Digital Commons Network^™

Should We Disaggregate Latino Youths Based On Ancestral Group When Examining Risk Factors Of Violent And Delinquent Behavior, Elvis G. Sevilla

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers frequently aggregate Latino subgroups during statistical analyses despite findings indicating that cultural distinctions within Latino subgroups have unintended hidden impacts on analyses. This study disaggregated the Latino sample to assess if Latino youth samples differ among subgroups (i.e., Mexicans/Mexican Americans, Cubans/Cuban Americans, Puerto Ricans, Central/South Americans, and other Latinos) who self-reported violent and nonviolent delinquent behavior. Also, this study used Sampson and Laub’s age-graded theory to investigate life-course characteristics that predicted violent and nonviolent delinquent behaviors. A two-step approach analysis determined the differences in violent and delinquent behaviors among Latino subgroups and then which life-course risk factors predicted the …

Adaptive Functioning And Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptom Severity In Childhood: Parent Perception Vs Clinician Rating, Corin Lillian Osborn

Theses and Dissertations

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurocognitive developmental disorder that impacts over one percent of the population. As of 2016, one in 64 children were diagnosed with ASD by four years of age, with males receiving the diagnosis 3.5 times more often than females (Shaw et al. 2020). Research also indicates that ASD prevalence varies by socioeconomic status (SES) and race/ethnicity (Diguiseppi et al., 2016). These differences may be a result of differential access to resources, a connection between SES and race/ethnicity, measure sensitivity to child sex, cultural differences in sensitivity to symptomatology, or a true difference in ASD presentation. …

Evaluation Of The Impact Of Professional Development On Communication On District And School Leaders, Paul Curtis

Theses and Dissertations

This program evaluation study used an objectives-oriented evaluation to determine the impact of professional development on effective communication to enhance leadership skills of school and district leaders in a southwestern Florida school district. Professional development is offered by the district to teachers, school leaders, district leaders, and staff members. Effective communication is the key to facilitating an impactful professional development training.

Participants were 27 teachers, administrators, and support staff in the district who completed a survey and an interview. Results showed the professional development increased communication and collaboration between and within schools in the district. School leaders showed more engagement, …

Technological Tools And Methods Used In Formative Assessment Activities, Lisa E. Goldsmith

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation examined the use of technological tools in formative assessment activities. These phenomena have left teachers searching for timely methods to perform formative assessment or assessment for learning activities. The problem addressed by this study was that standardized testing, large class size, and increasing distance learning at all educational levels, achieving formative assessment tasks necessary for successful learning can be a challenge. The sample from which data was gathered was 189 studies and academic articles. The target of the assessment process became apparent in many of the sections studied, which led to information about the impact of the …

An Analysis On The Effects Of Melodic Based Communication Therapy On Verbal Behavior In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Meghan Kathleen Casperson

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to analyze the effect Melodic Based Communication Therapy has on minimally verbal children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, particularly tact responses and their generalization in the natural environment. MBCT is a replicable protocol for pairing melodies with target words to elicit speech in children with neurodevelopmental and language impairment. There is a call for the MBCT’s replication to widen the research on this approach in natural settings and across children with ASD and other developmental disabilities.

A multiple baseline design across participants was used to determine the impact MBCT has on the tact responding in …

Human Trafficking: The Impact Of Covid-19 On Labor Trafficking In The Us, Anthony A. Mottola

Theses and Dissertations

Human trafficking is a global phenomenon where traffickers prey upon their victims without discriminating against age, gender, ethnic background, or nationality. The United States (US) is not immune to the human rights violations of human trafficking. The victims of human trafficking are coerced into a life of exploitation through forced labor or sexual exploitation. Many victims are migrants from disadvantaged countries that travel to the US seeking employment but end up the victims of abuse, both physically and mentally, at the hands of traffickers. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the global economy, forcing quarantines, travel bans, and social distancing. …

Understanding The Circumstances That Contribute To Teacher Retention And Attrition In An Urban School District And The Impacts Of Financial Incentives On Teacher Retention, Meshelley Sams

Theses and Dissertations

This study is aimed at understanding the circumstances that contribute to teacher retention and attrition in urban schools in the Southwestern United States. Harris et al. (2019) reported that at the national level, 16% of all teachers attrit yearly. Attrition contributes to the increasing teacher shortage problem that many districts face. The purpose of the study, guided by Chris Argyris’ organizational theory, examined the circumstances that contribute to the attrition of highly qualified teachers and the extent financial incentives are linked to the retention of highly qualified teachers. This qualitative phenomenological study involved 9 teachers, interviewed with a researcher designed …

Examining Teachers’ Experiences With Mindfulness Practices To Promote Positive Relationships And Student Engagement In The Classroom, Hiram Ortega

