Digital Commons Network^™

A Predictive Model Of Completion At Mississippi’S Community Colleges, Richard Baker

Dissertations

In the 2020 American presidential election and throughout the time since, the discussion of free community college continues to raise its head in the present political landscape in the United States. As the recognition of the contribution of community colleges to the overall educational level of the country grows, increased focus is going to be placed on how efficient and effective these two-year institutions are.

This research expands the body of knowledge by combining Resource Dependency Theory (RDT) and Astin’s Input-Environment-Output (IEO) model into an educational production function as defined by Bowles (1970). Neither RDT nor IEO is complete on …

Embattled Learning: Education And Emancipation In The Post-Civil War Upper South, Lucas Somers

Dissertations

This dissertation examines the establishment of schools for and by formerly enslaved African Americans in Kentucky and Tennessee in the decade after the Civil War, analyzing the different individuals and organizations that supported or opposed those efforts. Members of Black communities strove to secure an education for children and adults while doing everything in their power to maintain control of those schools. Widespread poverty, racism, and uncertain political status necessitated that African Americans accept help from outsiders, especially from teachers and agents sent by the federal government and northern benevolent associations. The central argument is that the ultimate failure to …

Teacher Training, Beliefs, And Use Of A Constructivist Learning Environment Supported By Instructional Technology, Rachel Mercer

Dissertations

This study examined teacher training and beliefs in relation to the development of instructional technology-driven constructivist learning environments. The goal was to discover any existing gaps in theoretical beliefs and praxis, and develop recommendations that provide methods of merging theory into practice for both new and veteran teachers. Bruner’s Constructivist Learning Theory was the theoretical framework that was the basis for this study. Buttressing Bruner, Piaget, Vygotsky, and Montessori’s influences on the development of constructivism as a theoretical lens were also used. The target sample of the intended study was sixth through twelfth grade teachers, both new (0-4 years of …

An Investigation Of The Impacts Of Traditional, Virtual, And Hybrid Biological Laboratories On College Students’ Achievement And Motivation To Learn Biology, Shavonda Jackson

Dissertations

Virtual courses function in a different manner than traditional courses, therefore they require teaching methods and assessment techniques geared specifically to maximize this learning experience. Internet-based learning and distance-education are no longer new concepts in the science field. Because of this, many collegiate biology programs have created courses that can be taken virtual or hybrid. A number of experimental studies have had great influence in terms of the effects and impacts of educational technology in relation to virtual laboratories.

However, not many studies emphasize the impact of hybrid laboratories on student achievement or assess students’ motivation to learn in a …

Enablers And Barriers Influencing African American Administrators’ Career Advancement At Predominantly White Institutions Of Higher Learning, Larry Webster

Dissertations

Many Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) of higher learning do not have enough African Americans to lead their institutions in curriculum development, mentoring, recruitment, and governance (Reyes & Rios, 2005). Previous studies have attributed the modest representation of African American administrators to systemic barriers impeding the recruitment and advancement of African Americans at PWIs of higher learning (Jones, 2007; Perna, Gerald, Baum, & Milem, 2007). Ideally, the administrative leadership at PWIs of higher learning would adequately represent—ethnically and racially—its student population (Higgs, 2014). Levin, Walker, Haberler, and Jackson–Boothby (2013) suggest minimal progress in hiring African American administrators at PWIs of higher …

A Study Of The Protective Factors That Foster Resilience In Teachers, Zundra Gates

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the protective factors of teachers in various fields: discipline, tested and non-tested subject areas, and teacher certification route. The study involved 161 kindergarten to twelfth grade Mississippi teachers who were full-time during the 2016-2017 school year. The 36-item Resiliency Questionnaire was used to measure the presence of six protective factors. The six protective factors that were examined on the questionnaire are: purpose and expectation (PE), nurture and support (NS), positive connections (PC), meaningful participation (MP), life guiding skills (LGS), and clear and consistent boundaries (CCB). A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) test …

