Digital Commons Network^™

The Relationship Between School-Based Technology Facilitators, Technology Usage, And Teacher Technology Skill Levels In K-12 Schools In The Create For Mississippi Project, Sean Michael Owen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between on-site Technology Facilitators, access to technology, technology usage, and technology skill levels of teachers at the eleven C?R?E?A?T?E for Mississippi Partner Schools in the 2003-2004 school year. Four hundred eighteen certified teachers, seven Technology Facilitators, and two Technology Aides participated in the C?R?E?A?T?E for Mississippi project in this time frame in the Partner Schools. Mean difference scores relative to teachers? beginner technology skills and advanced technology skills showed greater gains in Partner Schools that had some level of on-site support than Partner Schools that did not have on-site support. …

Financial Analysis And Fiscal Viability Of Secondary Schools In Mukono District, Uganda, Janet Jeffery Tanner

Theses and Dissertations

Within the worldwide business community, many analysis tools and techniques have evolved to assist in the evaluation and encouragement of financial health and fiscal viability. However, in the educational community, such analysis is uncommon. It has long been argued that educational institutions bear little resemblance to, and should not be treated like, businesses. This research identifies an educational environment where educational institutions are, indeed, businesses, and may greatly benefit from the use of business analyses. The worldwide effort of Education for All (EFA) has focused on primary education, particularly in less developed countries (LDCs). In Sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda increased its …

Empowering Senior Females By Utilizing Each Female Person's Voice To Create Desired Lifestyle Options, Icydor Aldale Mohabier

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Theses

Interviews of senior females ranging in age from 55 through 72 were conducted between September 2004 and April 2005, in order to determine what lifestyle options this group would like made available to them. The participants represented a sample of senior females who had different backgrounds, including culture, education level, and economic circumstance. Although all the participants had very different lifestyles at the time of their interviews, most were satisfied with their current lifestyles but wanted to change something about it. The research results indicate that there are three desired lifestyle options that senior females want: socializing, improving their health, …

Developing And Implementing Successful Transition Strategies For Middle To High School Students In Glenwood, Iowa, Russell E. Finken

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to obtain perceptions from school staff of the eighth to ninth grade transitional issues that contribute to an increase in academic failures during the ninth grade year. Areas of focus included: teacher/school academic and behavioral expectations, teacher perceptions of concerns, programming and curriculum at each school, student academic preparedness, student social/emotional capabilities, student academic success, student attendance, and parental involvement. Staff members from the middle (eighth grade) and high school (ninth grade) levels were gathered together to discuss transitional issues and develop an action plan to improve transitional challenges in the Glenwood Schools of …

The Effects Of Parent Involvement On The Reading Achievement And Reading Engagement Of Students Participating In A Balanced Reading Curriculum, Ledonna M. York

Student Work

This study evaluated the reading achievement scores and reading engagement outcomes of second grade students, in an urban magnet center, whose parents were randomly selected to participate in active parent involvement training (APIT; n = 13) sessions compared to information based parent involvement training (IBPIT; n = 6) sessions. Results of the pretest posttest two group comparative study examined (a) reading achievement scores as measured by (i) Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills 6th edition (DIBELS); and (ii) Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE); and (b) reported reading engagement frequencies as measured by student (i) school absences, (ii) …

Developing A Program For Creative Leadership Training And Education Phase I: A Model And Strategies For Implementation, Algene Steele

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project contains the background and process of development for a creative leadership training and education program for personnel and students of Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tennessee, resulting from the merging of two independent initiatives put forth by the author and Dr. Ray Eldridge, Dean of the School of Business, Freed-Hardeman University. The process used to develop the initiative, the strategies applied to build support and those planned to implement the program are included, as well as support materials for the program and an explanation and diagramming of a fully accommodating model of content known as the Freed-Hardeman University Model …

Derrida, Deconstruction And A Dialogue On The Contemporary Nursing Curriculum, Catherine Louise Gilbert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This theoretical inquiry utilizes the philosophy of Jacques Derrida and deconstruction to begin a discourse on the disconnect between student learning and nursing education within the academy. By entering into a thoughtful, reasoned and responsible critique of the nursing curriculum, this journey of discovery examines those constructs integral to nursing education: students, teachers, identity, the art and science of nursing, the curriculum, power and control, and the university, their (dis)connectedness and begins a dialogue that positions nursing education as the legitimate professional nursing curricula for the next millennium. This journey of discovery recognizes an underlying thesis; meaningful learning that facilitates …

