Becoming A Learning System That Maximizes The Modes Of Professional Learning: A Change Leadership Plan In A Middle School Setting, Emily Crement

Dissertations

This paper follows a program evaluation conducted at Hamlin Middle School. It begins with the premise that the Modes of Professional Learning function somewhat independently of each other and therefore, Hamlin Middle School fails to function of a learning system. The goal of the research is to establish a set of structures that leverages each of the four modes to their greatest advantage. The methodology is mixed method, utilizing quantitative results from the Illinois 5Essential Survey and qualitative data gathered during focus groups that convened to discuss the survey data. Results suggested that a) a culture of compliance negatively impacts …

What Makes That Autistic Student Tick? Strategies For Classroom Behaviors, Amanda Puleo

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Inclusion of autistic students in mainstream classrooms may make it difficult for teachers to identify and proactively address disruptive behaviors. That is, mainstream teachers may not know how to respond to these specific behaviors and their standard classroom management techniques may not work with autistic students. It will take commitment and hard work to identify strategies to regulate the disruptive behaviors of students with autism. To address this issue, the perspectives of directors and teachers who specialize in autism, as well as mainstream public or private school teachers were obtained through interviews. Three options for action emerged from an analysis …

Modeling Student Enrollment At Etsu Using A Discrete-Time Markov Chain Model, Lohuwa Mamudu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Discrete-time Markov chain models can be used to make future predictions in many important fields including education. Government and educational institutions today are concerned about college enrollment and what impacts the number of students enrolling. One challenge is how to make an accurate prediction about student enrollment so institutions can plan appropriately. In this thesis, we model student enrollment at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) with a discrete-time Markov chain model developed using ETSU student data from Fall 2008 to Spring 2017. In this thesis, we focus on the progression from one level to another within the university system including …

Grit And Academic Performance Of First- And Second-Year Students Majoring In Education, Lindsey N. Williams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Postsecondary student performance has been studied in great detail by higher education systems and their stakeholders in attempts to identify what may contribute to increased rates of retention and degree completion. Research on predictors of postsecondary performance has focused significantly on the relationship between performance and traditional cognitive measures, yet a growing body of literature examines other factors that may play a role, including that of grit, a non-cognitive trait described as a disposition toward perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Moreover, for graduates who enter the workforce in a profession as demanding as teaching, characteristics such as grit have …

Faculty And Staff Knowledge And Perceptions Of African American College Students With Bipolar Disorder Experiences While Attending A Predominantly White Institution, Tiffany Sharell Zachery

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

There are few qualitative studies that document the knowledge and perceptions of faculty and staff about college students that has bipolar disorder. Previous studies of college students with mental health challenges have been found to focus only on a particular race, be outdated, largely quantified (Stein, 2014), or only focused on certain disorders such as: autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, or depression. This qualitative study responded to this gap in the literature by gaining an understanding of university faculty and staff knowledge and perceptions of African American college students with bipolar disorder experiences while attending a Predominantly White Institution, their perceptions …

Sustainable Change In Public School Districts, Angela Cheri Franklin

Education Dissertations

Reform is a reality for many school districts and schools. When faced with reform movements, districts and schools must address both the immediate implementation and the sustainability of the reform. This dissertation study is informed by two theories centered on reform implementation and sustainability: Organizational Learning Theory by Leithwood, Aitken, and Jantzi (2006) and Coburn’s (2003) Theory of Sustainability. Current empirical research in this field identified particular factors that lead to successful implementation of reform and long-term sustainability. A monitoring tool was used to investigate factors such as: vision for reform, decision making, professional development, innovation and change, effectiveness of …

Understanding The Relationship Between Informal Interactional Diversity And Males’ Engagement In The Undergraduate Experience, Amanda Cutchens

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The diversity of the undergraduate student population encourages understanding of others and provides opportunities for students to challenge their assumptions of cultures, political and religious views, values, and personal backgrounds. However, it also creates challenges for academic and student success as faculty and administrators struggle to meet different generational and cultural needs. A broader, more inclusive definition of student success may help meet the needs of a more modern complex institutional student demographic. It may also allow for new avenues of research specifically related to success for Black, Hispanic, and White undergraduate male students, as these students continue to struggle …

Perspectives Of Organizational Change Initiatives And Culture In A University’S Department, Kristen K. Boujos

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The current state of contemporary higher education institutions reveals challenges such as changing enrolment patterns (Association of American Colleges and Universities [AACU], 2002; Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada [AUCC], 2007; Levac & Newman, 2009), greater calls for accountability (AACU, 2002; Usher, 2015) and decreased public funding (AACU, 2002; Charbonneau, 2013; Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations [OCUFA], 2016). In addition to the external challenges of the higher education landscape, institutions are confronted with intersecting organizational issues such as the need for increasing productivity, improving communication processes, and motivating workforces (Jackson, 2010). These challenges require action, which often make …

