Digital Commons Network^™

Transformational Learning: An Investigation Of The Emotional Maturation Advancement In Learners Aged 50 And Older, Susan Lorraine Lundry

Dissertations

Human beings have spent much time and effort in trying to understand themselves, others, and their world. Mankind uses intellect when trying to understand life but the majority of people continue to encounter frustration, confusion, and a variety of obstacles when dealing with daily challenges and people. Theorists and researchers understand that successful existence requires more than mere knowledge; it requires a level of understanding, a form of wisdom foreign to the bulk of the populace. The missing ingredient for this kind of wisdom is the ability to ‘know thyself,’ which is the beginning of establishing a higher level of …

Transformative Leadership: Building Social Equity Through Individualized Professional Development, Curtis David Gunn

Dissertations

Developing social justice awareness is a challenging task. Many educational institutions have limited discourse related to race and equity. This autoethnography examines one leader’s attempt to become a transformational leader by having ongoing conversations about race and racism, applying the individualized transformative model of professional development during conversations, utilizing a peer advisory group for feedback, and reflecting on the results. Findings reveal the most important element for growth is the act of engaging in the conversation regardless of one’s perceived level of competence. The individualized transformative model of professional development was demonstrated to be an effective approach to professional development.

The Digital Divide Through The Lens Of Critical Race Theory: The Digitally Denied, Stacy Gee Hollins

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine African American community college students’ availability to technological resources and how that availability affects their success. In this study, technological resources include access to the internet, software, hardware, technology training, technology support, and community resources. This study included six community college professors and six African American community college students enrolled in a Midwest community college. A major tenet of Critical Race Theory, storytelling, was used to give voice to students who lack sufficient access to technological resources referred to as the digitally denied. Data from this study can create an …

Hidden Voices: The Missing Narratives Of Voluntary Interdistrict Choice Participants From 2000 To 2004 And Student Transfer Participants From 2013 To 2014, Miranda Temecka Ming

Dissertations

This study explored the perspectives of students participating in the Voluntary Inter-district Choice program from 2000-2004 and the experiences of participants in the Student Transfer Program attending the same suburban district due to the lack of accreditation in their neighboring schools during 2013-2014. The study uncovered the voices of participants in the VICC and student transfer program and to provided their voices in hope that it may be used as an instrument of change. This subjective, phenomenological qualitative study explored the lived experiences of high school students transferring to suburban districts and provides an in-depth analysis of their social, emotional, …

Tactile Learning: Touch And Touch Self-Efficacy In College Dance Instruction, Alyson J. Cartagena

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to (a) identify the level of touch self-efficacy (TSE) of college-level dance faculty as measured by the Touch Self-Efficacy (TSE) Scale, (b) explore the factors that influence the use of touch in dance instruction, and (c) describe the perceived benefits as reported by college-level dance faculty.

Methodology: In this mixed-methods approach, a sequential explanatory design was conducted in 2 separate phases of research. The first phase provided an opportunity to quantitatively investigate the levels of TSE in college-level dance faculty. The second phase qualitatively explored the factors influencing the use of touch in …

Integrating Emotion Regulation Strategies And Religiosity/Spirituality In Counseling Sessions: Perceptions Of Counselors In Christian School Settings, Kathleen Karigan

Dissertations

Counselors working in religious schools have a unique opportunity to help students integrate religious/spiritual (R/S) practices, teachings, or beliefs and emotion regulation (ER) strategies to control intense emotions. The primary research question guiding this study was to explore how school counselors integrate ER strategies with R/S practices, teachings, or beliefs to support adolescents in grades 7-12. Eighteen interviews, journal entries, and responses to a vignette were analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Four males and 14 females (ages 32-69) from 15 schools, (4 all female, 5 all male, and 9 co-educational) participated in this study. The findings revealed that counselors are …

Women, Sex, And God: Women's Sexuality And The Internalization Of Religious Messages, Petra Sterling Blum

Dissertations

Grounded theory methodology was used to explore women’s internalization of religious messages regarding their sexuality. Two research questions served as the guide for this study: how are women’s sexual self-views informed by their religious teaching, and how are these messages, along with their experiences, lived in them sexually, psychologically, and spiritually? Eleven women (ages 30-74) were chosen who had been raised in a Western Christian tradition in the US (8 Protestant, 3 Catholic). Participants were interviewed through an in-depth three-interview process to gain an understanding of their experiences and how they resolved their concerns with sex and spirit. The findings …

Arthur L. Washington, Twentieth Century Educator And Change Agent At Sumner High School, Herman Leo Harris

