This dissertation explored questions related to teaching graphing skills to graduate students in behavior analysis. In Study 1, a survey of BCBAs asked which graphing conventions behavior analysts are most likely to revise. Only five conventions received high overall agreement and differences in revision ratings were associated with demographic…

This study posed and studied a solution to a prevailing tension in online education: the online medium is fundamentally connective and yet students often report feelings of social isolation. The study compared two online interventions -- both into a student's fluency in the language of functions and graphs, a major focus of a student's transition…

Single-case designs (SCDs) are often used to examine the impact of an intervention over brief periods of time (Kratochwill & Stoiber, 2002; Segool, Brinkman, & Carlson, 2007). The majority of SCDs are inspected using visual analysis (Kromrey & Foster-Johnson, 1996; Morgan & Morgan, 2009). Although the single-case literature…

This longitudinal study evaluates the impact of a new Algebra 1 course at a High School for language-based learning-disabled (LD) students. The new course prioritized the teaching of relationship graphs and functions as an introduction to algebra. Across three studies, the dissertation documents and evaluates the progress made by LD high school…

The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of customized individual counseling interventions on the career and college readiness of adolescents within foster care. An intervention program, consisting of customized individual interventions, entitled "Students That Are Reaching Success" ("S.T.A.R.S.") was created by the…

There is a need to address behavior discipline problems in special and general education setting classrooms. Disruptive behaviors are a major concern as they create excessive stress and demands for classroom teachers and school administrators to address them. Effective interventions are needed to properly address them. Moreover, classroom…

Two studies were conducted to examine the effects of an embedded parent-child shared reading intervention on children's phonological awareness skills. Seven children considered at-risk for reading difficulty listened to 6 pre-recorded children's books with embedded early literacy activities three times each with a parent. Children's…

This dissertation explores fifth and eighth grade students' interpretations of three kinds of mathematical representations: number lines, the Cartesian plane, and graphs of linear functions. Two studies were conducted. In Study 1, I administered the paper-and-pencil Linear Representations Assessment (LRA) to examine students'…

This dissertation concerns kindergarteners' and second graders' invented representations of motion, their interactions with conventional representations of motion built from the child's movement in front of a motion detector and using real-time graphing tools, and any changes in the invented representations that this interaction brings about. We…

The critical role of accountability on schools has intensified the need to understand the impact of intervention strategies and best practices on literacy. Of particular concern is the underachievement of boys and identifying the learning differences between boys and girls. Examined in this quantitative study were the strategies and practices…