Digital Commons Network^™

Investigating Aromatherapy As A Test Anxiety Intervention For Undergraduate Nursing Students, Brittany Graham

Education Dissertations and Projects

This project seeks to explore the concept of aromatherapy as an intervention for undergraduate nursing student test anxiety in greater depth. Test anxiety is significant in nursing education because of the high stakes weight of exams and difficulties associated with answering multiple choice and multiple response questions. Historically, the Hunt School of Nursing has not provided specific procedures or interventions to assist students with test anxiety; however, this project seeks to outline a pathway for the development and achievement of a successful aromatherapy program for undergraduate students. On an informal trial basis, the use of aromatherapy lotions prior to exams …

Building The Foundation: Initiating Assessment Practices For North Carolina Housing Officers, Marinda C. Bliss

Education Dissertations and Projects

Enrollment at institutions of higher education were tight markets with overlapping competition for the same customers in many areas. The typical undergraduate student market was an informed consumer who sought the amenities of home for their student housing. The shift for the student market placed residence hall programs in competition with one another, thus the need for timely assessment of the residence hall facilities, programs, staff, and customers to plan appropriately for the future is appropriate.

North Carolina Housing Officers, also known as NCHO, served 57 institutions in North Carolina that have residence hall programs for the promotion of idea …

Who Is Selected To Participate In Gifted And Talented Programs In A Small Southeastern School District?, Kancy Cleveland

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study describes a descriptive quantitative study and a binomial logistic regression model that looked at a total population versus academically gifted and talented population in Grades 3-6 in a small southeastern school district. Both populations were examined through the independent variables classified as age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Socioeconomic status was determined by if a student’s lunch was full pay, reduced pay, or free. The dependent variable was whether each student was identified as academically gifted and talented or not academically gifted and talented. Do the two different populations (total versus gifted) evenly or equally represent age, gender, and …

Student Perceptions Of Teacher Cultural Sensitivity And Its Impact On Student Achievement, Mandalinn Marie Browning

Education Dissertations and Projects

The study examined if there is an association between student perceptions of teacher cultural sensitivity and its impact on student academic achievement. The researcher was looking to determine if there are any correlations between what teachers and students perceive as culturally sensitive teaching. The researcher administered a teacher and student cultural sensitivity survey to determine what each of them saw as the characteristics of a culturally sensitive teacher. These findings were then analyzed to determine if having or not having these characteristics was a factor in student academic achievement. The study took place in a high school with tenth graders …

Ready Or Not: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Early College Graduates’ First-Year Experiences, Jennifer Elizabeth Wilson

Education Dissertations and Projects

Current frameworks of college readiness fail to address the impact of college readiness on the postsecondary educational experiences of traditionally underserved students such as low socioeconomic and first generation. The purpose of this study was to utilize the interpretative phenomenological analysis approach to investigate the first-year postsecondary educational experiences and understandings of the graduates of an early college high school in western North Carolina. The phenomenon studied was the use of early college high school experiences in a first-year college or university setting. The researcher employed the use of individual interviews to explore the transfer of college readiness instruction into …

Does Teacher Immediacy Matter? The Relationship Among Teacher Immediacy, Student Motivation, Engagement, And Cognitive Learning, Jessica Rene Stilwell

Education Dissertations and Projects

According to the Academic Development Institute (Walberg, 2010), elementary and middle school students linger behind students from other economically advanced countries on achievement tests and fall further behind during the school years. With a need to improve classroom instruction and enhance cognitive learning for students, this study focuses on immediate communication behaviors of the classroom teacher, both verbal and nonverbal, and student academic motivation as factors in improving learning proficiency in both math and reading. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teacher immediacy behaviors and teacher/student rapport on student motivation, engagement, and academic growth.

The …

French And Spanish Teacher Experiences In Teaching Middle And High School Students In One North Carolina School District: A Mixed-Methods Study, Maguy Techer Yancey

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study examined French and Spanish teacher experiences teaching middle and high school students in one North Carolina school district. The themes derived from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Educator Questionnaire show several areas of concerns world language teachers face in the nation: large class sizes, lack of opportunities to enhance best practices and technology integration, teacher isolation, inadequate instructional material, limited resources, and limited funding.

This dissertation was designed to analyze the experiences of middle and high school teachers of French, Spanish, and Spanish for Native Speakers.

