Digital Commons Network^™

Effectiveness Of Listening Passage Preview With Children Diagnosed With Adhd, David M. Castleman

Doctoral Dissertations

There are many common reading interventions used to help students improve a variety of reading skills including word recognition, decoding, and reading fluency. This study examines one of these interventions, Listening Passage Preview. Listening Passage Preview is a reading intervention that is aimed at increasing student oral reading fluency, by providing a model of a passage prior to the student reading it. As a commonly prescribed reading intervention, it is vital that researchers determine its effectiveness across differing populations of students. Within this study, we examined the effectiveness of Listening Passage Preview for students who are diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity …

Understanding The Perspectives And Experiences Of A Teacher Utilizing Trauma-Informed Strategies - A Qualitative Case Study, Matthew Scott Riddle

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative case study focuses on a high school teacher’s perspectives and experiences as she teaches students using trauma-informed strategies. The research questions focused on how the teacher conceptualizes building relationships through the use of trauma-informed strategies and what supports and/or challenges she receives from outside sources in teaching using those strategies. Data collected included a screening questionnaire for participant selection, semi-structured interviews, and field notes collected during classroom and whole day observations. The analysis focused on using data gathered from data collection along with literature to develop themes that answered the research questions posed.

Key findings identified several trauma-informed …

The Other Side Of The Story: An Exploratory Case Study Of Barriers Experienced By Tennessee Transfer Pathways Students, Alexis Hartley

Doctoral Dissertations

The vital topic of improving the experiences of transfer students is investigated comprehensively in this research. A qualitative method was used in the design of the case study to explore the experiences that transfer students had while participating in a state transfer pathway program. In particular, this approach focused on the barriers that transfer students faced and the knowledge and actions that were required to overcome these barriers. After completion of an accredited associate's degree, students who have participated in the Tennessee Transfer Pathway (TTP) are eligible to transfer into a four-year program at one of the state's participating four-year …

An Examination Of University Employees' Green Workplace Behaviors, Stephanie Nicole Jones

Doctoral Dissertations

As colleges and universities implement or enhance campus sustainability programs and administrators seek to understand the impact of such programs on their campuses, much effort has focused on understanding the green behavior of students enrolled at these institutions. However, given that universities employ large numbers of faculty and staff, it is also important to understand employees’ green behaviors. This descriptive survey research study sought to better understand the green behaviors of employees at a research university in the southeastern part of the United States. Potential participants were emailed a link to an online Qualtrics survey consisting of 31 closed and …

The Journeys Of Six Mom Pedagogues: Enacting Personal Convictions And Disrupting The Status Quo, Macy Halladay

Doctoral Dissertations

Home education or “homeschooling” began to re-emerge in the late 1960’s in the US, parallel to civil rights initiatives and shifting educational policies (Murphy, 2014). Nevertheless, few studies have been dedicated to examining the lives and practices of homeschool parents (Goldberg, 2021; Lois, 2006; Ray, 2021). Rather, topics have centered on homeschool demographics, academic outcomes, and challenges (Hauseman, 2011; Isenberg, 2007; Lines, 2000; Shepherd, 2010).

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the lived experiences of six homeschool mothers’ everyday lives and the meanings assigned to their pedagogical decisions and related feelings in their journeys of becoming Mom …

Assessing Graduate Student Needs And Responsive Institution Assets: Application Of An Asset And Capacity Building Hybrid Framework, Jessica D. Osborne

Doctoral Dissertations

This study seeks to better understand the needs of graduate students at a large southeastern university through a qualitative needs assessment framed by Altschuld’s (2015) asset / capacity building needs assessment model. Through graduate student focus groups and faculty, staff and administrator interviews, this study investigates the needs, successes, and assets of and for post-baccalaureate students within the university setting and context. Qualitative analysis procedures inductive thematic content analysis, primarily following an interpretivist paradigm (Fereday & Muir-Cochraine, 2006; Saldana, 2016). Findings illustrate the existence of both specific graduate student needs as well as assets to supplement these needs. Study analysis …