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years mindfulness practices in the classroom have become increasingly relevant to bring awareness to the present moment, the here-and-now. The literature indicates that mindfulness reduces stress/anxiety in the classroom, and promotes self-regulation, cognitive flexibility, self-compassion, and empathy that contributes to positive classroom behavior, communication, and effective instructional practices. The purpose of this qualitative research is to analyze teachers’ experiences with mindfulness practices in promoting positive relationships and student engagement in the classroom. A group of teachers from an at-risk school district in the southwestern region of the United States were interviewed. The teachers answered 10 open-ended questions about …

Multilevel Modeling Of Academic Self-Concept And Moderation Of The Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect In Math And Science For Timss 2019 Participating Countries, Heather Marie Spangler

Theses and Dissertations

Self-concept is an important construct across a variety of disciplines as a facilitator of a full range of human potential. Big Fish Little Pond Effect (BFLPE) results have confirmed global generalizability for the negative effects of school- and country- averaged achievement on students’ academic self-concept based on social comparisons with implications that generally discredit ability grouping, streaming or tracking. However, few studies have identified variables that ameliorate the negative effects of BFLPE. Accordingly, this study applied hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) in HLM 8.2 software to examine the effects of student, school, and country-level moderators of both school- and country-level BFLPE …

Perceptions Of Business Private Sector Employers On The Employability Of Distance-Only Institution Candidates In The United States: A Case Study, Tanacha Gaines

Theses and Dissertations

The applied dissertation was designed to understand the perceptions of private-sector employers regarding the selection of candidates from distance-only higher education institutions. Guided by signaling theory as a framework, the study explored the mismatch between institutional, student, and employer expectations of skills and readiness for the labor market. Research into the employability of students and the acceptability of their distance-only degrees in the business sector could be informative as to whether the investment of students and their families provided fruitful employment opportunities. The literature showed an increase in enrollment for online learning, legislative expectations of higher education with the lack …

Preferred Practices To Retain Black Female Caseworkers Employed In Child Welfare, Anna Koehle

Theses and Dissertations

The problem addressed by this study was that the turnover rate among social workers has been highest for Black female child-welfare caseworkers. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of Black female child-welfare caseworkers and effective strategies for retention. Ten experienced Black female caseworkers in child welfare were interviewed; participants represented five U.S. states. Participants were asked about mentorship programs, preservice training, financial incentives, major concerns related to retention, and recommendations for retention initiatives to specifically address the needs of Black female caseworkers. Themes emerged related to Black female caseworkers in child welfare. Mentorship programs …

Teacher Attrition Rates In A Large Urban Elementary School In The Southeastern United States, Yvonne Joy Russ

Theses and Dissertations

Educational organizations were experiencing increasing teacher attrition rates, thereby impacting teacher self-efficacy, workplace continuity, and student achievement levels. With this national crisis unfolding, schools struggled to recruit and retain high-quality teachers necessary for organizational success and student mastery of standards-based instruction. The increasing levels of teacher attrition were affecting both novice and veteran schoolteachers. The purpose of this applied dissertation was to understand the experiences of teachers impacted by the problem of increasing teacher attrition, as well as identify retention strategies to employ. Scholarly research on the topic of teacher attrition highlighted factors and issues related to this dilemma; however, …

Lived Experiences Of Emergency Remote Teaching Use By High School Mathematics Teachers During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Glenn E. Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study aims to understand further the lived experiences of high school mathematics teachers who underwent a sudden transformation into emergency remote teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study used a qualitative approach, specifically an interpretative phenomenological analysis. Emergency remote teaching has been a new phenomenon that has presented itself worldwide.

This study used two methods for data collection. The first method used was the general participant demographic information survey, a demographic tool collection instrument created by the researcher. The second method for data collection included responses from one-on-one semi-structured interviews. A total of 13 participants completed the …

Evaluation Of Novice Teacher Practical Implementation Of Applied Behavior Analysis Strategies: A Single-Subject Research Design Using Behavioral Skills Training, Toniece Walker

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to provide a targeted training for novice teachers with the use of Behavior Skills Training model. Novice teachers struggle with behavior management in the classroom setting. While there is a growing need for strategic in-class intervention for students with problem behaviors, there is not a system training for novice and veteran teachers that prepares educators to address the increase of problem behaviors among students.

