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Full-Text Articles in Education

Human And Sex Trafficking: A Quantitative Examination Of The Knowledge And Awareness Of The College-Aged Population, Margaret Caroline Weiker Sep 2024

Human And Sex Trafficking: A Quantitative Examination Of The Knowledge And Awareness Of The College-Aged Population, Margaret Caroline Weiker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

It is crucial for the public and more specifically those who are a part of vulnerable populations to understand the dangers of both human and sex trafficking. One sub-group of vulnerable populations that are likely to encounter a trafficking situation are college students, as many of these students are unaware of trafficking’s prevalence. While there have been studies of specific populations with prior specialized knowledge, there is little information on the knowledge, perceptions, and awareness levels of the general college-aged population. This study will be quantitatively structured into a two-part survey, seeking to collect data from a sample size of …


A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of Factors That Contribute To First-Generation Minority College Students' Motivation In Bachelor's Degree Attainment, Garry Anthony Mebane Aug 2024

A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of Factors That Contribute To First-Generation Minority College Students' Motivation In Bachelor's Degree Attainment, Garry Anthony Mebane

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences that motivated and contributed to first-generation minority college student success (FGMCSS) at a university in the southeastern United States. This study involved 12 first-generation minority college students (FGMCS) enrolled in an undergraduate degree program. Bandura's social cognitive theory guided this research, which explains that the human learning process develops through social context. Research questions emerged from understanding the problem and purpose statements. The question guiding this research was: What are the experiences that motivate and contribute to FGMCS success at a university in the southeastern United States? …


Understanding The Silos Of Assessment, Strategic Planning, Institutional Effectiveness, And Their Relationships To Accreditation, Dana Marie Juenemann Aug 2024

Understanding The Silos Of Assessment, Strategic Planning, Institutional Effectiveness, And Their Relationships To Accreditation, Dana Marie Juenemann

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to understand how collaboration, or lack of collaboration between community college-level silos, affected the process of accreditation as conducted by the Higher Learning Commission. The theory that guided this study is Smith’s theory of seven silos of higher education, as it explains the relationships between the areas of assessment, strategic planning, institutional effectiveness, and their impact on accreditation. This study sought to discover how collaboration and communication between administration, faculty, and staff, as well as between the silos of assessment, strategic planning, and institutional effectiveness, affected accreditation efforts at Moses Community College. The …


A Qualitative Study Exploring Preservice Educators' Mindsets Regarding Training In Identifying Pre-Violence Indicator Patterns, Aaron Glenn Walp Aug 2024

A Qualitative Study Exploring Preservice Educators' Mindsets Regarding Training In Identifying Pre-Violence Indicator Patterns, Aaron Glenn Walp

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutical phenomenological study was to understand the mindsets of preservice educators regarding mandatory training in pre-violence indicator patterns at XYZ University. Pre-violence indicator patterns are defined as behaviors symptomatic of violent or aggressive behavior. The theory guiding this study was Dweck’s implicit theory of intelligence. The central research question was: What is the mindset of preservice educators regarding mandatory training in pre-violence indicator patterns? Qualitative hermeneutical phenomenological methods were used to study the beliefs of 12 preservice educators through a questionnaire, individual interviews, and a group discussion. The data were examined through line-by-line coding and …


Predicting Educator Perceptions Of Tennessee's Teacher Evaluation System: The Role Of Teacher Gender, Years Of Experience, And School Level Taught, Leonida T. Bell Jul 2024

Predicting Educator Perceptions Of Tennessee's Teacher Evaluation System: The Role Of Teacher Gender, Years Of Experience, And School Level Taught, Leonida T. Bell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative, correlational study aims to determine if a predictive relationship exists between teacher perceptions of Tennessee's teacher evaluation and the linear combination of teacher gender, years of experience, and school-level taught (elementary, middle, high). Although teachers have recognized the current teacher evaluation system, many educators expressed concerns about it. This study is vital in determining teachers' perceptions of the evaluation system. Participants of this study included a sample of 108 certified elementary, middle, and high school teachers from one of the public school districts in southwestern Tennessee. Data were collected via an anonymous, self-paced online survey utilizing a modified …


Predicting Performance On A Social Studies Assessment: A Correlational Study, David G. Hamilton Jun 2024

