Education Commons^™

Self-Authorship Among First-Generation Learners: A Qualitative Study, Issac C. Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the realm of higher education, an increasingly important concern is the intellectual capacity of first-generation learners. To improve their cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal development in contemporary society, it is essential for institutions to gain a comprehensive understanding of these students' unique challenges. The existing body of literature on first-generation students has predominantly centered on the personal challenges and institutional barriers that impede their pursuit of higher education. However, promoting self-authorship among this student population presents a unique opportunity for faculty, staff, and administrators to facilitate and reinforce the developmental needs of students who are the first in their families …

Sense Of Belonging On A Consolidated Campus: A Mixed Methods Exploration Of Student Perceptions, Amy D. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the extent to which a subset of students who matriculated post-consolidation at the Armstrong Campus of Georgia Southern University felt they belong at their institution. Using an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, this study used a survey to examine general feelings of belonging and the influencing factors for belonging while presenting individual narratives collected from semi-structured interviews for eight students’ experiences. The data collected in this study revealed that significant differences exist in critical factors of sense of belonging based on race, gender, and LGBTQ+ identity. Additionally, data showed the importance of academic, social, and campus-community belonging …

Educator Perceptions Of Self-Efficacy And Preparedness To Work In High Poverty Schools, Kristen Carroll

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The school leader and teacher have the greatest impact on student success. The level of self-efficacy and level of preparedness is of the utmost importance for educators and students alike. This study investigated the perceptions of educators in the belief of whether they were adequately prepared to teach in a high poverty school. The participants, educators from four school districts, completed a survey based on their perceptions of their own level of self-efficacy and preparedness to work in high poverty schools. The results of this study are aimed at impacting educator preparedness to better understand how to best support …

Strengthening The Academic Progress Of Students Within Multi-Tiered Systems Of Support, Leslie Dial

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Leadership in education is thinking, communicating, and modeling to maximize student growth and achievement. This quantitative research study explored how leadership can strengthen the academic progress of students within Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). When implementation of MTSS is guided by adaptive school leadership, educators will be prepared, communication will occur, interventions will be established, and data will be evaluated. Adaptive leaders who build efficacy will ensure fidelity and continuous improvement of student achievement.

Survey research was conducted to analyze the operational level of MTSS regarding the domains of Leadership, Building Capacity for Instruction, Communication and Collaboration, Data-Based Problem-Solving, Tiered …

The Relationship Between Academic Advising And Students' Completion Of Corequisite Gateway Courses, Michael P. Moran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This bivariate correlational quantitative study sought to determine how variables predicted students’ course outcomes in first-year English and mathematics courses within a corequisite learning support model. Course outcomes were defined dichotomously on a successful completion or unsuccessful completion basis. The participants of this study included those who initially attempted first-year English (n = 2,055) and mathematics (n = 2,843) course(s) in a corequisite learning support model for the first time between Fall 2018 and Spring 2022 and were assigned as advisees to the professional academic advisors in the centralized advising model. The examined predictors were students’ frequency of sessions, length …

Assessing The Fidelity Of School-Level Professional Learning Community Implementation, William W. Thigpen Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

As schools face increasing accountability, many have turned to professional learning communities (PLCs) as a possible solution. The challenge is that many schools are not implementing PLCs with fidelity. It is imperative that school leaders assess PLC practices to ensure that critical components are being implemented effectively. This research provides a framework for school leaders to assess school leader, teacher, and support staff perceptions of various PLC dimensions. Descriptive statistics were used to determine levels of agreement with statements related to six PLC dimensions. A one-way univariate analysis of variance tests (ANOVA) was used to analyze differences in mean …

Promoting The Positive: A Case Study Of The Influence Of School Climate On One Turnaround School From 2016-2022, Cynthia Gunner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Schools across the country are finding various means to address the social realities that often exist in high poverty schools. School climate is one of those social realities. While there is research related to school climate in high poverty schools, there are limited case studies related to this subject. This qualitative case study examined how one elementary school was transformed by creating a positive school climate between 2016-2022. This study also explored the impact that the pandemic and subsequent school lockdown had on the newly established school climate. Findings from this study indicated that PF Elementary School established a positive …

