Education Commons^™

Student Prosocial Behavior In Selected Elementary Classroom, Janet L. Fisher

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of A Developmental Kindergarten And Pre-First Program And Their Effects On Academic And Behavior Outcomes, Amanda R. Reenders

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Professional Learning Communities: Where Does Special Education Fit In?, Jacqueline B. Shipley

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This project will consist of an in-depth review of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and their increasing role in districts and schools across the country. This project will document successes of PLCs and those components of a PLC that are most essential to the success of beginning and maintaining one. It will also look at the barriers that arise in attempting to implement a PLC in a district and/or school, and how best to overcome those barriers. Finally, this project will focus on the implications for special education when formulating and implementing a PLC in a school.

Methodology will consist of …

The Evolution Of Catholic Schools In The Diocese Of Grand Rapids, Michigan: A Case Study, Bernard T. Stanko

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This longitudinal case study examined the origins, growth, and development of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The purpose of this study was to understand how the Catholic schools evolved over time.

Four eras between 1833 and 2005 were investigated and described. Each era corresponds with changes to the physical size of the Diocese of Grand Rapids. These periods also correspond to sociological events that were also occurring. Data on Catholic schools were collected for each era. A conceptual framework was applied that considered the institutional environment in which the schools were founded and the task environment …

Integrating Reading Strategies Into The Science Curriculum, Sarah Gilson

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

A Case Study Of The Use Of Risk Management In Ncaa Compliance At A Division I Institution, Melody Reifel Werner

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Background: Institutions face significant risks related to athletics compliance. While risk assessment has been a standard part of compliance programs outside higher education, it has not been among the tools of NCAA athletics compliance.

Purpose: To (a) identify the methods and steps of using risk assessment in intercollegiate athletics compliance and (b) evaluate the effects of risk assessment on the athletics compliance operation communication and decision making about compliance, interactions with the NCAA, and compliance outcomes.

Research Design: The researched employed a nonexperimental descriptive case study design. Setting: The research site was a Division I institution. The institution was purposively …

Implementation Of Labcreator And The Integration Of Cyberlab, Kang Zhao

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

With the development of the World Wide Web, online courses are becoming more and more popular in modern science education. CyberLab aims to solve an important issue in distance science education -- laboratory experiments in online courses. It is a toolkit that handles creation, exportation, and execution of virtual experiments (within web browsers). It consists of LabCreator and LabExecutor. With LabCreator, instructors can create virtual experiments and export them into intermediate files. Students can download those files from online course websites and execute them in LabExecutor on their own computers.

The paper reports on the completion of two important tasks …

Cultural Resilience--A Currency Of Social Capital: Counteracting Student Marginalization In Two Urban--Suburban High Schools, Marci A. Erby

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative research study began as an exploration of the central qualities of the lived experience of students in two urban-suburban high schools where, as an outcome of rapid demographic change, White students now represent the nontraditional racial minority and Black students represent the racial majority. Semistructured interviews, the primary method of data collection, were conducted with students who had graduated from the high schools under study and with adults who had significant ties to the district. Student informants, in particular, shared high school experiences of marginalization that included silence, rendered invisibility, stereotyping, and bias owing in large part to …

The Effects Of The Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program On Reading Fluency And Comprehension Of At-Risk First-Graders, Andrea R. Van Der Laan

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this research study was to determine the impact of the Lindamood-Bell Phoneme Sequencing Program on phonemic awareness, reading fluency, and comprehension of at-risk first graders in one southwestern Michigan school district.

In the first phase of this research, baseline data in phonemic awareness and fluency scores were collected from two different first-grade classrooms to determine which students would be chosen for the study. The final study included 32 students, 16 from the experimental school and 16 from the control school. Both schools had similar demographic populations. In the second phase of the study, data were collected …

Beliefs About Parenting And How It Affects A Child's Education, Korin Crandall Quinn

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The researcher studied the cultural trends of a group of at-risk mothers who reside within Kent County, the majority of whom live in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The null hypothesis states: Environmental and cultural beliefs do not affect generational parenting beliefs or risk factors within the Kent County and Grand Rapids area. Cultural factors and four areas of the mothers’ lives were studied: (a) number of parents within the household, (b) parental levels of education, (c) socioeconomic status, and (d) occurrence ratio of low birth weight.

