Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of A Test For Measuring Knowledge Of The Discipline Provisions Of The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Amendments Of 1997., Jerri Nave Lyons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop and refine an instrument to assess knowledge levels of the discipline provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (IDEA '97). Such an instrument will assist in determining whether or not and to what extent additional training opportunities may be needed for school personnel who are responsible for disciplining students served in special education under IDEA '97. School officials who do not have proper knowledge and understanding of these provisions may violate students' rights by denying them the free appropriate public education to which they are entitled.

The initial …

An Investigative Analysis Of Teaching Business Ethics In Tennessee Community Colleges., Carol Slagle Cole

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate what Tennessee community colleges were currently doing in preparing students in the area of business ethics. The study explored preparedness of faculty members in teaching business ethics, motivations for teaching business ethics, preferred methods of business ethics instruction, proportion of time devoted to teaching business ethics, and faculty member perceptions of responsibility, importance, and effectiveness of teaching business ethics. Personal and professional demographic factors were collected, such as age, gender, degree earned, teaching experience. These were useful in developing a profile of business faculty members in the 13 Tennessee community colleges.

An …

Faculty Adoption And Integration Of Technology At East Tennessee State University., Tammy L. Barnes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the demographic characteristics of faculty related to (1) faculty integration of technology, (2) the utilization of technological tools, (3) and the knowledge of computers and information technology of full-time faculty members at East Tennessee State University.

Four hundred forty-three full-time faculty from East Tennessee State University were surveyed. The total mailed and e-mailed returned responses for this study were 205. Eighteen hypotheses generated from 3 research questions were tested using Pearson Product-Moment Correlation, Analysis of Variance, Two-Way Analysis of Variance, and Multiple Regression Analysis.

This study showed that full-time faculty …

A Study To Identify The Factors That Inhibit High School Principals And Teachers From Pursuing Bachelor's And Master's Degrees In Busia District In Kenya., Samuel Okwako Obaki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to examine the factors that inhibited principals and teachers from pursuing bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Busia District in Kenya. Up to the mid-1990s, teachers of all professional grades studied for National Examinations as private candidates. Those who met university admission requirements were admitted and the Teachers Service Commission granted each of them a study leave with 80% of his or her salary. Some of those who met university admission requirements were admitted to foreign universities, and the Ministry of Education either granted them study leave with or without salary. On passing their examinations or completion of …

Inmate And Prison Gang Leadership., Sandra H. Fortune

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Almost 2,000 males, who have been convicted of crimes covering the gamut of criminal activities, are institutionalized in the state prison in Johnson County, Tennessee. These inmates, housed in the confines of a few concrete buildings, represent a society that is dissimilar from the free-world society.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to determine the characteristics of an inmate leader. Research data were collected through interviews with 20 prisoners located in the Northeast Correctional Complex in Mountain City, Tennessee. Inmate leaders, selected for the study, included gang leaders and non-gang leaders. Interviews were tape recorded and transcribed for the …

Relationships Between Reading Level Of Parents, Readability Of Special Education Documents/Forms, Knowledge Of Iep Contents, And Parental Involvement., Melinda Douthat Pruitt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between the reading level of parents of students in special education and the readability level of special education documents/forms. A related purpose was to determine whether a difference between reading level and the readability of documents/forms was related to parental involvement. The sample consisted of 30 parents of students in special education who were enrolled at Mosheim Elementary School in 2002. Parents were tested using the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery: Part Two-Tests of Achievement, developed by Richard W. Woodcock and M. Bonner Johnson. Subtest 13, 14, and 15 were administered to …

Faculty Adoption Of Computer Technology For Instruction In The North Carolina Community College System., Karen Hill Less

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Computer technology has become an integral part of instruction at the elementary, secondary, and postsecondary levels. Some instructors have enthusiastically adopted technological innovations in their classrooms, often expending their own funds for hardware and software, while others have resisted the trend, citing a myriad of reasons for not including computer technology. Significant research on the adoption of innovations has been undertaken by Everett M. Rogers, who identified individuals on a continuum from Innovator to Laggard. Rogers’ research was used as a basis to classify full-time faculty teaching in degree programs in the North Carolina Community College System and to compare …

Migration Of University Of Maine 2002 Graduates, Ewa Jadwiga Kleczyk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the context of today's tight labor market and increasing demand for highly skilled workers, Maine is considering how to attract and retain college graduates in the state. The educational system and economic opportunities such as the job market, wage levels, and taxes, as well as other factors impacting the migration trends of college graduates are evaluated. Understanding the patterns of educated people's relocation decisions, and the reasons influencing them, are concerns not just of government officials. Students with bachelor and advanced degrees are thought to be an asset to the community and the state since they add to the …

Retention And Motivation Of Veteran Teachers., Edith Anderson Edwards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The workforce in the United States is aging. Teachers, like all other workers in the country, are also aging. The veteran teachers in our nation's public schools possess wisdom gained through their on-the-job experience. With looming teacher shortages in our public schools, it is imperative that we retain this wisdom. Administrators, school boards, and the community have an obligation to tap this wisdom for the benefit of children. This study was conducted, therefore, with the purpose of learning how to do that.

