Digital Commons Network^™

The Virginia Sol Eighth Grade Writing Test In Relationship To The National Commission On Writing Recommendations, Grade Configuration, Region, And Socioeconomic Status., Jeffrey R. Comer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine Virginia Standards of Learning 8^th grade writing assessments to determine if there was any association between school passing rates and the recommendations suggested by the 2003 National Commission on Writing to improve writing proficiency. This study further examined the possible differences in school passing rates that may exist due to the grade configuration of a school, the location of a school, the availability of a comprehensive writing plan, and the student percentage on free and reduced-price lunch. Data collection consisted of a self-administered survey sent to all 364 schools in …

An Evaluation Of Perceptions Of A Mentoring Program Of Beginning Teachers In A Rural East Tennessee Secondary School., Mike Frazier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers, especially beginning teachers, continue a trend of leaving the profession at alarming rates within the first 5 years resulting in excessive costs to school systems and diminished instructional quality. Some programs, however, have shown impressive results. The purpose of this qualitative study, using an emerging interview process, was to examine the perceptions of beginning teachers in their 1st or 2nd year and those of veteran 3- to 5-year teachers regarding the effectiveness of mentoring and other guidance they received as beginning teachers in a secondary school and to understand their vision of how mentoring should be structured for beginning …

Perceptions Of Educational Equality In Tennessee: A Comparison Of City School Systems Vs. County School Systems In Northeast Tennessee., Timothy Wade Harrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The majority of city and county school systems throughout Tennessee and the United States at one time or another experience a budget crisis. In the state of Tennessee, school systems are funded through the Basic Education Program, established in 1992 as part of the Tennessee Education Improvement Act. The lawsuit of 1988, Tennessee Small School Systems v. McWherter, created the Basic Education Program. Through the years, the Basic Education Program has provided extra teaching positions, materials, and supplies and has provided the funding formula for school systems throughout the state. Many high-ranking administrators contend that the Basic Education Program …

Principal Leadership And Its Perceived Influence On Teacher Morale In Elementary Schools., Anne Runyan Littleford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to construct a theoretical framework explaining the connection between principal leadership practices and the phenomenon of teacher morale. The study also focused on principal leadership practices and the perceived effects that style has on how teachers feel about themselves and their jobs. First, a review of extant literature defined what constitutes effective leadership in school related environments. Second, the researcher defined teacher morale, both high and low, and how it relates to work performance. Third, the researcher attempted to explore how teacher morale and the leadership style of their principals relate.

This qualitative …

Probability And Statistics For Third Through Fifth Grade Classrooms., Melissa Taylor Mckinnon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This document contains a variety of lesson plans that can be readily used by a teacher of intermediate students. This thesis contains two units in Probability and one unit in Statistics. Any educator can supplement this document with any curriculum to teach lessons from vocabulary to concept.

From Teacher To Teller: How Applied Storytelling Informs Autobiographical Instruction., Peggy Rosann Kent

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis uses autobiographical inquiry to "re-member" how I came to understand that applied storytelling was a valid teaching tool in facilitating autobiographical expression in mature learners. It is an examination of how story sharing and story listening can transform a continuing education classroom into a learning community. Applied storytelling can help elders reframe their negative mental models about the value of their stories, memory, and mythology and create opportunities for positive story sharing experiences. I selected highlights of my journey that best represented my experience and use of applied storytelling techniques. Each chapter includes an exercise and reflection as …

Integration Of Fifth Grade Math And Science Curriculum, Accompanied By Increased Parental Involvement, Produces Higher Virginia Test Scores., Kathy Diane Perkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The National Educational Society, through much research and testing, discovered that American students are not performing as well on the academic level as their counterparts. As a nation the math and science scores fell behind other tested disciplines. The Virginia Department of Math and Science Report Card scores confirm that students are struggling in these areas.

As a resolution to correct this problem a proposal for the integration of fifth grade math and science curriculum accompanied by increased parental involvement was devised. The program involved thirteen elementary students and their parents. Pretesting, math and science labs, worksheets, posttesting, and a …

Picture Postcard, Anthony Fife

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Caudill College of Humanities at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Anthony Fife on December 14, 2007.

