VTechWorks Repository :: Browsing by Author "Fu, Victoria R."

Browsing by Author "Fu, Victoria R."

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African American couples at midlife: life course and gender perspectives
Carolan, Marsha T. (Virginia Tech, 1995-06-15)
This study was designed to investigate the experiences of midlife and relationships of 20 African American individuals, aged 35-52, in 10 couples, married or cohabiting for 3-30 years. Basic to this study was the assumption that men and women are capable of and competent at intimate relationships. Guided by the theoretical perspectives of life course and gender, this research examined how men and women construct intimate relationships within the temporal circumstances of midlife and the interlocking cultural and social context of their lives. The following research questions guided this study: (a) What aspects of couples' lives contribute to the maintenance of intimacy in romantic relationships? (b) How do gender constraints, from within and without the relationship, act as barriers to such intimacy? (c) How does membership in a particular ethnic group affect such intimacy? (d) How do life course circumstances, such as work and family responsibilities, contribute to or restrict the process of intimacy? (e) How do life course transitions unique to midlife, such as the sandwiching of caregiving and the physical and sexual changes of midlife, act as constraints or contributors to intimacy? Qualitative in-depth interviewing was the method of data collection; participants were interviewed individually and conjointly. Individuals identified themselves as middle aged members of the African American ethnic group who were participating in a committed married or cohabiting heterosexual relationship for at least three years. The results of this study showed that African American couples were deeply devoted to their families and to their spiritual beliefs. The foundation of their intimate relationships was based on spiritual commitments as well as the capacity to be both friend and lover. Midlife emerged as a time of both change and stability, as a time of confidence for women, and as a time of maturity for men. Midlife was a busy time for couples, with competing demands of work and family. Strategies for successful management and coping were in abundant evidence.
Asian American Adolescent Identity
Ohm, Julie Juhye (Virginia Tech, 2004-04-05)
The formation of ego identity in Asian American late adolescents attending Virginia Tech was examined within the frameworks of Erikson's psychosocial theory and Berry, Trimble, and Olmedo's model of acculturation. Ego identity was measured using the Achieved sub-scale of the Revised Version of the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status, an instrument based on the theoretical constructs of Erikson. Ethnic identity was measured using the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure and American Identity was measured using the American Identity Measure, both developed by Phinney. It was hypothesized that ethnic identity and American identity would be significant predictors of ego identity status. One hundred students of Asian descent attending Virginia Tech participated in this study. There were significant results for the T-test comparisons between the Asian-born and American-born subgroups for the variables ego identity, ethnic identity, and American identity. This study revealed that American-born respondents had higher average scores on the three identity measures. It also revealed that ethnic identity and American identity are significant predictors of ego identity for this group of individuals, supporting the hypothesis.
Body Image: Relationhsip to Attachment, Body Mass Index and Dietary Practices among College Students
Sira, Natalia (Virginia Tech, 2003-01-27)
Body image or satisfaction with physical appearance has been established as an important aspect of self-worth and mental health across the life span. It is related to self-esteem, sexuality, family relationships and identity. Given the fact that physical appearance is a multifaceted structural concept that depends, not only on inner-biological, but also a psychological and socio-cultural components, the purpose of this study was to examine variables that are related to and influenced by satisfaction with physical appearance. Body mass index (BMI), eating disturbances, attachment (to mother, to father and to peers), global self-worth, parental control, peer influence and pressure regarding eating and media influence were examined in relation satisfaction with physical appearance. College students in a large southeastern university (195 males and 340 females) completed two subscales of Harter's Self-Perception Scale for College Students. Each subject self-reported his/her weight and height and these were used calculate weight/height ratio known as the body mass index. Participants also reported on attachment (to mother, to father and to peers) using the Inventory of Parent and Peer attachment scales (Armsden & Greenberg, 1987), Peer Influence Scale (Mukai, 1993) and the Media Influence scale which was developed for this project. Differences between male and female perceptions of physical appearance in relationship to BMI were found: Among women, higher BMIs were associated with lower scores on perceptions of physical appearance (r = -. 