Education Commons^™

Barriers When Implementing A Multi-Tiered System Of Supports, Chelsea R. Norton

All NMU Master's Theses

This mixed-methods study investigated the perceptions educators have during the initial stages of implementing the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) model. A survey and semi-structured interviews were collected to identify if the perceived barriers found in a rural context were consistent with prior research. Quantitative survey data indicated that participants felt confident about their practicing foundational skills of MTSS, and felt MTSS will benefit both staff and students. However, quantitative survey results also indicated a discrete difference in the data between the answers regarding participant confidence, knowledge, and the answers regarding attitude regarding time, resources, and leadership. Qualitative analysis from …

Caregivers’ Understanding Of Early Literature Expectations For Firstborn Children Entering Kindergarten, Kathleen England

All NMU Master's Theses

This qualitative phenomenological research was designed to develop an understanding of caregivers’ understanding of early literacy expectations for their firstborn or only child as they begin their kindergarten schooling. This study consisted of seven participants and six interviews with caregivers that enrolled their children in the Archdiocese of Detroit Catholic Schools in Southeast, MI. With the findings of this study, school administrators and researchers alike may be able to find a deeper understanding in efforts to support their families as they begin their educational careers and establish a solid foundation for further growth and development.

Availability And Perceived Effectiveness Of High School Programs, Services, And Approaches To Address Trauma-Related Outcomes In The Upper Peninsula Of Michigan, Jaime Vanenkevort

All NMU Master's Theses

Twelve administrators at Michigan Upper Peninsula (U.P.) high schools participated in 12 separate structured interviews to identify programs, services, and approaches to address trauma-related outcomes. Participants were three U.P. superintendents, eight principals, and one Intermediate School District (ISD) social worker who described a convergence of factors affecting assessment measures of programs, services, and approaches to address student trauma-related outcomes in U.P. high schools. The interviews addressed the identification of programs, services, and approaches to address trauma-related outcomes at U.P. high schools and the assessment measures in use to evaluate available programs, services, and approaches. A systems theory approach and understanding …

Improving The Rigor Of Online Education: Exploring Characteristics Of Faculty And Syllabi Within An Online Program Assessment Process, Brad J. Hamel

All NMU Master's Theses

As online course enrollments grow, overall perception of rigor still lags compared to that of traditional face-to-face education. The purpose of this research was to tie faculty and syllabi characteristics to the rigor of online courses. This study explored the relationship between faculty and syllabi characteristics and performance on an online entry-level course design quality assurance assessment (pass, pass with concern, or fail). A decision tree analysis was used to predict the relationship of the independent (faculty and syllabi characteristics) and the dependent (entry-level course design assessment) variables. Findings suggest that faculty rank and writing intensive are key characteristics predictive …

Program Evaluation Of The Large Lecture Retention Enhancement Initiative Pilot Program At Northern Michigan University 2012-2015, Kathryn Johnson

All NMU Master's Theses

The Northern Michigan University Large Lecture Retention Enhancement Initiative (LLREI) three-year pilot program ran from Fall 2012 to Winter 2015. The LLREI served 52 sections of courses consisting of 4,336 students over six semesters. Of that total, 1,390 were freshmen targeted for retention. Between 629-882 total students enrolled in participating courses depending on the semester. The three-year pilot program cost approximately $180,000.

The main goal was to reduce the historically high failure and drop rates in large lecture introductory courses by revamping the content with active learning and supporting the courses with push-in style undergraduate teaching assistants. Eighty-eight percent of …

The Understanding Of The Formative Assessment Process By Michigan Educators, Victor Bugni

All NMU Master's Theses

Districts purchase assessments to inform teachers as to what students are learning and at which levels they are performing. Black and Wiliam (1998) told us that educators must understand the importance of feedback and student participation in the formative assessment process to enhance learning. Teachers can engage in formative practices to help close the gap between what students know and the learning objectives. This study used a quantitative survey to collect Michigan educators’ awareness of the use of formative assessment components in their classrooms, their skill for the use of these components, their perception of support for using these components, …

Impacts Of Promoting Family Literacy Knowledge: A Kindergarten Teacher’S Understanding Of How To Continue Promoting Family Literacy, Trish Sippola

All NMU Master's Theses

Learning to read is a complex process in which children have to apply their existing knowledge and experiences in addition to using reading skills such as reading comprehension and decoding abilities. Parents and guardians shape children’s first experiences with literacy. Children’s interactions with others at home create contexts for learning and children’s literacy embedded in everyday life activities. Nineteen kindergarten students and their parents participated in this action research study. Parents were given an open-ended pre and post survey questions about their child and family activities so the researcher could get to know them better. The surveys were a conversation …

Northern Michigan University: A Case Study Of The Perceptions Of Faculty Seeking A Balance Of Teaching, Scholarship And Service, Erica L. Goff Ms.

All NMU Master's Theses

No two institutions are mirror images of each other such that identical descriptions, policies, procedures or needs apply to all. Such an assumption is too simplistic when universities are adequately analyzed. Northern Michigan University is a primarily undergraduate institution in the Midwest region of the United States that sits on the coast of Lake Superior, is the home of the Upper Peninsula Brain Tumor Center, offers unique outdoor resources year-round, and boasts a set of strengths, weaknesses, faculty, policies, benefits and a climate that cannot be replicated. Thus, it is distinctive, but like many other comprehensive universities, fosters a confused …