Perceived Student Gains Associated With Peer Tutor And Supplemental Instruction Leader Experiences, Rebecca Cofer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the peer tutor and Supplemental Instruction (SI) Leader experiences in the campus learning center, as seen through the perceived gains in three subcategories: 1) academic performance and learning, 2) non-academic skillsets, and 3) self-confidence and fulfillment. The peer tutor and SI Leaders surveyed in this study had experience in either one or both of these peer educator roles and came from institutions across the nation. In this quantitative study, participants completed a three-part, researcher-created survey that allowed for Likert-scaled responses along with open-ended responses and concluded with demographic items. The major findings from this study showed a …

Leadership Self-Efficacy Of Students Participating In On-Campus Leadership Programming, Benjamin S. Phillips

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Colleges and universities across the United States are facing continued pressure to meet enrollment and retention goals, as budgets continue to become more important, specifically, being performance-based. On-campus involvement has shown to have a positive influence on a student’s decision to stay at their particular institution and thus being retained. One area of on-campus involvement that has been identified is undergraduate leadership development programs. Students participating in an undergraduate leadership development program, such as assuming an on-campus leadership position often results in higher rates of student success. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study utilizing a correlational design via survey …

Educational Transformational Leadership And Teacher Organizational Citizenship Behavior Motives, Jeremy T. Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A principal’s leadership is a key part to the success of a school as their leadership guides both instructional and organizational leadership. Teachers often work beyond their formal duties to see that all of their students have their needs met including academic, social, and physical. The performance of such behaviors is referred to as Organizational Citizenship Behavior, which is when followers display behaviors that benefit the organization or its members beyond their current job requirements. This study investigated the relationship between principal’s transformational leadership and teachers’ Organizational Citizenship Behaviors and related motivating factors. Participants from a single suburban school district …

Why So Few Women? A Case Study Of Female Superintendents In P-12 Public Education Systems, Alfreda M. Howard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored the pathways, barriers, and advancement strategies of female superintendents in Georgia. The problem that the study addressed was examining the gender disparity in the superintendency. The purpose of this study was to explore the leadership journey of female superintendents who served in P-12 public education systems in Georgia for the 2021-2022 school year. The researcher created and pilot-tested a semi-structured interview protocol to collect data for the study. Study participants included five current female superintendents in Georgia.

Findings revealed that female leaders are grossly underrepresented in the superintendent role. Graduate degrees and terminal degrees in …

The Differences Between The Instructional Leadership Practices Of Georgia Reward Highest Performing, Georgia Reward Highest Progress, And Georgia Needs Improvement Elementary Schools, Allen M. Price

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate principals’ self-perceptions of their instructional leadership practices in Georgia Reward Highest Performing, Georgia Reward Highest Progress, and Georgia Needs Improvement elementary schools. As such, this causal-comparative study was conducted to determine if differences existed between the instructional leadership practices of principals and school success in the designations of schools as perceived by the principals implementing them in high poverty schools. The sample of this study consisted of Georgia elementary school principals in Title I elementary schools, specifically in the categories of Georgia Reward Highest Performing, Georgia Reward Highest Progress, and Georgia …

Relationship Between Participation In A Dual Enrollment Program, Students’ Race And Socioeconomic Status And Their Retention And Graduation, Nicholas Urquhart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As of 2019, all 50 states have an official dual enrollment policy or program that allows high school students to enroll in college to earn both high school and college credits. Dual enrollment programs have been around since 1990, and much of the research has shown a positive relationship between dual enrollment participation, college retention, and graduating; however, research is limited on college retention beyond the first year and graduation. Access to dual enrollment programs is limited for minoritized and low-income students. This study utilized archival data from the University System of Georgia in an ex post facto research design …

