Michael W. Firmin

A Qualitative Study of Families and Children Possessing Diagnoses of ADHD

This phenomenological research study replicates R. Segals (1998) study of 17 Canadian families. The authors interview 17 American families participating in the national support group Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder, focusing on the challenges they face in rearing children diagnosed with ADHD. Three particular themes emerge. First, the parents appear to be attuned to their childrens needs and report being proactive in making adaptations and interventions when needed to accomplish family objectives. Second, the results are generally congruent with those reported by Segal. In both cases, mornings and afternoons are vulnerable times for the families. Segal found mornings most difficult, however, whereas families in this study relate homework periods in the afternoons to be most challenging. Third, parental strategies are salient for successfully rearing children with ADHD. The families emphasize the constructs of routine and structure as being paramount to navigating daily life successfully.

Mission Statement Analysis of CCCU Member Institutions.

Assessed were the mission statements of 107 member institutions of the Coalition of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). The analysis was conducted on a microlevel via appraising the frequency of words used in the statements as well as the general constructs expressed. The respective mission statements were coded for content and common themes were analyzed and compared for similarities among the institutions. Results showed the following themes: education (70%), Christian (68%), service (61%), society (55%), life (45%), and academics (44%). Overall, surprisingly little relative attention was given to the distinctive nature of Christianity relative to constructs such as Christ (43%), faith (31%), church-related concepts such as kingdom (27%), God (26%), Bible (23%), Christ-centered (16%), or truth (10%). The results are discussed in light of higher educations overall objectives and how mission statements set the tone for institutional milieu.

Historical and Contemporary Developments in Home School Education

Home school education has a rich history. It is embedded in Americas most early form of education practice, with character education being a central component. By the 1960s, however, home school education developed mostly into adoption by extreme groups. First, the Left adopted the protocol as a means of implementing their non-traditional approach to societal milieu. Following court cases that removed religion from the public schools, home education became dominated by fundamental, then evangelical parents. Presently, home schooling is a significant movement that public school educators cannot simply ignore as ‘fringe’. The wide spread use of the internet likely will propel home educations popularity via distance education mediums.

School Nurse Perspectives of Challenges and How They Perceive Success in Their Professional Nursing Roles.

This is a phenomenological study of 25 school nurses employed in a large, urban school district in the midwestern section of the United States. In addition to school nursing, the participants also had professional work experience in other nursing specialties. Thematic analysis of the data focused on the challenges faced by the school nurses, their views of school nursing success, and elements of job satisfaction. Overall, the school nurses reported the positive aspects of school nursing outweigh the negative aspects of their jobs. Developmental changes were reported among the school nurses in this study as they reflected on how they perceived their nursing career over time and during different seasons of their lives.

Frequent Major Changing: Extrinsic and Intrinsic Factors.

Twenty undergraduates participated in individual, semi-structured interviews concerning their decisions to change majors. We found three common extrinsic and three intrinsic factors related to thei...

Early Childhood Discipline: A Review of the Literature

In this literature review concerning early childhood discipline we particularly highlight American childrens discipline with respect to historical perspectives, generational theories, gender issues, parental styles, methods of discipline, and corporal punishment. We also address corporal punishments history, the debate among experts, beliefs and practices among parents, the controversy in public schools, religious influences, and a conflation of the issues.

A Multitrait—Multimethod Examination of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales in a College Sample

This study assessed trait validity of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales’ (RIAS) Verbal Index (VIX) and Nonverbal Index (NIX) scores in a group of college students. Using both observation of patterns and latent variable modeling of a multitrait—multimethod correlation/covariance matrix, the results indicate that the RIAS VIX scores behaved in a manner predicted from the theory behind their construction; namely, they related strongly to other measures of crystallized intelligence (Gc) and, together, they formed a salient Gc factor. The NIX scores, however, did not behave as predicted—showing as strong, or stronger, associations with measures of Gc than measures of fluid intelligence. Although more studies of this type are needed across different samples before making broad generalizations, the results from the present study support the use and interpretation of the RIAS VIX score, but not the NIX score.

Perceptions of Effectiveness Among College Students: Toward Marriage and Family Counseling and Therapy:

Unlike perceptions toward professional counseling, public opinions do not typically associate marriage and family counseling or therapy with treatments of mental disorders. The current survey of college students in this sample confirmed that most would not recommend, specifically, marriage and family therapists (MFTs) for mental health evaluations, psychiatric symptoms, intelligence and personality assessments, drug abuses, among others. The only situation for which students would most recommend an MFT is issues pertaining to marriage and the family. Implications for professional promotion and credentialing include enhancing the visibility, availability, and qualifications of marriage and family counselors (MFCs) or therapists especially through educational venues such as schools as well as media outlets.

Commentary: The seminal contribution of Richard LaPiere’s attitudes vs actions (1934) research study

The work of LaPiere has become a truly seminal research study for a variety of reasons. These include the following: (i) it began a chain of research events and the influence has continued to contemporary social psychology; (ii) the fundamental questions that LaPiere pioneered remain today; (iii) the study has shown itself to be relatively robust; (iv) the study is unreplicable today; and (v) measuring real-life incidents provided apt external validity to the study and opened social psychology to the world of field studies.

Validity and Reliability Evidence for the Comprehensive Test of Nonverbal Intelligence

In this study, we examined the factor structure, reliability, and external validity of scores from the Comprehensive Test of Nonverbal Intelligence–Second Edition (CTONI-2) using an independent sample of young adults currently enrolled in a postsecondary institution. Although the subtests appear to be measuring general intelligence, the aggregate Full Scale score should be interpreted with caution when using the instrument with adults suspected of having above average intelligence. The item difficulties were too low to capture individual differences in adults with higher intelligence. Moreover, the scores’ reliability and the relations to measures of academic achievement are lower than what is typically expected for intelligence measures.