429, p Â£ .001), whereas for males BMIs were not related to satisfaction with physical appearance. For both males and females, satisfaction with physical appearance was significantly and negatively (r = -.258, p Â£ .01) associated with media influence. Media influence was related to higher scores on the EAT 26 scale that measured disturbed eating attitudes and behaviors (r = .307, p Â£ .01). Females were affected by this association more so than were males. However, males appeared to not to be immune to such influence. Peer influence and peer pressure was another influential factor for both gender groups and it was associated with high eating disturbance scores (r = .369, p Â£ .01 for peer influence, and r = .413, p Â£ .01 for peer pressure). Attachment variables were associated with satisfaction of physical appearance and global self-worth in a different manner for adolescent females and males. For males, satisfaction with physical appearance was positively related to attachment to mother (r = .135, p Â£ .05) and father (r = .170, p Â£ .05) and negatively associated with maternal control (r = -. 246, p Â£ . 001). For females, only attachment to mother (r = .082, p Â£ .05) was positively associated satisfaction with physical appearance. While there were many significant bivariate correlational findings, there were few significant coefficients in a regression analyses, presumably because of the high intercorrelations between the predictor variables. For females, BMI was the best predictor of satisfaction with physical appearance, whereas for males, the feeling of global self-worth was the strongest variable in predicting satisfaction with physical appearance. Satisfaction with physical appearance is an essential part of global self-worth and is constructed differently by males and females. For females, high BMI was negatively related to satisfaction with physical appearance as well as global self-worth. On the other hand, for males neither global self-worth nor perceptions of physical appearance were affected by high BMIs. More research is needed to understand the complexity of influences on satisfaction with physical appearance as well as construction of global self-worth and its domains for both sexes.
Carve That Opossum and Plucky, Ducky Underwear: A Narrative Inquiry of Laughter in a Preschool Classroom
Smidl, Sarah Lynn (Virginia Tech, 2003-05-06)
This thesis is a narrative inquiry of laughter in a University Lab School preschool classroom that describes the many situations in which children laugh as well as laughter's importance for the children, for me, and for all of us as a whole within the context of our classroom. To date, there is a paucity of research on children's laughter, especially in young children. The majority of research that has been conducted has been quantitative in nature, with few attempts to comprehensively describe the many situations in which laughter occurs. For my study, I felt it crucial to look at, document, and describe preschoolers' laughter, taking into consideration the many facets of their school day including free play, story time, playground time, and snack time. My sample included all of my 14 preschoolers, who ranged in age from 3 years to 4 years, 4 months at the outset of the study. I also deemed it important to look at what these laughter-producing situations meant to me and the children in my classroom, including what deeper worth laughter for all of us, how we used it in the classroom, and how it helped me to grow both personally and professionally through my research.
Case Studies of Exemplary Elementary School Guidance Programs in Southwest Virginia
Loop, Patti Gaskins Jr. (Virginia Tech, 1997-11-17)
The Virginia Board of Education mandated that, by the Fall of 1989, all public elementary schools in the Commonwealth should establish elementary school guidance programs and employ an elementary school guidance counselor for every 500 students. Since that time, eight years have passed, and a review of successful programs was in order. The purpose of this research was to describe exemplary elementary school guidance practices and programs in Southwest Virginia. Based on the recommendations of three counselor educators from Virginia Tech, three elementary school divisions were identified for inclusion in the study. Rural, urban and suburban school divisions were chosen, so that the results would reflect a broader spectrum of exemplary elementary school guidance practices and programs. Specific school sites were selected by the school superintendent or guidance supervisor. During the Spring of 1997, the process of collecting data began. School counselors were asked to complete a questionnaire. Next, the researcher conducted site visits to each school, during which time ten structured interviews took place with those people who had interactions with the elementary school guidance program. While on the site, documents related to the elementary school guidance program were reviewed. Research results were presented in case study fashion. The most frequently cited examples of exemplary elementary school guidance practices and programs were summarized. Results showed that rural, urban, and suburban elementary school guidance programs had striking commonalities. All three elementary school guidance programs reported strengths in fifteen areas, which were grouped into three categories: (1) focus on student development and achievement, (2) staff collaboration, and (3) focus on parents and volunteers. A detailed description and discussion of each exemplary elementary school guidance practice and program concluded the study.
