Education Commons^™

The Walled Fortress: An Autoethnography Of An International Student Who Became An Esl Educator, Elizabeth Ann Corah-Hopkins

Wayne State University Dissertations

Through autoethnographic research, I conduct an intimate investigation into my experience as a sojourner college student in West Germany to see how my emotive response to that experience and its associated sense of self work to generate a deeper and more empathetic understanding of my role as an English as a second language (ESL) professional. I employ a layered account whereby I weave personal narrative, poetry, and sketching into academic writing so as to reach the emotive core of the research. I explore complex discriminatory relations in the classroom and beyond and learn how I as an ESL professional have …

Predictors Of School Administrator Responses In Bullying Situations: Implications For Bullying Prevention Programs, Aguib Diop

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate school administrators' responses to bullying situations and explore variables that predict their responses. Elementary, middle and high school administrators (n = 126) from school districts throughout Michigan participated in the study. Data were collected during the 2013-2014 school year.

Differences between beliefs about the causes of victimization were found in that school administrators were less likely to endorse normative beliefs about the causes of victimization than assertive or avoidant beliefs. School administrators were more likely to endorse assertive beliefs for girls than for boys. Empathy towards victims, perceived seriousness of the bullying …

A Designed Research Study Examining The Impact Of Using A Motivational Model For Mastering The Crash Cart, Debra Amaro

Wayne State University Dissertations

Abstract

This research study examined the effects of strategically designed crash cart training using Keller's motivational design model ARCS (Keller, 2010) for novice nurses. The purpose of this mixed methods design-based research study was to determine the motivational levels of novice/beginner nurses in the work environment and seek out whether or not motivational designed instruction for the crash cart will significantly impact their mastery of the crash cart. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected within iterations of the study to determine the motivational levels of novice nurses pertaining to crash cart training. Motivational levels were determined utilizing Keller's (2010), "Course …

An Exploration Of Emotional Intelligence And Its Relationship To Higher Education Effective Leadership Practices Of Leaders In A Community College Environment, Vicki Golden

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

AN EXPLORATION OF EMOTIVIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO HIGHER EDUCATION EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF LEADERS IN A COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENVIRONMENT

By

VICKI A. GOLDEN

November, 2014

Advisor: Dr. Ingrid Guerra-Lopez

Major: Performance Improvement

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Emotional intelligence (EI) has been shown to directly relate to the enhancement of successful leadership attributes (Giesecke, 2008a, 2008b; Goleman, 2011a; Kruml & Yockey, 2010; Nadler, 2011; Riggio, 2010) and effective leaders have been found to possess significant degrees of EI in business settings (Lykins, 2011; Allen, Shankman, & Miguel, 2012; Rehman, 2011)). Although the positive effects of EI on leadership …

Technologically-Mediated Writing In The First Year Writing Classroom: Twitter And Immediate Writing, Jason Kahler

Wayne State University Dissertations

A series of assignments in First Year Writing classes at Saginaw Valley State University utilizes social media to address issues of kairos in student writing experiences. The term "immediate writing" is applied to these writing activities which require students to produce polished writing in a specific moment, a different objective than commonly-used impromptu or freewriting. Included are considerations of technologically-mediated writing and the artifacts used to generate it.

Employment Experiences Of Black And White Veterans With Service-Connected Disabilities, Sharon Yvonne Murphy

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCES OF BLACK AND WHITE VETERANS WITH SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITIES

by

SHARON YVONNE MURPHY

May 2014

Advisor: Dr. Khari Brown

Major: Sociology

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

The study examined the association between race and employment experiences among Veterans with disability to determine if employment experience differed for White and Black Veterans in the labor market. The research revealed typical characteristics of employment experiences, which suggest that work is completed at multiple levels, based on multiple factors and it is shaped by maintenance of historical discrimination and challenges, demographic and socioeconomic factors often beyond the control of the minority Veteran. …

Role & Constructivist Competencies Of An Online Instructor: Elements Of An Online Course, Marsha Linette Parker

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

ROLE AND CONSTRUCTIVIST COMPETENCIES FOR ONLINE INSTRUCTORS: ELEMENTS OF AN ONLINE COURSE

by

MARSHA L. PARKER

May 2014

Advisor: Dr. Ingrid Guerra-Lopez

Major: Instructional Technology

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Distance learning programs in higher education are evolving into the preferred model for how we educate learners in the 21st century. The traditional role of an instructor was focused on creating an effective learning environment based in a physical classroom setting. In this decade, institutions are educating and training online instructors to a virtual online asynchronous learning environment. Online programs based in higher education, specifically those focused …

The Relationship Between The Level Of Acculturation In American (English-Speaking) Culture And Language Proficiency In Arabic Among Adolescents, Ahmed B. Elsayed