Mothers (n=37) responded to questionnaires; 24 were interviewed in person; 13 completed questionnaire forms on …

Socialization Of Undergraduate Engineering Students Into Work-Experienced Organizations And Occupational Roles Through A Cooperative Education Program, Chris Plouff

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated cooperative education as an organizational phenomenon using a qualitative approach. The objectives of this study were to 1) describe the experiences of students entering an organization through a cooperative education program; 2) describe the organizational processes used to introduce students into an organization and occupational roles through a work experience; 3) understand any common patterns or themes associated with these experiences; 4) develop a model or framework that describes the processes used in these settings; and 5) determine activities and processes that will better facilitate the student’s movement from the education to the work environment through a …

Student Achievement As A Function Of Class Size And Pupil-Teacher Ratio, Robert T. Becker

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Background: The degree to which class size is able to produce positive, enduring effects on student achievement has been and continues to be vigorously debated. Comparative studies have clouded the issue with imprecise use of the terms class size (CS) and pupil-teacher ratio (PTR), making it difficult to draw clear conclusions regarding the effects of class size on student achievement.

Purpose: To assess differences, if any, in achievement between students attending classes where the class-size is approximately n = 17 and students attending classes where the class-size is approximately n = 25 and the pupil-teacher ratio is approximately …

The Influence Of Participation In Student Nurse Extern Programs On Nclex-Rn Pass Rates For First-Time Candidates, Joy Turner Washburn

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Background: NCLEX-RN pass rate data for first-time candidates is used as a method to assess the quality of nursing education programs by nursing education accreditation bodies. In several states, the board of nursing uses NCLEX-RN pass rate data to measure the educational effectiveness of nursing programs operating within its’ jurisdiction. Educators and administrators in nursing programs are concerned about NCLEX-RN pass rates for firsttime candidates who are graduates of their nursing programs. Journals for nurse educators and administrators include articles regarding variables affecting success and/or failure on the NCLEX-RN. Most of the identified variables are academic in nature (GPA, ACT/SAT …

Athletics Donors' Preferences For An Athletics Director's Leadership Characteristics And Behaviors, Brian D. Wickstrom

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

NCAA Division-IA intercollegiate athletics has become a big business with equally big expenses. Today’s intercollegiate athletics departments are feeling the state budget cuts, the strain to maximize donor support in order to balance the budget, and the challenge of chasing the ongoing goal of providing the best student athlete experience possible to young men and women across the country. It is absolutely critical today for intercollegiate athletics departments to run successful fundraising campaigns. Leadership has been shown to be one of the most significant factors in the successful development efforts of an intercollegiate athletics department. Research has shown that when …

Senior Women Leaders In Higher Education Overcoming Barriers To Success, Nan-Chi Tiao

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to obtain a deeper understanding of what it takes for women to succeed as cabinet-level higher education administrators. The findings not only offer a wealth of strategies for career success and for overcoming professional and personal challenges, but also shed new light on critical factors that affect women’ experiences at work.

This qualitative, phenomenological study was based primarily on confidential interviews with nine senior women leaders. Two informants are presidents, six are vice presidents, and one serves as a senior executive officer of their universities. Before assuming their current posts, they worked in a …

An Analysis Of Spending Patterns In Dissimilar Revenue School Districts In The State Of Michigan, M. Scott Korpak

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to compare two districts with somewhat similar demographics but with dissimilar revenues to see whether or not additional funding per child resulted in enhanced learning opportunities for students in the higher funded district. In addition, although not a primary function of this study, student achievement was considered as a possible outcome for students who had enhanced learning opportunities.

Because public school funding is determined by policy makers, three public policy questions were the basis for comparing the two districts. The three questions were as follows: (a) Should a child’s zip code determine the …

The "Great Experiment" And The Michigan State Normal School: An Institutional History Analysis, Ronald D. Flowers

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines the historic development of teacher training in the western world and the United States, focusing on the establishment and institutionalization of teacher preparation in the normal schools of the mid-nineteenth century. This study presents the institutional building blocks that formed the foundation of teacher preparation in America.

In addition, this study examines these building blocks as they became manifest in the establishment of the Michigan State Normal School from its founding in 1849 through its transition to a four-year college in 1900.

The Effects Of Multicultural Literature In The Classroom, Maria Boles

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Words Without Color, Shari Simpson

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.