Digital Commons Network^™

An Analysis Of Factors That Impact Secondary Science Outcomes In Tennessee, Suzanne Lawson South

Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze school and district characteristics for 2005–2006 through 2007–2008 to determine which factors impacted science achievement for the graduating class of 2008–2009 in Tennessee. School size, socioeconomic status, per pupil instructional expenditures and rurality/urbanicity were predictor variables. Achievement was represented by performance on the science and reasoning portion of the ACT. Correlational studies indicated that socioeconomic status had a significant impact on science achievement while the impact of school size and rurality/urbanicity was observed to be weak. Statistical analyses through multiple linear regression produced a model in which socioeconomic status and rurality/urbanicity explained …

The Politics Of Physical Education Reform, Ari Zyskind

CMC Senior Theses

The purpose of the paper is to determine why today's youth are so physically inactive by examining the role and efforts of physical education, and the state and federal governments responsibility in supporting these programs, in fighting today's obesity epidemic by creating generations of healthy and physically active children. Research led to the determination that states have failed to maintain and improve physical education resulting in a physically inactive youth. Therefore, the nation should look to federal legislation to support state-led physical education, which this paper found to be constitutional if the enactments followed the provisions established in South Dakota …

In Bed With The Fed: The Battle Over K-12 Sex Education In The United States, Hannah Frey Lauber

CMC Senior Theses

Sexuality education continues to be an extremely emotional and polarizing issue in the United States. The U.S. leads developed countries with the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and STI acquisition, as well as teenage abortions. Additionally, costs to society are tremendous—experts estimate unplanned pregnancy costs the federal government up to $12 billion annually. Now more than ever, there is a dire need for medically accurate, high-quality sex education in this country. This thesis explores the history of sexuality education policy in the United States, as well as recent legal developments. It highlights the arguments of those in favor of comprehensive …

Explore, Educate, Expand: The Exploratorium’S Education Abroad Youth Program, Nina Rubin

Capstone Collection

This capstone describes the design of an outbound, education abroad program that will take place in Dharamsala, India over a five-week period. It will bring together young adults from the U.S. and Tibet for an intercultural learning experience. The program will provide hands-on opportunities for participants to be engaged in academic, philosophical and personal growth. The educational workshops and activities will be centered on neuroscience, meditation, and Buddhist conceptions of science and the natural world. At the same time, themes of intercultural communication and competence will be explored in-depth.

As a foundation, the program will build from an existing partnership …

Student And Instructor Perceptions Of Factors Important For Student Success In Online And In-Person Algebra Classes At Somerset Community College, Richard S. Matika

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

Online mathematics courses at Somerset Community College (SCC) have traditionally had a lower retention rate than their in-person counterparts. This study looked at online and in-person students at SCC in the courses Intermediate Algebra and College Algebra. Beginning of semester student demographics were considered to determine whether or not the online and in-person student populations were comparable. End of semester student demographics, retention rates, and grades on the final exams were examined to determine whether or not there were patterns among completer students. Finally, a survey was administered to students and instructors to determine their perceptions of several factors …

Beyond The Black Horizon, Aaron Bruce

Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview

Although U.S. colleges and universities continue to discuss creative ways to increase the number of African American collegians participating in study abroad, this research is limited when revealing the unique perspectives of African American collegians who have studied abroad. Traditionally an emphasis on program success has been placed on the quantity of study abroad participants rather than the quality of African American student support and engagement; the personal reflections through the lens of African American race and identity are often overlooked. A series of culturally responsive, guided interviews were conducted with African American collegians from a variety of institutions across …

An Exploratory Study Of The Impact Of College Student Leadership Programs Upon The Construct Of Mindfulness, Richard Lee Horowitz

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Mindfulness is a key skill that produces the greater psychological awareness identified by most leadership scholars as being essential to effective leadership. This study conducted an exploratory assessment of the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cocurricular collegiate leadership programs through pre- and post-participation application of the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS). The Social Change Model (SCM) of leadership development was used to represent mindfulness-based leadership programs due to an emphasis upon mindfulness and psychological self awareness. This quantitative study made use of a 2 x 2 mixed ANOVA and analyzed change in scores to identify the progress made towards the learning …

Typical And Top-Ranked Polish Private Higher Education : Intersectoral And Intrasectoral Distinctiveness, Joanna Musial

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation analyzes the degree and shape of differences between private and public sectors (intersectoral) and within the private sector (intrasectoral) in Polish higher education. The intersectoral hypothesis is that Poland's two sectors are quite different and that these differences mostly follow those claimed and so far found in leading literature on private higher education globally. The intrasectoral analysis focuses on the top-ranked private institutions, for which I hypothesize characteristics of "semi-elite" institutions.

Investigating Staff Morale In An Elementary School Setting, Bethany Pendino

Dissertations

The way that employees feel about their workplaces and their jobs has implications not only for each individual but for the success of the workplace as well. In a school setting, investigating how teachers and other staff members feel about their jobs and their workplace and then seeking to improve employee morale may benefit schools. This action research investigated staff morale at Sparkling Springs Elementary School. The investigation examined how efforts to improve staff morale influenced staff members, students, and parents. Through staff surveys and focus groups, the researcher obtained information on staff members‟ feelings and attitudes related to the …

On The Road To Internationalization: Designing An International Student Handbook For Northern New Mexico College, Sara M. Mccormick

Capstone Collection

The United States continues to host more international students than any other country in the world. According to the recent Open Doors 2010/11 report published annually by the Institute of International Education (IIE), the number of international students at colleges and universities in the United States increased by five percent to 723, 277 during the 2010/11 academic year (Open Doors, 2011). Currently, there are approximately 2, 724 international students studying in colleges and universities across New Mexico (Open Doors, 2011). As the number of international students increases at Northern New Mexico College (NNMC), located in Espanola, New Mexico, it becomes …

