Trent W. Maurer

Fathers' Caregiving and Breadwinning: A Gender Congruence Analysis

Maurer, Pleck, and Rane’s Gender Congruence Theory was further expanded via Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory and tested to predict parenting behaviors in fathers and mothers. Results provided some support for the revised theory for fathers: Both perceived expectations from their wives for caregiving behavior and the perceived caregiving behaviors of other fathers positively predicted their own caregiving behavior, whereas no independent variables were able to predict their breadwinning behavior. Results provided little support for the revised theory for mothers: Only the perceived caregiving behaviors of other mothers positively predicted their own caregiving behavior, and no independent variables predicted their breadwinning behavior. Role Identity was not a significant predictor of behavior in either role for fathers or mothers.

Understanding Protein Synthesis: A Role-Play Approach in Large Undergraduate Human Anatomy and Physiology Classes.

This study investigated the effectiveness of role play in a large undergraduate science class. The targeted population consisted of 298 students enrolled in 2 sections of an undergraduate Human Anatomy and Physiology course taught by the same instructor. The section engaged in the role-play activity served as the study group, whereas the section presented with a traditional lecture served as the control group. A pretest/posttest assessment and a survey were administered to both sections and used in data analysis. In addition, overall test scores and item analysis were examined. The analysis revealed that participants in both groups improved significantly from pretest to posttest, but there were no significant differences between the groups in posttest scores. Neither group showed a significant change from posttest to the exam. However, there was a moderate positive effect on engagement and satisfaction survey questions from being in the study group (based on 255 total surveys returned by both groups). The role-play activity was at least as effective as the lecture in terms of student performance on the above-mentioned assessments. In addition, it proved successful in engaging students in the learning process and increasing their satisfaction.

Exploration of Student Perceptions, Behaviors and Academic Performance in Construction Management Classes

To improve student success, instructors need to understand how students feel about their own learning and how much responsibility the students take for it. This information is crucial to teaching and to the development of more effective courses. Yet, very often, instructors in higher education focus on content learning exclusively. While summative assessment of learning in these courses is important, content learning is not the only measure of educational outcomes. This study used an instrument-surveying tool in which the Course Valuing Inventory (CVI) was adapted for Construction Management (CM) courses to evaluate cognitive-content, affective-personal and behavioral learning in students taking these courses. The study also examined the relationship between course valuing scores, Approaches to Study Inventory (ASI), and course performance. Results indicated that the CVI can be adapted for use in CM courses. Multiple regressions run in this exploratory study predicting final course grade from seven predictor variables (student class standing, student self-reported GPA, whether the course was required for the student’s major, likelihood of student continuing with their current major, grade that student anticipated receiving in the course, ASI score, and CVI score), revealed that six of the variables were significant predictors of final course grades.

Assessing Birth to Age 5 Teaching Methods at a University Laboratory School

ABSTRACT This research evaluated the effectiveness of training and educating preservice teachers to understand and implement developmentally appropriate practices for children birth to age 5. Data from 803 participants were collected over a 3-year period at a university with a laboratory child care program associated with an undergraduate degree in child and family development. Findings supported the strength of a 17-item scale that was developed to assess gains in knowledge and skills in a multicourse sequence over the 3-year period. Knowledge and skill increased significantly in all three courses from pre to posttest. The magnitude of change decreased for knowledge and increased for skill as students progressed through the three-course sequence. Knowledge gains were greatest in Course 1 and smallest in Course 3. However, skill gains were greatest in Course 3 and smallest in Course 1. A multivariate analysis of all six time points, involving students who completed the survey in all three classes, indicated that knowledge and skills increased in each class with the greatest increase in skills in Course 3. The laboratory courses were an effective means of promoting understanding and implementation of developmentally appropriate practices in preservice teachers. Implications for improving early childhood teacher education are discussed.

Using Study Guides in Undergraduate Human Anatomy and Physiology Classes: Student Perceptions and Academic Performance

ABSTRACT Few research studies have been conducted on the usefulness of study guides and student perceptions of their use. This mixed-method study evaluated student perceptions of the value of two types of study guides (outline vs. completed) in Human Anatomy and Physiology classes (HAP) and analyzed the relationship between these perceptions, demographics, and academic achievement (final grade). The targeted population consisted of 750 students in health majors registered for HAPI and HAPII in the spring and fall semesters of the academic year and taught by the same instructor. In the spring, HAPI students received the study guide outline and HAPII students received both the study guide outline and the study guide completed. In the fall, the design was reversed. Data was collected using a survey administered to all sections to examine students’ perceptions, and students’ performance was evaluated using final course grades. 560 surveys were collected. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS and qualitative data was grouped in categories and themes.

Perceptions of Incapacitated Heterosexual Sexual Assault Influences of Relationship Status, Perpetrator Intoxication, and Post-Assault Sleeping Arrangements

This investigation explored college students’ victim-blaming behaviors in perceptions of incapacitated rape. Participants received a vignette about a man who had sexual intercourse with a woman who had lost consciousness due to alcohol, with the conditions varied across the vignettes: the relationship between the parties, the alcohol use of the man, and the post-assault sleeping arrangements. Results revealed that when the man was a stranger, participants attributed less responsibility for the incident to him, but were more likely to label the incident as “rape.” Neither the alcohol use of the man nor the post-assault sleeping arrangements significantly influenced participants’ perceptions.