The current study examined the effectiveness of readers' theatre with and without a digital voice recording component on 5th-grade students' oral reading fluency, accuracy, and comprehension skills as measured by the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) Next 5th-grade oral reading fluency (DORF) probes and Daze probes. Students were identified for participation in the study if they received reading instruction within the general education curriculum in a small, rural sch...
Meghan Ferraro.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Black, Lynanne Committee members: Becky Knickelbein; Joseph Kovaleski; Mark Staszkiewicz.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

The 1950s to the 1980s were a critical period for the twentieth century African American experience in both social and literary terms. This dissertation examines the impact of Black Nationalism and the Black Arts Movement on the development of African American masculinity as well as the African American woman's depiction of that masculinity in the middle to late twentieth century. Using African American masculinity and African American feminist studies as my framework, I examine the emasculat...
Lana N Lockhart.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Downing, David Committee members: Mike Sell; Todd Thompson.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

This dissertation utilizes Narrative Inquiry to examine emotions as part of the re-socialization of five international graduate students in a Master's in TESOL program. This work uses theories of emotion, narrative, socialization and multiculturalism to create a picture of the complex nature of re-socialization in a MA TESOL program. Through the narratives of these five graduate students, this dissertation explores the role of emotions in experience, the forces that are impactful during sojou...
Dana Poole.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Alvine, Lynne Committee members: Sharon Deckert; Michele Petrucci; Michael Williamson.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2014.
English

Teacher empathy has been identified as an important factor in student achievement. Teacher preparatory programs recognize that empathy is a characteristic of a positive teacher disposition and necessary in developing teacher to student relationships. Programs acknowledge that empathy is important to the effectiveness of a teacher and are looking to incorporate empathy into teacher preparation. This qualitative study focused on exploring the correlation of a preservice teachers' self-reported ...
Kathleen A Beining.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Bieger, George Committee members: Anne Creany; DeAnna Laverick; Susan Sibert.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2014.
English

This dissertation explores how the BBC science-fiction shows, Doctor Who, Blake's 7, Red Dwarf, and Torchwood, through their creative and corporate encoding, either connect with or alienate their audiences during the decoding process, which is seen in their fan-generated reviews and creative productions. More specifically, both the decoders and encoders are searching for definitions of heroic identity via the lens of gender and sexuality. When this encoding process is successful, the shows f...
Thomas M Powers.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Slater, Thomas J. Committee members: John Branscum; Christopher Orchard.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2014.
English

This study examined the predictive validity and diagnostic accuracy of STAR Reading, a computer-adaptive benchmark assessment tool, with the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), the state summative test. Student data for 320 students in grades 7 and 8 over two years of assessment were examined. Indices of correlation and predictions were analyzed. Multiple and hierarchical regression analyses examined the relationships of fall and winter administrations of STAR Reading for patt...
Rene Fetchkan.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Kovaleski, Joseph F. Committee members: Joseph Betts; Tammy Croce; Timothy Runge; Mark Staskiewicz.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2014.
English

The purpose of this quantitative study was to analyze Pennsylvania public school principals' knowledge of constitutional school law by determining if a descriptive difference existed between Pennsylvania principals' perceived level of knowledge and actual knowledge of constitutional school law, determining if a connection existed between principals' awareness of constitutional school law litigation cases and their daily decision-making, and ascertaining where principals felt as though they ac...
Amy Marie Burch.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Marcoline, Joseph Committee members: Cathy Kaufman; Robert Millward.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2014.
English

This research seeks to comprehend the why, what, and how of novice instructional designers' (students of instructional design) interactions with their respective learning environment as they problem-solve. Even for foundational research on educational practices and its ability to increase instructional designers' skill development, there is still a need to understand the effectiveness of these approaches, such as real-world experiences and metacognition. In addition, there are deficiencies in...
Robyn A Defelice.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Wilson, B. Gail Committee members: Nurhaya Muchtar; Anna Ortiz.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