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE LEVEL OF ACCULTURATION IN AMERICAN (ENGLISH-SPEAKING) CULTURE AND LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY IN ARABIC AMONG ADOLESCENTS

by

AHMED ELSAYED

August 2014

Advisor: Dr. Sharon Elliott

Major: Curriculum and Instruction

Degree: Doctor of Education

The purpose of this study is to describe the relationship between acculturation and Arabic language skills in Arab American youth in a community center setting. Seventy Arabic speaking students at the age of 13 through 17 in a Midwestern state were selected on a non-random sampling basis to participate in this study. Three main measures were used to collect data: (1) Student Demographic Survey, …

The Role Of Reflection In Expert Teacher Instruction, Elizabeth Ann Gross

Wayne State University Dissertations

Teachers in K-12 education have a difficult and sometimes chaotic work life. However, the experts in the field make difference in the lives of the students they teach. These effects are seen even years after the course has ended. Quality teaching has been shown to affect employability and even wage attainment for students. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to find ways to view the role reflection plays in the practice of expert teachers and to enter the world of an expert teacher through their description and narrative of how they go about their practice. High School mathematics …

The Effects Of Applying Authentic Learning Strategies To Develop Computational Thinking Skills In Computer Literacy Students, Wendye Dianne Mingo

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study attempts to determine if authentic learning strategies can be used to acquire knowledge of and increase motivation for computational thinking. Over 600 students enrolled in a computer literacy course participated in this study which involved completing a pretest, posttest and motivation survey. The students were divided into an experimental and control group based on class meeting day. The experimental group was given access to an authentic learning tool called COTHAULE. COTHAULE, which is an acronym that stands for Computational Thinking Authentic Learning Environment, is a website that was developed using a variety of technologies. The intellection behind COTHAULE …

A Model For Designing Instructional Narratives For Adult Learners: Connecting The Dots, Debra Mary Smith

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

A MODEL FOR DESIGNING INSTRUCTIONAL NARRATIVES:

CONNECTING THE DOTS

by

DEBRA M. SMITH

May 2013

Advisor: Ingrid Guerra-López, Ph.D.

Major: Instructional Technology

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

The purpose of this study was to develop a research-based model for designing and deploying instructional narratives based on principles derived from narrative theory, development theory, communication theory, learning theory and instructional design theory to enable adult learning and retention and the effective transfer of that retained learning to practice (performance contexts). Findings from these five areas were used to identify elements to inform the development of a model for the design and …

Factors That Are Associated With Workkeys® Assessment Scores Of Inmates In Michigan Department Of Correction's Community And Employment Readiness Training Program And Michigan State Industries Program, Pamela S. Jackson

Wayne State University Dissertations

Inmates face challenges in obtaining employment once they leave prison because many are undereducated and lack work skills. This study examined demographic and criminogenic variables of inmates in Michigan Department of Correction's (MDOC) Community and Employment Readiness Training (CERT) and Michigan State Industries (MSI) programs that were associated with their scores obtained on the WorkKeys® assessment test. MDOC uses the WorkKeys® to assess the gaps between inmates' current job readiness skill level and skills needed for various types of jobs upon release. There is no published literature comparing MDOC's Community and Employment Readiness Training (CERT) and Michigan State Industries (MSI) …

Practice As Pedagogy: Learning Through Participation In The Caribexams Online Community Of Practice, Kathy-Ann Daniel-Gittens

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop community redesign strategies to support community members' participation in the CaribExams online Community of Practice and to investigate the impact of these strategies on members' participation levels and trajectories.

CaribExams online community was developed to assist out-of-school learners who were preparing to sit for the Caribbean Examinations Council's regional English exam. The redesign project was developed to address an ongoing problem of low participation by members in the online community. A second purpose of the study was to investigate and empirically validate theoretically grounded design principles based on social practice learning theory …

An Empirical Examination And Metaevaluation Of The Impact Evaluation Process, Anne Maechling Blake

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation empirically examines the Guerra-Lopez (2007a) Impact Evaluation Process (IEP), which is a prescriptive program evaluation model. Since there is no generally accepted process for arriving at final judgments about the usefulness, appropriateness, effectiveness, reliability, and validity of evaluation models, this study used a combination of approaches to begin to build a body of evidence about the effectiveness of the IEP. Primarily, the study used Stufflebeam's (2011) recently revised Program Evaluations Metaevaluation Checklist to examine the model. The Checklist is based on the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation's (2010) Program Evaluation Standards. Fitzpatrick, Sanders, & Worthen (2011) …

The Rigor/Relevance Framework©:Its Relationship To K-12 Student Achievement On Statewide Tests, Catherine Colagross Willoughby

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

THE RIGOR/RELEVANCE FRAMEWORK©:ITS RELATIONSHIP TO K-12 STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT ON STATEWIDE TESTS

by

CATHERINE COLAGROSS WILLOUGHBY

December, 2012

Advisor: Dr. Ingrid Guerra-Lopez

Major: Instructional Technology

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

This study generated empirical evidence about the characteristics of effective professional development for K-12 teachers and explored the relationship between professional development and student achievement. This study provided evidence about whether characteristics found in past studies could also be found in the Rigor/Relevance Framework, a teaching model, used for the purpose of improving student learning through activities which are rigorous and have relevance in students' lives.