Characterizing the Conversation: A Historical Re-view of Maria Montessori's Visits to the United States 1913-1918
Zell, Stacy Kay (Virginia Tech, 1997-01-02)
This historical re-view of the events and interactions of Maria Montessori's visit to the United States between the years 1913 and 1918 begins by examining Montessori's personal history, with an emphasis on her educational background leading up to her becoming the first female physician in Italy. After discussing her scientific background briefly, the document specifically addresses several of Montessori's educational concepts. Next, this study examines specific nuances of organization, power and intent found in the educational system of the United States at the time of her visits. Particular emphasis is placed on the implications of industrialization, increasing immigration and the response of the educational establishment to these issues. Interactions and events from her visits in the United States follow. Montessori's influences on and experiences with prominent figures in the U.S. at that time are accentuated through the events that highlight her travels. After detailing each visit in the historical context in which it occurred, the piece continues with the author's discussion of how the dissertation applies to teaching history in the foundations. The piece concludes with conceptual suggestions of ways to increase diverse social awareness and encourage community-based responses of pre-service and in-service public school educators.
Children Teaching and Learning in Peer Collaborative Interactions
Aschermann, Jennifer Leigh (Virginia Tech, 2001-04-18)
This study focused on peer teaching and learning in preschool children's peer collaborative interactions. The research took place in the naturalistic setting of a preschool classroom at the Virginia Tech Child Development Laboratory, which is a university-based preschool in Blacksburg, Virginia. The children were videotaped in their collaborative interactions and the interactions were analyzed for moments of teaching and learning between the children. The study found that children use a variety of verbal and non-verbal teaching strategies when collaborating with each other. Children's learning from the interactions was exhibited through many forms of modeling, reciprocation, and exchange of ideas.
Children's Private Speech During an Emotion-Eliciting Task
Day, Kimberly L. (Virginia Tech, 2010-04-30)
This study informs research on how private speech, which is typically seen as a cognitive ability, is utilized during an emotion-eliciting task. This research helps to bridge the divide between cognitive and emotional aspects of children's self-regulation by integrating how cognitive private speech strategies may be used to regulate emotion. Preschool-aged children (n = 116) completed a frustration task. Emotional expressions (anger and sadness), emotion regulation strategies (distraction and self-comforting behaviors), persistence (latency to quit and duration of on-task behavior), and children's private speech were coded. Whereas higher levels of nonfacilitative task-relevant private speech were associated with higher levels of both sadness and anger, social speech was positively associated with sadness, and inaudible muttering was positively associated with anger. Private speech, specifically vocalizations and task-irrelevant private speech, was also positively associated with the regulation strategies of self-comforting and distraction. Facilitative task-relevant private speech, however, was negatively associated with distraction. Finally, higher levels of social speech were associated with less persistence, while higher levels of facilitative task-relevant private speech was associated with more persistence. Findings from this study support the idea that private speech can have a regulatory effect during frustrating situations that children experience. Private speech occurred alongside emotions and regulation strategies in meaningful ways. Including measures of private speech in future studies on emotion regulation will add more detail and depth to researchers' understanding of children's regulatory abilities. In the future, interventions could be created to encourage children's use of private speech to enhance their emotion regulatory abilities.