Maintaining An Immigrant Heritage Language Other Than Spanish Or English In The Bilingual Culture Of The Rio Grande Valley Of South Texas, Sonia A. Shepherd

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

A 2005 study in the bilingual Spanish/English Rio Grande Valley of South Texas investigates the language strategies used by immigrant families from China, Greece, Hungary, Japan, the Philippines, Russia, Taiwan, and the Ukraine to preserve their heritage languages and pass them on to their children. Personal interviews determine that all the parents are well-educated and from an above average socio-economic level. This investigation categorizes the various strategies used by the parents. All the immigrant parents emphasize that the main reason they want to preserve the heritage language with their children is to insure that the children can continue to communicate …

The Importance Of Continuity In First Language Education For Learning A Second Language, Stephen M. Shepherd

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Scores from the Texas Reading Proficiency Tests in English (RPTE) for ninety-four Newcomer ESL students were analyzed to understand the differences between students who had attended school continuously and those who had discontinuity in their first language (LI) education in their home country. This research was performed in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, a few miles from the border with Mexico. The hypothesis is that students who have gaps in their L1 education will not learn to read as quickly in English as those who had none since the former are lacking cognitive skills which the latter already …

Strange Way Home, Seema Raju Mukhi

Theses

Set in India, this novel follows the narrator, sixteen-year-old Asha Mehtani, in her two-year struggle to decide between following tradition and following her own desires. Asha encounters an American teacher at her school who encourages her to read, to learn, and to follow her own path in life. But Asha¿s parents want her to get married right after she finishes high school, in an arranged marriage. By refusing to get married, Asha will damage her family¿s reputation and ruin her younger sister¿s chances of finding a good husband. Will Asha choose to follow her heart, to go to college and …

Defining The Components Of Academic Self-Efficacy In Navajo American Indian High School Students, Thomas R. Golightly

Theses and Dissertations

The academic difficulties experienced by a majority of Navajo American Indian students are well documented. Past research has focused on a variety of internal and external factors which possibly explain some of these difficulties. Low levels of academic self-efficacy (ASE) has been identified as one of the factors possibly contributing to lower than expected rates of academic achievement and low post-secondary education retention rates in this population. This investigation sought to further define the component structures of ASE using theoretical structures postulated by Bandura (1977a, 1997), namely: past success, modeling, verbal persuasion, and emotional arousal. Information about grade point averages …

Bioenergetic Analysis Of Female Volleyball, Christine Sjoberg

Student Work

Volleyball is a demanding sport typified by repeated high intensity bouts of activity consisting of jumping, spiking, diving, and running. Practice sessions for collegiate level play generally last from two to three hours. The total energy requirement for extended practice sessions has not been directly measured and compared to dietary intake to assess whether collegiate athletes’ energy intake meets the energy demand of the sport. The purpose of this study was to establish the energy balance of female collegiate volleyball athletes during typical team training days. A bioenergetic analysis was conducted by directly measuring oxygen consumption (V 02) during actual …

English Language Learners And Technology: Applying Universal Design For Learning And The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol In The Evaluation Of Literacy Support Software, Susan M. Connolly

All Graduate Projects

The population of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students in U.S. schools has been steadily increasing. These students do not experience equal educational opportunity in U.S. secondary schools. CLD students need to develop English literacy as well as content knowledge to attain equal educational opportunity. Teachers of CLD students need techniques and tools which support CLD students in mastering the content expected of secondary school students while acquiring English literacy. The criteria for effective lesson design and delivery inherent in the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) and the criteria for designing curriculum without barriers to access inherent in Universal Design …

Implementing Reading Response Logs In An Intermediate Classroom To Increase Student Interest And Comprehension, Carrie Winegar Risley

All Graduate Projects

This study includes a brief explanation of the history of reader response and the purpose behind the theory as well as how to apply the theory to classroom practices when teaching literature and reading. Reader response is the reader's reaction to what he/she has read. This can include making connections, asking questions, clarifying information, evaluating the author's craft and making predictions. The reader's response can be oral or in written form. The study includes examples of the application of reader response in classrooms ranging from the primary level through the high school level and an explanation of why it can …

English Language Learners And Technology: Applying Universal Design For Learning And The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol In The Evaluation Of Literacy Support Software, Susan M. Connolly

All Graduate Projects

The population of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students in U.S. schools has been steadily increasing. These students do not experience equal educational opportunity in U.S. secondary schools. CLD students need to develop English literacy as well as content knowledge to attain equal educational opportunity. Teachers of CLD students need techniques and tools which support CLD students in mastering the content expected of secondary school students while acquiring English literacy. The criteria for effective lesson design and delivery inherent in the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) and the criteria for designing curriculum without barriers to access inherent in Universal Design …

