Assessment of social and emotional learning (SEL) in young children is critical to understanding developmental progress and informing care and instruction. The current study investigated the development of a behavior rating scale designed to measure SEL skills in preschool-age children. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the development of a new strength-based assessment prototype, the Social-Emotional Assets and Resiliency Scale for Preschool (SEARS-Pre). Items for the SEARS-Pre were developed based on a review of literature and existing measures and evaluated by a content validation panel of ten experts in the field. Following the content validation and revision process, local preschools were recruited to pilot the final SEARS-Pre measure. Eighteen instructors from three preschool programs in Oregon participated and completed a total of 94 SEARS-Pre rating forms for students in their classrooms. Results from an exploratory factor analysis suggested three factors: Self-regulation/Social competence; 2) Emotion knowledge/Expression; and 3) Empathy/Responsibility. The scale demonstrated strong internal consistency, with alpha values of .95 for Factor 1 (Self-Regulation/Social Competence), .92 for Factor 2 (Emotion Knowledge/Expression), .90 for Factor 3 (Empathy/Responsibility), and .97 for the total score (all three factors).

xiv, 110 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Many youth under the age of 18 experience high levels of mental health problems, and very few of those youth receive the necessary services to combat those problems. Historically, assessment of behavior and social and emotional functioning and subsequent design of interventions occur using deficit-based measures and tools. Another method of assessing behavior and social and emotional functioning that is receiving more attention over the last decade is strength-based assessment and service delivery. The Social Emotional Assets and Resiliency Scales (SEARS) is a new multi-informant strength- based behavior-rating system currently being developed and researched at the University of Oregon. To assess the factor structure, psychometric properties, and cross-informant correlation of the teacher version of the SEARS, data were gathered from elementary, middle, and high schools throughout the United States. Teachers ( n = 1673) were asked to rate students in their classes in several domains of social and emotional functioning (e.g., problem solving, social skills, empathy, and self-regulation). Results of the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis indicate that the SEARS-T is made up of four strong factors--Responsibility, Self-Regulation, Social Competence, and Empathy. Analysis of reliability of total scores reflects very strong internal consistency (α = .98) and test-retest reliability ( r = .94). Reliability of factor scores also reflects strong internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Cross-informant reliability with the SEARS-T indicates relatively weak correlations between teacher reports and child self-reports based on the Pearson-product moment correlation ( r = .37). Analyses of group differences were carried out for grade, student gender, rater gender, disability status, ethnicity, rater setting, and teacher categorization of academic performance. Results indicate teacher ratings differed based on student gender, disability status, rater setting, and academic performance. Results from this study indicate the SEARS-T is a psychometrically sound measure with a solid factor structure. With an understanding of the need for continued research, the SEARS-T appears to be culturally valid and useful for research and applied purposes. / Committee in charge: Kenneth Merrell, Chairperson, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Krista Chronister, Member, Counseling Psychology and Human Services; Deanne UnrUh, Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Philip Fisher, Outside Member, Psychology

This study explored the value of team sport in the lives of seven urban living/playing Indigenous women attending three open talking circles to discuss the influence of personal sport stories, definitions and experiences of wellness, and, prioritizing sport into adulthood. With a strengths-based approach and guided by the Indigenous methodologies that reflect the often-transformative journey of the Indigenous re-searcher, seven themes emerged from the stories, capturing the resilient and relational stories of these women: (1) Cgwesgwsénk (Sunny side of the mountain), acknowledges the overarching benefits of team sport participation and the strength-based perspective that the women shared. (2) Ec k yúcwementwecw-ep (Take care of each other), reflects the connectedness present in all of the women’s stories, thus woven throughout the following five themes as well. (3) Ye⁊éne ren ú⁊q̓wi (This is my sister), recognizes the sisterhood created through team sport in the city. (4) Cnéwelc (Follow the trail), captures the role model relationships the women shared as well as their feelings about being a role model. (5) Letwílc (Healthy once again), shares the views of wellness and how continually pursuing sport directly influences our wellness. (6) Ct̓éxelc (Swim up-stream) acknowledges the many adversities for sport participation. Yet, the narrative revealed how women continue to overcome barriers in pursuit of sport. Finally, (7) Ct̓̓íxwtsnem (Raise one’s voice loudly), poses the question ‘who needs to hear about this work and these stories of strength and sisterhood in sport in the city?’ This work contributes to the relatively sparse body of literature acknowledging Indigenous women and sport, and creates space for the voices of Indigenous women, both in the game and in the academy. / Graduate

Purpose - To develop a greater understanding of the experience of happiness as it is perceived by children with learning difficulties. This study focuses on the interpretative aspect of perception, which is seen to consist of; (1) how the experience feels, (2) how the structure of the experience is understood, and (3) what relevance is attributed to the experience. Methodology and rationale - The paradigmatic point of departure is Positive Psychology, which forms part of the strength-based perspective. Positive Psychology explores those factors that allow individuals and communities, not just to survive, but to flourish. The methodological orientation of this study is phenomenological and qualitative in nature. Findings - While the most consistent theme was the relationship between friendship and happiness, this study offers insight into all three aspects of perception as defined above. It also suggests that children with learning difficulties may seek their happiness outside of the context of school and learning. / Further Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the literature on successful aging, serious leisure, and sport. A qualitative methodology was used to understand the lived experiences of three master-aged athletes involved in serious powerlifting. The goal of using such an approach was to share participants’ stories within a given context, as well as uphold the emotion, merit, and authenticity of each narrative. The results address issues around participants’ initial and continued engagement with the sport of powerlifting, the ways in which powerlifting shapes the aging process, and the meaningful role that powerlifting plays in one’s life. The discussion offers further exploration of key points, including: reconnecting to one’s youth, modified training and pain management, identity formation, resistance toward older female powerlifters, powerlifting as a context for self-improvement, career stages over the life-course, social interactions and relationships, and aging successfully. A number of future research directions are offered in the hope of continuing to understand the experiences of older adults in the context of physical activity. / Graduate / 0680 / absilver@uvic.ca

