<p> This study examined students with learning disabilities&rsquo; use of academic consultation, a specific academic support, during the first year of college and the relation it had to completing the undergraduate degree. Forty-one participants were recruited via e-mail, telephone, and social media in order to request their consent to have the researcher access their academic and support services records. Results indicate that the number of academic consultant meetings attended during the first year of college did not have a significant impact on overall GPA or GPA at the end of the third semester. Those who used test accommodations during their first year were more likely to graduate in four years than those students who did not use their test accommodations during the first year. The findings suggest incoming first year students with learning disabilities should be aware of the importance of seeking out and registering with the disability office on campus in order to arrange for their test accommodations.</p>

<p> To explore the correlation between teacher frustration tolerance and discipline incidents among general and special education students, 38 teachers were asked to complete two surveys; 18 teachers responded. Teachers completed the Munich Personality Test with its measure of general frustration tolerance, plus a survey designed for this study of frustration tolerance for special education students. Results demonstrated negative correlations between teachers' general frustration tolerance and numbers of student discipline incidents among both general and special education children. Results indicated that teachers' frustration tolerance for special education students was highly correlated with student discipline incidents among special education students, suggesting that frustration tolerance for special education children is a separate construct from general frustration tolerance, and this it may be successfully measured by the instrument developed for this study. Results also indicated that teachers found specific disabilities to be more frustrating than others and that frustration tolerance of certain disabilities may predict numbers of discipline incidents for these children. Nevertheless, the direction of the correlation was the inverse of what was expected, with teachers having the greatest frustration tolerance for special education students also evidencing the greatest numbers of discipline incidents among these students. Among several explanations considered, it is suggested that the school administrator in the facility where this study occurred was aware of teachers' with high levels of frustration tolerance for special education students and thus assigned the most difficult students to these teachers, leading these teachers to have the greatest number of associated discipline incidents among special education students. Nevertheless, the ability to measure frustration tolerance specific to special education students can be a useful metric in teacher selection and student placement within other contexts where teachers' frustration tolerance is not well known to administrators. With this metric, school administrators may be better able to design behavior plans and train teachers to teach special education students successfully.</p>

<p> This study was designed to explore four primary research questions. Why do schools and districts adopt PBIS? Which stakeholders were included in the decision-making process to adopt PBIS? Do these adoption dynamics influence PBIS Tier 2 implementation? With PBIS Tier 2 implementation fidelity as a desirable outcome, what are the relevant facilitators, constraints, and obstacles? </p><p> These main research questions and additional sub-questions derived from a gap in the literature. Five related priorities have not received sufficient attention: (a) PBIS adoption dynamics in schools and districts, (b) Roles and responsibilities of teachers and pupil personnel professionals such as school psychologist, (c) District office and the roles of district leaders as units of analysis, (d) PBIS Tier 2 implementation benchmarks for schools, and (d) Relevant knowledge about PBIS' institutionalization and sustainability. </p><p> Guided by a conceptual framework for organizational readiness (AVICTORY model) this study proceeded with a multi-site case study design, using multiple methods. A purpose sample was employed, involving two elementary schools in one school district. This study included three units of analysis: Two elementary schools and district office. </p><p> This study's comparative results yielded multiple analytic generalizations such as: (a) Implementation phases directly or indirectly influence the other phases. (b) Adoption and implementation hinge on organizational capacity and individual/team competence. (b) Leaders' diffusion of PBIS is necessary, but insufficient to achieve implementation fidelity for both PBIS Tiers. (c) Short-term PBIS Tier 1 implementation fidelity does not guarantee long-term institutionalization. (d) Implementation fidelity and institutionalization depend on workforce competency and stability. Future research should improve this study's AVICTORY Tier 2 surveys with particular reference to an important need. Do the survey results provide formative data to facilitate PBIS Tier 2 implementation fidelity? Finally, future research should include observational studies of how PBIS is interpreted and operationalized in all settings, especially by teachers in classroom settings.</p>

<p> <b>Purpose:</b> The purpose of the study was to identify the most challenging and frequently occurring types of student behavioral problems that paraprofessionals in the K-12 public school setting encounter. In addition, the purpose of the study included identifying the most effective ways to prepare special education paraprofessionals to manage the most challenging and frequently occurring student behaviors through effective professional development practices. </p><p> <b>Methodology:</b> The mixed methods study primarily involved collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data through on-line surveys of paraprofessionals, special education teachers, and school principals. Phenomenology and grounded theory elements served as the descriptive study&rsquo;s theoretical foundations. A policy Delphi method used an expert panel that represented a diverse group of public school districts in Riverside County, California. </p><p> <b>Findings:</b> Analysis of data revealed the 12 most challenging student behavior types, including eight most frequently occurring student behaviors in the k-12 school setting. Key topics and effective professional development delivery methods for special education paraprofessionals in the area of managing challenging behaviors were identified. </p><p> <b>Conclusions:</b> As a result of the study and review of prior research, an outline of suggested professional development activities was developed. Effective training delivery methods involving the principles of andragogy were also identified. </p><p> <b>Recommendations:</b> Schools and districts must (1) include paraprofessionals&rsquo;, teachers&rsquo;, and principals&rsquo; input when developing professional development activities for special education paraprofessionals; (2) focus the behavioral training for paraprofessionals on the most challenging and frequently occurring student behaviors in the k-12 school setting; (3) apply principles of andragogy when providing professional development to paraprofessionals; (4) make a shift from one-day training events to on-going, systematic, research-based, consistent, relevant training that involves practice time, meaningful feedback, modeling, and activities aiming at the higher level thinking skills identified in Bloom&rsquo;s taxonomy.</p>