Predicting Performance On A Social Studies Assessment: A Correlational Study, David G. Hamilton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study seeks to determine the predictive relationship between the performance on a middle school Civics practice assessment and performance on the State of Florida Civics assessment. In the current public-school environment across the United States, using high-stakes assessments to measure student performance is the norm. This quantitative correlation study strives to determine if locally developed benchmark assessments accurately predict student achievement on school high-stakes social studies state-mandated assessments. Using post hoc data from 355 middle school students ranging from 12 to 14 years old from a suburban Central Florida charter school who were administered a computer-based Civics practice end-of-course …


A Case Study Of Early Childhood Educators' Self-Determination In Implementing Social Emotional Learning Pedagogy, Ingrid Brouwer May 2024

A Case Study Of Early Childhood Educators' Self-Determination In Implementing Social Emotional Learning Pedagogy, Ingrid Brouwer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this single common case study will be to answer the question, “How does intrinsic motivation and self-determination in the ability to make choices and manage one’s behavior guide the implementation of social-emotional teaching practices into the early childhood classroom?” for the participants at Mount Uinta (pseudonym). The theory guiding this study will be Deci and Ryan’s Self-determination Theory (SDT), as it will validate the three basic psychological needs to strengthen learners’ autonomy, competence, and a sense of positive relatedness in social-emotional learning and teaching. Reaching the goal of implementing intrinsic motivation and professional development (PD) for early …


Improving Student Engagement Despite Lowering Attention Spans In The Classroom, Kaycee Lee Apr 2024

Improving Student Engagement Despite Lowering Attention Spans In The Classroom, Kaycee Lee

Senior Honors Theses

Attention spans have been decreasing throughout society for many years, partially due to the constant increase of technological advances. The average human attention span of eight seconds is particularly concerning to teachers and others in the classroom. It does not seem that the average attention span is ever going to increase, so teachers must implement intentional methods and strategies within their classroom to keep their students’ attention. Physical activities, technology and hands-on supports, small group instruction, shorter lessons, making intentional mistakes, flexible seating, and differentiated instruction are all strategies supported by research to improve student engagement within the classroom. Every …


Tales From The Classroom: A Qualitative Study Of Teacher Experiences With Covid-19, Stephen B. Thompson Apr 2024

Tales From The Classroom: A Qualitative Study Of Teacher Experiences With Covid-19, Stephen B. Thompson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study will be to discover insights into how the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown has caused residual effects on students’ academic, social, and emotional health two years removed from the pandemic. COVID-19 has impacted education from the lockdown that the leaders in the United States mandated. This lockdown removed students from school’s traditional routines, causing them to learn new ways to participate in their education. The method guiding this study is a qualitative phenomenology to focus on the lived experiences of teachers. Using a transcendental approach, the researcher will focus on the depiction of the …


Generational Poverty And Education: Breaking The Cycle Of Ignorance, Leland Jackson Apr 2024

Generational Poverty And Education: Breaking The Cycle Of Ignorance, Leland Jackson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Generational poverty is a problem that is not limited by race, gender, geography, or any other demographic. It is widespread and found in every state and city in the United States. Currently, over 17% of the population of the United States lives in poverty, based on a 2019 study. Of those, the vast majority are at least second-generation poverty dwellers. There seems to be no shortage of opinions on why a person lives below the poverty line, and many are willing to share them with those they know and those living in poverty. It is not unusual for one living …


Exploring Perceptions Of School Climate At The Middle School Level Through The Implementation Of A School-Wide House System: A Case Study, Mallory Graham Mar 2024

Exploring Perceptions Of School Climate At The Middle School Level Through The Implementation Of A School-Wide House System: A Case Study, Mallory Graham

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to explore the perceptions of school climate as influenced by the implementation of a school-wide house system for staff and students. The theories guiding this study were Maslow’s theory of motivation and the theory of self-determination. The central research question for the study considers ways in which stakeholders, faculty, and staff implement a house system with the goal of creating a positive school climate. The intrinsic case study was situated at a middle school in southwest Virginia that had fully implemented a school-wide house system, and the sample consisted of five 8th …


Parameters Of Need For Loved Ones Of Addicts Following Overdose Bereavement, Adrienne Nichole Weiss Jan 2024

Parameters Of Need For Loved Ones Of Addicts Following Overdose Bereavement, Adrienne Nichole Weiss

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research pairs past evaluation of aid for friends and families throughout the life of a loved one suffering opioid addiction and seeks to elicit the potential for further considerations for after-math care in the wake of overdose bereavement. Traumatic grief and secondary trauma in relation to individuals having suffered the loss of a loved one to opioid-related circumstances will be the framework focus to prove the need to engage a forgotten population of people. Considering the vast review of literature engaging the discussion of addiction as well as traumatic grief, this qualitative analysis takes on a newly woven perspective …