Student Connection: How Graduate Assistants Of Rowan University Connect To The Campus Community, Janelle R. M. Duncan

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate how graduate assistants at Rowan University, Glassboro campus connect to the campus community using socialization theory. Data collection consisted of interviews of 10 randomly selected first and second year graduate students during the 2006-07 academic school year. The interviews were conducted at Rowan University during the spring 2007 semester. On average the interviews took about 25 minutes to conduct. Participants were interviewed to see how the graduate assistants felt about graduate school and their programs of study. Interviews were transcribed into a word document and then analyzed for common themes.

The study …

Do Parents' Literacy Beliefs And Home Literacy Experiences Relate To Children's Literacy Skills?, Rebecca C. Norman

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship among parents' literacy beliefs, home literacy experiences, and children's literacy skills. Forty-three children, who attended a university preschool, and their parents participated in the study. Parents' literacy beliefs and the home literacy experience, namely shared book reading, were examined through a self-report questionnaire. One important section of this questionnaire provided information about parents' beliefs concerning literacy acquisition; specifically, whether they believed in a top-down or bottom-up approach. The children were tested individually for emergent literacy skills, including concepts of print, alphabetic knowledge, rhyming skills, oral language skills, word recognition, and invented spelling. The results were …

The Experience Of Technology Integration By Teacher Educators In Higher Education, Patricia Ann Suess

Dissertations

With the advancing use of technology globally, it is becoming essential for K-12 educators to have knowledge of educational technology and its appropriate classroom use. Thus, it is important for higher education faculty involved in the preparation of those K-12 teachers to achieve technology integration in their teacher education programs. It is not sufficient to simply provide computers and peripheral devices to future teachers. The critical issue is the way in which those tools are used to promote student learning. Therefore, it is necessary for faculty in higher education to model the use of technology as a teaching and learning …

A Corpus-Based Approach To Determining Standard American English, Delys Ann Waite Snyder

Theses and Dissertations

Many teachers, test designers, textbook writers, and instructional designers turn to books written by usage experts to determine what is correct standard written American English. Unfortunately, though, experts often disagree about what is correct and what is incorrect, and this disagreement can create problems with validity when people create and assess instruction about usage. One way to discover the rules of standard English usage is to describe what writers actually do in printed, edited English. Researchers can access large collections of standard English through digital text archives, which can be searched electronically. The text archives for this study were taken …

The Instructional Perspectives Of Community College Mathematics Faculty, Laurie K. Mcmanus

Dissertations

This study investigated the beliefs, feelings, and behaviors of full-time mathematics faculty at community colleges in a Midwestern state. The online questionnaire for this study included the modified Instructional Perspectives Inventory [IPI] (Henschke, 1989; Stanton, 2005). The subscales of the IPI are: (1) Teacher empathy with learners; (2) Teacher trust of learners; (3) Planning and delivery of instruction; (4) Accommodating learner uniqueness; (5) Teacher insensitivity toward learners; (6) Experience-based learning techniques; and, (7) Teacher-centered learning processes. Approximately 23.4% of invited participants responded to the survey, yielding a sample size of 34. Statistical analyses included calculations of mean, standard deviation, and …

Embedded Strategies In Mathematics Vocabulary Instruction: A Quasi-Experimental Study, Sharon Sanders

All Dissertations

Recent accountability requirements increase the emphasis on mathematics achievement for all students, including low-performing students and students with learning disabilities. However, these students progress very slowly, with weaknesses evident in computation and problem solving. These limitations affect their success in mathematics at lower grades and make earning a high school diploma difficult. It is imperative to isolate components of mathematics comprehension and identify methods to teach them in order to help these lower performing students be successful. Research indicates a strong relationship between vocabulary and mathematical comprehension, identifying vocabulary understanding as a key component in understanding the subject. Vocabulary instruction …

Lmx Theory Related To Administrator And Educator Perceptions, Theodore Mauro

All Dissertations

Retaining qualified special educators has been a persistent challenge for school districts nationwide. Given that research findings have identified the presence of a supportive principal as a vital factor in the retention of special educators, it is imperative that this pressing issue be further examined. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in the perceptions of principals (ADM), general educators (GET), and special educators (SET) across nine schools in a South Carolina school district regarding what constitutes a supportive and collaborative school environment. Specifically, (a) do administrators, educators and special educators have different perceptions of the collaborative nature …

The Diffusion Of The Reggio Emilia Approach Among Early Childhood Teacher Educators In South Carolina, Julie Hartman

