Education Commons^™

Institution-Specific Music And Sense Of Belonging Of Undergraduate College Students, Jousha Berthelot

Dissertations

Institution-specific music is any song or piece of music which is performed by a college or university ensemble such as a marching band, basketball pep band, orchestra, or choir and conveys college/university traditions, arouses enthusiasm and emotions, inspires school spirit, and promotes unity within the college community (Studwell, 1995; Studwell & Schueneman, 2013). Places where one can hear institution-specific music are pep rallies, athletic events, and ceremonies such as commencement. Research that has been conducted in the past has focused on those performing in an ensemble setting (Kokotsaki & Hallum, 2007, 2011). This study looked to better understand how hearing …

Mississippi Choices And The Influence Of Career And Technical Education, Charish Rene Pierce

Dissertations

Mississippi counselors serve in a variety of roles in order to meet the needs of all students. The role of the school counselor is to execute efforts to address each student’s academic, personal/social, and career development needs (ASCA, 2005). Middle and high school counselors are often tasked with activities that do not align with national and state standards for school counseling. Thus, these activities generate very little time for activities such as the Choices program and career development.

This study examined the middle and high school counselors’ usage of the Choices program. In addition, the research study explored middle and …

A Qualitative Study Of The Curricula For The Doctor Of Education (Edd) Degree In Higher Education Programs, Rebecca C. Holland

Dissertations

Using the Carnegie Project for the Education Doctorate (CPED) as a model curricular framework, this study sought to determine the structures and functions of well-run and respected non-CPED participating higher education administration EdD curricula. The qualitative approach was used during two iterations of focus groups to learn the professional opinions and knowledge of nine full-time doctorally-prepared faculty members (also serving as administrators) of higher education administration EdD programs across the nation.

Focus group data was interpreted by framing the emerging ideas and relating these ideas to Senge’s (2006) Theory of Learning Organizations (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007). The researcher then compared …

Through The Lens Of Novice Teachers: A Lack Of Administrative Support And Its Influence On Self-Efficacy And Teacher Retention Issues, Pamela Talley

Dissertations

Novice teachers are leaving the profession at an alarming rate. The purpose of this research is to understand the organizational sources that novice teachers perceive as being a lack of administrative support. This phenomenological study explored the perceptions of ten, novice, middle school, and high school teachers, based on their lived experiences, toward the phenomenon of administrative support and how it influenced their career making decisions.

Guided by the theoretical framework of Dr. Victor Vroom’s (1964), expectancy theory, Robert M. House’s, (1971) path-goal leadership theory, Bandura’s (1977) social cognitive and self-efficacy theories, this study set out to investigate how novice …

Local Workforce Development Boards: Alignment With Operational Indicators And Behavioral Characteristics, Sharon Humphreys Johnson

Dissertations

The ability of a region to remain competitively viable is dependent upon attracting new business and retaining existing businesses (Good & Strong, 2015). In many instances, regional growth depends on the workforce and the region’s ability to develop a talent pipeline of existing or accessible workers (Blakely & Leigh, 2010). The passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) increases the expectations of local workforce board leadership. The WIOA vision for Local Workforce Development Boards (LWDB) is to serve as strategic leaders and act as conveners of regional workforce system partners, stakeholders, and businesses to develop new structures for …

An Examination Of The Factors That Influence The Transfer Of Learning Among K-12 Educators Participating In Professional Learning Communities, Charcelor C. Mccullum

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate and identify the factors that either support or inhibit learning transfer among educators within K-12 professional learning communities (PLCs) as well as to obtain a better understanding of how adult education principles relate to teacher learning and job satisfaction within this environment. Although research regarding professional learning for educators within the K-12 setting is available, much of this research is not focused directly on adult education principles and often fails to examine learning transfer. The present study addresses both areas using a two-phase exploratory sequential mixed methods approach to obtain both qualitative …

Classroom Organizational Structure In Fifth Grade Math Classrooms And The Effect On Standardized Test Scores, Dallas Marie Lane

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between the classroom organizational structure and MCT2 test scores of fifth grade math students. The researcher gained insight regarding which structure teachers believe is most beneficial to them and students, and whether or not their belief of classroom organizational structure differs based on the number of years of classroom experience and/or degree held.

The results of this study showed no significant difference in the standardized test scores of students in a self-contained classroom compared to the students in a departmentalized classroom. Though there was no significant difference …

The Influence Of Administrators On Literacy Instruction Through The Promotion And Selection Of Professional Development, Lucy K. Johnston-Josey

Dissertations

Literacy is a key component to success in school and in life. Literacy has been a focus of education since 1965 when President Jimmy Carter announced a “war on poverty.” Since then, history has shown that educators should place an emphasis on literacy within schools. Because literacy is so important, I set out to explore how administrators influence literacy through the promotion and selection of professional development.

Mississippi was chosen as a basis for the study because it falls below the nation in terms of literacy rates on the National Assessment for Educational Progress assessment. Nineteen participants from four school …

Identity Crisis: Understanding How American Males’ Self-Perception And Experiences Impact Their Educational Attainment, Jo Yarketta Hawkins-Jones

Dissertations

If you google African American males, the top results include the following words and phrases: poverty, incarceration, locked out of employment, struggle in the classroom, and high school incompletion. Likewise, research continues to show that disadvantages in education and in African American communities are responsible for many Black males’ poor academic achievement and social outcomes. However, there is one key element missing from majority of the research on Black males, their perspectives.

This dissertation addresses how the personal and educational experiences of low-income African American males, who dropped out of school, influenced their self-perceptions and decision regarding their educational attainment. …

Mississippi’S Teacher Observation Rubric: Administrator Perceptions Of Appropriateness By Grade Level, Danette Irvine Moore

Dissertations

The focus of this study was to measure elementary, middle, and high school administrators’ beliefs regarding the appropriateness of the Mississippi Statewide Teacher Appraisal Rubric domains, as well as their perceptions regarding the Mississippi Statewide Teacher Appraisal Rubric’s overall alignment with the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium standards. This was a quantitative study that investigated whether a statistically significant difference existed between administrators’ beliefs regarding the appropriateness based on their grade level assignment. A 48-statement questionnaire was developed using the current Mississippi Statewide Teacher Appraisal Rubric domains and standards to obtain the quantitative data. A five-point scale ranging from Strongly …

Administrators’ Beliefs Of The Organizational Effectiveness Of The Mississippi Association Of Independent Schools, Anthony Shane Blanton

Dissertations

The Mississippi Association of Independent Schools was born out of the turbulent years of the Civil Rights Era. Plessey v. Ferguson in 1896 had established the doctrine of separate but equal facilities, including schools. While the decision in Brown v. Board of Education, handed down by the Supreme Court in 1954, ruled that no student could be denied admittance to public schools because of race, the state of Mississippi continued to maintain separate schools for Blacks and Whites. Even after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which was designed to end a number of racial inequities, was passed, Mississippi and …

Leadership Competencies For The Community College Department Chairperson, Jason Carl Ross

Dissertations

Published in 2005, the American Association of Community Colleges developed a list of six leadership competencies deemed by stakeholders as essential to a community college leadership position. The six AACC leadership competencies include organizational strategy, resource management, communication, collaboration, community college advocacy, and professionalism, and they have been well researched with upper-level community college leadership, student services personnel, and boards of trustees. This research examined these competencies as they relate to the community college department chairperson.

Often viewed as a path to upper level leadership, the community college chairperson is both a faculty member and administrator, and chairpersons must represent …