Adolescence is a time when interacting with the opposite sex tends to increase and become more serious, and romantic relationships start to form. However, for some adolescents, specifically adolescents who have an avoidant state of mind in regards to attachment, romantic relationships and particularly intimacy is an experience they may find challenging. Given the importance of intimacy in an adolescent’s life, this study proposes to investigate whether the quality of peer relationships can influence romantic intimacy among adolescents with an avoidant attachment. Friendship quality was chosen as a mediating variable in the present study to examine if the quality of peer relationships positively influences the relationship between avoidant attachment and romantic intimacy among adolescents. Specifically, the present study aims to answer the following research questions: (1) Is avoidant attachment linked to the quality of peer relationships among adolescents? (2) Do peer relationships mediate the relationship between avoidant attachment and romantic intimacy among adolescents? While it is known that avoidant attachment negatively impacts romantic intimacy, there is contradicting evidence suggesting that attachment influences the quality of peer relationships (Boling et al., 2011; Ducharme et al., 2002; Groh et al., 2014; Kerns, 1996; Markiewicz et al., 2001; Schwarz et al., 2012). Some studies show that individuals with an avoidant attachment tend to have difficulty creating and maintaining satisfactory peer relationships and friendships while other studies found no evidence that attachment impacts peer relationships or friendship quality (Boling et al., 2011; Kerns et al., 1996; Schwarz et al., 2012). This study will investigate whether adolescents with an avoidant attachment have poorer quality of peer relationships and whether peer relationships have a positive effect on the relationship between avoidant attachment and romantic intimacy in adolescence. This study will analyze data collected from the National Institute of Child Health and Development – Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Structural equation models will be used to test the possibility of quality of peer relationships as a mediator for the relationship between avoidant attachment and romantic intimacy.

The problem which formed the basis of this research was to answer the question: "Can an acculturated version of McClelland's original n-Achievement scale be significantly more effective in measuring n-Achievement motivation of male Navaho Indian subjects than McClelland's original n-Achievement scale?" An answer to this question would hopefully be reason enough for using an acculturated n-Achievement scale to provide new information relative to the Navaho Indian's need to achieve. The major underlying objective of this study was to develop a more effective projective scale than McClelland in measuring a Navaho Indian's n-Achievement motivation. This objective was not reached; however, the acculturated scale did elicit a measure of n-Achievement motivation comparable to the original McClelland scale. No significant differences were obtained on the three specific hypothesis; all were accepted, indicating that both the acculturated scale and the original scale seem to discriminate about equally well on n-Achievement motivation of male Navaho Indian subjects.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

An important reading skill that is often overlooked by educators is reading fluency. There is a paucity of studies that have investigated computer programs that address this and other critical reading skills. Reading Assistant™ is a form of computer-assisted instruction that uses speech recognition technology and research supported strategies to target reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of Reading Assistant™ on the oral reading fluency and comprehension skills of second through third grade students considered at-risk for reading failure. A total of eight participants were involved in this study across a 6- to 8-week intervention period. In order to evaluate the impact of Reading Assistant™, a multiple baseline across participants design was used. Multiple sources of data were collected to determine the overall effectiveness of the Reading Assistant™ computer program. Data for reading fluency was collected using AIMSweb reading curriculum based measurement (CBM) probes while data for reading comprehension was collected using AIMSweb maze CBM probes. The effect of the Reading Assistant™ computer program was also evaluated by determining the rate of improvement (ROI) as well as by calculating the percentage of non-overlapping data points (PND). The results of this study suggest that Reading Assistant™ may have been somewhat effective for improving the oral reading fluency and reading comprehension skills, but only for some of the participants. The effect size data do not provide a convincing demonstration that Reading Assistant™ had a substantial impact on the majority of struggling readers involved in this study. Further research is needed to establish the effectiveness of Reading Assistant™ as an intervention for reading fluency.