Dying For Change: The Impact Of Awareness Prevention And Intervention On Graduate Assistant Stress, Marla Bruner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As challenges surrounding mental health and well-being in doctoral graduate students (GAs), continue to rise, it is imperative that higher education institutions evaluate the stressors that GAs experience, their awareness and use of campus resources for dealing with stressors, and the impact that additional resources and programming may have on stress. The research questions for this study sought to examine the stressors experienced by doctoral level graduate students working in GA positions and their corresponding awareness and use of campus resources, and to determine what impact, if any, providing additional services, resources, and programming in had after a three-year implementation …

The Relationship Between Co-Teaching Partnerships And Student Achievement, Tikki N. Middleton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to legislative mandates schools are required to educate SWDs in the least restrictive environment alongside SWODs, which lead to the rise of co-teaching. However, enhancing the quality of co-teaching partnerships to impact student achievement poses a challenge for many school leaders due to the absence of quantitative data involving the impact of co-teaching on student achievement. The purpose of this study was to identify correlations among the qualities of co-teaching partnerships in grades six through eight as measured by The Colorado Assessment of Co-teaching (CO-ACT), and student growth percentiles from Spring 2019 Georgia Milestones Assessment (GMAS) data in middle …

The Relationship Between Servant Leadership And Teacher Retention And Student Achievement, David Earl Murphy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This non-experimental quantitative study aimed to determine if servant leadership influenced teacher retention or student achievement and if teacher retention influenced student achievement. This study’s respondents were 145 middle and high school teachers within a contiguous rural region of the Southeastern United States. Survey responses were received and analyzed during the late summer of 2020. Three research questions guided this study: Does servant leadership [high, low] influence teacher retention intention; What is the effect of servant leadership [high, low] on student achievement by categorical population groups as identified by the GaDOE; and lastly, What is the effect of teacher retention …

Does Dual Enrollment Impact Ctae, Robert J. Dollar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was examine if legislation that greatly impacted the number of students taking dual enrollment courses in the state of Georgia was having an impact of CTAE programs in seven, rural school districts in southeast Georgia. This study employed a mixed methods research design. Quantitative data supplied by the Georgia Department of Education regarding enrollment numbers, as well as qualitative data gathered by the utilization of an open-ended questionnaire, were analyzed conjunctly to ascertain if an impact existed. This study focused on four overarching research questions regarding any potential impacts experienced with the implementation of the …

Perceptions Of The Impact Mathematics Support Classes Have On Student Achievement, Cordaryl Charles Middleton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many students today struggle with mastering grade-level mathematics standards. School leaders have implemented mathematics support classes as a possible solution; however, not all students are showing significant improvement. The challenge is determining an effective mathematics support class that has the most positive impact on student achievement. As a result, the purpose of this research study was to examine the perceptions of principals, mathematics teachers, and mathematics support teachers on the impact mathematics support classes had on student achievement. This study employed a qualitative case study research design that consisted of one overarching research question and three sub-research questions that framed …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of Principals' Influence On Teacher Attrition, Kellie E. Gebhardt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Classroom teachers' decisions to leave the profession negatively affect the educational experience of the students, burden the remaining teachers, and drain school districts of funds that should go to students but instead are spent on recruiting and training. This phenomenological study examined the experiences of former classroom teachers to determine the role their school principals may have played in their decisions to leave the profession. Ten former elementary school teachers from South Carolina participated in the study. The researcher collected data using interviews; a semi-structured interview protocol was created from current literature and designed to align with the research …

The Impact Of School Tasks On The Leadership Self-Efficacy Of Principals And Assistant Principals, Torri M. Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

State and federal accountability standards for student achievement and school improvement have increased the focus on school leadership, specifically the leadership of school principals and assistant principals. The pressure to lead schools effectively while fulfilling instructional leadership and school management tasks could impact school administrators’ perceptions of their leadership capabilities. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to identify the relationship between the instructional leadership tasks and school management tasks of school administrators and their leadership self-efficacy across multiple demographics. Survey data were collected from 73 school administrators, which quantified the leadership self-efficacy of principals and assistant principals based …