African American Women: The Role Of Education, Spirituality, And Resilience In Their Transition From Poverty, Donna Scott

Dissertations

African American women born into impoverished families often have difficulty moving beyond their low socioeconomic circumstances (Cozarelli, Wilkinson, & Tagler, 2001). Although education has been shown to influence the lives of African American women, limited research has been conducted relative to the influence of education in their transition from poverty. Also, while there is considerable evidence regarding the authoritative role of spirituality in the lives of women, and for African American women in particular (Mattis, 2002), little research has focused on how African American women utilized spirituality as a source of strength in response to the challenges of poverty. The …

Teachers' Confidence And Preparedness For Teaching Mobile Learners, Kelley Kirk Gonzales

Dissertations

Mobile devices, such as tablets, laptops, and Smart phones have changed the landscape of education requiring teachers to integrate technology in the classroom. The integration of mobile devices in the classroom is referred to as mobile learning, and requires teachers to be confident and prepared in their ability to teach mobile learners. This study was an attempt to explore and examine teachers’ confidence and preparedness in teaching mobile learners and close some of the gaps in the research. A quantitative method of investigation and analysis was used for this study to draw conclusions relative not only to teachers’ confidence and …

Southeastern Tanzanian Benedictine Monasteries: Filling A Void Of Governmental Services For The Poorest Regions, John Christie-Searles

Dissertations

This research illuminates the partnership of a particular civil society actor, Benedictine monasteries, in achieving developmental goals and delivery outcomes for education and health in Tanzania. Faith based organizations (FBOs) like these Benedictine monasteries quietly persevered with their work. These monasteries without governmental support were able to achieve similar results in areas of Tanzania deprived of infrastructure and consistent governmental administrative attention.

Monastic apostolate fervor is similar to the professionalism exhibited by international aid organizations and nongovernmental organizations in their desire to meet the needs of the poor. Motivations are complex and varied from evangelization to political and strategic agendas …

Group Empowerment Capacity And Capability In Associate Degree Schools Of Nursing In The United States, Christy Lee Savell

Dissertations

The purpose of conducting this research was to determine the perception of group empowerment capacity (EC) and group empowerment capability (E) among faculty and administrators in associate degree nursing programs (ADN) in the United States (U.S.), whether there was a significant difference in the scores of EC and E between the two groups and if there was a significant relationship between the mediating variables and EC. The study was conducted online with administrators and faculty of ADN programs throughout the United States (U.S.). Information letters with questionnaire links were sent to all members of the Organization of Associate Degree Nurses …

Preferences For Intrinsic And Extrinsic Sport Motivators Of Mississippi's Public Sschool Teachers, Jason Hugh Rayborn

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if Mississippi’s teachers teach for the same motivational reasons that athletes practice their sport. Certified teachers (N=380) from Mississippi were asked to complete a modified version of the Sport Motivation Scale-II (SMS-II) survey. This modified version of the instrument, the SMS-II-ED, included 18 questions from 6 different extrinsic, intrinsic, and a-motivational subgroups and one qualitative question for a total of 19 questions. Preliminary demographic items included teacher’s grade level taught (K-5, 6-8, 9-12), years’ experience (1-10, 11-19, 20+), and previous high school or collegiate sport participation (yes or no).

Descriptive statistics were …

Relationships Among Job Satisfaction, Professional Efficacy, Student And School Performance, And Teacher Absenteeism, Laura Beckham Dana

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships among job satisfaction, professional efficacy, student and school performance, and teacher absenteeism in Mississippi. This study also addressed methods that can be used by policymakers to better ensure low rates of absenteeism. The study measured the relationship between teachers’ satisfaction with workplace conditions, socioeconomic status of schools, teacher compensation, professional efficacy, student and school performance, and rates of teacher absenteeism. In addition, the study provided participants with the opportunity to suggest methods that can be used by policymakers to better ensure low rates of absenteeism.