College-Stress and Symptom-expression in International Students: A comparative study
Shenoy, Uma Ajit (Virginia Tech, 2000-07-05)
The primary purpose of the investigation was to examine differences in symptom-expression between Caucasians and Asians in response to college-stress. College-stress was defined as adjustment problems that students experience as a function of exposure to a college environment. The propensity of each group to express symptoms in response to stress in somatic (i.e., bodily) versus psychological (i.e., anxiety and depression) modes was investigated. Previous reports have postulated a somatization hypothesis for Asians, as opposed to a psychologization tendency in Caucasians. Intra-Asian differences with respect to symptom-expression were also examined. Data were collected electronically. 115 graduate students participated in the study. Using Fisher's transformations to compare correlations, it was found that neither the somatization nor the psychologization hypotheses were supported. However, within Asians depression demonstrated a stronger association with stress than somatic symptoms. A subsidiary purpose of this investigation was to determine whether attribution-style was an aspect of culture that could lead to differences in symptom-expression. It was hypothesized that Asians would have a more external attribution-style, while Caucasian-Americans would have a more internal style. External style was hypothesized to be related to a somatic tendency, while internal style was hypothesized to be related to a psychological tendency. None of these hypotheses were supported. Finally, some exploratory analyses were carried out to assess the effect of demographic variables on symptom-expression. Sex was related to anxiety symptoms, while level of education was related to somatic symptom-reports. Overall, these findings highlight the need for cross-cultural research in psychology to adopt a more systemic approach in studying variables, as opposed to using merely country/culture as an independent variable.
A comparative study of information processing capacity and cognitive style in learning disabled and normally achieving boys: a Neo-Piagetian approach
Grimes, Therese Ehrgott (Virginia Tech, 1981-03-05)
This study investigated the relevance of a Neo-Piagetian theory of cognitive development in examining the competence/performance discrepancy associated with children who have specific learning disabilities. According to Neo-Piagetian theory (Pascual-Leone, 1970), a cognitive device called the M-operator is responsible for the integration of schemes necessary to solve developmental tasks. The M-capacity available to children increases in an all or none fashion according to a linear scale which corresponds to the Piagetian substages of cognitive development. A moderator variable which is conceptualized as the cognitive style field-independence-dependence may determine whether a child demonstrates his modal M-capacity on a task which demands the application of maximum M-space. A matched pairs design was applied in order to compare the performance of 25 learning disabled and 25 normally achieving boys ages 8.5 to 10.0 years on measures of M-capacity, field-independence, and level of operative thinking. It was hypothesized that the learning disabled boys would demonstrate M-capacities comparable to the normally achieving boys, but would be more field dependent, thereby manifesting a discrepancy between their structural and functional M-capacities on Piagetian tasks. Comparisons of group differences on two criterion measures of M-capacity, two measures of field independence (the Children's Embedded Figures Test and WISC-R Block Design Subtest), and seven classical Piagetian tasks which included measures of conservation, seriation, and classification abilities, yielded the following results: 1. The learning disabled group obtained significantly lower M-space estimates than the normally achieving group; 2. The learning disabled group obtained significantly lower scores on the instruments used to assess level of field independence; 3. The learning disabled group failed more Piagetian tasks than the normally achieving group, therefore manifesting a delay in operative thinking. 4. The relationships between the two measures of M-space and the two measures of field-independence were markedly different for the two samples. The results indicated a lack of independence between M-capacity and a field dependent cognitive style in the LD group; no comparable relationship was found within the NA group. Further research applying Neo-Piagetian theory in order to investigate the inefficient processing strategies used by children with learning disabilities appears warranted. Testing interventions which restructure cognitive tasks by reducing memory load demands and/or allow LD children to develop and apply efficient task strategies is needed.