Dissertations

In the history of the United States, the Midwest, in general, and Missouri, in particular, has had a complex role concerning issues of race. For example, St. Louis was the site for the 1857 Dred Scott Case, which determined those of African ancestry could never become citizens. Fast forward to the 1940s and ‘50s and Missouri, as well as the rest of the United States, is still divided by race and largely segregated. As an African American man, Arthur L. Washington, would not be satisfied with the culture of the day. Born December 14, 1917, Washington envisioned the world with …

Comparison Of Beginning Teachers' And Experienced Teachers' Readiness To Integratetechnology As Measured By Tpack Scores, Heather S. Fontanilla

Dissertations

Despite a growing awareness of the importance of technology in education, increased investment and attention to preparing teachers to integrate technology into the classroom, research shows that technology continues to fail to live up to its potential for transforming education. As schools move from standards based testing to implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), an expectation exists that teachers will be using technology to transform their teaching practices. There is also an expectation that schools are providing students with 21st century skills, including the use of technology. In exploring the reasons teachers are not using technology effectively, much …

Illuminating The Experiences Of African-American Nursing Faculty Seeking Employment In Higher Education In Nursing, Vanessa Loyd

Dissertations

This study explored and described the experience of female African-American nursing faculty seeking employment in higher education in nursing. The lack of diversity in the nursing workforce has been attributed as a major underlying cause of disparity in healthcare in the United States. The importance of increasing the number of minority nursing faculty has been recognized as important for providing quality, culturally competent care. In other words, the shortage of minority nursing faculty, largely African-American, continues to present a pervasive problem for the nursing profession and for providing quality patient care. Pervasive problems include limited knowledge of the value systems …

The Radical Evolution Of The Communist Educator: Doxey A. Wilkerson, Shante` Lyons

Dissertations

Abstract This study illuminates the life, practice, and sociopolitical ideology of Communist Educator, Doxey A. Wilkerson. Wilkerson, a former member of the Communist Party of the United States of America, facilitated the development and execution of the Party’s educational programs during the mid-twentieth century. Contextually, narratives grounded in Black liberation, educational equity, and the sociopolitical inclusion of African-Americans have been dominated by the most visible members within the Black intelligentsia, such as renowned historian and scholar, W.E.B Du Bois. The research and narrative constructed within this work provides a unique and sound contribution to liberatory themes within educational frameworks and …

Behind Closed Doors: The Mask Of Antiracism In Presentation And Practice, Kevin Murray

Dissertations

School districts have recognized the challenges that teachers face in building relationships with the students they teach. This can be especially true when the teacher is White and the students are people of color. This study is a follow-up to an intense, year-long professional development that a group of teachers experienced in 2012. Through interviews, six such participants were asked about their experiences in the classroom, the ways in which they felt they had grown because of the professional development, and ways that they had implemented what they learned in their classrooms. While the teachers had positive things to say …

Effects Of Experience And Certification Level On Professional Development, Teacher Quality, And Increased Leadership Opportunities Of Nbcts, Jamie L. Burris

Dissertations

The focus of this dissertation was to provide insight into the perceptions of Arkansas National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) in regard to how the certification process impacted teaching and learning and overall student achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of experience and certification level on the perceptions of NBCTs in Arkansas concerning the quality of professional development earned, enhanced teacher quality, and increased leadership opportunities as a result of the National Board Certification process. An additional purpose of this study was to determine specifically how NBCTs perceived the certification process influenced student achievement within the …

Read 180 Participation, Ell Service Length, And Year On Literacy And Mathematics Achievement For Middle School Students, Paul A. Griep

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to add to the limited available research. In both hypotheses, the independent variables were whether or not the student used the READ 180 program, the number of years the student received ELL services in the United States (6 years or less or more than 6 years), and the year tested (2011 or 2012). The dependent variables for the first hypothesis were literacy and mathematics achievement measured by scaled scores obtained on the seventh grade Arkansas Augmented Benchmark Literacy and Mathematics examinations. The dependent variables for the second hypothesis were literacy and mathematics achievement measured …

Athletic Participation And Gender On Act Achievement For Private School Students In The Southeast, Cade A. Smith

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to add to the limited available research concerning the effect that athletic participation has on academic achievement in private schools. For each hypothesis, the independent variables were athletic participation and gender. For the first hypothesis, the dependent variable was academic achievement as measured by the ACT Composite score. For Hypotheses 2-5, the dependent variables were academic achievement as measured by the ACT Reading, Mathematics, English, and Science Reasoning subtests, respectively. Through a review of the literature, the history of interscholastic athletics was examined and the positive and negative effects of athletic participation on academic …