The study involved a mixed …

Faith-Based And Graduate Adult Educator's Negotiation Of Similarities And Differences Among People As An Indicator Of Their Multicultural Effectiveness, Elizabeth Conerly Smith

Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between adult educators‘ multicultural effectiveness scores and their negotiation of similarities and differences scores. The participants were in faith-based institutions, specifically Christian churches and in graduate adult education programs of universities and colleges in the United States. Multicultural effectiveness was measured by the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) that the authors reported measured multicultural effectiveness as the primary, encompassing variable. The MPQ is a five-point Likert scale with 91 items. The MPQ reliability was a Cronbach‘s alpha of .82 (Van der Zee & Van Oudenhoven, 2000). The Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale (M-GUDS) measured the negotiation of similarities …

Effectiveness Of Teacher-Implemented Function-Based Interventions Versus Non-Function-Based Interventions For Preschoolers, Katherine Marie Bellone

Dissertations

Disruptive behaviors occur frequently in preschool classrooms. Children who exhibit early-onset behavioral concerns in educational settings are at greater risk for negative developmental outcomes than their peers. In order to address problem behaviors in the classroom, practitioners may use functional assessment methodology to design an individualized intervention tied to the function of the behavior. Alternatively, practitioners may choose to use an evidence-based practice, not tied to behavioral function, shown to be beneficial through research. Though much research states the need for empirical comparisons between function-based interventions and non-function-based interventions, past comparisons have often been unbalanced, such that the interventions included …

Students' Confidence In The Ability To Transfer Basic Math Skills In Introductory Physics And Chemistry Courses At A Community College, Reginald Quinn

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the confidence levels that community college students have in transferring basic math skills to science classes, as well as any factors that influence their confidence levels. This study was conducted with 196 students at a community college in central Mississippi. The study was conducted during the month of November after all of the students had taken their midterm exams and received midterm grades.

The instrument used in this survey was developed and validated by the researcher. The instrument asks the students to rate how confident they were in working out specific math …

Developing Social Capital: The Effect Of An Academic Service-Learning Component On The Civic Attitudes Of College Students, Joshua Paul Duplantis

Dissertations

Service-learning courses are credit-bearing educational experiences that deepen course content, meet identified community needs and use reflection to help students connect their service with the learning. These experiences give students an increased level of civic attitude and increased networks, which increases social and human capital. Research shows that the increase in capital developed through service-learning plays an important role in students’ job search success (D’Agostino, 2010). This heightened social capital is critical as the United States, specifically Mississippi, will deal with a projected increase in the need for college graduates who are prepared to navigate a job search and enter …

Teacher Perception Of School Culture And School Climate In The Leader In Me Schools And Non Leader In Me Schools, Brian Patrick Barkley

Dissertations

In 1989 Dr. Stephen Covey wrote The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People which revealed seven habits that people should integrate into their lives that would help them on the two levels of relationships. First, it would help people to establish a better relationship personally. Secondly, it would help people to improve their relationships with other people. The book was originally written for adults; later Sean Covey, son of Dr. Covey, wrote a version of The Seven Habits that was geared toward teenagers. But the question of whether these adult lessons can be taught to five year olds was taken …

View Of Socioscientific Issues Among Educators: The Willingness Of Teachers To Accept Ssi Into The Classroom And The Reason Underlying Those Beliefs, John Carlos Parr

Dissertations

Socioscientific issues (SSI) are potentially controversial topics, which can be examined using a social and a scientific perspective. The inclusion of these topics in elementary and secondary classrooms has caused a number of conflicts over the past century. In the present study, I explore the willingness of teachers to include three SSI: evolution, stem cell research, and global climate change in the science curricula. Participants included 221 educators currently employed in K-12 schools. Teachers have the greatest impact on classroom instruction, regardless of state curricula. I found most educators willing to include the three previously named SSI in the curricula, …

