Browsing by Subject "Problem children"
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Item Alternative learning centers for disruptive secondary school students: an analytical survey(Texas Tech University, 1987-08) Davis, Kay J.During the month of August 1986, a study was conducted in the 10 largest school districts in Texas regarding the specifics of the alternative learning centers for disruptive secondary school students that they operated during the 1985-86 school year. Because of the passage of House Bill 72 in 1984, with its requirements that the use of suspension for all but the most severe discipline cases be curtailed, it was anticipated that all 10 districts would have at least one of these centers in operation. The study was undertaken to describe and compare these centers in considerable detail. Data were gathered on type of center, number of students served, staff, demographics, design, rules, current operating costs, methods used, and primary purpose of the center. Data were also obtained on funding sources.Item Examining the roles of family environment and internalizing symptoms on early adolescent social aggression: a one-year longitudinal study(2007) Paulos, Stephanie Katherine, 1978-; Keith, Timothy, 1952-; Loukas, AlexandraMuch research has recently been directed at social aggression, which includes subtle and covert behaviors intended to harm the target. Evidence indicates that social aggression is associated with social maladjustment such as peer rejection and internalizing and externalizing problems. Despite increasing interest by researchers on the consequences of this form of aggression, relatively few studies have examined the etiology of social aggression. Previous research has demonstrated that depression and social anxiety may predict social aggression, however little research has examined the role of the family system in contributing to the development of this maladaptive behavior. Using path-analytic techniques, this study examined how family factors (parent-adolescent conflict, positive family relations, and maternal psychological control) affect subsequent social aggression one-year later after controlling for baseline levels of social aggression. Individual symptoms of depression and social evaluative anxiety were also incorporated in the model to determine if the effects of the family variables on later social aggression were mediated by the individual emotional adjustment of a child. Using competing models, this study compared model fit across boys and girls. The stability of social aggression over a 1 year period was also examined using confirmatory factor analysis techniques. Participants included in this study were 497 10- to 14-year-old middle school students. Results suggest that social aggression is a stable and chronic difficulty for boys and girls over a one year period. Positive family relations significantly negatively effected social aggression over the course of a year, above and beyond baseline subsequent levels of social aggression, for girls. Additionally, parent-adolescent conflict, positive family relations, and maternal psychological control were significantly related to baseline levels of social aggression. This study corroborated previous research on the deleterious effects of parent-adolescent conflict, less positive family relations, and maternal psychological control on depressive symptoms for both boys and girls. Additionally, positive family relations were also shown to reduce social evaluative anxiety for both boys and girls. Findings from this study emphasize the need for prevention and intervention efforts directed at the family system for improved adjustment of early adolescents.Item Parent-child interaction training: enhancing performance through influencing self-efficacy expectancy and outcome expectancy(Texas Tech University, 1987-08) Way, James HNot availableItem Parent-child interaction training: the influence of adult affect on child behavior and attitude(Texas Tech University, 1987-08) Magin, AndrewConduct disorder, generally defined as noncompliance, is the disorder for which most children are referred to mental health professionals. An effective therapeutic method for treating conduct disorder children is Parent-Child Interaction Training (PCIT). PCIT's goal is to teach parents skills that enhance the relationship between them and their child. Researchers have begun examining the variables that contribute to the efficacy of this approach. It has been found that maternal depression is one variable that significantly affects the outcome of PCIT. Depressed mothers are less satisfied than nondepressed mothers with the effects of treatment on their child’s behavior and demonstrate less improvement in the necessary behavioral skills after completing PCIT. Research also suggests that children are sensitive to and responsive to the emotional states of their parents. Despite the growing evidence that affect influences treatment outcome, few researchers have studied the relationship of these variables to child behavior. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the influence of adult affect on child behavior and attitude. The study was based upon an analogue model with a between-group post-test design. Adult nonverbal behavior was manipulated to create a positive affect condition and a flat affect condition. Children were matched for age and gender and sequentially assigned to one of the two conditions. It was hypothesized that children in the positive affect condition would interact more affectionately with an adult and would rate the adult more positively than the children in the flat affect condition. Results of Analyses of Variance did not support hypothesis one: adult affect did not influence child behavior. T-test analyses did support hypothesis two: children rated the adult more positively in the positive affect than in the flat affect condition. These findings are discussed in terms of previous PCIT literature and implications for future research.Item The effects of knowledge of results on the vigilance performance of hyperactive and hypoactive children with learning disabilities.(Texas Tech University, 1974-08) Ozolins, Delmar ANot availableItem The effects of knowledge of results on the vigilance performance of hyperactive and hypoactive children with learning disabilities.(Texas Tech University, 1974-08) Ozolins, Delmar ANot availableItem Understanding gender differences in children referred to mental health services(Texas Tech University, 1996-08) Green, Michelle T.In an effort to understand why young girls tend to be overlooked for referral to mental health sen/ices, this dissertation examined the referral process at the point at which it usually begins: with teachers in the elementary school system. One hundred and thirty-five first-, second-, and third-grade teachers read vignettes describing boys and girls with externalizing and internalizing disorders. Teachers rated whether the child described in each vignette needed to be referred for mental health treatment, whether each child would improve with maturity, and whether their referral decisions would change if the child's academic standing changed. Finally, they rated each symptom In the vignettes according to the degree to which It influenced them to refer. Teachers rated children with externalizing disorders as needing referral significantly more often than children with internalizing disorders. Girls and children with internalizing disorders were referred significantly less often if their academic standing was good and were rated as significantly more likely than boys and children with externalizing disorders to improve with maturity. Finally, externalizing symptoms and symptoms typically found in boys were rated as significantly more likely to influence a teacher to refer than internalizing symptoms and symptoms typically found in girls. The results of this dissertation Indicate that several factors may cause a teacher to overlook girls for referral. Girls tend to have good academic standing and to have the type of disorder and symptoms that are believed to improve with maturity and believed to be less In need of referral.