All Dissertations

Growing numbers of U.S. educators are traveling to the northern Italian town of Reggio Emilia to study the innovative, arts-based approach to early education developed in the town's municipal infant-toddler and pre-primary programs now commonly referred to as the Reggio Emilia Approach. And though there is no way of knowing exactly how many educators and early childhood programs across the U.S. are currently making use of the approach, increasing numbers of U.S. colleges and universities are including the approach in both their ECE teacher preparation as well as campus child development programs, suggesting the Reggio Emilia Approach (REA) is diffusing …

Apparent Quality Of Alternative Halftone Screening When Compared To Conventional Screening In Commmercial Offset Lithography, Garth Oliver

All Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Printers are still concerned with craftsmanship and are always looking for means to produce faster print jobs with improved quality. The invention of new halftone screening techniques is one of the methods imaging companies have used as an attempt to improve the quality of the printed piece. These techniques can possibly improve the aesthetic qualities and fidelity of printed reproductions, therefore printers and students of printing need to study these techniques to ensure that the benefits outweigh the costs of implementation.
This experimental study was conducted to measure the quality of printed halftones that were screened with three different …

The Role Of Inspiration In Scientific Scholarship And Discovery: Views Of Theistic Scientists, Kari Ann O'Grady

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research study examined the ways those who identify themselves as theistic scientists and scholars experience inspiration, as defined as divine guidance or influence, in their scientific scholarship and discovery. It also explored participants' beliefs about how scientists and scholars can seek and prepare to receive inspiration in their work. Open-ended surveys of 450 participants from the behavioral and natural sciences and from a variety of religious backgrounds were analyzed for content themes in the areas of experiences with inspiration, preparing to receive inspiration, and further thoughts on inspiration in science. The themes extracted indicated that these scientists and …

When West Meets East: Communicative Language Teaching In China, Rong Li

Theses and Dissertations

With radical social change and educational reform taking place in China since 1976, the English teaching system there has been changing accordingly. The Chinese Traditional Method (CTM) is giving way to the Western Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach. This research is a study of both Chinese and expatriate English teachers who are involved in classrooms and affected by reforms. The goal of this research study is to identify the extent to which Chinese and expatriate English teachers use CLT in China, to discover the possible factors that prevent them from using CLT and to explore an English teaching method that …

Women's Perceptions Of Parents, Peers, Romantic Partner And God As Predictive Of Symptoms Severity Among Women In Treatment For Eating Disorders At An Inpatient Facility, Samuel B. Tobler

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined whether perceptions of parents, peers, romantic partners and God were predictive of eating disorder symptom severity among women in treatment for eating disorders. The sample included 417 women (ages 12 to 56 years) at an inpatient treatment facility for eating disorders. Participants completed a battery of assessment measures at intake and discharge. Change scores were also computed on all measures. Measures included indices of eating disorder symptomology, parental relationships, peer relationships, romantic partner relationships, and religious well-being. Multiple regression analysis showed perceptions of peers and romantic partner to be significant predictors in all analyses; however perceptions …

Existing Practice And Proposed Changes In Cognitive Assessment Of Utah Students Identified As Deaf And Hard Hearing, Leah Voorhies

Theses and Dissertations

This study presented the past, current, and proposed practice of intelligence testing with a unique population, students identified as deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH). As a basis for describing the cognitive ability of Utah's D/HH students and to improve practice guidelines, 61 D/HH students served by Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB) were administered the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT) standard battery and the Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI) subtests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV). Based on these data, composite score distributions were described and compared with national standardization samples. Participants' WISC-IV PRI …

Description Of The Trio/Upward Bound Students' Construction Of Vocations Using George Kelly's Rep Test Method, Maraia Sokia Weingarten

Theses and Dissertations

The Information Age is revolutionizing the way we communicate, acquire knowledge, and perform work. Society is shifting from occupations rooted in industrial production to those associated with knowledge and information, requiring the development of new skills for changing occupations and updating old educational methods. Educators need to be aware of economic and social changes and have a vision for how to design career education to respond to those changes. Individuals must also be prepared to learn on their own as careers evolve and change. The training necessary to adapt to the changing career culture needs to be made available to …

Instructional Practices That Teachers Can Use To Build Motivation In The Classroom, Sheldon S. Reynolds