Adapting J.S. Bach's Solo Violin Sonatas And Partitas For The Marimba: Broken Chord And Arpeggio Performance Practices, Jason Eugene Mathena

Dissertations

This purpose of this study is to provide the keyboard percussionist with information and examples for breaking chords and properly executing arpeggio passages in J. S. Bach’s solo violin Sonatas and Partitas. Primary sources included Baroque treatises on performance practice and recent scholarship of the past one hundred years. Various editions of the Sonatas and Partitas were surveyed for this document but, in the end, only Bach’s autograph manuscript and Gunther Hausswald’s critical edition were used for the musical examples as well as the marimba transcriptions included in appendices.

Topics covered are appropriate places to break chords and the various …

Learning To Parent Again: An Investigation Of The Role Of Adult Education In The Phenomenon Of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, Deborah Annette Stover

Dissertations

This study examined the readiness for self-direct learning of parenting grandmothers. The researcher investigated whether parental self-efficacy beliefs and addiction beliefs were significantly correlated to parenting grandmothers’ readiness for self-directed learning as measured by the Oddi Continuing Learning Instrument. Parental self-efficacy beliefs were investigated using the Parental Self-Efficacy Scale. Using the Addiction Belief Instrument, the researcher investigated the overall correlation of addiction belief to readiness for self-directed learning. The research also investigated whether the following beliefs significantly correlated to parenting grandmothers’ readiness for self-directed: people with substance abuse disorders are unable to control their using and are responsible for their …

Educating Students To Become Culturally Competent Physical Therapists: Issues Of Teaching And Assessment, Lisa Jayroe Barnes

Dissertations

With the growing multicultural population within the United States, healthcare providers need to be prepared to care for and educate adult clients from various cultural backgrounds. The purpose of the study was to examine the teaching and assessment methods being used by faculty in the education of future physical therapists in teaching the construct of cultural competence, how these methods may vary according to the educational background of faculty in relation to the use of concepts specific to adult education that may lead to transformational learning, and faculty opinions about teaching and assessing this abstract construct.

Survey methodology was used …

The Impact Of Smaller Learning Communities On 9th Grade Mathematics Student Achievement And Graduation Rates, Keisha Burney Cook

Dissertations

Many problems in public education, ranging from low student achievement to high dropout rates, are being attributed to large schools, especially large high schools. While large high schools may provide more varied curriculums, they are also more impersonal. This can be especially problematic for ninth graders who are making the transition to high school. One solution that has been implemented as part of educational reform is organizing large high schools into small learning communities. The purpose of this study was to determine if the existence of a smaller learning community has an impact on ninth grade students’ achievement in Georgia …

Gamification In Science Education: The Relationship Of Educational Games To Motivation And Achievement, Kelly Elizabeth Rouse

Dissertations

Community colleges have become increasingly more important in America’s higher education system. Part of this emphasis has been directly due to President Obama’s 2010 directive to produce a competitive workforce in the United States by increasing the community college graduation rate by five million over the next decade (Madhani, 2010). Community colleges allow open admission for students which permits marginally prepared students to enter. These students may lack motivation, which contributes to student attrition (Williams, 2010). The focus of this study is to examine methods that may improve student learning and motivation, which could ultimately lead to higher graduation rates. …

Dialogue As A Tool For Meaning Making, Angela Suzanne Dudley Bruni

Dissertations

In order to empower citizens to analyze the effects, risk, and value of science, a knowledge of scientific concepts is necessary (Mejlgaard, 2009). The formal educational system plays a role in this endeavor (Gil-Perez & Vilches, 2005). One proposed constructivist practice is the use of social learning activities using verbalized, shared cognition among learners. In an effort to investigate the effects of verbally shared cognition, this project sought to determine if social learning opportunities affect the mastery of content in gateway biology courses and to identify the types of dialogue students engage in during cognitive collaboration. Fifty-seven students enrolled in …

Teacher Attitudes Of Inclusion And Academic Performance Of Students With Disabilities, Jonathan Earl Sutton