The data were collected through the process of one-on-one interviews with 21 veteran teachers in Knox County, Tennessee. …

A Study Of Students Attending Tennessee Board Of Regents Universities Who Participated In High School Dual Enrollment Programs., Rubianna M. Porter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between college retention and completion and the number of college credit hours students earn before graduating high school. The number of credit hours a student earned was analyzed along with selected demographic characteristics and academic performance indicators to determine if any one of the variables was more of a predictor of retention and completion of college than the others. The data for the study (12,834 records) were obtained from the Student Information System from five Tennessee Board of Regents Universities.

An initial analysis of the data incorporated …

Perceptions Of Seventh- And Eighth-Grade Girls Toward Coeducational Physical Education Classes In Five Middle Schools In East Tennessee., Shannon Clabo Sullivan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the participation, perceptions, and preferences of seventh- and eighth-grade girls in coeducational and gender-separated physical education classes in five schools in East Tennessee. The participants in this study were seventh- and eighth-grade girls attending public schools in two East Tennessee counties. Participants completed a questionnaire pertaining to their physical education classes. Although 465 students were invited to participate in this study, only 241 students returned the permission form. This resulted in a 50% response rate. The findings were descriptive in nature, although basic analyses were calculated to identify any relationships among the …

Comparisons Of Reading Scores In Two Tennessee Elementary Schools Between Students Receiving And Not Receiving Specialized Training In Phonemic Awareness., Raymond Lee Hatfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Phonemic awareness has been identified as an essential precursor to reading. Many children suffer from a condition called central auditory processing disorder. Students suffering from this disorder have difficulty distinguishing between phonemes. This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness for developing phonemic awareness skills in early readers by using a computer program designed to enhance the phonemic awareness skills of students. During the 2001-2002 school year, students located at two Kingsport elementary schools were administered the Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills pretest and posttest. Based on the results of the pretest and posttest data, it was determined that …

An Investigation Of The Impact Of Integrated Learning System Use On Mathematics Achievement Of Elementary Students., Vicki Carpenter Kirk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between time spent on an integrated learning system (ILS) entitled, SuccessMaker^®, as a supplement to traditional mathematics instruction on achievement as measured by standardized achievement tests of elementary students. The variables of grade-level, ability level, and gender were also considered. The population consisted of students who were second-, third-, and fourth-graders during the 1997-98 school year. Data were gathered that covered the three-year period beginning in 1997 and ending in 2000. The final sample consisted of 348 students who participated in Computer Curriculum Corporation^© mathematics instruction and …

A Study Of Students' Learning Styles In Itv Broadcast, Remote, And Traditional Classrooms At East Tennessee State University., Donna Sue Crabtree

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the learning styles of students enrolled in ITV sections and students enrolled in a traditional section of the same course, all taught by the same instructor, had any influence on the academic performance of the students enrolled in those courses.

A two-part survey was used to gather data for this study. The first part was designed by the researcher to gather demographic information about why each student selected the instructional form in which he or she was enrolled, as well as a student's preferences for classroom format. The second part of …

Perceived Attributes To The Development Of A Positive Self-Concept From The Experiences Of Adolescents With Learning Disabilities, Charles P. Bernacchio

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Perceived Attributes to Positive Self-concept Study examined the experiences of adolescents with learning disabilities to determine the ways in which living with a disability may have shaped their development of a positive self-concept. This study considered the perceptions held by adolescents themselves, their parents, and their teachers as valuably contributing to their own development of a positive self-concept. The research questions for the study included: "How does the experience of living with a disability affect the perceptions of adolescents with learning disabilities held by themselves, their parents and their . teachers? " "How do the experiences of living with …

Factors Influencing Grade Six Students' Perceptions Of Teachers, Susan Smith Laplante

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Less than one percent of U.S. school districts have invited student feedback in the school improvement process (Matthews, 2000). Students have valuable perceptions of how teachers interact with them and these perceptions can be a usefbl tool to improve schools (Tyack & Cuban). The purpose of this study was to examine sixth grade students' perceptions of teachers and the relationship of these perceptions to achievement, gender, socioeconomic status and grade configurations. This study utilized sixth graders' responses to sixteen items selected fiom the Students Speak: My Education and My Future Aspirations survey developed at the National Center for Student Aspirations …