<p> The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify psychological and physical health factors that influence African American college students' academic achievement using secondary data from the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA). Using Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, this study explored the influence of health variables on African American college students' academic experiences. Independent sample t-tests were used to analyze gender differences between African American female and male college students. Factor analyses and a Logistic regression was used to ascertain the influence of psychological and physical health factors on African American college students' academic achievement. Findings of this study highlight personal health issues, future help-seeking behavior, and impeding emotional experiences as significant predictors of academic achievement for all African American students. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are reviewed.</p>

No description available.

<p> Personal biases exhibited by mental health professionals can adversely affect treatment outcomes (Servais &amp; Saunders, 2007; Currin, Waller, &amp; Schmidt, 2009). Eating disorders are often stigmatized and ultimately marginalized even within professional realms, thereby presenting (1) an unnecessary barrier to treatment and (2) adverse consequences for affected individuals (Hackler, Vogel, &amp; Wade, 2010; Roehrig &amp; McLean, 2010; Ebneter, Latner, &amp; O'Brien, 2011; Walker &amp; Lloyd, 2011). Conjunctively, the presence of weight discrimination has increased drastically in recent years. (Bannon, Hunter-Reel, Wilson, &amp; Karlin, 2009). This study assessed levels of weight-related and eating disorder-related stigma in a sample of clinical psychology doctoral students.</p>

<p> A gap exists between what research supports as effective for clinical practice and what mental health practitioners administer in clinical practice. Low utilization rates of evidence-supported treatments (ESTs) are a concern because traditional methods (non-EST) of treatment are associated with poor therapy outcomes. One potential barrier for the use of EST by clinicians is limited EST exposure during graduate training. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which clinicians' prior exposure to and experience with EST was associated with clinicians' use of EST in clinical practice. The theoretical framework used is the theory of planned behavior, which indicates that certain behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs, and control beliefs create a clinician's intentions to use or not use EST in clinical practice. From this perspective, low exposure and few experiences with EST during graduate training lead to beliefs that, in turn, drive mental health practitioners' tendency not to use EST after graduation. Participants in this correlational study were 79 master's and doctoral level clinicians who practiced 10 or more direct hours per week, and who were members of social work or psychology professional organizations. Participants completed a demographics questionnaire, the Evidence-Based Practice Process Assessment Scale-Short Version (Parish, 2007) and measures of EST exposure during graduate training. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the effects of the four independent variables, number of courses devoted to ESTs, number of clinical hours per month practicing ESTs, number of ESTs covered in coursework, and the number of ESTs taught in graduate coursework, on EST use in clinical practice. A result of the study was a positive relationship between the numbers of courses devoted to EST with a clinician's use of EST in clinical practice. No other exposure variable was related to EST use. In addition, the longer clinicians had been working in their professions, the less they engaged in evidence-based practices. The implications of the study are exposure to academic courses devoted to EST may improve the likelihood that a clinician will use ESTs in clinical practice. Further research is needed to understand ways to improve EST use among clinicians.</p>

<p> The use of positive reinforcement in acquisition programming is a hallmark of Applied Behavior Analysis; however, the Precision Teaching literature reveals a lack of reporting on the use of reinforcement. The present study utilized a groups design and single case analyses to investigate the effect of programming systematic tangible reinforcement on acquisition performance, retention and endurance of academic skills with 10 typically developing students ranging from 5-7 years of age. Results indicate that for both control and experimental participants, an increase in accuracy on both See/Say sight words and math problems occurred; however, the experimental group performed better on See/Say sight words and both groups performed the same with See/Say math problems. </p>

<p> Highly successful online educators are believed to have a perceived sense of subjective well-being in connection to the education they give to their students. The research question for this study was: what is the perceived subjective well-being for highly successful online educators? This generic qualitative research study used sampling that was purposive and a thematic probe of the data. The study included eight exceptional individuals who described their feelings of what it meant to be highly successful as online educators. A rich narrative of the experiences of the participants offers original insights that supplements a better understanding of how they associated with and taught learners. This research study acknowledged those experiences that are collective and exceptional among the participants. Conclusions from the analysis included online educators who are highly successful have a positive sense of subjective well-being in their jobs. There were four major themes found: satisfaction, creativity, motivation and appreciation. It is the goal of this research study that highly successful online educators will continue to engage and collaborate with their students and this provides the basis for both exceptional learning and teaching experiences alike. </p><p> <i>Keywords:</i> subjective well-being, highly successful educators, satisfaction, creativity, motivation and appreciation.</p>