Effects Of Gender And School Size On Mathematics And Science Achievement For Students In Western Arkansas, Jason Edward Moore

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to research the effects of gender and school size on mathematics and science achievement for schools in western Arkansas. Related research revealed historical performance gaps in mathematics and science achievement between males and females, but also showed that those gaps have closed over the past few decades. However, the research also showed that there is still a large gap in the number of males and females working in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers. This study also investigated this trend within western Arkansas to determine whether the gender gap in STEM is caused …

A Delphi Study Of An Effective State Assessment Method For Continuation High Schools, Edison L. Kelly

Dissertations

Since the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, there has been an urgency in the overall academic accountability for all students nationwide. Since then the state leadership and experts in the state of California have made it a priority to educate and hold schools and students accountable through standards based instruction and assessments. To date this has not been the case for continuation high schools in the state of California.

The purpose of this mixed methods Delphi study was to identify appropriate assessment methods for California continuation high schools, to rate the respective effectiveness of the identified methods, and …

Building Career And Technical Education Capacity In California's Secondary Schools, Carol Tsushima

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the barriers to building secondary career technical education (CTE) capacity and the best means of overcoming those barriers from the perspective of the California regional occupational centers and programs (ROCPs). Methodology: Using a Delphi method, a panel of 15 CTE experts provided input through 4 rounds of anonymous electronic surveys. Conclusions: Utilizing the resources within the state’s ROCP system helped to identify barriers not addressed in the current literature or research. The impact of funding fluctuations, the limitations of the traditional school schedule, and the need to be …

College Student Leadership Development Participation And Emotional Intelligence, Nicole Renae Portell Brown

Dissertations

Leadership development has been identified as a key college outcome (Komives, Dugan, Owen, Slack, & Wagner, 2011). Emotional intelligence as a leadership development framework has shown promise in many applications (Petrides, 2011). Able to be augmented through purposeful training and practice, high levels of emotional intelligence have been linked to job performance, healthy relationships, and emotional well-being (Joseph, Jin, Newman, & O’Boyle, 2014). This study focused on changes in emotional intelligence as a metric for personal and professional development through a state university’s leadership program. Students’ self-reported change in global and factor emotional intelligence were measured utilizing the Trait Emotional …

A Three Part Dissertation: Evaluating A High School District Extended-Period Mathematics Program Using Frequent, Unannounced, Focused, And Short Classroom Observations To Support Classroom Instruction Utilizing Classroom Observations To Inform Teaching And Learning: A Policy Advocacy Document, Lawrence T. Cook

Dissertations

Dissertation Organization Statement

This document is organized to meet the three-part dissertation requirement of the National Louis University (NLU) Educational Leadership (EDL) Doctoral Program. The National Louis Educational Leadership Ed.D is a professional practice degree program (Shulman, Golde, Bueschel, & Garabedian, 2006). For the dissertation requirement, doctoral candidates are required to plan, research, and implement three major projects, one each year, within their school or district with a focus on professional practice. The three projects are:

• Program Evaluation
• Change Leadership Plan
• Policy Advocacy Document

Increasing Student Achievement Through Supporting English Language Learners, Michelle George

Dissertations

The purpose of this advocacy document is to demonstrate the need for a policy to implement a two-way immersion program in Spanish and English. The intent of this policy is to provide opportunities for students to be successful in a global society, acquire a second language, and develop a strong global awareness. This advocacy document includes an analysis of the educational, economic, social, political, moral, and ethical need for the policy change. The primary needs addressed through research are the ability to implement strong instructional practices of language development for English as a Second Language (ESL) student and to develop …

Retention Of Community College Students In Online Courses, Sarah Krajewski

Dissertations

The issue of attrition in online courses at higher learning institutions remains a high priority in the United States. A recent rapid growth of online courses at community colleges has been instigated by student demand, as they meet the time constraints many nontraditional community college students have as a result of the need to work and care for dependents. Failure in an online course can cause students to become frustrated with the college experience, financially burdened, or to even give up and leave college. Attrition could be avoided by proper guidance of who is best suited for online courses. This …

Active Learning Strategies And Vocabulary Achievement, John Robert Griffith

Dissertations

Using a quantitative method of data collection, this research explored the question: Do active learning strategies used in grades 5 and 6 affect student vocabulary achievement in a positive or negative direction? In their research, Wolfe (2001), Headley, et al., (1995), Freiberg, et al., (1992), and Brunner (2009) emphasize the importance of understanding how children learn through active learning processes such as hands-on opportunities, cooperative learning, and technology-based instruction. Other researchers such as Baker, et al., (2000), Nagy, et al., (1987) and Searfoss, et al., (2001) stress the importance of meaningful vocabulary instruction when teaching reading. This study supports their …

Creating A Framework For Success For High School African American Males: A Policy Advocacy Document, Ilandus Hampton Sr.

