Digital Commons Network^™

Museum Education And The Climate Of Accountability, Rebecca J. Manuel

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2002’s accountability mandates for public schools have affected museum education programs in a large, Midwestern city. For this multi-method study, relevant educational materials were analyzed, and fourteen educational professionals affected by the relationship between museums and public schools were interviewed. As public schools are increasingly pressured to increase student test scores, cuts in fieldtrip attendance are seen as justifiable, since these experiences do not directly result in students’ making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) on standardized tests. To remain relevant to these new goals for public education, many museums …

Msculine Identity And The Education And Parental Involvement Of African American Teen Fathers, Milissa Mcclaire Gary

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

African American males are more likely to become teenage fathers than their white counterparts, and the risk is increased for those living in low-income communities. This qualitative work is a case study exploring the life experiences of one African American teen father from a working class urban area. The research investigates the ways in which conceptions of masculinity impact the identity formation and parental engagement of African American teen fathers. It also explores the ways in which they may seek to fulfill multiple, and often competing, social roles including father, student, and young Black man in society. The findings acknowledge …

Developing A Social Justice Curriculum: Intersections Of Identity, Community, Inheritance And Experience, Melissa Rae Goodnight

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Social justice is a frequently employed concept in the development of classroom curriculum and discussion of instructional practice in schools. This study documents the process undergone by two public high school educators to create a social justice curriculum. The study data is comprised of semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and a document analysis of curricular texts. The research goal is to gain a broader understanding of how educators’ values, life experiences, and political motivations impact the content and intended outcomes of curriculum for social justice. The data collection and analysis emphasize the educators’ voices as they reflect on: 1) how they …

Educational Leaders Perceptions Of Emotional Intelligence And How It Effects Their Professional Practice, Yaffa Krugliak Lahat

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Researchers argue that Emotional Intelligence (EI) plays a key role in effective and successful leadership (Goleman et al., 2004; Rosete & Ciarrochi, 2005; Chan, 2007). Although other researchers claimed that these assertions lean "little empirical support" (Ciarrochi, Deane & Anderson, 2002), Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee (2004) assert that EI is essential for leadership because leaders work through emotions and their primal job is emotional. With most of this research done in the business world, this study focuses on the role of EI in educational leadership. The purposes of this study are to explore and to construct new knowledge regarding educational …

The Role Of A Literacy Coach In Supporting Instructional Improvement And Student Achievement, Holly Jo Murer

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Using qualitative research methods, this study examines the professional development model of literacy coaching. Literacy coaches and classroom teachers were interviewed to explore the work of literacy coaching. The findings of this study indicate the importance of relationship building as part of the work of literacy coaching. It also indicates that literacy coaching is ongoing and requires a significant amount of time for implementation. Additionally, the principal not only has a significant impact on setting the purpose and providing support for literacy coaching but also impacting the teachers’ use of time within a school. Also, systemic support within a school …

Service Learning And Its Effect On Students' Attitudes Towards Learning, William Thomas Conard

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to examine if students who participated in curricular service learning projects guided by a teacher would have significantly more positive attitudes about learning than those students who did service learning without the guidance of a teacher (community service)? A service learning project is generally defined as a thoughtfully organized community service experience than enhances what teachers have chosen as the objectives, standards and curriculum in their classrooms. Service learning projects focus on providing students with the opportunities to develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes that can be applied to real-life situations. The sample for …

Teacher Perceptions Of Multicultural Education: A Research Proposal For A Study Of The Perceptions Of Five White, Female Teachers, Katherine Waight

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The population of the United States continues to become more and more culturally diverse. Yet, white middle-class women dominate the teaching force. Because there are such great numbers of white middle-class women teaching students of color, it is important to re-examine how they perceive and use multicultural education in their classrooms. There have been numerous studies that have examined how white, pre-service teachers’ perceptions impact their pre-service experiences, but it is important to look at how practicing teachers’ perceptions of multicultural education affect their teaching. This study explores how teachers’ perceptions of multicultural education influence the way they teach.