The Parasympathetic Activation Hypothesis (PAH; LaPorte, 1986) for arousal-induced eating proposes that, at modest levels of emotional arousal, eating attenuates sympathetic nervous system activity and activates the parasympathetic nervous system to maintain physiological homeostasis. Eating does not occur at very low or high levels of arousal, thus forming an inverted U-shape function between arousal and eating. Eating activates the parasympathetic nervous system in all people, but people wh...
Stephanie Marie Terracciano.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: LaPorte, David J. Committee members: John Mills; Susan Zimny.
Psy.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

The present study sought to add to the current research by investigating perceived social support and academic outcomes as measured by the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) and grade point average (GPA). In addition, the study examined sex differences, differences in ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES) in relation to perceived social support as measured by the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (CASSS). Finally, correlations between frequency and importance rating...
Heather Lynnette Bravener.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Black, Lynanne Committee members: Joseph Kovaleski; Mark McGowan; David Polk.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2014.
English

The prevalent use mobile learning technology and the nearly universal access to the Internet have transformed educators' perspectives of how students learn and how teachers teach. In an educational climate where teacher effectiveness is tied to student achievement, it is necessary for teacher educators to identify and respond to factors that contribute to the development of preservice teachers' creativity and effective use of mobile learning technology. This qualitative study focused o...
Amanda K Onion.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Helterbran, Valeri R. Committee members: Crystal Machado; Meghan Twiest.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2014.
English

This study's purpose was to examine the academic, behavioral, and financial effectiveness of Pennsylvania in-house alternative education programs to off-site alternative education programs. Pennsylvania in-house alternative education programs are operated internally by a school district. Off-site alternative education programs are programs where school districts outsource their disruptive youth to county Intermediate Units or Private Provider alternative education programs (AEPs). The popu...
Keith A Hartbauer.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Piper, David Committee members: Joseph Marcoline; Kelli Paquette.
Ed.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

The present study examines the links between parental meta-emotion philosophy and mother-adolescent relationships, as well as young adult intrapsychic relations. One hundred twenty two pairs of mother and young adult participated in the study. Mothers completed the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) based on their behavior towards their child when he or she was 13 to 17 years old and an Emotion-Related Parenting Style questionnaire. Young adults completed the SASB based on their pe...
Yu Ding.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Mills, John A. Committee members: David LaPorte; Dasen Luo.
Psy.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

Intraindividual variability refers to short-term fluctuations in performance that may be indexed as trial-to-trial variability on response time (RT) tasks. A growing body of evidence suggests that such variability may be a sensitive indicator of the integrity of prefrontal cortical regions. This possibility was tested in a broad clinical sample by investigating the relationship between intraindividual variability on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and a large battery of executive functioning ...
Peter V Stewart.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: LaPorte, David J. Committee members: Michael Franzen; Dasen Luo; William Meil.
Psy.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2014.
English

According to Shari J. Stenberg (2005), if the field of rhetoric and composition wants to initiate "disciplinary and pedagogical change" we need to focus on teacher-preparation sites, the place where we shape the next generation of our professoriate (p. 30). However, these sites are not immune from the very forces that have shaped the divided discipline of English studies, and until we examine these sites more thoroughly through historical and qualitative research, we are bound to continue rep...
Nicole Warwick.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Williamson, Michael M. Committee members: Patrick Bizzaro; Resa Crane Bizzaro; Susan Welsh.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

Many schools nationwide are restructuring their classrooms to fully include students with special educational needs (SEN). Co-teaching is one service delivery option designed to meet the needs of students with SEN in the inclusive setting. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect, if any, that co-teaching between a general education teacher and a special education teacher for reading instruction has upon student achievement scores when implemented as an instructional intervention ...
Rebecca J Schaef.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Paquette, Kelli R. Committee members: George Bieger; Susan Fello.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2014.
English