The researcher conducted a digital survey using …

Seeking Significance: An Ethnographic Study Of Teacher-Led Professional Experiences And Its Impact On Efficacy, Bonnie Coleman Bolado

Education Dissertations and Projects

Adult learning takes place through multiple facets. The understandings of how teachers chose to learn when given autonomy to engage in their own professional learning is a facet of teacher development that has not been widely researched. The research of Bolado (2018) utilized the grounded theory approach to develop themes of adult learning that provide insights to teacher needs when engaging in professional learning. Qualitative methods of research provided detailed perceptions of teacher needs when engaging in professional learning and how these experiences impacted their efficacy. This grounded theory research derived theories based on teacher perceptions of their confidence levels …

Staying Put: An Analysis Of Teacher Retention In A Rural, Low-Performing, High-Poverty School District In Northeastern North Carolina, Lakesia Boone

Education Dissertations and Projects

Many teachers have seen the role of an educator gradually change in the last decade. Some have considered leaving their chosen careers due to low morale, low pay, and the constant adoption of education initiatives that do not work. Many teachers have stated the reason they have remained in education is due to the intrinsic rewards such as making a difference in the life of a student and the love or enjoyment education provides. This study sought to determine factors that impact retention of teachers in a rural, low-performing school district in northeastern North Carolina that serves high populations of …

Why Do Girls Outperform Boys In School: A Qualitative Study Of Boy-Friendly Teaching, Teacher Efficacy And Practices, Renee Blair Clifford

Education Dissertations and Projects

This research study explored reasons why girls consistently outperform boys in the classroom, examining professional development teachers may have received, strategies teachers are implementing, and teacher’s self-efficacy in teaching boys. This was a qualitative study centered on the idea that boys do not perform as well in school as girls because teachers are not aware of learning differences or not designing instruction to address the unique learning needs of boys. This study took place at one South East elementary school.

An Analysis Of The Relationship Between Principal Self-Efficacy And Collective Staff Efficacy In A Rural North Carolina School System, Douglas Ray Massengill Jr

Education Dissertations and Projects

"The purpose of this research was to determine if a statistically significant relationship exists between principal self-efficacy and the collective staff efficacy in the public schools of a rural North Carolina school district. This study focused on overall efficacy beliefs of principals and teachers as well as efficacy beliefs related to the constructs of instructional leadership, instructional practices, school management, and classroom management. This study, conducted during the 2017-2018 academic year, included a population of 22 principals and 1,017 certified staff members in a rural North Carolina school district. The Principal Sense of Efficacy Scale by Tschannen-Moran and Gareis (2004) …

Exploring A Rural School District’S Freshman Academy Program Through Parent And Staff Member Perspectives, Dustin Morehead

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study used a qualitative approach to explore a rural school district’s freshman academy program through parent and staff member perspectives using Stufflebeam’s (2003) CIPP model of program evaluation. Interviews and questionnaire data provided information to answer the following research questions.

1. Context: What is the context within which the freshman academy program was developed and implemented?

2. Input: What alternative resources are available to enhance the structure of the freshman academy program?

3. Process: How are the objectives of the freshman academy program aligned with improving student attendance, academic performance, and promotion?

4. Product: What are the perceptions of …

The Impact Of Homework On Students At A Rural High School In The Foothills Of North Carolina, Thomas Dean Perry Ii

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this research study was threefold: to determine if a relationship existed between homework and student achievement in students from a rural high school in the foothills of North Carolina; to determine if a relationship existed between two specific types of homework (preparation and practice) and student achievement; and to determine stakeholder perceptions (teachers, students, and parents) regarding the impact of homework on student learning, personal development, and family relationships.

The conceptual framework of this study was based on research conducted by Cooper (1989), Lee and Pruitt (1979), Foyle (1984), and from an extensive literature review that revealed …

Program Changes For Gifted Students And The Impact On Collaborative Efficacy, Trevor J. Putnam

Education Dissertations and Projects

Research suggests that academically gifted students are often underserved when it comes to the school setting. Academically gifted students require specialized instruction to challenge them. Several successful strategies exist for creating an educational environment that appropriately challenges and helps these students achieve academic growth; however, these strategies are rarely employed due to a lack of accountability, supports, or these students’ ability to make passing scores on state assessments.

The school chosen for this study came out of analysis of state growth numbers for academically gifted students. Analysis revealed that while gifted students of this school were meeting proficiency standards on …

Filling The Reading Void: Studying Reading Stamina In A Rural High School Through Action Research: A Companion Research Study, Meredith Eubanks Lynch

Education Dissertations and Projects

Experts agree best practice in elementary education allows students time for silent reading during school due to the benefits to students in vocabulary development and reading stamina. As students age, this practice typically declines in favor of activities meant to teach vocabulary, prepare for standardized tests, and study novels together as a class to explore and analyze literature, resulting in less reading and subsequently decreasing reading stamina. -- Teachers at a high poverty South Carolina high school, recognizing reading stamina as an issue, implemented a protocol described by Penny Kittle (2013) in Book Love: Developing Depth, Stamina, and Passion in …