A …

Maintaining Hope/ Encouraging Perspective In Special Education, Donna Smith

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Having a child with moderate to severe disabilities is a life-altering experience for many families. This study is an exploration of the relationship that exists between the parents of children with moderate to severe disabilities and special education professionals. It is an attempt to gain a deeper understanding of the parental perspective on the complexities of that relationship, and to investigate how that relationship is negotiated through stories told by eight parents about their experiences with the professionals in the schools their children attend. This study is also focused on how parents, school systems, and societal understandings of disability and …

The Impact Of Mentoring On Retention, Quality, Commitment Of Graduates From One School-University Partnership, Brenda Kraber

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the impact of mentoring on retention, quality and commitment of graduates from one school-university partnership. This project explored this issue through a review of relevant literature on effective teaching, components of quality teacher preparation programs, beginning teachers, mentoring and Professional Development Schools. How to best prepare teachers for the multi-faceted, challenging job that needs to be done has been a question that has faced universities and school districts for many years. With the growing numbers of veteran teachers now ready to retire and the increasing need for more teachers, the proportion between experienced and inexperienced teachers is …

The Impact Individualized Instruction With Learning Technologies Has On Student Achievement: New Directions For At-Risk Students With College Aspirations, Jorge Pena

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to measure the benefits of a remedial low-track academic program that includes individualized instruction using learning technologies by comparing the 9th grade Explore, 10th grade Plan, and 11th grade ACT standardized tests scores as a measure of academic achievement in English, mathematics, reading, and scientific reasoning. A second purpose is to determine if there is a difference in academic achievement between male and female students that have experienced the same curriculum in a co-institutional single-sex schooling environment. The standardized test scores of male and female students from the class of 2007, the treatment group, …

The Relationship Between The Success Tendencies Indicator And Academic Achievement And Behavioral Adjustment, Ted Bartlett

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between the 50-item Success Tendencies Indicator (STI), composed of the two subscales, the Success Tendencies Scale (STS) and the Positive Impression Scale (PIS), and the academic achievement and behavioral adjustment of high school freshmen. The STI was administered by social studies teachers in a suburban public high school in the Mid-Western United States at the end of the 1999–2000 school year. Data from 338 freshman students were analyzed. Success was indicated by a high weighted Grade Point Average (GPA) and a low Discipline Incidents Number (DIN). Scores on the …

Effects Of Foreign Language Learning In Elementary School On Students' Future Educational And Career Choices, Amy Weiss Narea

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between learning a foreign language in elementary school and students' future educational and career choices. Adult alumni of two urban public magnet schools were surveyed about Foreign Language in Elementary School (FLES) experiences, about high school and college foreign language learning experiences, and about their employment experience. The data from the alumni of a foreign language magnet school (FLES) were analyzed with respect to the relationship between the amount and types of elementary foreign language learning experiences on subsequent academic and occupational choices, as well as in comparison to respondents …

Bobbitt's Window: Understanding Turning Points In Reflective Curriculum History And Unmuffling Reflective Voice In Adult Learning: Doubt And Identity, J. Warren Scheideman

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Franklin Bobbitt (1875–1956), the author of The Curriculum (1918) is known as the proponent of utilitarian curriculum and the “factory metaphor” of education. Herbert Kliebard (1986), however, identifies doubts about student tasking that enter into Bobbitt's perspective in 1926. John Wesley Null (1999) tracks these doubts in Bobbitt's career and publications into the 1940's. Null then asks, given that Bobbitt's doubts are now recognized: What difference is made by knowing Bobbitt had doubts about tasked curriculum, and looked at life experience as educational outcome? This is the question my dissertation attempts to answer by using hermeneutic metaphor and historical consciousness …

School -To -Home Communication In High School: Effects On Task Engagement And Homework Completion, Daniel Mcdonnell

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This quasi-experimental study examined the effects of consistent school-to-home communication on homework completion, project completion, grades, attendance, student engagement, student behavior, and student attitude toward homework. Three high school English composition teachers reported data from a sample of 121 sophomores, who completed a pre- and post-survey, the Student Survey of Homework Practices. Each teacher taught a control and treatment class in which communication with the home was increased through phone calls home and weekly notes sent home with students. The post-test analyses by group found that students in the treatment group significantly decreased the amount of homework planning they did. …

Retention: The Controversy Continues, Beverly Gray Greene

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate and determine if there existed significant differences in the mathematics and reading achievement levels of students (n = 8) who were retained in sixth grade and their promoted seventh grade counterparts (n = 8), as measured by grade equivalent (GEQ) scores earned on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS). The study also sought to discover if being retained raised the academic achievement levels of the retained students. Finally, the study explored the relationship between retention and self-concept using the Student Self-concept Rating Scale (SSCRS).