Dissertations

Since the integration of the inclusion model, supported by the IDEA (1997), within public schools, teacher resistance and frustration has risen (Hardy, 1999). The climate of general education teachers’ classrooms furthermore, has not been the same (Liu & Meyer, 2005). Key elements ensuring success of inclusion and the implementation of inclusive education are the views, perspectives, and attitudes of the personnel who have the responsibility for implementing it; the teachers (Shade & Stewart, 2001). Avramidis and Norwich (2002) argued that successful implementation of any inclusive policy or programming is extremely dependent upon the educators being receptive and positive. Hines (2011) …

The Measurement Of Self-Directed Learning Among Postsecondary Disability Services Administrators, Lakeshia Marche Alexander

Dissertations

With increasing budget cuts, decreasing funds for training opportunities, and increasing demands for services for students with disabilities, there is a need for researchers to identify how DSAs prepare for and operate in their positions in disability services (Madaus, 1998). The researcher proposes that like many adults, DSAs may be engaging in self-directed study to gain the necessary knowledge and skills needed in order to perform their jobs effectively.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether a relationship existed between self-directed learner readiness and the number of learning projects completed by disability services administrators (DSAs) in the postsecondary …

The Role Of Service-Learning On College Students' Environmental Literacy: Content Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behaviors, Joanna Lynn Bush Singletary

Dissertations

This study evaluated the relationship of environmental service-learning on environmental literacy in undergraduates. The subjects were 36 undergraduates at a small liberal arts university enrolled in an environmental biology course.To determine the role of environmental service-learning on college students’ environmental knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and environmental literacy, this study utilized concurrent mixed methods approach for qualitative and quantitative analysis. A quasi-experimental repeated measures approach was the design of the quantitative component of the study.Data were collected on attitude, behavior, and content knowledge aspects of environmental literacy as measured by the Environmental Literacy Survey (Kibert, 2000). Hypotheses were tested by independent samples …

The Effects Of Race And Gender On The Satisfaction Levels Of Entering And Advanced Level Doctoral Students, Tiffany Nicole Labon

Dissertations

Doctoral education is an aspect of higher education that can be both rewarding and challenging for anyone who attempts the journey. Thelin (2004) stated many graduate students obtain the necessary skills that their individual fields of study require in their master’s and doctoral programs of study. Levine (2005), however, has found that the levels of satisfaction between what students expect and what they receive are at odds at many colleges and universities around the country. Thus, the need to assess graduate programs and services regarding satisfaction is warranted.

The purpose of this study was to compare the relationship of overall …

Teacher Perceptions Of Working With Children With Specific Special Education Exceptionalities In The General Education Classroom, Kimberly Geneva Fisher

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which general education teachers in elementary schools believe they are prepared to teach children/students with specific special education exceptionalities in the general education classroom. The study addresses the exceptionalities of: autism, speech/language disorder, specific learning disability, and emotional disability and using a multiple method quasi-experimental design that yielded quantitative and qualitative data. The study used an original instrument entitled the General Educators Preparedness for Inclusive Education (GEPIE). The instrument used a vignette/scenario design to assess levels of perceived preparedness. Third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers in South Mississippi were …

The Impact Of Technology Attitudes And Skills Of Rural Health Clinic Nurses On The Level Of Adoption Of Electronic Health Records In Mississippi, Jennifer Lynn Styron

Dissertations

The evolution of health information technology continues to reform the delivery of efficient, safe, and equitable healthcare in the United States. One such example is the emergence of electronic health records (EHRs) and the discerning emphasis placed on using this technology in meaningful ways. While the integration of EHRs into daily practice impacts all healthcare professionals, nurses remain a prominent driver in the successful adoption and usage of these systems. It is therefore imperative to understand the impact of nurses’ technology attitudes and skills on the level of EHR adoption in Mississippi.

This quantitative study examined the technology attitudes and …