In this three-paper dissertation, I examine three seemingly unconnected historical philosophers--Locke, Cockburn, and Kant--on questions concerning moral knowledge, human nature, and moral development. In the first chapter, my focus is on Locke's peculiar claim that a demonstrative science of morality is possible, and I address an interpretive…

Nature-based interventions (NBI) have demonstrated positive effects on a range of student outcomes, including enhanced prosocial behaviors, decreased levels of stress, and improved mood and concentration. Further, school-aged children's participation in NBIs supports students' reconnection with the natural world. Although schools represent an…

Ethical decision-making and ethical behavior are an essential focus of training for students who wish to pursue careers in behavior analysis. In addition to education and training mandates by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, universities that offer a Verified Course Sequence are required to teach and maintain ethical behavior in students.…

There has been a growing body of research on best approaches to reduce college men's sexual assault perpetration. While some interventions have successfully decreased perpetrator behavior, very few have accounted for college men's pre-intervention likelihood of offending (i.e., risk status). Considering the difficulties in changing high-risk men's…

Everyone, at some time in their life, has been a target of or witnessed bullying; Think of the grade school bully on the playground taunting a classmate or the high school bully humiliating a peer through name-calling, isolation, or mobbing. It is difficult to believe incivility continues into adulthood and even into the workplace. With higher…

Agency is regarded as the fundamental construct in second language (L2) learning. Despite the importance, agency has not been fully investigated in children's L2 learning. Moreover, there are predominant dichotomous views of agency, such as conformity and resistance. To gain an understanding of the complex concept of agency, this study asked two…

This study examined the teaching qualities and behaviors that U.S.-educated and foreign-educated faculty who teach at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) deem necessary for teaching excellence. The Teacher Behavior Checklist (Buskist, Sikorski, Buckley, & Saville, 2002) was administered to faculty participants who were asked…

Humor is an important aspect of interpersonal interactions as it is linked to the development and maintenance of relationships (Merolla, 2006). The purpose of this dissertation was to test the effect of a humor communication skills training program on the ability to minimize anti-social humor (i.e., aggressive, self-defeating) and enhance…

The issue of learning transfer is of prime importance to the field of adventure education. Adventure education programs are designed to promote a variety of personal development outcomes for participants, and a significant amount of research has validated these outcomes. However, in order for students to use the learning gained during their…

The goal of this study was to explore whether "Strong Kids" could result in improved social and emotional competence when implemented as a school-wide universal intervention. No prior studies have examined this question. This study also evaluated whether teachers could implement "Strong Kids" as it was designed and whether they…

Social inclusion has become an increasingly relevant issue in public school education during the past several years. Differences between social skills in students who were educated in inclusion elementary school classrooms and those who were not placed in inclusion classrooms were examined. Teachers were asked to rate the social skills of students…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify conditions that are favorable in promoting the academic achievement of children living in poverty by comparing perceptions of teaching and learning conditions in Title I high schools in Alabama that achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and Title I high schools that did not achieve AYP. The…

This dissertation reviewed experimental studies centering on the Lovaas Method (LovM), reviewed experimental studies centering on Verbal Behavior Approach (VBA) and/or studies that focused on the primary verbal operants, and compared the effects of LovM and VBA on the development of tact repertoires of three 11 to 12-year-old students with…

The current study evaluated the use of a manualized social skills program, Superheroes Social Skills, to increase the use of prosocial behaviors and decrease the use of aggressive behaviors for children with externalizing behaviors. The training was implemented by a school psychologist in a pullout group with four children with high-incidence…

Keeping schools safe and productive is an increasing concern for educators everywhere. This research focused on how one elementary school in West Fargo, North Dakota, implemented a school wide discipline approach to help decrease negative student behaviors. The researcher compared and contrasted three different discipline models. The researcher…