One major purpose of school-based assessment approaches is to identify ways to intervene to promote positive school academic, social and well-being outcomes for all students. Although schools traditionally use assessment tools to identify students’ weaknesses and needs, they can also use strength-based assessment tools to guide intervention planning and to validate students’ and teachers’ positive views of student skills and characteristics. Sharing these strengths and how to use them may enhance a student’s perception of the teacher-student relationship, hope and academic competence. Likewise, a second approach to assessment, called Therapeutic Assessment (TA), has yielded similar child outcomes for youth in clinical settings. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a strength-based therapeutic assessment process on teacher-student relationship, hope, and academic competency beliefs of students as compared to students receiving assessment as usual in school settings. Student participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: the treatment group, which received a strength-based therapeutic assessment approach, or the control group, which received assessment as usual in school settings. Student-teacher relationship quality, student hope levels, and students’ academic competency beliefs were measured before and after experimental conditions were enacted. Although no statistically significant differences were found between students in the treatment and control groups on any of the dependent variables (teacher-student relationship quality, student hope levels, and student-reported academic competency beliefs), a medium strength effect size (d = 0.55) was found for the Children’s Hope Scale (CHS). This indicates that the treatment condition may have moderate practical significance in increasing student hope levels. Additionally, a small, but meaningful effect size (d = -0.38) was found for the Competence Beliefs and Subjective Task Values Questionnaire (CBSTVQ) average math variable. This indicates that the treatment condition is moderately associated with students experiencing a decrease in perceived math competence. Future research on this topic should use a larger sample size in order to better determine whether or not the treatment condition has statistically significant effects on the dependent variables of teacher-student relationship quality, student hope levels, and academic competency beliefs.

Social-emotional competence has received increased attention as being critical to a student's success in the classroom. Social-emotional strengths are multidimensional and include assets such as social competence, self-regulation, empathy, and responsibility; however, previous research has not investigated which of these strengths contribute most to a student's academic success. Additionally, limited research has investigated the use of multiple informants (e.g., parents and teachers) to determine whose perceptions are more predictive of academic achievement in kindergarten students. This study examined the relationship between social-emotional strengths, as rated by parents and teachers on the SEARS (Merrell, 2011), and academic outcomes, using the AIMSweb Tests of Early Literacy (Shinn & Shinn, 2008) and Missing Number Fluency (Clarke & Shinn, 2004b), in kindergarten students (n = 154). A moderate, positive relationship between parent and teacher ratings of social-emotional strengths was obtained. When prior achievement was removed from the regression equation, social competence, as measured by parents, was the only significant predictor of current achievement in early literacy. No social-emotional strength, as rated by parents, was a significant predictor of early math achievement regardless of including or removing prior achievement from the regression equation. Additionally, teacher-rated total strengths were predictive of current achievement in reading, when controlling for prior achievement, and for math, when prior achievement was removed from the equation. Teacher ratings of total strengths were thus found to be more predictive than parent ratings of academic achievement in reading, but not math. Implications of findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Purpose - To develop a greater understanding of the experience of happiness as it is perceived by children with learning difficulties. This study focuses on the interpretative aspect of perception, which is seen to consist of; (1) how the experience feels, (2) how the structure of the experience is understood, and (3) what relevance is attributed to the experience. Methodology and rationale - The paradigmatic point of departure is Positive Psychology, which forms part of the strength-based perspective. Positive Psychology explores those factors that allow individuals and communities, not just to survive, but to flourish. The methodological orientation of this study is phenomenological and qualitative in nature. Findings - While the most consistent theme was the relationship between friendship and happiness, this study offers insight into all three aspects of perception as defined above. It also suggests that children with learning difficulties may seek their happiness outside of the context of school and learning. / Further Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

This study examined the utility of a brief, strength-based approach to mental health screening. A strength-based based approach to mental health screening focuses on the social and emotional competencies taught and supported by the school context. As such, a strength-based approach to mental health screening is aligned with a three-tiered response to intervention model aimed at maximizing the effectiveness of universal supports and early detection of students who may benefit from additional intervention.

During the Federal fiscal year of 2009, an estimated 3.3 million referrals involving the alleged maltreatment of children were received by child protective service agencies across the United States. Of those cases that received further investigation, approximately 686,400 children were placed in out-of-home care including foster and group facilities, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available research suggests that child welfare agencies provide parent training to assist parents in keeping their children at home or in achieving reunification in approximately 28% of cases. However, the use of parent training programs for families in the child welfare system has received little examination, and no study has examined the use of such practices during supervised visitation time for parents who have lost custody of their child. The present study evaluated the effects of a behavioral parent training program, titled Microsocial Video Parenting (MVP), on the parenting behaviors of mothers who lost legal custody of their children and were receiving supervised visitation at the Department of Human Services. Participants in this study were 4 mother-child dyads, with the child participants ranging in age from 1 to 3 years old. The investigator employed a within-subjects multiple baseline design across behaviors to examine effectiveness of the MVP intervention on increasing developmentally supportive parenting behaviors and decreasing negative parent behaviors. Results obtained across participants documented a clear functional relation between implementation of the MVP intervention and increases in developmentally supportive parenting behaviors. Social validity and contextual fit results also support the utility of this intervention within the child welfare context. Practical and conceptual implications, as well as future research, will be discussed.