In order to fully understand …

Remembering Thespis: How Former Student Actors Value Their Experiences In High School Plays, Michael Edgar Butterworth

Wayne State University Dissertations

The high school play is an iconic pastime in many schools across the United States. Historically, educators, and scholars often characterize the school play as a performance of a script by an established playwright presented in a school in a manner that replicates the standards of professional theatre. Current scholars and educators discuss the school play as the latter part of a continuum that runs from informal dramatic play to formal presentation in front of an audience. Although scholarship in theatre education regularly discusses the school play as one of the most prevalent forms of theatre education, scholarly studies of …

Supporting The Growth Of Principals As Instructional Leaders: An Interpretive Study About The New Work Of School Leaders, Jeffrey Thomas Hillman

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study explored the emerging context of elementary school principals as they engaged in the work of Instructional Leadership. Naturalistic Inquiry was adopted as a methodological framework to explore the unique perspectives and understandings of participants. Focus Group activities, surveys, small group interviews, and recursive ethnographic interviews were used to capture rich and descriptive representations of principal understandings. Research questions explored the experiences and conditions that participants identified as essential for their growth as Instructional Leaders. The concept of paradigm and the implications of system structures and hierarchies was investigated as it relates to the supporting conditions necessary for principal …

Effect Of Personalized Instruction On The Achievement Of Solving Mathematical Word Problems, Danica Vukmirovic

Wayne State University Dissertations

Graduation rates are negatively affected by college learners' inability to demonstrate proficiency in mathematics. The purpose of this research study was to determine the effect of individual personalized mathematical instruction on the achievement of solving mathematical word problems by undergraduates enrolled in a college mathematics course. As well, the effect of individual personalized mathematical instruction on undergraduate motivation to solve mathematical word problems was also examined.

The research undertaken was a true experimental post-test only, control group design that took place over three consecutive weeks. Participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group or the control group. The experimental …

Instructional Designers' Perceptions Regarding Preparation For Practice In A Health Care Environment, Nandita S. Mani

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study utilized a multi-case, bounded case, single-site case study research design to examine how well instructional designers perceive themselves able to practice ID in health care industries. Questions central to this study focused on how instructional designers perceive their preparation to practice, usefulness of professional development organizations or affiliations in which they participated while practicing ID, both academic and non-academic curricula, and utilization of ID practices when designing and developing ID projects in health care environments.

The site selected for this study was a teaching hospital in Southeast Metropolitan Detroit, Michigan. Sampling size was limited to five instructional designers …

A Qualitative Study: Integrating Art And Science In The Environment, Deborah Naughton Mills

Wayne State University Dissertations

The study was used to develop an understanding of the nature of a creative learning experience that incorporated the foundational elements of Reggio Emilia, place-based education, and experience design. The study took place in an urban high school with eight students in an advanced placement art class. The qualitative research project revolved around the pollinator garden that the science teacher planted in the year prior to the study and the garden that was planted in the spring. Students were asked to create an art project that could withstand the Michigan climate. The science teacher lectured on elements of the pollinator …

An Examination Of Midwest Community College Presidents' Leadership Styles, Marvin Jones Jacobs

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study examined the leadership styles of community college presidents and chancellors in the Midwestern part of the United States on leadership styles they embraced based on their personal characteristics, age, gender, education and experience in higher education, location, and other prevailing personal characteristics. The three leadership styles measured in the study were transformational, transactional and passive avoidant. Three research questions were posed for the study. A total of 176 presidents in five states were sent surveys. Of this number, 82 (46.6%) completed and returned the MLQ questionnaire and the investigator-developed demographic survey. Survey findings suggested participating presidents appeared to …

An Examination Of The Impact Of Early Retirement Incentives On School District Financial Health, Michael Jon Dean

Wayne State University Dissertations

The combination of state controlled school funding in Michigan, rising employee costs and shrinking school enrollments have caused school districts to seek a variety of cost control measures. One of the measures frequently supported by both school districts and employee unions is the use of Early Retirement Incentives (ERI) to incentivize teachers to separate from the school district via a cash payment.