A Comparison of Early Childhood Assessments and A Standardized Measure For Program Evaluation
Jacobson, Stephanie Hildegarde Zadro (Virginia Tech, 1997-04-17)
Traditionally, standardized achievement tests have been used to monitor program effectiveness. Recently, however, educators have questioned the appropriateness of standardized tests for this purpose, especially for programs designed for young children. Early childhood advocates suggest using developmentally appropriate assessments instead of standardized achievement tests for making classroom-level decisions about children and for program evaluation. Proponents, however, have not fully identified the psychometric properties of the assessments, certainly not for the purposes of program evaluation. Although developmentally appropriate assessments have been implemented in a number of classrooms across the country, few studies have verified their ability to discriminate among developmental levels. In addition, even fewer studies have addressed their use for evaluating program effectiveness. Using the records of 293 students from the local site of a National Transition Project and both classical test theory (CTT) and item response theory (IRT) procedures, three assessment instruments and a standardized test were examined. It was shown that the Concepts about Print portion of the Early Childhood Assessment Package, the Language Arts component of the kindergarten developmental progress reports, and the first grade Early Literacy Scale tasks are, in fact, developmental assessments. Additionally, IRT procedures located students on the developmental continuum underlying the assessments. Although classical ANCOVAs were unable to identify Treatment or Head Start program effects beyond the kindergarten year, IRT procedures showed that the expected proportion of students at the highest latent ability levels tended to be greater for students in Demonstration schools and Head Start graduates than their counterparts throughout kindergarten and first grade. A standardized reading achievement measure administered to the students in second grade, was unable to differentiate program effects through either classical or IRT procedures. This suggests that the concepts underlying standardized tests differ from those underlying developmentally appropriate assessments. As a result, the key issue to be resolved is which type of measure is more valid, that is, more appropriate, for evaluating early childhood programs.
A comparison of two training models for the enhancement of quality of care for family child care providers
DeBord, Karen (Virginia Tech, 1991-08-05)
Thirty-six family child care providers were divided into matched pairs, then randomly assigned to two treatment groups; catalyst and self-study. The purpose was to investigate how training affects quality of child care and to determine what provider characteristics interact with self-paced learning methods to change quality of care. The Family Day Care Rating Scale (Harms & Clifford, 1989) was used to rate quality of care. Three pretest and three posttest ratings were collected for each provider before and after a three-month treatment period. Ratings were collected from trained validators, from the providers as a self-rating, and from parents with children in care. An additional score was collected from providers regarding their perception of training method using a ten-item rating scale. There was a 38% attrition rate in the original sample resulting in a final sample size 8 Pp of 22. Results from this study suggest that at least two key criteria affect quality of care in family child care; (a) provider training in child-related areas and, (b) provider affiliation with family day care organizations. Providers not previously affiliated with a family day care association had a greater initial margin for improving their quality (E=9.21 p<.007) than affiliated providers. All providers improved their quality of care scores during the three month period. When asked to evaluate the training, all providers perceived their assigned training method as flexible and convenient. Providers in the catalyst training group rated two items significantly higher than self-study; the value of new information (E=11.30 p<.003), and the degree of personal growth experienced (F=9.28, p<.007). Parents differed from both validators and providers in their evaluation of the provider’s child care environment. This suggests that parents are not fully aware of either the components of quality child care or the daily operations in the home of their own family child care provider.
Conflict Resolution among Latino Couples
Bermudez, Judith Maria (Virginia Tech, 2002-02-15)
Conflict resolution style was examined with 191 married Latino couples residing in Houston and Dallas, Texas, representing 21 different nationalities. The purpose of this research study was to examine conflict resolution styles most predominant among the Latino couples in the sample and to examine if various demographic data correlated with the couples conflict resolution style. The dependent variables were conflict resolution style (avoidance, volatile, and validator) using Gottman's MSI (Marital Conflict Scale, 1994). Using the same items on the MSI, and direct statements about Latino's communication from the Marriage and Family Therapy literature, other dependent variables were identified (unity, harmony, autonomy, conservatism and passion) with factor analysis and content analysis. The statistically significant independent variables were religion, language, education, and country of birth. The majority of this sample identified them selves as having a validating style of conflict resolution. Clinical implications for family therapists are discussed.