Both quantitative and qualitative methodology and analyses …

Jack Of All Trades, Master Of None: A Teacher Research Inquiry Of Teachers' Perspectives Surrounding The Context Of Professional Development, Alicia Meno

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This inquiry explored one group of teachers' experiences in an innovative professional development opportunity, known as Book Talk, and its implications for understanding and defining professional development. This study further examined professional development and its relationship with the school's organizational structure. A qualitative, teacher research methodology, with a phenomenological orientation framed this inquiry Book Talk was a site-based, teacher-directed initiative designed to break isolation and develop collegiality among teachers. The Book Talk model of professional development promoted a collaborative environment, in which teachers developed trust to share and work together to inquire about children's literature. The participating teachers recognized that …

Factors Correlating With Teachers' Use Of Computers In The Classroom, Samia A. Wahab

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This study examined several factors relating to the use of computers in the classroom by teachers. The factors examined in this study included teacher attitudes, emotions, beliefs and outside influences. This was done by a review of past studies, administering two surveys (demographics questionnaire and Computer Attitude Scale) and analyzing the survey data. Questionnaires were distributed to faculty at five randomly selected schools in the Chicagoland area participating in the study. Data from the surveys were then examined by principle components analysis, multiple correlation and multiple regression analyses to determine which factors correlate with teacher computer use in the classroom. …

Attributes Of An Exemplary Curriculum In Entry-Level Undergraduate Athletic Training Education, Aric J. Warren

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Athletic training is an allied health profession that is currently undergoing reform of its educational curriculum standards and requirements for education programs. Despite the improvements in the curricula, initial passing rates on the National Athletic Trainers' Association Board of Certification (NATABOC) examination are consistently low. The purpose of this study was to examine entry-level undergraduate athletic training curricula accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) to determine what elements constitute an exemplary curriculum and to formulate a model of an exemplary curriculum for others to replicate. It was hypothesized that an exemplary curriculum in entry-level …

Emotional Intelligence And Its Relationship With Sales Success, George C. Chipain

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Emotional intelligence is a theoretical framework that organizes and integrates empirical research regarding emotions. Personal selling is the most effective marketing communication vehicle available to organizations because of its ability to adapt to specific customer needs. While two bodies of research have evolved regarding emotional intelligence theory and sales success predictors, little research has been carried out to link these two concepts together. This exploratory study tested a model of emotional intelligence and a measure of sales performance. The participants for the investigation were sales representatives in the personal home products industry. One hundred twenty-eight adult sales professionals completed a …

Repetition Of Retention Practices: Does Retention Improve Academic Achievement?, Brenda Demar-Williams

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

In 1996, the Chicago Board of Education adopted a new promotion policy to address the issue of low academic achievement and to hold schools accountable for the progress of its students. This policy led to many students being retained in grade, some are retained multiple times. Retention was supposed to offer remediation and bring students up to grade level criteria. This has not happened. Thus, the major purpose of this study was to determine if retention had a statistically significant effect on the reading and mathematics achievement scores of third grade students as measured by the Iowa Test of Basic …

Voice, Identity, And Knowledge: Teaching And Learning In An Urban Classroom, Colleen M. Reardon

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the dynamics that impact opportunity for students to share knowledge, and express beliefs, values, and opinions in the context of an eighth grade classroom. A multi-methods approach was used to examine factors that contributed to the enhancement or diminishment of possibilities for student voice. The role of the teacher's voice in this dynamic became an unexpectedly powerful factor in opportunities for students to share their knowledge and ideas. Findings suggested that the ways in which students were encouraged or discouraged from participating impacted their learning and identities. The intricate and fundamental ways in which voice was tied …

Reflection: Its Influence On The Psychological Empowerment Of Non -Management Knowledge Workers In The Software Industry, Leonard V. Cyboran

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the influences of active reflection on the self-perception of empowerment in the workplace. A model integrating reflection and psychological empowerment was developed. The developed model is based on Spreitzer's Model of Psychological Empowerment. The sample consisted of non-management knowledge workers at a software company in the Midwest that placed a high value on the continuous learning of its employees. A pretest, posttest control group design was used. The experimental group kept guided journals of their learning activities for three months. Immediately prior to and following the journaling period, both groups completed Spreitzer's …