Education Commons^™

The Psychometric Properties Of The School Counseling Internship Competency Scale, Melanie Ann Burgess

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Counselor education programs aim to adequately train competent pre-service counselors to fulfill a myriad of roles and responsibilities associated with their specialty area. In accordance with professional organizations, gatekeeping is an ethical responsibility of counselor educators and supervisors to protect the welfare of clients and the health of the counseling profession through ongoing evaluation of pre-service counselors. Presently, no standardized evaluation tool exists to assess school counseling interns comprehensively, attending to school counseling competencies, dispositions, roles, and responsibilities. The purpose of the study is to attend to the gap in literature through the creation and validation of The School Counseling …

The Relationship Between Teacher Accountability Measures And Self-Efficacy, Charisse Ann Kroner

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to critically analyze teacher accountability and evaluation systems that are being utilized nation-wide, to discover how the systems impact teacher self-efficacy. One hundred thirty-two teachers from a large, diverse Wisconsin school district participated in a longitudinal study. The participants completed surveys at two time points (fall and spring) including collective efficacy, teacher self-efficacy, and sources of efficacy measures. A 2 x 2 mixed ANOVA showed no significant interaction between summary year status and changes in teacher self-efficacy. A multiple regression analysis revealed that sources of teacher self-efficacy included in the evaluation system positively predicted teacher self-efficacy …

An Evaluation Of The Effects Of The Search For Education, Elevation, And Knowledge (Seek) Program On Short- And Intermediate-Term Outcomes, Raymond Galinski

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK) program is an educational opportunity program within the City University of New York designed to provide economically and academically disadvantaged students, who otherwise would not have such access, the opportunity to attend college and to succeed once enrolled. However, despite being in existence for a half-century, surprisingly little is known about how the SEEK program contributes to student achievement and success. This study was the first to empirically measure the short- and intermediate-term impacts of this program on student outcomes.

Using propensity scores to match SEEK students to similar non-SEEK students to …

A Corpus-Based Evaluation Of The Common European Framework Vocabulary For French Teaching And Learning, Francoise S. Kusseling

Theses and Dissertations

The CEFR French profiles have been widely used to teach and evaluate language instruction over the past decade. The profiles were specifications of vocabulary that have been largely untested from a corpus-based, empirical perspective. The purpose of this dissertation was to evaluate the CEFR profiles by comparing their content with two sizable contemporary corpora. This study quantified and described the vocabulary overlap and uniqueness across all three of these resources. Four areas of overlap and three areas of uniqueness were analyzed and identified. Slightly over 40% of the lexical content was common to the three resources studied. Additionally, 16.3% was …

Evaluation In Computer-Assisted Language Learning, Benjamin L. Mcmurry

Theses and Dissertations

Evaluation of Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) needs to be scrutinized according to the same standards of evaluation as other professional materials. Evaluation can be divided into two distinct, yet similar, categories: formal (following a prescribed evaluation model) and informal. The aim of this dissertation is two-fold. The first purpose is to benefit the field of CALL by situating CALL evaluation in the context of frameworks used formal evaluation. The second purpose is to discover informal evaluation practices of CALL practitioners. First, with regard to formal evaluation of CALL materials, practices and insights from the field of evaluation would help CALL …

An Evaluation Of The Christa Mcauliffe Space Education Center Programs, Shelley Diane Ellington

Theses and Dissertations

Recent calls for better education have many teachers trying out new ways to engage their students and teach them required content. In the current educational atmosphere of accountability, many people are beginning to question the effectiveness and utility of their educational programs. The Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center (CMSEC) is one such program. Key aspects addressed in this study included better understanding the essence of the CMSEC experience, whether it provides any beneficial impact to visitors, and how the CMSEC programs fit into the educational spectrum. An exploratory mixed-method design (utilizing focus groups, interviews, and surveys) was used to explore …

Formative Evaluation Of Three Lds Videos On Teaching Improvement, Danielle Jorgensen Macfarlane