A conversation : what does it mean to live and work with 10- to 14- year-old children
Fu, Victoria R.; Wampler, Kathleen W. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 1998)
Cross-Cultural Differences in the Determinants of Maternal Emotion Coaching: Role of Maternal Emotional Awareness and Emotion Regulation
Tan, Lin (Virginia Tech, 2017-04-28)
Despite many positive outcomes associated with emotion coaching, factors related to individual differences in emotion coaching have yet to be explored. The current study examined cultural differences in the role of maternal characteristics, specifically emotional awareness and emotion regulation, as determinants of emotion coaching. These findings will facilitate culturally desired emotion socialization practices leading to optimal emotional development of children. In the current study, I translated two English-based questionnaires into Chinese to assess maternal emotional awareness and emotion coaching. Next, I examined relations of reappraisal, suppression, and emotional awareness to maternal emotion coaching. I also investigated the role of maternal emotional awareness as a mediator in the relation of maternal use of reappraisal and suppression to maternal emotion coaching in both Chinese and American cultures. Participants included American (n=164) and 163 Chinese (n=163) mothers. Maternal emotional awareness was measured using subscales of Toronto Alexithymia Scale 20 and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Emotion regulation strategies were assessed using Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. To measure emotion coaching, mothers completed Parents' Beliefs about Children's Emotions questionnaire. Structural equation models were estimated to examine how maternal emotional awareness and emotion regulation related to emotion coaching. Results confirmed the reliability and validity of the Chinese questionnaires. Maternal emotion coaching did not include mothers' views about negative emotions because equivalence could not be established across Chinese and American cultures; therefore, the emotion coaching discussed in this study is different from previous research on emotion coaching that typically involves responses to negative emotions. Maternal emotional awareness was associated with their emotion coaching in both samples and the strength of the association was not different across cultures. However, relations of reappraisal and suppression to emotional awareness and emotion coaching were different across Chinese and American samples. Emotional awareness mediated the relation of reappraisal to emotion coaching only in the American sample. Additionally, emotional awareness was a mediator of the relation of suppression to emotion coaching in both samples. Overall, the findings of this study supported that maternal emotional awareness and use of emotion regulation strategies are important determinants of maternal emotion coaching in both cultures.
Cultivating a Caring, Environmental Self: Using the Figured World Concept to Explore Children's Environmental Identity Production in a Public School Garden Space
Sulsberger, Megan Jane (Virginia Tech, 2014-12-29)
This ethnographic case study investigates the diverse means and processes by which environmental identities were produced by five first grade students as they participated in an emergent, public school garden space. The children's histories, choices, personal and social experiences, expressions, and corresponding narratives are explored alongside the garden structure and social context to unpack the individualized and layered nature of children's environmental identity and care development. To locate and analyze children's engagements in the garden space, ethnographic, discourse, and narrative analysis methods are employed. The figured world concept is used to theorize and study the caring, environmental identities taken up and enacted by the children in this context. Through participation in emergent provocations, the creation and leveraging of garden artifacts, and investments in caring relationships, the children in this study shaped and cared for the garden space while it simultaneously shaped and cared for them. The environmental identity stories presented in this work broaden the definition of environmental identity to be more inclusive and less normalizing, thus, creating new spaces and moments for children to identify as environmentalists. The stories also raise implications for environmental education researchers to utilize more rigorous frameworks for investigating environmental care and identity development in the field. Findings from this research indicate that emergent garden spaces are potential sites for children to build relationships with nature in the public school. This is a significant practice for schools, as children today lack spaces in which to form environmental identities that implicate environmental care behaviors.
The Cultivation of a Teacher in a Classroom Community
Mottley, Melinda (Virginia Tech, 2003-05-02)
The purpose of this study was to examine the dilemmas and tensions the researcher encountered as a teachers in a university-based lab school. Specifically, she examined the tensions within the context of the seemingly contradictory role expectations that were required of her as a student who was also a teacher. This autobiographical form of self study was based on the principles of action research, of linking theory and practice through a cyclical process of action and reflection. The findings were reported in a narrative form and describe the process of how one woman came to know and understand herself as a teacher and an individual through her life inside and outside of the classroom.
