Theresa M. Okwumabua

Cognitive strategies and running performance: An exploratory study

Cognitive style differences between more and less successful but still highly skilled athletes have been identified. This study examined the cognitive strategy use of novice runners, and investigated the effects of training to adopt either associative or dissociative cognitive strategies on the performance of new runners. Students in fitness classes were randomly assigned to an Associative group, a Dissociative group or a Relaxation Control group. Before, during, and after five weeks of strategy training subjects competed in a one and one-half mile run. Analyses revealed that all runners used increasingly more associative cognitive strategies over the training period. However, those runners who employed relatively more dissociative cognitive strategies demonstrated a greater reduction in running time over trials relative to students who reported using more associative strategies. The interaction between cognitive strategy use and physical skills was discussed.

The impact of a technology-based mathematics after-school program using ALEKS on student's knowledge and behaviors

The effectiveness of using the Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS) system, an Intelligent Tutoring System for mathematics, as a method of strategic intervention in after-school settings to improve the mathematical skills of struggling students was examined using a randomized experimental design with two groups. As part of a 25-week program, student volunteers were randomly assigned to either a teacher-led classroom or a classroom in which students interacted with ALEKS while teachers were present. Students math performance, conduct, involvement, and assistance was needed to complete tasks were investigated to determine overall impact of the two programs. Students assigned to the ALEKS classrooms performed at the same level as students taught by expert teachers on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP), which is given annually to all Tennessee students. Furthermore, students conduct and involvement remained at the same levels in both conditions. However, students in the ALEKS after-school classrooms required significantly less assistance in mathematics from teachers to complete their daily work.

Onset of Drug Use among Rural Black Youth

A sample of 362 Black students (grades 7 to 12) who reside in a rural county in Alabama was surveyed by teacher-administered questionnaire to examine the age of onset and periods of risk for drug use, and patterns of multiple drug use. A questionnaire was used also to obtain demographic parameters of drug use as well as information about the use of six categories of drugs. Results suggest that aggregately rural Black youth began drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes and marijuana, and using smokeless tobacco and solvents by age 10 years, whereas initiation into cocaine use began by age 1 years. The period of risk for initiation of drug use was between ages 10 and 14 years. Approximately 65% of ever-users were single drug users, whereas 35% were multiple drug users at the period of initial experimentation.

Condom Negotiation: Findings and Future Directions

The aim of this review was to summarize factors associated with condom negotiation among heterosexual men. Literature searches were conducted using multiple databases spanning several disciplines. Studies examining psychological, demographic, relational, communication, and environmental factors related to condom negotiation are described, and a three-dimensional framework of condom negotiation is proposed. This framework of condom negotiation may aid researchers in operationalizing this construct, organizing this literature, and facilitating measurement development. We used this three-dimensional framework to articulate the influence of gender, ethnicity, relationship type, partner characteristics, trauma history, post-traumatic stress, and alcohol use on condom negotiation. Areas for future research are outlined. More research is needed to understand how these factors interact to influence condom negotiation, as well as the interaction between gender and the identified factors.

An Exploration of African American Students’ Attitudes Toward Online Learning

The current work presents exploratory research findings concerning African American students’ attitudes toward online learning. The Online Tutoring Attitudes Scale (OTAS; Graff, 2003) was administered to 124 African American students in a positive youth development program. Findings suggest that African American students’ attitudes toward computers are inconsistent with their attitudes toward online learning. African American students reported positive attitudes toward computers; however, their attitudes reflected anxiety, lack of confidence, and little use for online learning experiences. Implications of this research are relevant to educational interventions, academic achievement, and technological advancement with respect to underrepresented populations.

Anger Expression Mode, Depressive Symptoms, Hopelessness, and Decision Coping among African American Adolescents

This study examined the relationship between anger expression mode, depressive symptoms, hopelessness, and decision coping patterns among a non-clinical community sample of 276 low-income African American adolescents (mean age = 14.47). Participants were students in sixth through tenth grades enrolled in health and wellness classes in two public schools in West Tennessee. They were asked to complete a battery of instruments including the Anger Style Inventory, Childrens Depression Inventory, Hopelessness Scale for Children, and Flinders Adolescent Decision Making Questionnaire. Findings indicate a significant association between anger expression mode, depressive symptomatology, hopelessness, and decision coping pattern among study participants. Gender and screening positive for depressive symptoms predicted participants anger response mode. Using multiple assessment scales may provide useful information toward preventing the onset of clinically significant emotional disorders among adolescents.

A Potential Technological Solution for Reducing the Achievement Gap Between White And Black Students

Disparities in achievement measures that exist between black and white students, commonly referred to as the ‘black-white achievement gap’, are widely discussed in educational literature (Lubienski, 2008). In fact, even before the advent of modern standardized tests, there was an extended analysis of performance gaps on tests between black and white students (e.g. Crowley, 1932; Bali and Alvarez, 2004; Ferguson, 2002; Harris and Herrington, 2006). Much has been written about performance disparities among blacks, whites, and other ethnic minority groups on the mathematical section of standardized tests, such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).

Learning with ALEKS: the impact of students' attendance in a mathematics after-school program

We examined the effectiveness of using the Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS) system as a method of strategic intervention in after-school settings to improve the mathematical skills of struggling students. The study randomly assigned students into a classroom that either worked with the ALEKS system individually on computers or were taught by teachers in an interactive classroom. Results from year one revealed that students randomly assigned to the ALEKS condition significantly out performed students assigned to the teacher condition on a state assessment test (TCAP). However, this was only if the students received sufficient exposure to the program.

Promoting Health and Wellness in African American Males through Rites of Passage Training

The current work presents exploratory research findings related to the effectiveness of Let the Circle Be Unbroken, an African-centered “rites of passage” training program, to promote health and well-being in a sample of high-risk, African American males. An abbreviated version of the ADPRC-TADPOLE questionnaire was administered to 39 African American boys, between the ages of 8 and 16 years, who were participating in a community-based “rites of passage” training program. Findings suggest that the Let the Circle Be Unbroken training program is a viable program for improving self-esteem among young African American males. The implications of this research are relevant to the reduction of some health disparities observed among underrepresented populations, especially African American males.

Using deep reasoning questions to improve anemail-based sexually transmitted infection prevention intervention

Abstract The current study offers preliminary insight into the efficacy of a technology-based question-asking, sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention program to promote condom use and reduce the incidence of STIs. Participants were 104 college students who were provided safe sex information via 12, email messages, delivered over a four (4) week period. During information delivery, students were randomly assigned to a deep-level reasoning message condition or to a standard message condition. Students assigned to the deep-level reasoning condition were prompted by a question, prior to the delivery of each email message while those assigned to the standard message condition received the email message without a question prompt. Students in the deep-level reasoning condition showed greater ease in suggesting condom use to their partner, were more likely to get tested for an STI and to use a condom during vaginal sex. Those in the standard message condition reported more condom use during anal sex at post-test. These findings suggest that technology-based (email delivered) STI interventions can be used to facilitate positive behavioral change.