The School Psychology Multicultural Competence Scale (SPMCS) is a 45-item, self-report measure designed to assess the multicultural competence of school psychologists and school psychology trainees. The SPMCS was developed to address the need for a multicultural assessment tool specific to school psychology. The purpose of the present study was twofold: to determine the underlying factor structure of the SPMCS and to determine which characteristics of training programs and individual trainees were related to higher self-reported scores on multicultural competence. Participants in this study were 312 school psychology specialist and doctoral students enrolled in NASP approved and/or APA accredited school psychology programs in the United States. All students completed the SPMCS and a brief demographic survey in which they were asked about coursework in multicultural and diversity issues and practicum experiences with culturally and linguistically diverse populations. The results of the factor analysis demonstrated that a four factor solution best fit the data obtained from the sample of graduate students who completed the SPMCS. The four factor subscales were Cultural Knowledge/Skills, Cultural Appreciation, Basic Skills, and Cultural Awareness. These four subscales may provide a clearer and more accurate description of multicultural competence in professional psychology. Overall, education and training (i.e., advanced standing in graduate program, multicultural/diversity coursework, practicum with culturally and linguistically diverse clients, and internship) were associated with higher self-reported scores of multicultural competence. Female trainees, ethnic minority trainees, and bilingual/multilingual speakers also reported higher multicultural competence than male, Caucasian, and monolingual trainees. These results lend tacit support for an integrated-separate course model of multicultural training with explicit coursework in multicultural issues, integration of multicultural content into all coursework, and practicum experiences with culturally and linguistically diverse clients. / School Psychology

Basic information has not been available about which psychological services school psychologists view as most important for the children enrolled in North Carolina public schools. This study was conducted to a) present an accurate portrait of the services currently provided by North Carolina school psychologists, b) report what school psychologists say they should be doing, and c) develop recommendations for policy changes that will provide a basis for moving toward improved services in the field. School psychologists practicing in North Carolina were surveyed in phase I of this study to determine what services they currently provide (actual services) and what services they believe should be provided (ideal services) to benefit children. Services were ranked on level of importance. Respondents were also asked to comment on school psychological services in North Carolina as well as for suggestions to improve services. Demographic information was collected. In phase II of this study, survey findings were presented to a panel of experts in the field of school psychology who followed group process procedures to determine priorities and recommend appropriate next steps. This study found the largest gaps between actual and ideal functioning in the survey categories of Consultation and Relationships to Other Professionals. Interventions, evaluations for special education services, and consultation, were rated among the most important services. Survey respondents made suggestions for the improvement of services including reducing the testing load and increasing the number of psychologists. The expert panel placed accountability through communication as highest priority for action leading toward improved services. Recommendations to improve school psychological services in North Carolina were made for the North Carolina School Psychology Association (NCSPA), local education agencies (LEAs), and school psychologists. Recommendations for NCSPA included a.) appointing a task force too organize and lead efforts to increase policymaker and stakeholder knowledge regarding psychological services, b.) recruiting school systems for the purpose of conducting pilot studies to further investigate ways to close gaps between actual and ideal services, c.) providing guidance for increasing effective communication among North Carolina school psychologists. LEAs were encouraged to conduct needs assessments of their own, and recommendations for school psychologists included individual ways to increase consultation and intervention. Further research recommendations were also made. / Ed. D.

Teachers' satisfaction with school psychological services has been studied for more than 30 years. Few to no studies, however, are available that provide data about the perceptions of school psychologists regarding their perceived value within different service delivery models, particularly those involving Response to Intervention (RTI) models. The present study was designed to determine if any differences existed between the satisfaction ratings of school psychologists in RTI versus non-RTI school districts as self-reported by teachers and school psychologists. General education teachers, special education teachers, and school psychologists from RTI and non-RTI school districts across the United States were surveyed about their satisfaction with school psychological services using the School Psychology Perceptions Survey (SPPS, 2004). Responses were evaluated for significance using Kruskal-Wallis and in the event significance was found, Tukey's HSD was used to determine where the difference occurred. Both special and general education teachers reported statistically significant differences in their satisfaction ratings of school psychological services. Teachers from RTI school districts reported greater satisfaction levels with school psychological services when compared to teachers from non-RTI districts. School psychologists who worked in RTI school districts reported higher job satisfaction ratings than those who worked in non-RTI school districts. In terms of teachers' and school psychologists' satisfaction ratings of school psychological services, the results suggest that RTI school districts provide a more satisfying model of school psychological service delivery compared to non-RTI school district models.