The Growth Mindset School Community, Christina A. Hild

Theses and Dissertations

Traditional school models perpetuate limited notions of ability. Established in systems designed to label and sort, educators must examine their beliefs about ability and the ways culture and power structures impact expectations and student achievement. By adopting a growth mindset lens and applying distributed leadership to systems within a school, educational leaders can enhance opportunities for all children. The Growth Mindset School Community describes an organization committed to growth and reflective processes intended to monitor thinking and procedures impacting learning and growth. Teacher expectations, feedback, assessment, and grading practices, behavior management, special education, teacher evaluation, and leadership models are all …

Graduate Nursing Student Persistence To Graduation, Tyler C. Dean

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether certain student-entry characteristics collected from an admissions application from one nursing school’s graduate (master’s degree) programs had a statistically significant relationship with student persistence. Specifically, the study determined if the variables sex, age at matriculation, U.S. citizenship, state residency status, most recent schooling year, last statistics course taken and grade, graduate-level program of study, and credit hours identified on the graduate nursing admissions application and school transcripts, had a statistically significant relationship in predicting student persistence to graduation. If a relationship existed, it would contribute to graduate student persistence literature and …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Addressing Leisure In Curriculum For Students With Severe Disabilities, Kara Klepp

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study was designed to examine the perspectives of addressing leisure in curriculum for students with severe disabilities. Quality of life disucssions have shown the importance of considering skills to prepare them for adulthood which includes leisure outcomes. Research has examined many different aspects of transition including vocational education, but limited research has been conducted relating to leisure outcomes. Qualitative data obtained through semi-structured interviews indicated that more research is needed in leisure education including curriculum development and prioritization of skills taught. The participants reflected on their own definitions of leisure, current leisure outcomes, and the types of assessment …

Iep Team Decision Making Process For Accommodations In Bergen County, New Jersey, Steven Pasternak

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The purpose of this study was to explore the decision-making processes of Individual Education Program team members, who are responsible for making accommodation decisions for students with disabilities in the classroom and for state standardized tests. Students with disabilities consistently underperform in achievement compared to their peers throughout Bergen County and nationally. High-stakes testing, accountability incentives, and access to higher education have all led to pressures on administrators, students, and parents, calling into question how accommodations are determined for students with disabilities. School administrators are being held accountable for all their students meeting state standards; therefore, students with disabilities’ underperformance …

Culturally Responsive Educational Leadership: A Qualitative Study Of Indigenous Innovations, Bert Klunder

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study of culturally responsive educational leadership (CREL) explores noteworthy cases of system-wide innovation spanning decades through interviews with seven education professionals active within Indigenous movements and organizations driving Native Hawaiian education and the revitalization of Hawaiian language and culture. The research focus includes the Na Honua Mauli Ola Guidelines (and Pathways) for Culturally Healthy and Responsive Learning Environments, along with the preceding Kumu Honua Mauli Ola Philosophy Statement. Interviewees, all with direct connections to these innovations, illuminate their local and global significance through personal accounts of their development and implementation. The study’s uniquely situated methodology yields rich data …

Re-Thinking Apprenticeship In Art Education, Kelly Nicole Denisson

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Many students face isolation and meaningless experiences in their day-to-day routine in schools. The increasing focus on standardized tests and academic performance reinforces competition and extrinsic rewards for learning. This diminishes opportunities for creative thought, development of communities, and genuine meaningful connection to content, leaving students feeling disconnected to learning and their peers. Art education has long been an outlet in which to collaborate, embrace diversity, and transform throughout the learning process. This study uses the Arita Tradition of Porcelain, its instructional practices, community of practice, and studio classroom environment as a model for apprenticeship in art education. Participant experiences …

A Case Study: Leadership For Parent Involvement, Polly Tennies

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

Educational leaders, looking to make a difference in an outcome era, build partnerships with families to strengthen student performance. In this case study, intentionally cultivating relationships and building capacity for stakeholders falls under the guidance of a parent involvement coordinator (PIC) working in a parent resource room in a school setting. This turn-around school features a PIC collaboratively focused with an elementary school principal. Capacity building practices result in success for parents, teachers, and students. State and Federal initiatives support parent involvement, yet questions remain on how to make parent involvement happen when barriers keep parents away from school. Transformative …

Principals As Partners In Change: Insights On Common Core State Standards Implementation, Brian Lucas