Dissertations

The policy advocacy document is an alternative to the traditional doctoral dissertation. This approach arose from the educational administration preparation reform agenda which calls for more thoughtful approaches to educational policy development, a concern that educational leadership express itself in a moral context, and a desire to develop reflective practices in administration. (Browder, 1995). This document attempts to ensure public schools, high schools in particular, are providing African American males with the skills and knowledge necessary to be academically successful so that they are given the opportunity and support necessary to achieve economic and social advancements throughout life. The policy …

Impact Of Single Gender Programs On Achievement, Attendance, Discipline, And Character: A Program Evaluation Project, Carla L. Sparks Dr.

Dissertations

The instance of single gender education in American public schools has risen since the 2006 amendments to Title IX permitting public schools to separate boys and girls for academic purposes. The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of single gender education to promote gains in student academic achievement, increase attendance levels, support character development, and decrease student discipline problems. The context of this inquiry is a large public school district that incorporates single gender education applications across the district. My study is focused on an all-girls middle school and an all-boys middle school, and it demonstrates outcomes …

Advocating For A Safe And Supportive School Environment: A Policy Advocacy Document, Zipporah K. Hightower

Dissertations

This proposed policy advocates for Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to adopt the Safe and Supportive School Environment Improvement Plan. This improvement plan would be mandated for all schools that demonstrate low ratings on the 5Essentials Survey in the area of supportive environment and do not show academic improvement. The city of Chicago has implemented several projects to reform schools. The development of safe and supportive school environments has not been one of these initiatives, although there is ample data that identify which CPS schools have environments that are not conducive to learning. There is also ample research that supports the …

Raising Student Achievement Through Programmatic Initiatives And Instructional Improvement, Philip S. Georgia

Dissertations

This dissertation consists of a program evaluation, a change leadership plan, and a policy advocacy proposal.

The program evaluation studies the impact of initiatives implemented at an elementary school near a large city in Illinois using a case study methodology. The school was required to restructure during the 2013-2014 school year as a result of the performance mandates outlined in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. To compare the post-restructuring status of the school with the pre-restructuring status, student growth data for multiple grade levels and for each federal subgroup was collected. In addition, the staff’s perceptions about …

Implementing Bring Your Own Device And The Paperless Classroom: A Change Leadership Project, Tamara K. Cornwell Dr

Dissertations

My journey through the implementation of an action plan for a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program is presented in this research document. The action plan incorporated the addition of industrial certification standards for technology integrated into the core curriculum at a public middle school (grades 6-8) during the 2014-2015 school year. Technology skills became a part of students’ daily learning opportunities. An eSTEAM Academy provided interested students and teachers with technology training and skills for classroom inclusion and blended model of face-to-face instruction enhanced with technology in a “paperless” classroom environment. This is an account of our successful journey …

A Partnership Between A Midwest Community College And The Highly Regulated Power Production Industry: A Case Study Regarding The Development Of An Energy Production Technology Program, Kenneth W. Flowers

Dissertations

With nearly every industry predicting severe employee shortages, the available worker pipeline, including the employed, may need to upgrade their skills. In addition, the number of jobs available will soon exceed the number of available workers, even if all the workers were skilled. This study investigated the perceptions held by key individuals within the energy industry regarding an Energy Production Technology degree program developed at one Midwest community college to help address worker pipeline issues in the energy industry.

This study discovered a void within present literature discussing the interaction between community colleges and the nuclear energy industry concerning the …

Perceptions Of Teacher Evaluation Systems At Cte Centers In Michigan, Michael A. Martel

Dissertations

This study investigated Career and Technical Centers in Michigan and their teachers’ and principals’ perceptions of their teacher evaluation systems which include a student growth mandate. CTE center teachers and principals were asked to provide their perceptions on how well their teacher evaluation systems provide information to improve teaching and learning. Differences between teachers and principals were explored.

The study was quantitative in design using survey research to obtain perceptions of CTE center teachers and principals. The data collection tool utilized a Likert scale moving from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Open-ended questions provided system quality information from respondents. Demographic …