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the academic, emotional, and social experiences of males incarcerated within a rural Pennsylvania correctional facility prior to their dropping out of school. After evaluating the data, recommendations were made to all stakeholders responsible for the welfare of adolescents. The recommendations included methods to improve the experiences of future adolescents who are at-risk for dropping out of school based upon feedback received from twelv...
Jessica Attardo-Maryott.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Paquette, Kelli R. Committee members: George Bieger; Valeri Helterbran.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

Despite the recent increase in both PhD nursing programs and student enrollments in these programs, graduation rates are not closing the gap on the lack of PhD prepared nurses, researchers and educators. Given the reported high attrition rates and the recent Institute of Medicine call to double the number of nurses with a doctorate by 2020, it is imperative to understand the collective experiences of nursing PhD students and the unique challenges they face. The purpose of this qualitative s...
Colleen M Sunday.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Palmer, Elizabeth A. Committee members: Kathryn Bonach; Teresa Shellenbarger.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

Evidence-based practice (EBP) results in improved health care outcomes. Federal laws, national mandates, and national nursing education policies clearly delineate the importance of EBP in today's healthcare environment. Despite the seemingly endless sources of information regarding EBP, barriers to the implementation of EBP into clinical practice continue to hinder healthcare providers. Furthermore, scant research exists exploring factors that affect nurse practitioners' (NP) adoption of E...
Susan Hellier.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Ott, Lora K. Committee members: Diana Rupert; Thomas White.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

This case study involves one private and one public high school of similar demographics to collect data about the perceptions of social capital. For the purpose of this dissertation, social capital will be defined as the networks in life that can lead to upward mobility, that is, the ability to improve life circumstances. The researcher included administrators and faculty members. The tools were an adaptation of The 2006 Social Capital Community Survey made available through the Harvard...
Kathleen Sue Miller.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Helterbran, Valeri R. Committee members: George Bieger; J. Frantz.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2014.
English

The presence of fat bias in the field of psychology was investigated by two studies: a documentation of the level and content of size coverage in diversity counseling textbooks, and examination of the impact of client weight on clinical judgments made by college counseling center clinicians. In the first study, the content of 29 diversity counseling textbooks were reviewed for coverage of weight bias. Index terms and chapter subtitles were used to locate texts, which were examined in terms of...
Ashley E Kasardo.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: McHugh, Maureen C. Committee members: Beverly Goodwin; Anson Long.
Psy.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

Intercollegiate athletic programs claim to develop a variety of skills in their athletes, but how do we really know that this is occurring as a result of the athlete's participation? Through the review of past studies this study will seek to identify what leadership skills are gained as a result of participation in an intercollegiate athletic program. In addition, the study will examine the influence that these leadership skills have had on the development and growth of former athletes beyond...
Wendy J Snodgrass.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Helterbran, Valeri Committee members: DeAnna Laverick; Mark Tweist.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

This dissertation uses the resistance literature of Mahasweta Devi, Margaret Randall, and Bessie Head along with my own research amongst the Barabaig of Eastern Tanzania and Zapatistas of Chiapas, Mexico to interrogate gendered politics in different geographic locations. By examining gendered politics in the borderlands of India, Nicaragua, Botswana, South Africa, Eastern Tanzania, and the Lacandon Jungle of Southeast Mexico, I demonstrate more fully how capital shapes the reproductive lives ...
Mary Louisa Cappelli.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Comfort, Susan Committee members: David Downing; Thomas Slater.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

This purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to examine whether differences exist between males and females in their servant leadership behaviors. Existing research concerning gender and servant leadership is inconclusive. Participants in this study were alumni of a Master's of Science in Organizational Leadership (MSOL) program at a Christian liberal arts college in southwestern Pennsylvania. This study is unique in that the participants were similarly educated about ser...
Susanne Diehl.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Anderson, John A. Committee members: James Dittmar; Beth Mabry; Melissa Swauger.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English