Education Commons^™

Interviewing K-12 Education Experts And Elites, Jose Eos Trinidad

Interdisciplinary Studies Faculty Publications

Understanding education experts and elites is crucial in the context of their larger influence on education and the public’s greater skepticism and criticism of their work. This paper distinguishes between traditional and expert/elite interviews (EEIs), and highlights strategies for conducting them. Experts and elites have relatively broader influence, more synthesized but less situated knowledge, more embedded professional networks, and less anonymity than the lay public—and interviews need to adjust to these differences. To do so, researchers should consider strategies for (1) access, (2) trust, (3) preparation for interviews, and (4) asking sensitive and awkward questions in contexts of significant power …

Implementing Effective Tiered Interventions In Secondary Schools: Survey Of School And Support Staff, Paul R. Weldon, Jonathan Heard, Jessica Thompson, Tanya Stephenson

Literacy and Numeracy

An online survey and a series of interviews were focused on students in Years 7 to 9 who lack the foundational literacy and numeracy skills that are required to engage with a secondary curriculum, in schools where most students have these skills. These students are referred to throughout this report as struggling students. The students in scope are likely to struggle to engage in classes without significant differentiation on the part of classroom teachers, and the skill disparity may be so great that differentiating lessons for them is not feasible. The project sought to address 4 questions: What methods and/or …

Main And Regional Campus Assessments Of Applicants To A Rural Physician Leadership Program: A Generalizability Analysis, Terry D. Stratton, Clarence Kreiter, Carol L. Elam

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

While the selection of qualified applicants often relies, in part, on scores generated from a medical school pre-admission interview (MSPI), the growth of regional medical campuses (RMCs) – many with specialized rural tracks, programs, or missions – has challenged schools to accommodate a wider range of stakeholder input. This study examines the reliabilities of main (urban) and regional (rural) campus interviewers’ assessments of applicants to a Rural Physician Leadership Program (RPLP) located in the southeastern United States.

Data from RPLP applicants completing MSPIs on two campuses from 2009-2017 (n = 232) were examined in a generalizability analysis. In two separate …

A Phenomenological Study Of Collaborative Learning: Understanding The Perceptions, Values, And Experiences Of Freshmen Language Arts Students, Teachers, And One Administrator, Sheryl Ackers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to gain a better understanding of collaborative learning through the perceptions of freshmen Language Arts students, teachers, and one administrator. Nine freshmen Language Arts students, four freshman Language Arts teachers, and one administrator participated in the study at Falcons Rise Up (pseudonym) (FRU). FRU is located approximately 45 minutes outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Theories from both Vygotsky (1978) and Bandura (1986) framed the study. Data methods included student, teacher, and administrator semi-structured interviews. Interview questions focused on participants’ perceptions of and experiences with collaborative learning models. Moustakas’s (1994) phenomenological reduction method of data …

National Research On The Postgraduate Student Experience : Case Presentation: Volume 1: First Year Postgraduate Student Experience, Gary Hamlin, Shelley Kinash, Linda Crane, Amy Bannatyne, Madelaine-Marie Judd, Ashley Stark, Bill Eckersley, Helen Partridge, Ken Udas

Higher education research

This is volume one of a set of case studies that explore the postgraduate student experience. The theme of this case study is first year postgraduate student experience and is based on experiences derived from student engagement breakfasts, interviews, and focus groups with 366 people across the stakeholder groups of postgraduate students, educators, and university executives from 26 institutions. The case studies constitute part of the output from the project, Engaging postgraduate students and supporting higher education to enhance the 21st century student experience.

National Research On The Postgraduate Student Experience : Case Presentation : Volume 2 : Postgraduate Student Diversity, Bill Eckersley, Linda Crane, Shelley Kinash, Amy Bannatyne, Gary Hamlin, Helen Partridge, Sarah Richardson, Harry Rolf, Ken Udas

Higher education research

This is volume two of a set of three case studies that explore the postgraduate student experience. The theme of this case study is postgraduate student diversity and is based on experiences derived from student engagement breakfasts, interviews, and focus groups with 366 people across the stakeholder groups of postgraduate students, educators, and university executives from 26 institutions. The case studies constitute part of the output from the project, Engaging postgraduate students and supporting higher education to enhance the 21st century student experience.

Resilience In School, Milka Ndura

Master's Capstone Projects

This study explores the factors that motivate students to perform well in the national examination at their basic primary education level despite the unlikely environment to support this success in Kibera slums, Kenya. In the current situation in Kenya, national examinations are used as a basis of distributing the fewer than students slots in secondary school, despite the different circumstances facing each candidate, passing of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education is still an important factor that determines a child’s eligibility to attend secondary school. Students enrolled in Kenyan primary school system take the same national exams regardless of the …

Teacher Attrition: Why Secondary School Teachers Leave The Profession In Afghanistan, Hassan Aslami

Master's Capstone Projects

This study examines factors influencing teacher attrition in public secondary schools in Kabul, Afghanistan. Substantial increments in the school-age population, the Education for All (EFA) mandate, and a “seven-fold” growth in number of students during the last decade have collectively increased the demand for teachers in Afghanistan; whereas, teachers from the public schools are leaving the teaching profession in large numbers. The lack of teachers poses serious challenges for the education system especially for Ministry of Education.