A Comparison Of The Perceived Performance Of Mentoring Functions Of National Boardcertified And Non-National Board-Certified Teachers With Their Protégés, Amy Jo Smith Wilson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

National Board-certified (NBC) teachers are recognized as accomplished teachers who have met the National Board’s stringent standards. These teachers are encouraged to serve as mentors to novice teachers and veteran teachers in candidacy for National Board Certification. This study identified and compared the career and psychosocial mentoring functions that NBC teacher mentors and non-NBC teacher mentors perceived they provided to their protégés at the elementary grade levels. National Board-certified protégés’ perceptions of having the functions provided were compared with those of their teacher mentors and with the protégés of non-NBC teacher mentors.

The research was conducted in a large urban …

A Comparison Of Student Achievement In Economically Different But Academically Equivalent Catholic School Programs, Roseanne L. Williby

Student Work

Urban and suburban religious educational programs were evaluated to determine if achievement and readiness for high school transition were the same for students with similar parent commitment and equivalent Catholic school program experiences but differing socioeconomic advantages. Following five consecutive years in their programs, urban and suburban 4th-grade pretest compared to 8th-grade posttest gains made by students (n = 56) demonstrated positive academic outcomes for both programs. As reflected by subject test scores and composite percentile rank scores, urban and suburban programs equally prepared students for posttest performance on achievement tests and unconditional 9th-grade acceptance into college preparatory Catholic High …

Are Public Schools Worth Saving? If So, By Whom?, Philip Edward Kovacs

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

ABSTRACT ARE PUBLIC SCHOOLS WORTH SAVING? IF SO, BY WHOM? by Philip Kovacs While there is a loose coalition of individuals and organizations attacking the institution of public schools, there does not appear to be a coordinated defense of public schools. Without a coordinated defense of the institution, public schools will arguably 1) grow increasingly regulated and/or 2) be shut down altogether. Given that progressive scholars believe schools should exist to maintain a pluralistic and participatory democracy, should 1) or 2) continue, the progressive goal of democracy through education becomes increasingly removed from possibility. The failure of progressive educational reformers …

"I Am An Island To Myself": How One Veteran English Teacher's Beliefs, Experiences, And Philosophy Translate Into Classroom Practice, Tara Jenkins Bruhn

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the beliefs, philosophy, and experience of a veteran English teacher and how each of these constructs informed her classroom practice. This research, conducted in a metropolitan high school in the South, provides insight into the way a veteran teacher believes, practices in her classroom, and relates to her greater teaching milieu. The study is theoretically framed in Greene's (1971) notion of "doing philosophy" in which a teacher makes meaning from her reflected, lived-through experience, and Applebee's (1996) notion of curriculum as conversation for the teaching of language arts discourse. Research indicates …

Russian Art Education: A Study On Post-Soviet Perspectives, Rosaria E. Bang

Art and Design Theses

This cross-cultural case study was conducted through questionnaire format by way of email correspondence with eight Russian art educators in May to June 2006. It was conducted to give an initial overview into Russian Art Education from the perspectives of eight Russian art educators. The data was analyzed to discover any commonalities in values, beliefs, and attitudes that may have significance to Americans wishing to learn about the structure, content, and pedagogy of Russian art education. The findings of this study reveal that Russian art educators embrace a very traditional and classical approach to the teaching of art. Today Russian …

Qualifying The Definition Of Dispositions, Brooke S. Wiseman Dowse

Student Work

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) Standards are in place to ensure teacher preparation programs produce candidates who meet the high standards of the field and who work to help all students learn. NCATE dictates that teacher preparation programs must provide assessment data which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions of candidates in the program. While teacher preparation programs have historically assessed the areas of knowledge and skills in candidates, the same programs are struggling to understand the concept of dispositions and how to assess the professional dispositions of candidates. The purpose of this research study …

Gains In 8th Grade Student's Reading Skills In Group Within A Group And Large Group Guided Reading Instruction, Brian A. Wedemeyer

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to compare two guided reading strategies, group within a group instruction and large group guided reading instruction to determine if one is more effective at raising student word meaning, literal comprehension, inferential comprehension and critical judgment achievement test scores. Tri-Center had used both reading strategies. If there is a significant improvement in student achievement levels using one reading strategy over another, it would indicate that Tri-Center Middle School would need to look at converting other reading sections to the more successful reading strategy. The study was limited to 42 students all being eighth grade …