Comparison Of Differential Item Functioning Detection Procedures Under The Multidimensional Graded Response Model Framework, John Walker

Doctoral Dissertations

Construct validity is necessary to confirm psychometric instruments measure their intended construct and limit measurement error. Differential item functioning (DIF) helps to identify bias and error within measurement instruments and support construct validity. DIF detection procedures have been thoroughly scrutinized under several item response theory models (e.g., Bulut & Suh, 2017; Cohen et al., 1996; Suh & Cho, 2014; Elosua & Wells, 2013; Wang & Shih, 2010; Woods & Grimm, 2011), but no study has explored DIF detection procedures for data fitted to polytomous multidimensional item response theory models. This study aims to identify the optimal DIF procedures for data …

Indigenous Assessment Developers On Elements Of The Disjuncture-Response Dialectic: A Critical Comparative Case Study, David A. Sul

Doctoral Dissertations

The disjuncture-response dialectic proposes that the assessment development practices of Indigenous assessment developers exist within a broader environment where attention to broader themes such as settler colonialism (Wolfe, 2006) and Indigenous sovereignty is incorporated. To understand this dialectic, this study sought insight from Indigenous assessment developers about the issues they face when developing culturally specific assessments for use within their environments and settings.

This study used a critical (Giroux, 1979; Horkheimer, 2018; McKenzie, 2012) comparative case study approach (Bartlett & Vavrus, 2017b) with a convenience sample of three Indigenous assessment developers representing a cross-section of culturally specific assessment development projects …

Reducing Youths Unemployment In Nigeria: The Development Of A Technical And Vocational Education And Training Survey Instrument, Omotola Olabisi Akinsola

Doctoral Dissertations

Youth unemployment has been on the rise for many years in Nigeria. Despite the high number of youths enrolled in formal education in Nigeria and the number of graduates each year, job opportunities to absorb these graduates are few. TVET has been proposed as an educational intervention in reducing youth unemployment.

A systematic review revealed that the interventions aimed at reducing youth unemployment were pooled into four categories: the use of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in schools, the introduction of entrepreneurship education in schools, the engagement of public-private partnership (PPP), and career guidance counseling for students.

In …

Indigenous Assessment Developers On Elements Of The Disjuncture-Response Dialectic: A Critical Comparative Case Study, David A. Sul

Doctoral Dissertations

The disjuncture-response dialectic proposes that the assessment development practices of Indigenous assessment developers exist within a broader environment where attention to broader themes such as settler colonialism (Wolfe, 2006) and Indigenous sovereignty is incorporated. To understand this dialectic, this study sought insight from Indigenous assessment developers about the issues they face when developing culturally specific assessments for use within their environments and settings.This study used a critical (Giroux, 1979; Horkheimer, 2018; McKenzie, 2012) comparative case study approach (Bartlett & Vavrus, 2017) with a convenience sample of three Indigenous assessment developers representing a cross-section of culturally specific assessment development projects across …

An Investigation Of How Institutional And State Characteristics Influence Community College Award Rates, Jacob A. Kamer

Doctoral Dissertations

Community colleges are an essential element of the American postsecondary landscape and workforce preparation. In 2017, over six-million students, which represented roughly one-third of the total undergraduate enrollment in the United States, were enrolled in community colleges. In the past ten years, the importance of community colleges in the economic need for greater postsecondary credential attainment has been underscored by state policies and national initiatives. The wide variation in both the nature of community colleges and the students they serve makes examining the outcomes of these institutions difficult and oftentimes imprecise.

