Raymond E. Webster

Motivational and Attitudinal Factors in College Students with and without Learning Disabilities.

The current study examined the emotional resiliency, stress levels, locus of control and need for achievement in 17 college students with learning disabilities (LD) by comparing them with 17 of their peers without learning disabilities. Dependent variables included performance on the Hall Resiliency Scale, the Nowicki-Duke Locus of Control Scale, the Need for Achievement Scale, and a shortened version of a stress scale focusing on typical college stressors. Results indicated that students with learning disabilities obtained significantly higher resiliency scores and significantly higher scores on the Need for Achievement Scale than their counterparts without learning disabilities. These findings suggest that LD college students show a strong goal-directed approach and problem-solving initiative. Surprisingly, college students with LD self-reported significantly fewer college stressors than the students without LD. College students with LD also demonstrated a higher need for achievement than their college peers. No significant difference was found between the two groups with regard to locus of control. Both groups obtained moderate scores on the locus of control measure, suggesting realistic assessment of environmental events as these impact their lives.

Traumatic Symptomatology Characteristics of Adult Children of Alcoholics

Traumatic experience symptomatology, resiliency factors, and stress among young adults who had experienced alcoholism within their family of origin were assessed in comparison to adults who as children experienced traumatic life events other than alcoholism and those who indicated neither problem (parental alcoholism or traumatic life event) during their childhood. These three groups were compared on self-report measures of stress, resiliency, depressive symptomatology, and trauma symptoms. Results indicated adult children of alcoholics (ACOA) had more self-reported stress, more difficulty initiating the use of mediating factors in response to life events, and more symptoms of personal dysfunction than the control group. Results suggest ACOAs may develop less effective stress management strategies and present more clinically at-risk patterns of responses than their counterparts.

Publication productivity in selected School Psychology Journals: 1985-1991

This study examines the institutional affiliations of authors who have published in the three major journals of School Psychology and two additional journals started recently in the field between January, 1985, and July, 1991. The specific journals examined were Psychology in the Schools, Journal of School Psychology, and the School Psychology Review. These journals comprise the primary research outlets in School Psychology. In addition, papers published in Professional School Psychology and the Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment were also included in the analysis because these represent relatively new publication outlets for School Psychology. Findings regarding institutional productivity are compared with those obtained from previous studies in this area.

Multiple stressors and adjustment among adult children of alcoholics

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of multiple stressors during childhood on subsequent adjustment among adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs). Scores on self-report measures of adjustment were compared for four groups: ACOAs who had experienced multiple stressors (n = 73), ACOAs reporting alcoholism as the only stressor in the home of origin (n = 80), adults who reported experiencing traumatic events other than alcoholism in the home of origin (n = 99), and a control group who reported no traumatic events during childhood (n = 102). Significant differences were found among groups in terms of self-reported anger/irritability, defense avoidance, and measures of resiliency.

A comparison of the performance of cognitively disabled children on the WISC-R and WISC-III.

This study compared differences in performance on the WISC-III and on the WISC-R. Sixty-one students with learning impairments, due for reevaluation of their special education placement, were administered the WISC-III as part of a psychological assessment battery. Results indicate a mean difference between WISC-R and WISC-III FSIQ of 7.95 points, which is similar to WISC/WISC-R comparisons. Substantial differences that averaged 9.21 points were found between WISC-R and WISC-III PIQ means. These findings suggest that for a special education sample an average decrease of at least 8 points can be expected on the WISC-III Full Scale IQ. Caution should be exercised when one is considering changes in educational classification or interpreting qualitative differences in performance on WISC-III scores compared with WISC-R scores.

Adjustment issues with adult children of alcoholics

The current study assessed locus of control, general level of life satisfaction, and self-reported grade-point averages among adults who had experienced either alcoholism within the family of origin, traumatic life events other than alcoholism, or who indicated neither problem during their childhood. Results indicated that both the adult children of alcoholics (ACOA) and traumatic experience (TE) groups had lower life satisfaction scores than the control group. Significantly lower levels of locus of control also were found for the ACOA group in comparison to the control group. There were no significant differences among the three groups based on self-reported GPAs. Results of the current study support the concept that family dysfunction during childhood can influence negatively later life experiences and adjustment.

Memory modality differences in children with attention deficit hyperactive disorder with and without learning disabilities

This study assesses information processing and memory functioning in 50 children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) with and without learning disabilities (LD). Mode of presentation (visual vs. auditory), type of memory processing (immediate, short-term, and long-term), and order of recall (ordered vs. unordered) were assessed using the Learning Efficiency Test-II (LET-II). Both groups demonstrated difficulty with auditory ordered recall and lost substantial information from immediate memory to short-term and long-term memory stores. The ADHD/LD group also demonstrated more difficulty with ordered recall than the ADHD only group. While there were no differences between the two groups in regard to immediate recall, the ADHD/LD group demonstrated more problems transferring information into short-term and long-term memory stores than the ADHD only group. Verbal interference effects significantly decreased retention for both visual and auditory processing. Results indicate that ADHD alone presents significant problems in information processing, but the comorbid effects of a learning disability further intensify the negative impact of ADHD.

Use of an independent group contingency management system in a regular classroom setting

This paper examines the usefulness of an independent group contingency system for decreasing inappropriate behaviors. Twenty-five fourth-grade students enrolled in a regular class setting participated in this intervention, which involved a public posting system using positive reinforcement for desired behaviors. The program involved identification of target behaviors, collection of baseline data, program implementation, and follow-up. Targeted behaviors showed marked decreases across the 8-week treatment period and remained at this level through the end of the school year. Positive and negative factors influencing the effectiveness of the independent group contingency approach are reviewed. A second aspect of this paper is to discuss teacher-related variables that can influence the success of a management program developed by a psychological consultant.

Curriculum biasing effects in standardized and criterion-referenced reading achievement tests

The extent of curriculum bias was analyzed using seven standardized and criterionreferenced reading achievement tests. This bias was examined relative to five widely used commercial reading programs at the third-grade level. Results from the analysis indicated that the degree of bias varied widely depending on the specific test and program used for reading instruction. The practical and ethical implications of this bias effect are described in relation to the placement of children into reading programs and identification of students as exceptional.

Curriculum Bias and Reading Achievement Test Performance.

The overlap of words specifically taught in reading textbooks with the contents of standardized reading achievement tests may be a source of bias that is frequently overlooked in psychoeducational assessments. This study compares the standardized achievement test performance of 62 second graders receiving instruction in two different reading curricula (Open Court and Houghton-Mifflin) to determine whether either curriculum generates different quantitative estimates of reading achievement. Reading subtest scores derived from the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement-Brief Form (K-TEA), the Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised (WRAT-R), and the Reading Recognition and Reading Comprehension subtests from the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) were examined. Grade level equivalents and scaled scores from the California Achievement Test (CAT) were also examined. Three Curriculum × Test repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted using grade level scores (2×7), standard scores (2×4), and CAT scaled scores (2 × 5) as dependent measures. A significant Curriculum × Test interaction was identified, suggesting differences among tests in estimates of reading ability as a function of the reading program.