.D.) -- Syracuse University, 2004. / Adviser: Martens, Brian K. "Publication number AAT 3132694."

<p> School culture develops as staff members interact with each other, the students, and the community. It becomes the guide for behavior shared among members of the school at large. School culture is a self-repeating cycle; culture is shaped by the interactions of the personnel, and the actions of the personnel become directed by culture (Hinde, 2004). The culture of a school can be a positive influence on student learning or it can inhibit the functioning of the school. Stakeholders in any environment prefer to be in a situation that is appealing and welcoming. When students attend school, the expectation is that it is a place where they like to be, a place that offers support and encouragement, and a place where physical comfort levels are optimal (MacNeil, Prater, &amp; Busch, 2009). Research indicates school culture plays a significant role in educational reform efforts (Gruenert &amp; Whitaker, 2015). </p><p> This study investigated how perceptions of teachers, support staff, and administrators affect school culture and academic achievement, and aimed to define how Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) impacts school culture. The data collected and the statistical tests performed included Correlations, a Mann-Whitney Test, and a One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The SCS-FF Open-ended responses were coded and synthesized, and interviews with six certificated employees were coded and categorized into nine themes divided into four meta-codes. Lack of implementation with fidelity and consistent progress monitoring of the PBIS program suggests that there is a lack of cohesiveness shared among staff members at XYZ K-8 School. Consistent expectations for all stakeholders, set forth by administration, emerged as imperative to program success and a positive school culture.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to assess the nature of participation in a hybrid Community of Practice; exploring how teacher efficacy influenced participation; and how participation impacted both technology teacher leadership and technology integration practice. The researcher addressed the following research questions: <i>What is the nature and frequency of the activities and interactions evidenced by participation in a hybrid CoP? What types of knowledge capital were found in a hybrid CoP? Does teacher efficacy influence participation in the online component of a hybrid CoP? How does participation in a hybrid CoP impact teachers&rsquo; technology integration and the development of their technology leadership ability?</i> Participants included 31 teachers enrolled in an Innovative Teacher Leaders (ITL) program. The researcher implemented a mixed methods comparative case study, collecting data via participant observations, monthly self-reports, and semi-structured interviews. A survey instrument was administered to collect data on Teacher Efficacy and Teacher Leadership. Frequency data were collected based on interaction logs and face-to-face training observations of the CoP. Findings of this study pointed to the need for time to practice, implementation support, and peer coaching/discourse as necessary factors for successful professional development. Participation in this hybrid CoP was found to have a positive impact on teacher technology integration and technology leadership ability.</p><p>