Assessing the performance of community colleges and determining what …

Perceptions Of African American College Students In San Francisco Bay Area Community Colleges On Their Developmental Training To Participate In Civic Engagement During High School, Melvin Davis

Doctoral Dissertations

The democratic practice of representative government in the United States is supposed to represent and protect its citizens. Since the United States abolished legalized slavery with the 13th Amendment in 1865, individual states have made many attempts to impede the civil rights and voting rights of African American citizens. Several pieces of legislation were designed to protect citizens, such as the Civil Rights act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In addition to overt legislated actions to thwart voting rights, the 26th Amendment of 1971 afforded citizens at least 18-years old the right to vote. Studies, however, …

Unlocking Creative Potential: Catholic Elementary School Principal Perceptions Of Creativity, Kellie Scherer

Doctoral Dissertations

Church documents and scholars affirm that traditional pedagogies are ineffective in preparing students for the demands of the 21st century (CCE, 2014, p. 13, Darling-Hammond, 2010; Hartley, 2003; Kampylis, 2010; Skiba, Tan, Sternberg & Grigorenko, 2010). A review of the literature revealed that a gap in research on the Catholic elementary school principal’s understanding of and commitment to creativity exists. Even teachers who value creativity cannot fully support its development in the classroom without proper training. Continuing education coordinated by principals is one of the few opportunities for teachers to identify and confront their creativity misconceptions. The purpose of this …

Measuring Cogency In Argument In The Seventh-Grade English Classroom, Millie Gonzalez-Balsam

Doctoral Dissertations

Constructing a cogent argument that addresses real-world problems aids students in the development of critical thinking and requires students to present multiple perspectives in a credible manner. Yet, rubrics do not always measure students’ reasoning. The purpose of this study was to create a valid and reliable instrument to measure cogency in argument. I created a Teacher Designed Rubric Measuring Cogency (TDRMC) based on Toulmin’s model of argument for its emphasis on context-specific warrants, and I used Wilson’s framework for assessment to operationalize the construct of cogency. I compared the TDRMC to the current standardized assessment rubric for the Common …

Concurrent And Predictive Validity Of The Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test – Group Ability Test, Brooke Lauren Browarnik

Doctoral Dissertations

Within the framework of a pretest/posttest design, relations among the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test – Group Ability Test (UNIT-GAT) and two measures of reading achievement: the Test of Silent Word Reading Fluency, Second Edition (TOSWRF-2) and the Test of Silent Word Reading Comprehension, Second Edition (TOSCRF-2) were examined for 140 children between the ages of six and fifteen, enrolled in one of three Boys & Girls Clubs in the eastern United States. Based on a counterbalanced administration at pretest, UNIT-GAT Analogical Reasoning (AR) scores moderately correlated with TOSWRF-2 Form A scores (r = .45, p < 01), TOSWRF-2 Form B scores (r = .41, p …

Perceptions Of Student Engagement: Understanding Knowledge And Policy Implications Among K-12 District Leaders, Ann Marie Cisney-Booth

Doctoral Dissertations

Student engagement is widely documented from the perspectives of students, teachers, and school-level administrators (Bazenas, 2014; Marks, 2000; Rosenquist, 2015; Sutherland, 2010; van Uden, Ritzen, & Pieters, 2013). At this time, understanding student engagement from the perspective of district leaders, including members of the school board, represents an untapped area of research. Engaged students are more likely to learn, find the learning experience rewarding, as well as are more likely to graduate and pursue higher education (Marks, 2000). In this regard, student achievement is contingent upon the development of a sense of efficacy and confidence in their ability to be …

The Impact Of A Value-Added Model On Educational Leadership Practices In Northwest Louisiana, Candice D. Webert

Doctoral Dissertations

This study addressed the impact of VAM, concerns with VAM data, uses and interventions educational leaders provided teachers, and components perceived as necessary for VAM effectiveness as an evaluation tool. The demographics used for this study were position, school size, and experience. Due to the documented need for educational accountability from the 1960s to present, the knowledge gained in this study was valuable. While the initiative was implemented as a response to increased accountability, the perceptions and understanding of such new initiatives can impact their effectiveness; in turn, impacting educational leadership. This study focused on the effectiveness of VAM.

In …

Family Experiences With Standardized Assessments Leading To Participation In The Opt Out Movement, Christy Lee Evans

Doctoral Dissertations

With the hope of giving voice to individuals who are usually left out of conversations regarding standardized assessments—the families who live with the effects of those tests on their children—this study was designed to answer the following research questions:

1) Who are some of the individuals who are participating in the opt out movement?