The purpose of this study was to analyze how offering or not-offering an ERI impacted on the financial health of a school districts in the State of Michigan. Selected school districts in Michigan were surveyed regarding any ERI's …

Estimating The Efficiency Of Michigan's Rural And Urban Public School Districts, Rita Ann Maranowski

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study examined student achievement in Michigan public school districts to determine if rural school districts are demonstrating greater financial efficiency by producing higher levels of student achievement than school districts in other geographic locations with similar socioeconomics. Three models were developed using multiple regression analysis of student achievement for high school graduation rates and student proficiency rates for eleventh grade students in mathematics and English language arts as reported from the Michigan Merit Examination results. These models compared student achievement by geographic location which included a selection of 10 independent variables and a sample size of 496 Michigan public …

African-Centered Education In Middle Schools: The Decision-Making Process In A Parental Engagement Model, Latrice Nichol Hicks

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

AFRICAN-CENTERED EDUCATION IN MIDDLE SCHOOLS: THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS IN A PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT MODEL

by

LATRICE N. HICKS DUNN

May 2012

Advisor: Dr. David Whitin

Major: Curriculum and Instruction

Degree: Doctor of Education

The ways in which key stakeholders influencing decision-making processes in African-centered schools in urban areas are qualitatively different from that of parental involvement in mainstream schools; these perceived differences influence decision-making in various ways. The purpose of this research is to investigate ways in which parents, teachers and administrators of African American middle-school student's talk about the decision-making aspect of parental engagement in African-centered school settings. Parental …

Use Of Visual Representations And Drawings In Writing For Arabic High School English Language Learners, Iman Ali Ismail

Wayne State University Dissertations

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Competencies Of Expert Web-Based Instruction Designers, Yonghui Chen

Wayne State University Dissertations

Web-based instruction has been increasingly accepted in education, business and industry, military and government, healthcare and other sectors as a dominant means to deliver instruction beyond time and geographical constraints. However, the overall quality of WBI courses or programs remains a concern. The reasons for the ineffectiveness can be many, of which is the lack of sufficient competencies and skills in existing professionals. This study attempts to identify the domains, competencies, performance statement for instructional designers in WBI at the expert level. IBSTPI competency model has been used as the conceptual framework, utilizing mixed methods.

As a result, 91 performance …

The Impact Of No Child Left Behind (Nclb) On School Achievement And Accountability, Glenn Maleyko

Wayne State University Dissertations

Spurred by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, virtually every educational reform program now includes an accountability component that requires sound data collection and reporting (NCLB, 2002, section 101). Drawing from empirically based and theoretical literature in the field, this dissertation examines Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and the accountability provisions found in Title One of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) reform. States have the ability to statistically manipulate their AYP implementation, which may give a false impression to the public that AYP is a consistent measure of school effectiveness across the country. The literature review (which was …

The Impact Of Spirituality On The Self-Reported Recovery Of Adults Who Experienced Childhood Trauma, Chijioke Alphonsus Chigbo

Wayne State University Dissertations

Objective: To examine whether adults who had experienced childhood trauma, and who had a higher sense of personal meaning or spirituality, would have improved mental health and lower trauma symptoms such as depression, lower self-esteem, anxiety, dissociative disabilities, PTSD, and the like.

Method: 115 participants were randomly selected from five mental health centers in the southeast of the State of Michigan of the United States. Each participant had an experience of one or multiple childhood abuses, namely: physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal/emotional abuse, child neglect or cumulative trauma. They had also been to treatment, and were between 18 and 60 …

A Higher Education Case: Millennial Experience Toward Learning Through A Virtual World Designed As An Authentic Learning Environment, Marija Franetovic

Wayne State University Dissertations

Current educational initiatives encourage the use of authentic learning environments to realistically prepare students for jobs in a constantly changing world. Many students of the Millennial generation may be social media savvy. However, what can be said about learning conditions and student readiness for active, reflective and collaborative learning and media literacy within their discipline? Virtual worlds such as Second Life (SL) represent future hybridized work environments which can support authentic learning. With their immersive and interaction affordances, virtual worlds may be designed to incorporate real-world team projects for both online and blended courses.

This qualitative single embedded case study …

Making Mathematics Matter: Professional Development Improving Outcomes In High-Poverty Environments, Carolyn A. Siebers

Wayne State University Dissertations

This research study is a mixed – methods quantitative and qualitative study that analyzed data from an intensive, long – term professional development project named, " Project : Making Mathematics Matter. (PM³) " carried out in two low – performing, high – poverty districts. Two of the districts served as treatment districts and ALL teachers (general education, special education, ELL) who taught mathematics to students in grades 4-8 participated in a four-year PM³ mathematical intervention.

Three elements identified in the research as effective components in mathematics professional development served as foundational for this project. They were: teachers …