Education Commons^™

Social Learning Online: A Study Examining The Use Of Threaded Discussions, Marlena Bravender

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Colleges and universities are providing access to a broad range of students through online courses. With the increase of enrollment and demand, it is necessary to better comprehend the role and relationship of the tools available within those courses. The primary purpose of this research effort was to explore the factors that affect the overall perceived student sense of community in a threaded discussion aspect of a fully online course delivered at the university level. The researcher investigated compiled through structural equation modeling path analysis with 10 independent variables and perceived sense of community as the single dependent variable. Both …

The Reliability And Validity Of An Admissions Tool In Predicting Academic And Fieldwork Achievement In Occupational Therapy Students, Jeanine Biese

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

In an uncertain economy, many students of higher education are drawn to the security of careers in health care, such as Occupational Therapy (OT). It is important that as admissions committees evaluate an increasing applicant pool they select students who will be successful in the programs and therefore maximize the number of graduates into the professions. Some health care admissions programs look only at the applicant’s grade point average (GPA) and/or results of standardized tests such as the Graduate Records Exam (GRE). There is a gap in the literature in regard to how to select students who have traits linked …

African American Women Superintendents: Their Point Of Exit, Minta Maxine Downing

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Only recently have scholars paid attention to the African American woman superintendent who is an anomaly in this powerful leadership position in public education. Additionally, only a few academicians have asked why talented African American women who successfully obtain the superintendency exit the position so quickly. The primary purpose of this phenomenological focused qualitative study was to identify and document the experiences contributing to the decisions of selected former African American women superintendents to exit, voluntarily or involuntarily, their public school superintendencies and not to seek another one, choosing instead to pursue other positions, either in education or in a …

A Quasi-Experimental Study On Students' Perceptions And Intended Use Of Digital Recording Technology In A College Technology Classroom, Zenia Bahorski

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This quasi-experimental study employed a modified Technology Acceptance Model approach in conjunction with a Perceived Classroom Interaction Model. The study investigated the impact of digital audio recording of college classroom lectures on students' perceptions of interaction levels, usefulness, and use of the digital media.

The study surveyed six introductory computer science and technology classes. Previous computer knowledge was not assumed. The results found no significant differences of students' perceptions of interaction levels in traditional classroom lectures. However, gender was found to have a significant effect on speaking in class when a recorder was present. No significant differences were found when …

The Impact Of Homelessness On Young Children: Building Resilience Through Supportive Early Educational Interventions, Felice Moorman

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study investigates and analyzes the barriers faced by homeless children and their families in southeast Michigan. The experiences of current or formerly homeless families are documented in relation to perceived obstacles and supports in their schools and child care centers through open-ended, semi-structured interviews and ethnographic classroom observations. A small sample of parents, children, teachers, and case workers are interviewed, and nine children are observed in three schools. The analysis of data reveals significant barriers and obstacles for children who experience indifferent and demeaning treatment in their school environments. Conversely, the findings point to significant benefits for homeless …

A Different Perspective On Inclusion, Amy E. Hill

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Nineteen parents and students were interviewed in fifteen different interviews. Participants were asked a series of questions to explore their perspectives on the inclusion of children with disabilities in general education classrooms. Their responses were recorded via tape recorder and written documentation. Parents of children with and without disabilities felt that inclusion is beneficial socially and developmentally to all involved. Students without disabilities do not mind having children with disabilities in their classroom.

Ninth-Grade Interventions And The Impact On High School Graduation Rates, Shannon Mcbrady

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

There is a need to become economically sensible when deciding on new school initiatives and reforms. This is partly due to increasing accountability and tightening school budgets. Hertzog & Morgan (1999) found the freshman year sets the tone for a student‟s entire high school career. Yet, frequently, ninth-graders struggle to feel connected to school and therefore experience failure. Often times this period of failure is related to the developmental process the ninth-grader experiences. Many ninth-graders struggle in various areas including behavioral growth, social pressures, and adjusting to the rigidity of high school (Mizelle & Irvin, 2000). Researchers have found that …

Neoliberal Social Policy In The United States Before Reagan, Lance Mason

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This work examines the role of trade agreements and the Carter administration in promoting neoliberal policy in the United States. Policy-planning groups, with extensive connections to the U.S. government and transnational corporations, such as the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission, played crucial roles in pushing neoliberal policies at the government level. The development of unrestricted trade and the open flow of financial capital across borders have allowed transnational corporations to divorce themselves from the social contract, enabling them to disinvest in public life and to push for further disinvestment on the part of the larger society. Results …

The Impact Of Children’S Literature And Discussion On Attitudes Toward Disability, Christie Routel

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines the impact of reading children’s literature that contains a positive and realistic portrayal of a character with a learning disability on the attitudes of students without disabilities toward their peers with disabilities. Children completed the Attitude Toward Disabled Persons Scale (ADTP) before and after listening to a story and participating in guided discussion. The researcher conducted individual interviews with a smaller group of children based on changes in their attitudes on the surveys. Quantitative results indicate a statistically significant and large positive effect on attitudes towards persons with disabilities from participating in reading and discussion. Qualitative results …

Achievement Of Boys And Girls In Single-Gender Kindergarten Classrooms At One Elementary School In Western Michigan, Celeste L. Diehm

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The impact of single gender classrooms on kindergarten students’ acquisition of literacy skills was investigated in this research project. A sample of 144 kindergarten students in one public school district in western Michigan participated in this quasi-experimental, quantitative study during the 2008-09 school year.

The development of reading skills is important for a child’s success throughout his or her educational career and is influenced by many factors. This study explored the impact of the variables of age, developmental readiness, socioeconomic status, family structure, and teacher experience on the acquisition of literacy skills among children in different classroom compositions including all-girls, …

Effective Strategies For General And Special Education Teachers, Heather A. Martel

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Today’s teachers are asked to educate ALL students using research-based strategies in inclusive classrooms. The following review will include three research based instructional strategies and one teaching model all of which are elements that can increase the success of students at risk for learning problems. Instructional strategies explored in this review are class-wide peer tutoring, direct instruction and the behavioral strategy of self-monitoring. The teaching model is known as co-teaching, a model which is becoming the norm in schools in southeast Michigan. It is hypothesized that concrete knowledge of research based instructional methods that can be used in co-teaching situations …

The Evolution Of Eastern Michigan University: The Politics Of Change And Persistence, Dawn Malone Gaymer

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Background: Eastern Michigan University (EMU) is a regional comprehensive university established as a teacher training school in 1849. This case study analyzed the politics of change and persistence as the organization evolved from a normal schools that trained teachers to a regional comprehensive university.

Purpose: This study was pursued to inform higher education leadership; satisfy the personal interests of the researcher and to contribute knowledge to comprehensive university organizational studies.

Research Design: An interpretive longitudal historical case study design was pursed for this research. This case study reviewed the political cultural environment that occurred prior to the organization’s formation and …