2) How are some individuals making the decision to participate in the opt out movement?

a) What knowledge do these individuals who are participating in the opt out movement have regarding the standardized assessments that their children are being given in public schools?

b) How have …

Development And Validation Of The Statistics Assessment Of Graduate Students, Dammika Lakmal Walpitage

Doctoral Dissertations

This study developed the Statistics Assessment of Graduate Students (SAGS) instrument, and established its preliminary item characteristics, reliability, and validity evidence. Even though there are limited number of assessments available for measuring different aspects of statistical cognition, these previously available assessments have numerous limitations. The SAGS instrument was developed using Rasch modeling approach to create a new measure of statistical research methodology knowledge of graduate students in education and other behavioral and social sciences. Thirty-five multiple-choice questions were written with stems representing applied research situations and response options distinguishing between appropriate use of various statistical tests or procedures. A focus …

Learning To Teach Online: An Investigation Of The Impacts Of Faculty Development Training On Teaching Effectiveness And Attitudes Toward Online Instruction, Karen Elizabeth Brinkley

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between one approach to training for online faculty and the ways in which the program influenced the participants’ teaching effectiveness and attitudes toward online instruction. Two research questions guided this study: (1) how did participating in an intensive course redesign intervention influence instructors’ teaching effectiveness in the online environment? and (2) how did participating in the training influence instructors’ beliefs or attitudes about online teaching? The theoretical framework guiding this study was the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model, developed by Mishra and Koehler (2005). Using a concurrent, mixed-methods design, …

Pre-College Characteristics And Online Homework Learning: Factors Associated With First Year Engineering Students’ Academic Success, Wenshu Li

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to develop a working model to predict at risk students in an Introduction to Engineering course. The model considers both students’ pre-college characteristics, psychological traits, and online homework learning behavior. The study assisted the course instructor in the creation of an early warning system and the development of targeted interventions for students at risk. A reliable and valid instrument to measure engineering students’ pre-college characteristics was initially developed. The study also applied data mining to analyze the student online homework logs in order to observe engineering students’ homework learning process. A decision tree model …

Building Communicative Competence: An Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of An Intensive Japanese-Language Program, Yukiko Konishi

Doctoral Dissertations

Even though language-program evaluations provide educators with various types of information on teaching practices and the programs in which they work, insufficient literature discusses issues related to language-program evaluation. This mixed-methods study examined the effectiveness of a Japanese-language program offered at a government-sponsored Institute located in northern California on language-program evaluation and developing communicative competence at postsecondary schools.

Data comprised two sets of surveys, six individual interviews, and one group interview. Survey respondents were 35 former students of the institute and 12 Japanese instructors who are currently teaching Japanese or have taught Japanese at the Institute. Of the 35 students, …

You Kind Of Have To Prove It: Gender Microaggressions Within The Lived Experiences Of Women In Engineering, Crystal Rose Diaz-Espinoza

Doctoral Dissertations

This intrinsic case study explored the lived experiences of women within three engineering majors at a mid-sized institution in the Mid-Atlantic using gender microaggressions (Nadal, 2010; Sue, 2007) as a theoretical lens. Data included individual interviews with 28 participants as well as document review from Web pages and observations from physical spaces within the campus engineering building. Data analysis resulted in seven themes in congruence with Sue’s (2007) taxonomy of gender microaggressions and further established the three levels of gender microaggressions distinguished by Nadal (2010). Findings also revealed that barriers within engineering were less visible or outwardly sexist, and that …

The Development And Validation Of The Self-Efficacy In Statistical Practices Scale, Niranji Anuradha Pathirage Dopa Pathirage

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to develop a scale intended to measure undergraduate students’ self-efficacy in statistical practices. In order to apply statistical concepts and methods that students learn in the classroom to real world situations, it is important for college students to have not only statistical knowledge and skills, but also self-efficacy in using those concepts and methods. Even though there is growing attention on the importance of assessing students’ statistics self-efficacy, currently available measures have numerous limitations. Therefore, the Self-Efficacy in Statistical Practices Scale (SESPS) was developed, and the internal consistency reliability and convergent validity of …