Defining diversity: the politics of identity in a rural community
Kimball, Stephanie L. (Virginia Tech, 1995-04-05)
This ethnographic study examines the meaning of "diversity" in a rural community, along with related issues of social identity. Data collected through participant observation, public documents, and interviews has shown that as in most places, "diversity" is typically defined in Montgomery County, Virginia in terms of ethnic differences. However, conflict and tensions within the county usually occur not between ethnic groups, but between the public associated with the university here, Virginia Tech, and the public of "rural" community members not associated with the university. Furthermore, there is little interaction between these two polarized publics. The dissertation shows how boundaries between them are created and sustained partly by discursive productions of categories like "rural" and "Appalachian" and partly by institutionalized mechanisms such as tracking in schools that redefine social differences as "natural" and unchangeable. However, these practices are functional for each group too, since they serve to maintain groups' identities. While democratic dialogue could produce new understandings and alter the polarized relations between the groups, it could also be threatening to those involved because either group could become subsumed by the other. One possibility for furthering the democratic project is to work through schools to develop multicultural education that enables students to be critically reflective of their own publics. Such awareness could allow publics to define themselves in less rigid ways, opening possibilities for interpublic dialogue. But if the discursive practices operating in the community that separate groups are left intact, there is little hope that critical reflection learned in schools will be sustained as students grow up and enter the adult community.
A descriptive study of relationships between assigned mentors and proteges in a preservice program for the preparation of school principals
Cobble, Martha M. (Virginia Tech, 1993-12-05)
The purpose of this study was to learn about mentoring relationships in a principal preparation program, the contexts in which they developed, and the influence of personality traits on relationships. Relationships between four pairs of mentors and proteges were described using data collected with a questionnaire, a semantic differential, the FIRO-B (Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation), and in-depth interviews. Analyses of data identified variables associated with mentor-protege relationships and their influence on relationships. The variables that played a role in the formation of relationships were age, gender, experience, proximity, school division support, program design, time, and family support. The semantic differential proved to be an indicator of relationships while FIRO-B was inconclusive. This study should be beneficial to mentors, proteges, and others interested in learning more about mentoring relationships in educational administration.
Development of a Communication Tool to Support the Preschool Interior Design Process
Beacham, Cindy Viola (Virginia Tech, 1999-03-04)
This study was designed to investigate the need for a communication tool to support child development professionals, design professionals, and parents in the preschool design process. Guided by the theoretical perspectives of Gardner and Bronfenbrenner, this research examined the need for a support tool in the design process, the format and content of such a tool, and the evaluation of a tool developed using the data as an organizing structure. The following research questions guided this study: (a) Is a tool or support document needed to help educate and support communication between child development professionals, parents, and design professionals in the early phases of designing a preschool facility?, (b) What are the format and content issues that need to be addressed and included in developing such a tool?, and (c) How would child development professionals, design professionals, and parents comment on the usefulness of an educational/communication tool? A multi-method data collection procedure was used to gather the data for the study. A focus group was conducted to ascertain general information from child development professionals, design professionals, and parents about their opinions and perceptions of the design process as a result of their personal experiences. Following the focus group, 13 interviews were conducted with different individuals, but representative of the same three populations. Upon completion of the interviews, the data were used as an organizing structure for the writing of a communication tool to aid in the design process of preschool facilities. The tool was then sent to 26 individuals for feedback using a questionnaire requesting responses about the need, content, and format of the document. The results of this study showed that a support tool that fostered greater communication between child development professionals, design professionals, and parents was needed. Responses to the focus group and interviews also indicated that the format of the tool should be paper-based, or in book form, and that the themes identified in the responses should guide the content of the tool. Questionnaire responses confirm that the tool developed was an appropriate document that provided important information for the respondents.

Browsing by Author "Fu, Victoria R."

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