The researcher developed the targeted training that is grounded in the science of applied behavior analysis and incorporates its principles and strategies. With the use of Behavior Skills Training, the researcher …

Examining Campus Crime At Massachusetts’ Colleges And Universities, Kimberly Beskalo Stewart

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to examine the predictors of campus crime. College campuses are not immune to crime, and as such, campus crime is a concern not only for those students who reside and attend classes on the campus, but also for those who work on the campus and for the parents of the college students. The attention to crime on college campuses has increased in the recent past. This is due to events that have occurred on college campuses including the events at both Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois that resulted in the deaths of students and faculty/staff. To …

Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Instructors Establishing Teaching Presence In Online Higher Education Programs In Jamaica, Venesse Morrison-Leon

Theses and Dissertations

Online programs are growing exponentially; the structure, program design, and instructional strategies used determine learner success and the viability of online programs. Instructors are expected to demonstrate competence as online facilitators, creating an educational experience that meets the demands of 21st-century teaching and learning. In turn, learners are expected to demonstrate readiness for learning. The community of inquiry (CoI) model was used as the framework to understand the phenomenon of establishing teaching presence and the implications in improving learner success.

There is a paradigm shift in teaching and learning online, and many universities and colleges see this as an opportunity …

Educators’ And Administrators’ Perceptions, Challenges, And Changes Associated With School District Consolidation, Candace L. Gillespie

Theses and Dissertations

School district consolidation has been a trend throughout the United States as state departments of education are mandating that nearby school districts consolidate with other nearby districts. This trend is being mandated in an effort to decrease funds being spent by having many small districts. This includes funds being spent on salaries and schools, as schools consolidate due to districts consolidating. Schools, central offices, parent centers, and other buildings that are related to having multiple central offices close. Jobs are lost, policies change, and sometimes leadership changes. However, change is inevitable. With change comes different concepts, policies, and in some …

An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Study Of Elementary Teachers’ Uses Of Technology-Based Assessments, Karmel Davis

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to provide access to current information for administrators, teachers, and staff in an elementary school that is relevant to technology and assessments. The purposes of this study were (a) to examine how the decomposed determinant factors of the DTPB influence the teachers’ intention to adopt technologybased assessments and (b) to explore teachers’ perceptions regarding the benefits and detriments of using technology-based assessments to measure learning outcomes. The Technology-Based Assessment Use Survey (TBAUS) used for this study was adapted from the Ajjan and Hartshorne Questionnaire (AHQ) (Ajjan & Hartshorne, 2008). Convenience sampling was used to select …

A Mixed-Method Study On Social Media’S Role In The Health Decision-Making Practices Of Black Millennial Women In South Florida, Sashah Damier

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to examine health care decision-making practices of Black millennial women in South Florida, based on their social media use. The study contributed to understanding of how cultural components contribute to health care disparities for people of color because health care providers lacked information on how to reach Black millennial women with accurate and helpful information through social media.

The design for the study included a convergent parallel mixed-methods design using a web-based quantitative cross-sectional survey along with embedded qualitative telephone interviews and NVivo software. This mixed-methods methodology provided rich data and new understandings …

Evaluating The Effects Of Video Modeling And Visual Supports On Preschoolers’ Compliance With Dental Procedures, Karly L. Orsi-Cordova

Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with autism are reported to visit the dentist infrequently. Infrequent visits to the dentist may result in a higher occurrence of caries, and it is, therefore, imperative for children with autism to visit a pediatric dental practice routinely. Some basic behaviormanagement techniques, such as live modeling and reinforcement strategies, have been used with patients with autism. The addition of techniques derived from applied behavior analysis, such as video modeling and visual supports, may increase patients’ compliance with dental procedures. Specifically, the use of visual supports and video modeling warranted further investigation on the efficacy of improving behavior during dental …

Exploring The Influence Of School Location On School Resource Officers’ Perceptions Of Their Roles And Priorities, Larry A. Potts

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the widespread presence of school resource officers (SROs) in public schools for decades, their proper roles and priorities have remained unsettled because those roles are often varied, complex, conflicting, and ambiguous. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how SROs perceive their roles and priorities and whether school location influences those perceptions. Qualitative research methods provided opportunities for one-to-one interviews with SROs and their supervisors. Two elements embedded in the design consisted of a descriptive questionnaire provided to the SROs before their interviews, and a qualitative interview question designed to elicit a percentage estimate response from SROs. …

Novice Teacher Experiences Of Online Reading Instruction During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Deyanira M. Echevarria Candales

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation documented novice teacher experiences providing online reading instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the researcher captured educators’ first-hand accounts of their experiences shifting to fully online reading instruction, adapting instructional materials that were designed for in-person instruction for online learning, confronting challenges and successes during this period of uncertainty, and transitioning back to in-person instruction amidst the then ongoing pandemic.

The following research questions were posed: 1. How do novice elementary reading teachers, in a large public school district in South Florida, describe their experiences teaching reading online during a global pandemic? 2. How do novice elementary …

An Applied Dissertation Submitted To The Abraham S. Fischler College Of Education And School Of Criminal Justice In Partial Fulfillment Of The Requirements For The Degree Of Doctor Of Education, Harpinder K. Chima

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to follow the role that vendors of academic, instructional, educational, and communications technologies play in exchanges with their purchasing partners to promote the sale of educational technologies for medical academics. This study used a qualitative methodology through an Interpretative phenomenological (IP) approach. An IP approach explores vendor knowledge, background, and experiences related to the commercial exchanges of telehealth and telemedicine technology sellers in the United States. Interviews were conducted with sixteen vendors involved in telemedicine\telehealth sales throughout the United States. Data obtained from interviews provided the findings for this study.