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Instructional Practices that Teachers can use to Build Motivation in the Classroom All children enter school with the ability to learn but not all possess a desire to want to learn. As a result, teachers are now faced with the daunting task of creating a learning environment that fosters the development of academic motivation and achievement. Therefore, it is imperative that educators implement various strategies to increase students?Ëœ willingness to learn before this lack of motivation leads to significant academic and behavioral problems. This research project uses insights from the leading researchers in the field of motivation to develop a …

An Evaluation Of Compatibility, Effectiveness, Utility, And Implementation Of Plagiarism-Detection Software Operating In The Honor Code Environment At Brigham Young University, George Louis Joeckel

Theses and Dissertations

Turnitin plagiarism-detection software was operating as a pilot program conducted by the Center for Teaching and Learning in Winter 2007 on the Brigham Young University (BYU) campus. A sample of 6 instructors and 79 student users participated in this evaluation. The evaluation findings show that Turnitin is compatible with the academic honesty environment created by BYU's Honor Code. Turnitin has been effective at detecting intentional and inadvertent plagiarism at BYU. It has also addressed the problem of multiple submissions of the same material. Recommendations are made for promoting Turnitin at the campus and department level. Training tools are proposed for …

The Effect Of A Required Character Education And Class-Wide Peer Tutoring Program On 5th-Grade Students’ Reading And Writing Performance, Anthony P. Dancer

Student Work

The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of a required school year long Character Education and Class-Wide Peer Tutoring program (CE+CWPT) for students who scored at or below proficiency in one, two, or three of their reading fluency, reading comprehension, or writing assessments at the beginning of their 5th-grade school year. The study analyzed performance on criterion referenced tests, performance on norm-referenced tests, behavioral referrals, and attendance to determine what relationship, if any, exists between levels of achievement amongst students participating in a required CE+CWPT program. Following a year of program participation, 5th-grade students with one or …

The Effect Of A Required Character Education And Class-Wide Peer Tutoring Program On 5th-Grade Students' Reading And Writing Performance, Anthony P. Dancer

Student Work

The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of a required school year long Character Education and Class-Wide Peer Tutoring program (CE+CWPT) for students who scored at or below proficiency in one, two, or three of their reading fluency, reading comprehension, or writing assessments at the beginning of their 5th-grade school year. The study analyzed performance on criterion referenced tests, performance on norm-referenced tests, behavioral referrals, and attendance to determine what relationship, if any, exists between levels of achievement amongst students participating in a required CE+CWPT program. Following a year of program participation, 5th-grade students with one or …

The Social Construction Of Linguistic Reality: A Case Study Exploring The Relationships Among Poverty, Race, And Remediation In An Urban Community College, Rosemary Robinson Jackson

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Temperament And Personality In Preschoolers: Are The Concepts The Same Or Different?, Cathy Grist Litty

Doctoral Dissertations

Individual differences among adults have generally been conceptualized in terms of personality theory and traits and attributed more to life experiences and conditioning than innate dispositions. In contrast, to the more limited extent that individual differences among young children (birth to kindergarten) have been recognized and studied, they have generally been conceptualized in terms of temperament theory and traits, attributed to innate biological programming than to experience.

Recent developments in the field of personality theory begin to blur this distinction, suggesting that individual differences even in young children can be productively studied from the standpoint of personality traits. Specifically, the …

A Philosophical Analysis Of Chet Bowers’ Ethical Theory Of Ecojustice: Shifting Towards Uncertainty Thinking In Science Education, Michael Paul Mueller

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to analyze Chet Bowers’ ethical theory of ecojustice as the basis of an ecological philosophy of education that recognizes Earth’s uncertainty. Bowers’ main thesis is that the commons, or what were once shared by members of the community, should be strengthened by education reforms based on ecojustice criteria. He argues for certain ideologies of the local authority of the commons, “Western” science and scientists, and the “ecological crisis.” I argue that these certainties are uncertain, which justifies part certainty as deciphered by local people in places, in relation to others. Further, I develop a …

For A Moment I Feel Free: Homeless Women And A Garden-Based Learning Program, Catherine Ann Pierce

Doctoral Dissertations

A recent study conducted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (2007) concluded that in January 2005 at least 754,147 people were homeless on an average day. Families with children are the fastest-growing sector of the homeless population and comprise 40% of the homeless population. Most of these families are headed by single women and reside in shelters rather than on the streets. Loss of one’s home, the conditions of shelter life, and the physical and sexual abuse that often precipitate homelessness result in diminished self-efficacy and hope. There is an urgent need to mitigate the psychological traumas …