Theses and Dissertations

The Sunday School General Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints launched a new effort in 2010 to improve gospel learning and teaching by producing a series of short video vignettes illustrating teaching principles. This formative evaluation was conducted during the development process to determine how teachers and leaders in the Church might use these videos and the degree to which they feel the videos might be useful in improving their own teaching. Results show that in general the vignettes were well received. The majority of participants rated the videos as relevant to their needs—noting specific successes …

Divided Timed And Continuous Timed Assessment Protocols And Academic Performance, David Perucca

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Children from a low socioeconomic status (SES) are exposed to numerous stress factors that are negatively associated with sustained attention and academic performance. This association suggests that the timed component of lengthy assessments may be unfair for students from such backgrounds, as they may have an inability to sustain attention during lengthy tests. Research has also found academic disparities between gender. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to investigate the relationship between continuous and divided timed tests in terms of student test scores, with additional assessments incorporating gender. Two charter schools from a suburban Idaho school district were the …

Literacy Instruction In Three Preschool Programs: A Multiple Case Study, Cherrie Lovejoy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many preschool students enter kindergarten without the oral language and phonetic awareness skills necessary for academic success. Qualitative research is also limited about the instructional practices preschool teachers use to improve the literacy skills of their students. The purpose of this study was to explore how teachers used developmentally appropriate instructional practices to improve the literacy skills of preschool students. The conceptual framework was based on the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky in relation to language development. A multiple case study research design was used. Participants included 6 teachers from 3 different preschool programs in an urban school district in …

A Phenomenological Study Of Social Science Instructors' Assessment Practices For Online Learning, Cynthia S. Dietrich

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Online learning has revolutionized higher education in the United States. In 2007, there were 3.9 million students taking at least 1 online course. Assessment in online instruction is a new experience for teachers because of the recent advent of online course delivery. Current research on online learning does not address instructor experiences with learning assessments. This gap may contribute to online instructors being inadequately prepared to teach online. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore online instructors' experiences with assessments in their undergraduate social science courses. The study was guided by constructivism as well as theories associated with …

Mortuary Science Programs : Examination Of The External Evaluation Team, D. Elaine Reinhard

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The purpose of this study is to expand the literature on mortuary science accreditation site visit teams. This study used a mixed methodology design to examine: 1) who serves on the American Board of Funeral Service Education accreditation external

Research Experiences For Undergraduates: An Evaluation Of Affective Impact, Brian N. Chantry

Theses and Dissertations

Each year the National Science Foundation (NFS) grants funding for universities in the United States to provide a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) summer program. The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Brigham Young University (BYU) has been a recipient of NSF REU grants for several years. This year the administrators of the REU program at BYU requested an evaluation be conducted to determine if their program was effective at helping participants have a significant research experience, as well as determine the impact the program is having on student's attitudes towards the field of physics, graduate school, and research. This …

Understanding How Evaluators Deal With Multiple Stakeholders, Michelle Elyce Baron

Theses and Dissertations

Although many leaders in evaluation advise evaluators to balance the needs of the client and other stakeholders, very little is known about how or if practicing evaluators address this injunction. Understanding how practicing evaluators address the needs of multiple stakeholders could inform evaluator training. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe what practicing evaluators do when faced with conflicting stakeholder values. This study invited five evaluators to share their experiences working with multiple stakeholders while reflecting on how they deal with multiple and often conflicting values as they seek to serve the stakeholders. One implication from this study …

High-Stakes Testing And Teacher Burnout In Public High School Teachers, Gail Tucker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Demands associated with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 contribute to the risk of teacher burnout; however, the relationship between teacher burnout and specific teaching assignments is unclear. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to investigate if burnout is greater for high-stakes subject area public high school teachers than for low-stakes subject area public high school teachers and to ascertain teachers' perceptions about difficulties associated with teaching a high-stakes subject area. The job demands-resources model and the multidimensional model of burnout provided the theoretical framework. The concurrent mixed methods design included quantitative tests of differences in burnout …

How Does Video Analysis Impact Teacher Reflection-For-Action?, Geoffrey Albert Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Reflective practice is an integral component of a teacher's classroom success (Zeichner, 1996; Valli, 1997). Reflective practice requires a teacher to step back and consider the implications and effects of teaching practices. Research has shown that formal reflection on teaching can lead to improved understanding and practice of pedagogy, classroom management, and professionalism (Grossman, 2003). Several methods have been used over the years to stimulate reflective practice; many of these methods required teachers to use awkward and time-consuming tools with a minimal impact on teaching performance (Rodgers, 2002). This current study analyzes an innovative video-enhanced reflection process focused on improving …