Training Nursing Students In Evidence-Based Nonpharmacological Pain Management Techniques, Jill E. Maclaren

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Pain is a common and potentially debilitating condition. Whereas there is vast literature on developmentally appropriate behavioral techniques for pain management, results of curriculum evaluations and knowledge surveys reveal a dearth of awareness of these strategies in healthcare professionals. This study evaluated the effects of a brief didactic training program for student nurses in developmentally appropriate behavioral pain management strategies for children. Results indicated that students who received the training program had significantly more knowledge of behavioral strategies following the training program than they had evidenced before the program. Further, these participants evidenced higher knowledge following the training program than …

Verbal Behavior: An Empirical Review Of Establishing Operations, Gary R. Hoerth

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Establishing Operations are steeped in the science Applied Behavior Analysis and verbal behavior. Their principles are utilized daily in schools, clinics and treatment centers. The purpose of this study was to review the research literature of this principle to affirm its scientific base and identify specific strategies that can be used by educators and practitioners. Results affirmed its scientific base and identified numerous strategies for immediate use. As ABA practitioners state, "These principles are thought to be of value only if in the hands of people who use them to improve the lives of others" (Carbone, 2004).

An Evaluation Of The Relationship Between Stress, Depression, And Glycemic Control In Low-Income Patients With Type 2 Diabetes, Kristen Jennifer Wells

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

People in low socioeconomic status groups are at increased risk for diabetes mellitus, a group of diseases associated with high levels of blood glucose. High rates of depression have been found in people with diabetes. The study examined the relationship between stress, depression, and glycemic control in low-income type 2 diabetes patients. Participants were recruited at two community health centers that provide free medical care. The following hypotheses were examined: (1) experiencing stressful life events is positively correlated with blood glucose level; (2) negative stressful events have a greater association with glucose level than positive stressful events; (3) depression mediates …

The Effectiveness Of Student Led Conferencing In An Intermediate Setting, Mindy Fitterer

All Graduate Projects

The studied focused on the communication between parents, teachers and students and the student self-reflection of strengths, weaknesses, and goals during Student Led Conferencing. Twenty-five students in a sixth grade classroom created student led conference portfolios and participated in fall and spring conferences with their teacher and parents. The specific parts of each of the pieces of the portfolio and conferences are examined. The results showed a highly effective rate in the desired areas.

The Impact Of Higher Education On Police Management In Three Ontario Police Services, Jason Dale

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the impact of higher education on the management of police services in Ontario and whether education has a direct impact on the retention of officers in their police organizations. A survey administered to sworn police officers from three Ontario police services – Strathroy-Caradoc, Chatham-Kent, and the Niagara Region – was conducted. The findings reveal that officers with higher levels of education seek different career rewards and are harder to retain because they are much more willing to leave for job opportunities elsewhere.

Striving For Freedom: An Incarcerated Existence, Rosini R. Russell

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Presented in this project is a detailed study of the effects of long term incarceration on inmates and society. This researcher examined the life of a fictitious inmate, through the form of a novella, as he endured long term incarceration. His innermost thoughts and feelings shed light into the criminal lifestyle through the careful examination of his experiences related to: (a) childhood, (b) family dysfunction, (c) socioeconomic status, (c) peer relations, and (d) education. The purpose of long term incarceration prevention should be focused on: (a) prevention, in order to stop at risk individuals from becoming institutionalized; (b) intervention, to …

Making Education Work: The Effects Of Welfare Reform On The Educational Goals And Experiences Of Tanf Participants, A. Fiona Pearson

Sociology Dissertations

After U.S. welfare was reformed in 1996, many states eliminated their educational programs and replaced them with "work-first" options. This study uses in-depth interviews and content analysis of current and proposed welfare legislation to examine how these policy changes have shaped the experiences of postsecondary students participating in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and to determine whether or not proposed policy changes in TANF reauthorization legislation meet the needs of students. To fulfill the first objective of this study, I conducted interviews with 20 TANF participants who were using enrollment in a postsecondary institution as a means …

Effective Letter Identification Activities For K-1 Children: A Handbook For Teachers, Luann Nicole Jensen

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project is to provide K-1 teachers with a handbook of effective letter identification activities. Letter identification is a pre-requisite reading skill that students must have in order to be successful readers and to prevent reading difficulties later on. This handbook can be implemented by teachers of kindergarten or first grade children who need a letter identification intervention. The lessons in this project were developed to be paired with explicit, intensive teaching during the intervention to help remediate a child's weakness in identifying letters.