This exploratory study focuses on the reasons for the departure of both current and former teachers. It also explores and suggests some strategies …

Beyond Pronade: Ngos And The Formal Education Sector In Guatemala, Jacob A. Carter

Master's Capstone Projects

In Guatemala, the Ministry of Education (MoE) is overburdened with challenges;these include the most basic provision of services and support for public schools across the country. In the absence of a capable state presence, countless nongovernmental organizations (NGO) have sprung up to provide, sustain and/or take over basic education services. These NGOs come in all shapes and sizes, with different motivations, from different countries and receiving funding from a variety of national and international sources. The combination of rapidly increasing numbers of NGOs along with minimal state coordination means that the Ministry is unaware of the number of NGOs operating …

An Investigation Of Higher-Order Thinking Skills In Smaller Learning Community Social Studies Classrooms, Christopher Fischer, Linda Bol, Shana Pribesh

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

This study investigated the extent to which higher-order thinking skills are promoted in social studies classes in high schools that are implementing smaller learning communities (SLCs). Data collection in this mixed-methods study included classroom observations and in-depth interviews. Findings indicated that higher-order thinking was rarely promoted in SLC classes. Interview data suggests several factors affecting teaching for higher-order thinking in SLC social studies classrooms. These include: high stakes testing, pacing pressures, teachers' dispositions and training, and teacher autonomy.

Alumni Engaging Students From Under-Served Groups In Southern Appalachia, Mitchell R. Williams, Laura Leatherwood, Laura Byrd, Monica S. Boyd, Kevin Pennington

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

The study explores how alumni can help community colleges in Southern Appalachia to create greater access for people in groups which are traditionally under-served by higher education. Semi-structured interviews conducted with alumni program directors and admissions officers at seven community colleges in the Southern Appalachian Region explore how they use alumni to recruit and retain students from non-dominant groups as well as students from generationally poor families. Examples of "best practices" illustrate ways alumni can help recruit, motivate, and retain students from historically under-served groups.

Civics And Citizenship Education In Schools In Afghanistan, Mohammad Tariq Habibyar

Master's Capstone Projects

This thesis focuses on the status of civics and citizenship education in schools in Afghanistan. My purpose for this study was (a) to understand what is taught about civics education in classrooms, (b) what concepts of civics education are addressed in the national curriculum and the text books, and (c) what role civics education plays in Afghan schools to produce productive citizens. My assumption is that schools have direct impact on civics understanding of the students and how they use their civics knowledge in everyday life. Civics education raises students’ political, governance, and social awareness and informs them about their …

Education Faculty Math Curriculum And In-Service Teachers Needs, Sayed Sarwar Yaqubi

Master's Capstone Projects

This study accomplished as an education master thesis and addresses the following issue- the education faculty math curriculum in Jowzjan University in Afghanistan and the in-service teachers’ needs. I conducted this study on third-year in-service teachers who are studying at the Jowzjan University in Afghanistan. This study was conducted as qualitative study; there were 11 participants from the third-year in-service teachers. The methodology system was interview with participants. Because of the lack of time I did just one time interview with the participants. There were not class observation and group discussion. The finding from this study revealed some important and …

The Pond You Fish In Determines The Fish You Catch: Exploring Strategies For Qualitative Data Collection, Muninder Kaur Ahluwalia, Lisa A. Suzuki, Agnes Kwong Arora, Jacqueline S. Mattis

Department of Counseling Scholarship and Creative Works

Qualitative research has increased in popularity among social scientists. While substantial attention has been given to various methods of qualitative analysis, there is a need to focus on strategies for collecting diverse forms of qualitative data. In this article, the authors discuss four sources of qualitative data: participant observation, interviews, physical data, and electronic data. Although counseling psychology researchers often use interviewing, participant observation and physical and electronic data are also beneficial ways of collecting qualitative data that have been underutilized.

Farming Systems In Southern Mali: How To Improve Small Farmers’ Management Behaviors, Amadou Mamou Kone

Master's Capstone Projects

The study aims at designing a need analysis methodology and a curriculum that deals with the decision making process of small farmers in allocates resources cultural production. The research will be implemented in the Operation H Valley (OHV) and with food crop production. The samples under study concern 33 households 4 different villages.

The focus of study was the actual reactions (behaviors) of farmers in terms of decisions made; actions undertaken and the consequences of the actions with regard to three factors: the input supply system (credit system and extension activities), the market system, and the farmers individual goals and …