Background: Schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based framework for implementing a continuum of behavior support practices in schools to improve student outcomes. Research suggests that students with extensive support needs (ESN) may not have access to the complete continuum of behavioral supports within…

The purpose of this mixed methods exploratory study was to design and validate an instrument Satter's Preservice Educators Social Emotional Competencies Inventory (Satter's PSESEC-I). The 5-point Likert instrument allows preservice educators to self-assess and reflect on instrument items on their abilities to use social emotional learning and…

The ever-changing advances in technology require digital literacy skills for success in the workplace. To determine the critical digital literacy skills needed in the workplace today, the development of a reliable, valid instrument occurred using the nine steps of scale development by DeVellis and Thorpe (2021). Based on the SkillRise (2020a)…

Apart from providing a bird's eye view of a given domain of inquiry (Ioannidis et al., 2015), systematic reviews such as methodological syntheses offer a magnifying glass on prevalent existing problems in primary research and furnish empirically grounded solutions to rectify these issues (Page et al., 2021). As survey research in second language…

This study aimed to develop and validate the Institutional Racial Bias Cost (IRBC) scale, a race-focused construct grounded in Situated Expectancy-Value Theory (SEVT) (Eccles & Wigfield, 2020), to capture the experiences of Black students at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). Drawing on cognitive interviewing procedures and qualitative…

This dissertation presents an innovative approach to examining the keying method, wording method, and construct validity on psychometric instruments. By employing a mixed methods explanatory sequential design, the effects of keying and wording in two psychometric assessments were examined and validated. Those two self-report psychometric…

Quality and accountability remain meaningful discussions for university-based traditional educator preparation programs (EPPs) that prepare most new teachers. A fundamental premise of this study is to create rigorous and transparent measures that are intentionally designed and aligned with pre-service teacher (PST) readiness standards, which is…

Modern mindfulness is a catch-all term. Just exactly what it looks like within the context of education and how it is taught vastly varies. As such, program fidelity and integrity is questioned. Here a definition of mindful self-regulated learning is proposed and the Mindful Self-Regulated Learning Scale (m-SRLS) is developed. This includes item…

Psychosocial competencies; such as prosocial behaviors, compliance with authority, attention regulation, independence, and emotional regulation; play a crucial role in child development. Higher levels of these competencies in childhood are linked to fewer behavior problems, while deficits in these competencies can predict future problem behaviors.…

This study sought to develop and validate an instrument to test the self-efficacy of teaching engineering design. This study is part of a larger effort to develop an instrument for both pre-service and in-service teachers of Science, Technology, and Engineering education. The focus of this study is on the initial instrument creation process and…

The current study involved the development, scaling, and validation of a new, brief, strength-based measure of children's ecological support, as rated by their parents. The scaling and validation of the Child and Youth Ecological Assets Scale--Parent Form (C-YEAS-P) took place through two studies. The first study involved 500 parents who were…

This mixed method research was to develop and validate an instrument to measure paraeducator self-efficacy for paraeducators who work with students with disabilities. This research study's framework was DeVellis' (2017) scale instrument development process conducted in three phases: item development, scale development, and scale evaluation. The…

Evolution is a key feature of undergraduate biology education: the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has identified evolution as one of the five core concepts of biology, and it is relevant to a wide array of biology-related careers. If biology instructors want students to use evolution to address scientific challenges…

Prosocial behaviors (e.g., sharing, helping) are important for adolescents' academic and social-emotional wellbeing and can be predicted by students' adoption of prosocial goals. Due to the recent uptick in experiences with learning online for adolescents, understanding what prosocial behaviors look like for students within this context, as well…

As the demographics of the student population in the United States grow more culturally diverse, the need for culturally competent school psychologists becomes more evident. To meet the needs of a culturally diverse student population and their families, school psychologists must possess the knowledge and skills to provide culturally appropriate…