More Myself: Exploring Students' Perceptions Of Self-Authorship Development, Benjamin B. Stubbs

Doctoral Dissertations

Increasingly, the challenges of modern adult life include the responsibility for ambiguous tasks, the need to work as a team with diverse others and the expectation to make important decisions in the face of competing interests. Research suggests that individuals able to meet these challenges demonstrate self-authorship, a way of knowing that allows them to exert control over their lives. Existing research provides insight into college students’ self-authorship and the influence of situational, environmental and personal factors on self-authorship development. However, the literature has yet to explore students’ own understanding of their self-authorship development. The purpose of this study was …

Predicting High-Stakes Tests Of Math Achievement Using A Group-Administered Rti Instrument: Validating Skills Measured By The Monitoring Instructional Responsiveness: Math, Jeremy Thomas Coles

Doctoral Dissertations

Three universal screeners and nine progress monitoring probes from the Monitoring Instructional Responsiveness: Math (MIR:M), a silent, group-administered math assessment designed for implementation with an RTI Model, were administered to 223 fifth-grade students. The growth parameters of the overall MIR:M composite and two global composites (math calculation and math reasoning) identified significant variation in student growth, within significant linear and quadratic trajectories. However, there were significant differences in the nature of the growth trajectories that have applied educational implications. In addition, growth parameters across the three composites provided significant predictive potential when using the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) Achievement …

Participant Career And Research Outcomes Of The Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Award, Samuel Held

Doctoral Dissertations

In 1991, ORAU created the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Award program providing seed money for research of early career faculty at ORAU member universities. The Powe Awards are intended to enrich the research and professional growth of young faculty and result in new funding opportunities. Eligible applicants are full-time assistant professors at ORAU member institutions within two years of their initial tenure track appointments. Awardees receive a one-year grant worth a total of $10,000. Four hundred sixty Powe Awards were made from 1991 to 2011.

This descriptive study presents a secondary data analysis of 258 survey responses received in …

Impact Of College Counseling Within Private High Schools On First-Generation College-Bound Students' Enrollment In Four-Year Colleges: A Case Study, Ana Maria Soler

Doctoral Dissertations

First-generation college-bound students (FGCBS), students whose parents do not have a college degree, are at a disadvantage during the preparation for and enrollment in 4-year colleges, according to the literature. A majority of these students either never enter 4-year colleges, or enroll in 2-year colleges and never complete a bachelor's degree. With the demand in the work force for college degrees, much research has been conducted on understanding the experiences of these students. Previous research has focused on college counseling for FGCBS within public schools, traditionally low-resourced public schools, as this is where most FGCBS are enrolled.

This study addresses …

Participatory Perspectives: A Photovoice Narrative Study Of Zambian Vulnerable Youth, Lori K. Imasiku

Doctoral Dissertations

The United Nations' Millennium Development Goals aim to meet the needs of the world's poorest people by 2015 through universally agreed upon targets. Goal number two aims to provide universal primary education and states that "by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling" (United Nations, 2010). Zambia, located in Sub-Saharan Africa, in an effort to increase school access and attendance, developed the Free Basic Education Plan which eliminated school tuition up to grade 7 and allowed for a large number of children to enroll in school. While this effort …

Academic Work Ethic: Predicating Student Assignment Choice And Evaluating The Academic Work Ethic-Student Measure, John Thomas Parkhurst

Doctoral Dissertations

There were several objectives associated with the following three-study dissertation. The initial study was designed to replicate and extend previous research on the partial assignment completion effect (PAC), effort, and students’ assignment choice behavior. Our focus was to determine if individual differences, specifically work ethic, may explain why some students chose to continue to work on a partially-completed assignment as opposed to completing a different, lower-effort assignment. Our experimental and correlational results extended research on PAC and effort by suggesting that individual differences in work ethic may influence students to choose to finish what they started, even when it requires …