An Evaluation Of Compatibility, Effectiveness, Utility, And Implementation Of Plagiarism-Detection Software Operating In The Honor Code Environment At Brigham Young University, George Louis Joeckel

Theses and Dissertations

Turnitin plagiarism-detection software was operating as a pilot program conducted by the Center for Teaching and Learning in Winter 2007 on the Brigham Young University (BYU) campus. A sample of 6 instructors and 79 student users participated in this evaluation. The evaluation findings show that Turnitin is compatible with the academic honesty environment created by BYU's Honor Code. Turnitin has been effective at detecting intentional and inadvertent plagiarism at BYU. It has also addressed the problem of multiple submissions of the same material. Recommendations are made for promoting Turnitin at the campus and department level. Training tools are proposed for …

An Evaluation Of A Student Response System Used At Brigham Young University, Coral Marie Hanson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project is two fold: (a) to evaluate the technology (hardware and software) of the student response system (SRS) used at Brigham Young University (BYU) and (b) to evaluate which instructional methods being used with the SRS students' feel are most helpful. In the past, the student response systems supported by BYU have not fully met the needs of professors and problems with the systems have limited professors' uses of the SRS. Ten professors were randomly selected to participate in the evaluation using a stratified random sampling technique. The data collection methods consisted of classroom observations, interviews …

Evaluating The Feasibility Of A Performance Improvement Initiative At Byu Broadcasting, Brandon L. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the feasibility of bridging performance gaps in the program stream between BYU Broadcasting's post production and master control environments by implementing a technical infrastructure that supports a file-based workflow. The system that was evaluated was an Apple Xsan running specialized software, called FORK. Performance gaps were identified and a technical evaluation of the system was conducted. Figuring out how the change initiative would affect and be affected by non-technical factors, such as human nature and social and cultural concerns, was integral to the evaluation process. The evaluation concluded that the System was …

An Implementation Of A Drill And Practice System To Assist In The Teaching Of Basic Music Theory, Todd C. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

In order to help a group of introductory-level music students achieve a foundational understanding of music theory, a series of computer-based instructional modules were developed using a system called Technology-Assisted Language Learning (TALL). This system, though primarily intended to be used in developing natural language-based instruction, was designed to be flexible enough to handle a broad range of academic subjects. The design of the instruction was largely accomplished via formative evaluation, where student and expert reviews of prototypes played a significant role. Students reviewed three separate prototypes of the instruction, and experts in instructional design and evaluation were also asked …

Reducing Learning Object Inspection/Evaluation Costs In Instructional Design, Larry Lynn Seawright

Theses and Dissertations

A widely employed instructional design approach, the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation) model, has been one of the most popular and well documented instructional design models (Wilson, Jonassen, and Cole, 1993) for decades. Despite its widespread use, Thiagarajan, a leading instructional technologist, asserts that ADDIE, as an instructional design approach, is comparable to an outdated 1950's manufacturing model (Zemke, 2002). Since the 1950's, manufacturing has evolved, focusing initially on reducing inspection or evaluation costs and later on shifting these cost improvements throughout the organization. Just as manufacturing models and their application have evolved, service operations models such as instructional …

A Latter-Day Saint Perspective On Evaluation, Courtney Miriam Glenn Peck

Theses and Dissertations

Evaluation scholars argue that evaluation as a discipline has traditionally rested on the assumption that knowledge should and can be evaluated objectively. As a result, evaluation has focused too much on techniques and methods, becoming paramountly an objective and technical enterprise that disregards any personal or moral responsibility that evaluators have.

How would a Latter-day Saint perspective of evaluation reframe evaluation as a moral rather than technical enterprise? The doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides powerful insights for evaluation that place moral responsibility in the forefront of evaluation. Knowledge in an LDS perspective is not …

Toward Teacher Competence: Evaluation Of The Beginning Teacher, Blanche M. Harrison

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.