Nine Doctoral Students Defend Dissertations
Catalina Novac defended “Long-Term Traumatic Experiences of Imprisonment and their Impact on the Well-Being of Political Prisoners of the Romanian Gulag,” which examines the effect of severe atrocities and crimes against humanity on communist political prisoners. She will earn a Ph.D.

Gloria Jacobs will earn a Ph.D. after defending “‘ur Part of It’: Portfolio People and Adolescent Use of Instant Messaging,” a study of the language and literacy practices of adolescents as they engage in instant messaging.

Shira May Peterson defended “Co-Constructing Scientific Explanations in Preschool,” a study which examines the co-construction of scientific explanations among teachers and children in preschool classrooms in order to identify program and teaching characteristics that support young children’s development of scientific ways of thinking and speaking. She will earn a Ph.D.

Earning an Ed.D. is Marlaine Ortiz Mangels, after defending “An Initial Validation of an Instrument to Measure Sexual Readiness.” Her study examines a test for measuring sexual readiness in teenagers.

Susan Schultz defended “Twice-Exceptional Students and their Participation in Advanced Placement or College Level Learning Programs,” which addresses the question “What do parents, teachers, and guidance counselors identify as the supports and barriers to students who are twice-exceptional (both gifted and learning disabled)?” Schultz will earn an Ed.D.

Kevin Coffey will earn an Ed.D. after defending “Risk and Protective Factors for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth.” His study examines risky and protective factors for gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth, and the differences of these factors based on gender, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

Earning her Ph.D. is Kim DyceFaucette, after defending “Perceptions of the Efficacy of the National Policy Board for Educational Administration Standards in Guiding Principal Preparation: A Survey of New York State Principals.” The purpose of the study is to determine whether New York State practicing principals believe the National Policy Board of Eduational Administration Standards reflect those skills that principals must master to be successful school teachers.

Colleen Gabauer defended “Campus Politics and the College Novel,” which asks the question “How can college novels help us to understand the impact of internal and external political influence on the college campus?”. She will earn an Ed.D.

Karen Bibbins defended “An Exploration of Graduate Student’s Perceptions of Diversity in the Therapeutic Recreation Curriculum,” which examines graduate students’ perceptions of diversity, demographic characteristics, status, and level of diversity training in master’s degree programs. She will earn an Ed.D.

Demanchick Co-Authors Book Chapter
Steve Demanchick, doctoral student, co-authored a chapter titled “The Primary Mental Health Project: A Play Based Intervention for School Age Children” in the book Empirically Based Play Interventions for Children (American Psychological Association, February 2005).

Warner Students Well-Represented at AERA
In addition to the Warner faculty attending and presenting at this year’s American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual conference, many students also made the trip to Montreal.

Included as presenters were Gloria Jacobs, Lynn Gatto, Heather Carroll, and Derek Seward. Other attendees included Shira Peterson, Lisa Perhamus, Al Schademan, Shaza Khan, Cecelia Rios Aguilar, Amy Steed, Jan Soucier, Will Beasley, Makini Walker-Sharpe, Matilda Tang, Brian Bailey, Laura Farra, Deborah Hoeft, and Deb Leigh.