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Since the introduction of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in 2010, the education world has experienced a paradigm shift in the pedagogical expectations of educators, and there have been a decidedly mixed results on the implementation of the new standards. This qualitative study explored the experiences of several school administrators across urban and suburban school settings in their implementation of the CCSS. Set within a practitioner-based framework of Dr. Michael Fullan’s drivers of change, this study examined the common large-scale change implementation strategies that were successful and those that provided the most obstacles to administrators, and identifies specific actions …

Graduate School Alumni Giving: An Identity Salience Model Of Nonprofit Relationship Marketing Success Approach, Joseph Patrick Neary

Theses and Dissertations

Development officers and those who research philanthropic giving frequently explore the factors that motivate donors to give or the demographic variables that enable donating behavior to occur, less often is the concept of identity used as a mediating variable in the study of philanthropic giving. Using the Identity Salience Model of Nonprofit Relationship Marketing Success proposed by Arnett, German, and Hunt (2003) as a theoretical framework, this dissertation explores the understudied giving behaviors of alumni of graduate degree programs at a large, southeastern, Carnegie classified highest research activity, doctoral institution. Using the survey responses from and institutional data for 707 …

Higher Education Distance Advising In The 21st Century: Distance Learning Students' And Advisors' Perceptions, Brooke Lambert Brown

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The intent of this study was to focus on distance learning students’ and advisors’ perceptions of distance advising at a large, public university. Specifically, this study addressed four questions: what were the perceived performance gaps between distance learning students and distance learning advisors practice, how distance learning students’ needs were being satisfied, what tools and technology resources were being incorporated, and how advising needs differed based on college. The Winston and Sandor Academic Advising Inventory (AAI) served as the foundation for this quantitative research. The survey was modified accordingly and sent to two populations: distance learning advisors and distance learning …

An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of The Lived Experiences And Mentoring Relationships Of Black Women Student Affairs Administrators, Tiffany Shawna Wiggins

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Contemporary literature regarding the experiences of Black women in higher education administration is scarce, and that which does exist, often focuses on those who serve in teaching faculty roles, and/or fails to provide a holistic perspective on the lives of those who makeup this group. Utilizing an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach, this qualitative investigation explored the lives of Black women college administrators from their perspective. Grounded in the theoretical framework of Patricia Hill Collins’s Black Feminist Thought, this study aimed to uncover the lived experiences of Black women student affairs administrators as they relate to their professional demands and pursuits …

Indigenous Knowledge Centers (Ikc): Strong Medicine On Higher Education Campuses, Melissa Delikat

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Indigenous Knowledge Centers (IKC) on higher education campuses are unexplored in educational research, but they may be one of the most critical advancements in equality and decolonization efforts. This dissertation presents findings to descriptively introduce IKCs through a shared learning journey that is both culturally safe and relevant. Using Indigenous and qualitative methodologies, this shared learning journey found that IKCs are an Internationalization at Home (IaH) practice that produces Indigenization by bringing awareness to and valuing Indigenous Knowledge and Culture. It offers healing through land connection, honoring Elders, and building respectful relationships. IKCs are Strong Medicine.

Co-Enrolling Students In Math Remediation And College-Level Math In A Community College System, Peter Thomas Anderson

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to conduct a rigorous examination of co-enrollment of students in math remediation and college-level math. A quasi-experimental, posthoc design examined the outcomes and the relationships of two groups of students who participated in a pilot project the goal of which was to assess the co-enrolled model that is designed to provide students with mathematics support. One group of students enrolled in a traditional model of developmental mathematics. The second group of students co-enrolled in developmental and college-level math.

The sample for this study was students (N = 7616) from nine community colleges in …

Measuring The Longitudinal Communication Growth Of Learners Who Are Deafblind, Kristi M. Probst

Theses and Dissertations

The field of deafblind (DB) education has a long and rich history which includes a lack of qualified personnel to meet the needs of the population of learners. In addition, the literature base is small, lacking evidence for effective practices or methods of assessing and tracking growth with these learners. The ability to adequately track student growth is key when IEP teams are making educational decisions. Therefore, it is important to investigate the longitudinal growth of learners who are DB and the possible effects of service provision (number, type, and intensity) on communication growth. This research began the process of …

Distributive Leadership’S Relationship To Teacher Self-Efficacy: An Ecological Model, Mary Dawson Jacques

All Theses And Dissertations

This ecological study identifies and tests research based constructs of distributive leadership and teacher self-efficacy on the 2012 and 2014 TELL survey using ecological methodology. This includes a confirmatory factor analysis of survey items that best measure distributive leadership and teacher self-efficacy. The overall population mean for participants who agreed or strongly agreed with the survey items was calculated and analyzed. The research focuses on a microsystem analysis, but includes a reflection on the exosystem and an analysis of variance with the macrosystem.