Addressing The Learning Needs At Occupy Dc, Andrew J. Batcher

Capstone Collection

The purpose of this paper is to examine how learning can help the Occupy movement in Washington DC. It explores three questions. What are the learning needs of the movement? What educational content can help meet those needs? And how can education be practiced in a way that most effectively addresses the learning needs within the real world circumstances of the movement? Research methods include participant observation, surveys, interviews, focus groups, literature review, and primary document review. Data was coded into 11 outcome oriented learning needs and 3 educational orientations which are geared towards meeting those needs. This paper is …

The Bucknell Community College Scholarship Program: A Documentary As A Performative Social Science, Sean D. Fortney

Honors Theses

Reviews Bucknell participation with the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation (a non-profit foundation with a mission to “help under-resourced students of exceptional promise reach their full potential through education".

Sensitivity Of Value Added School Effect Estimates To Different Model Specifications And Outcome Measures, Bryce L. Pride

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Model has been used to make many high-stakes decisions concerning schools, though it does not provide a complete assessment of student academic achievement and school effectiveness. To provide a clearer perspective, many states have implemented various Growth and Value Added Models, in addition to AYP. The purpose of this study was to examine two Value Added Model specifications, the Gain Score Model and the Layered Effects Model, to understand similarities and differences in school effect results. Specifically, this study correlated value added school effect estimates, which were derived from two model specifications and two outcome …

An Ex Post Facto Study On The Relationship Between Self-Reported Peer-To-Peer Mentoring Experiences And Instructor Confidence, Institutional Loyalty, And Student Satisfaction Among Part-Time Instructors, Carolyn A. Watson

Dissertations

Problem. The most recent data from the U.S. Department of Educational Statistics estimate that part-time faculty now comprises almost half of the faculty labor force; many believe this statistic has been gravely underestimated. Powerful unions like the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU) believe that universities are relying too heavily on part-time faculty members and that this over-reliance threatens the quality of higher education today. The debate surrounding the use of part-time faculty seems to focus on issues of instructor confidence, loyalty, and student satisfaction. Many question whether a part-time faculty …

The Perception Of School Board Members And Their Role In Improving College And Career Readiness, Sara Elaine Farris

Online Theses and Dissertations

The national focus of graduating America's students ready for college and a career has heightened the importance of and the need for school board members to rethink their purpose on what and how they spend their time. Improving the college and career readiness of K-12 students will need school boards that are willing to receive the training to ensure that district leadership and schools are using the appropriate strategies that will impact college and career readiness.

School boards have always recognized student achievement as central to their role in governing public schools; however, the impact they actually have on promoting …

Principles For Designing An Effective, Post-Compulsory Music Curriculum Suitable For Western Australia, Andrew T. Sutherland

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A new post-compulsory Music course known as the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) Music course was recently introduced into Year 11 and 12 in Western Australian (WA) schools. Following a convoluted process of creation, its implementation into classrooms has been problematic. Given criticism levelled at its process of creation and implementation, the researcher questions whether the WACE Music course embodies effective, recognised principles to support the effective teaching and learning of music. This study investigates the principles which should form the basis of an effective, post-compulsory music curriculum, suitable for WA. It involved a literature review which sought to …

Prompting Self-Monitoring Of Learning In Self-Paced Computer Based Training: The Effect On Self-Regulation And Learning, Christopher J. Coburn

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the effects of prompting students to monitor their use of learning strategies and comprehension while completing self-paced, work-related training in a computer-based learning environment. Study participants included 94 enlisted military volunteers, randomly assigned to one of three groups in the spring of 2012. Changes in strategy use and comprehension were evaluated within and between groups receiving either immediate, delayed or no prompts using multiple methods of measurement, both during and after training. Prompts asked participants to rate their level of agreement to statements regarding their strategy use and comprehension of lesson content. …

An Analysis Of Secondary School Teachers' Perceptions Of Block Scheduling, Vern Mamon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed method study was to examine the perceptions of public secondary school teachers regarding block scheduling and to identify the perceived advantages and disadvantages of using the block schedule in three secondary schools in one suburban school system in Georgia. Perceptions of teachers were obtained from data collected from a 23-item survey and three focus group discussions.

The study concluded that secondary teachers’ perceptions of block scheduling were generally favorable. However, some teachers did firmly support some statements on block scheduling. The study suggested there is not a significant difference in teachers’ perceptions based on grade …

The Influence Of Corporate Leadership And Management Practices On A Public School District, Randall Paul Napier Jr.

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

The purpose of this case study is to understand how management and leadership ideas that were present in Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky influenced management and leadership practices adopted by Scott County Public Schools during 2002-2011. Data for the study were collected during the summer of 2011, using individual and focus group interviews including teachers, administrators, community and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky employees; on-site participant observations, and documents.

This study examined Scott County Public Schools implementation of the Quest for Useful Employment Skills for Tomorrow, the formation of The Center for Quality People and Organizations, changes in Science Technology Engineering Math …

Organizational Adaptation Through Diffusion And Social Networks: A Study Of Family Consumer Sciences Extension Agents, Deborah Adkins Murray

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

This study examines the interconnectedness of social networks of the early adopter Family and Consumer Science Extension Agents (FCS Agents) of the Mental Healthiness and Aging Initiative (MHAI) pilot conducted in eleven (11) eastern Kentucky counties between October 2007 and April 2009 and compares the social network connections of the FCS Agents in the other six Extension Districts in Kentucky.

This research used whole-network survey analysis applying the social network approach, a conceptual model for explaining the communication of new ideas and information within an organizational network. Organizational networks are important structural elements of organizational systems and key to understanding …