Education Commons^™

Students Engaged In A Learn And Earn Program: Exploring Characteristics That Identify Those Interested In A Career In Manufacturing, Amy M. Koning

Dissertations

The 2008 recession proved to be difficult for the manufacturing industry. As a result, strategies for succession and talent attraction are now important for the resurgence of the industry. The purpose of this study was to describe and interpret how community college students, preparing for entry-level technician positions in manufacturing, experience a “learn and earn” industry and education partnership. For this study, “learn and earn” can be defined as students enrolled full-time in an associate degree program while working at a company that is sponsoring a full ride scholarship for their education.

Past studies have focused on (a) preparing young …

The Federal School Improvement Grant: Telling The Story Through Quantitative Outcomes, Gregg B. Dionne

Dissertations

Student success and the mitigation of achievement gaps has been a focus of the federal government since passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. The federal School Improvement Grant (SIG) is the latest in federal policy inducements to address this.

To tell the story of SIG implementation in one Midwestern state, data was collected from two groups of SIG-eligible schools, one group which received SIG funding and the other group which did not. Data was collected over multiple years and included mathematics and reading outcomes as well as graduation, dropout, and attendance rates. Data was obtained for …

Effectiveness Of Problem-Based Learning Strategies Within Police Training Academies And Correlates With Licensing Exam Outcomes, Cecil R. Queen

Dissertations

The training and education of police officers has recently come into question by many facets of the American general public and the mass media as well. Empirical research into the effects of police academy teaching methods is minimal. This study sought to assess the perceived effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) teaching strategies within police training academies in Michigan and sought to measure the effects of PBL strategies on the MCOLES Police Officer Licensing Examination mean scores in Michigan. A quantitative approach was utilized to compare the Michigan Police Officer Licensing Examination mean test scores between academies that formally adopted Problem-Based …

Assessing The Impact Of Historical Story Telling On Student Learning Of Natural Selection, Janice Marie Fulford

Dissertations

Research suggests that because of its historical nature, the learning of evolutionary biology is problematic compared to that of other science disciplines. While explanations used in historical sciences often employ historical narratives, which are distinct from narratives in other contexts, such as stories, the two types of narratives have structural similarities that suggest the potential role of stories based in the history of science for the teaching of evolutionary biology. Stephen Klassen, a prominent science educator, has studied how stories from the history of physics can promote the learning of and attitudes towards science. Klassen’s pioneering work identifies structural components …

Using Rtp (Responsible Thinking Process) As A Lever For Improving School Culture: A Case Study Of An Alternative Secondary School’S Implementation Of Rtp, Andrew D. Rynberg

Dissertations

There is an urgent need to improve our K-12 system. How to implement and sustain educational change, however, is a challenge facing the K-12 arena. This qualitative case study was intended to examine a six-year educational change initiative in one alternative secondary school. The study helped us gain knowledge on implementing and sustaining educational change by addressing the following three research questions:

1. What were the staff members’ descriptions of disciplinary issues before and after the RTP intervention?

2. Based on staff descriptions, what were the factors associated with the successful implementation of the RTP program?

3. Based on staff …

Student-Teacher Connection, Race, And Relationships To Academic Achievement, Timothy Brian Mabin Jr.

Dissertations

Urban, primarily minority and low-SES students continue to lag behind their suburban white non-low SES counterparts in terms of academic achievement. Some previous research suggests that strong bonds between teachers and students help such students succeed. This study therefore sought to investigate any relationships between student-teacher connection, race, and academic achievement.

Student perceptional data on student-teacher connections (i.e., a teacher caring about them) and student achievement data in the areas of math and reading from 3,359 high school students within a large urban Midwestern school district was examined. In addition, the race/ethnicity of both the students and teachers were examined …