Analyses revealed three major findings. First by calculating the overall population mean of participants who agreed or …

Understanding Experiences Of Gratitude In Elementary Teachers: Implications For School Leaders, Joseph D. Mcdonough

All Theses And Dissertations

The science of gratitude is a fairly recent phenomenon, emerging out of positive psychology. The basic premise of the field is that cultivating a positive perspective and focusing on what one can be grateful for has positive outcomes in life. The benefits discovered include increases in subjective well-being and life satisfaction, better interpersonal relationships, and increases in pro-social behavior. In the school setting, research has found that developing gratitude can increase adolescents’ level of satisfaction with school experience and academic attainment. The purpose of this phenomenological study is develop a deeper understanding of how elementary teachers experience gratitude. By learning …

“Just Get It Done”: How The New York City High School Admissions Process Is Re-Defining The Work & Identities Of Professionals In Screened High School-Programs, Heather Rippeteau

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The implementation of the high school admissions process in the New York City Public schools, has re-defined the work and identities of professionals working the screened high school-programs. This study uses descriptive statistics culled from the Directory of New York City High Schools for 2007 and 2017, and interviews with school personnel from three screened school-programs, to review the impact of the implementation of this process during its first full decade in existence. These data establish the fact that screened school-programs are experiencing the phenomenon of marketization by way of their admissions process. Further, the implementation of this process generates …

Examining School Leadership In New York City Community Schools, Stacey Campo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The community school model is rooted in John Dewey’s (1902) conceptualization of the public school as a hub for the community. The model has recently been identified as part of New York City’s school turnaround strategy and continues to gain prominence nationally, because of this, it is essential to identify the key components of an excelling leadership partnership. This dissertation describes findings and recommendations from interviews with principals and community school directors in ten New York City community schools. These interviews were triangulated with analysis of the New York City school environment survey utilizing both faculty and parent responses. This …

Walking As Ontological Shifter: Thoughts In The Key Of Life, Bibi (Silvina) Calderaro

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

With walking as ontological shifter I pursue an alternative to the dominant modernist episteme that offers either/or onto-epistemologies of opposition and their reifying engagements. I propose this type of walking is an intentional turning towards a set of radical positions that, as integrative aesthetic and therapeutic practice, brings multiplicity and synchronicity to experience and being in an expanded sociality. This practice facilitates the conditions of possibility for recurring points of contact between the interiority perceived as ‘body’ and the exteriority perceived as ‘world.’ While making evident the self’s at once incoherence with it-self, it opens to a space beyond the …

The Relationship Between Extracurricular Activities And Academic Achievement, Robert Freeman

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between extracurricular activity participation and academic achievement as measured by the composite score on the American College Test (ACT) and cumulative grade point average (GPA) throughout a student’s attendance in high school. Specifically, this study examined student participants and nonparticipants in extracurricular activities and their academic performance in one Midwestern suburban high school district. Archival data were collected on the 2009 senior classes from two consenting high schools within the district. Gender, race, ACT scores, GPA, lunch status, and extracurricular activities were collected from both schools. …

Exploring Teacher Candidates’ Civic Efficacy Through Civic Engagement And Critical Literacy In A Literacy Methods Course, Dana M. Karraker

Theses and Dissertations

Public school spaces play a large role in developing people’s understandings of civic knowledge and responsibility. Teachers, administrators, and policy-makers design school curriculum to reflect the types of citizens they believe a society needs, and thus, determines approaches to teaching and curriculum development (Labaree, 1997). This action research study examined the civic efficacy and critical literacy understandings of seven elementary education teacher candidates enrolled in a content area literacy course. The course and the study were designed using a critical literacy and civic efficacy framework as literacy practices are closely connected to the ways in which people are able to …

Discovering The Leader Within: An Autoethnophenomenographic Study Of Mindfulness In Educational Leadership, Alyssa Fraser

Educational Studies Dissertations

This qualitative study combined autoethnographic and phenomenological methods to examine a researcher-leader’s attempt to cultivate cognitive, relational, and emotional capacities through regular mindfulness practice, and how the cultivation of such capacities aligns with the enactment of leadership. The interrogation of lived experience and self-analysis was entered with the intention to better understand the promise of mindfulness as a resource for the development of educational leaders. This study explored the perceived connections between mindfulness practice and the enactment of educational leadership by examining internal and external perspectives of an individual leader’s practice. Methods of self-observation, including both interval and occurrence recording …