Female Delinquency And Pathways To Crime, Pamela Lynn Smykal

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation investigated gendered relationships and their potential influence on women’s criminal motivation. Historically, researchers attempted to understand criminal behavior using a male-oriented perspective which has dominated criminological literature. Criminologists have neglected to consider the role of gender as a significant predictor or pathway toward criminal behavior of either males or females. Within the last two decades, female criminality has become a spotlight for recognition and attention separate from male criminality. Traditional research on crime has been limited in understanding the pathways for female criminality and motivations for offending as individual predictors of male crime. Analyzing the role of …

An Analysis Of Florida Educators' Perceptions Of The School Superintendency, Qualifications, Leadership Skills, Longevity, And Student Achievement: A Quantitative Study, Natalie Bruzzese

Theses and Dissertations

High turnover in the role of school superintendent signaled functional disruption, decreased morale and impaired student achievement. The principal researcher sought to explain perceptions among professional Florida K-12 public school educators about key factors related to the role of school superintendent, necessary qualifications, important leadership skills, longevity and its impact on student achievement.

The principal researcher disseminated a 10-question online self-administered survey she developed for the study to a sample of 199 professional Florida K-12 public school educators. Independent demographic variables among sample participants included: gender, current job, highest level of completed education and years of experience as an educator. …

The Experiences Of The Elderly Transitioning From Home To The Nursing Home Setting, Brent James Munson

Theses and Dissertations

Elderly persons transitioning from home to a nursing home setting may struggle with unaddressed mental health issues. The problem addressed in this study involved a lack of evidence regarding how elderly individuals experience these transitions in living from their own perspectives. The purpose of this study was to better understand the lived experiences of elderly people who are making the transition from home to a nursing home setting.

The qualitative design utilized in the research was phenomenology. Fourteen participants were interviewed to ascertain their experiences in the transition from home to a nursing home setting. Follow-up questions were formulated and …

A Study Of A Bring Your Own Device Initiative, Myriame Delva Pierre

Theses and Dissertations

The intended purpose of this applied dissertation was to examine how teachers use student-owned technology devices for learning in the classroom and to determine how the use of these devices influence teacher planning and the classroom environment. The Bring Your Own Device initiative was an effort to prepare students by allowing them to use and leverage technology devices in the classroom to advance and enhance their learning (Greer, 2013). It is an initiative that incorporates the use of handheld technology devices into schools to better motivate student engagement. The study determined that mobile devices, as a significant part of daily …

A Comparative Evaluation Of The Effects Of Social Skills Group Training And Computer- Based Social Skills Training, Indira Hightower

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to evaluate the effects of social skills training programs as a method to improve social skills in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The study sought to advance the social skills training options for children with autism spectrum disorder by comparing various evidence-based social skills training programs in hope to provide meaningful, significant, and sustainable social-emotional changes that are explicitly taught and later generalized across individuals, settings, and environments. The researcher specifically evaluated the effects of social skills group training and computer-based social skills training among the three study participants with autism spectrum disorder.

The …

Does Most-To-Least Prompt Fading Lead To Independence In Tooth Brushing In Children With Intellectual Disability?, John W. Byrd

Theses and Dissertations

The problem identified in this research was that the most-to-least (MTL) prompting strategies used for individuals with intellectual disability (ID) had not been consistently demonstrated in research for personal hygiene, specifically tooth brushing. It has been well known that people with ID acquire skills differently than typically developing individuals (Cengher et al., 2018). Difficulty with developing hygiene skills such as brushing teeth is not limited only to those with physical disabilities because individuals with ID can struggle with hygiene skills as well. MTL prompt fading procedures have been used to teach many skills to individuals with ID (Drummond, 2018).

The …

Reconceptualizing Mathematical Word Problems To Reflect Social Justice Principles And Culturally Relevant Teaching, Michelle Aryam Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

As currently developed and written, mathematical word problems lack cultural relevance for an increasingly culturally diverse population in elementary schools in the United States. The design and context of mathematical word problems promote the norms, values, and beliefs of the dominant culture while potentially negatively influencing students from non-dominant culture engagement and achievement in mathematics.

The purpose of this sequential, explanatory mixed-methods study was threefold: to (a)examine in-service teachers’ preexisting beliefs about the relevance of social justice and culturally relevant teaching related to their mathematics instructional practices before receiving a synchronous online professional development program; (b) assess the impact of …