Student's Perceptions Of Smartphone Use At Home And At A High School Regarding A New Smartphone Policy: A Case Study, Ana Zurita

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The new generation raised in the digital era continues to present unresolved challenges for both parents and teachers. The purpose of this case study is to analyze students' usage of their smartphones in their lives, and understand the success of a new school policy on smartphone use at an arts school in the U.S. For this qualitative research, I interviewed ten participants from the high school. The literary review informs us that smartphones are potentially addictive, with negative effects for healthy mental, emotional and social child development, as well as a source of misleading information. As a consequence, smartphones in …

Elementary School Leaders' Practices To Provide Equitable Discipline: Disproportionality On The Rise, Beverly L. Ford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods study was conducted to explore practices Elementary School Leaders report using to address discipline. The study target population was school administrators in the Northeast Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA). The participants were principals and assistant principals located within 13 school districts and are comprised of 64 elementary schools. In order to gain a deeper understanding of practices reportedly used, the research asked the following questions:

1. What practices do Elementary School Leaders report are most effective in providing equitable application of discipline across the student population?
2. What practices do Elementary School Leaders report are used most frequently to provide …

The Relationship Between Instructional Leadership Practices And Leadership Self-Efficacy Of School Leaders, Carter B. Akins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With educational reform focused on school accountability, principals must attend to tasks that lead to school improvement. Identifying such tasks as instructional leadership practices and gaining a more comprehensive understanding of instructional leadership practices through leadership self-efficacy may contribute to school improvement. Thus, the purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate instructional leadership practices and the degree to which these practices predict the leadership self-efficacy of school leaders. Participants in the survey were 100 principals and assistant principals of public schools in the southeastern United States, spanning 18 school districts, and 180 schools. Findings indicated instructional leadership practices of …

Qualitative Content Analysis Of Policy As An Expression Of Educational Theory On Special Education Preschool Placement Options, Jennifer M. Dineen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized a qualitative content analysis approach where the researcher collected policies and theories to analyze and interpret and to examine the relationship between developmental theories and Georgia preschool policies as they relate to inclusion using archived state policies found on the Georgia Department of Education and Department of Early Learning website. The theories of Vygotsky (1978), Piaget (1936), and Bronfenbrenner (1979) were examined, along with the public policies on Georgia preschool. These policies included Georgia Early Learning Development Standards, Bright from the Start operating guidelines, and Work Sampling System. The researcher found common themes and/or phrases in the …

Emotional Intelligence Instruction For Millennials In Undergraduate Education, Jason M. Pollett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the improvement, if any, of emotional intelligence scores of students who participated in and completed the specified professional development seminar. In addition, this study aimed to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence subscales of students enrolled in a professional development seminar that focuses on enhancing the emotional intelligence. The research design for this study was an ex post facto, quasi-experimental correlational quantitative research design. Data from the 371 students who enrolled in the Professional Development Seminar course during academic years 2015-2017 served as the sample for this study.

This study focused on …

Predictors Of Community College Students’ Academic Success In The Corequisite Model, Damon Andrews

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine predictors of community college student academic success in the corequisite model. Academic success was defined dichotomously on a pass or fail basis. The population in this study included 1,933 students that enrolled in at least one corequisite English and/or mathematics course at the college between the fall semester of 2015 and summer semester of 2018. The predictors examined were a student’s sex, race, age at time of enrollment, Pell grant recipient status, first-generation college student status, high school GPA, placement test scores, academic major, time spent receiving academic tutoring in college’s …

The Multicultural Center's Role In Black Male Success At A Predominantly White Institution, Stephan Tramaine Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many scholarly works have focused on the problems that Black males face in higher education at predominantly White institutions (PWI). However, few have explored specific factors that lead to the success of Black males. This study focuses on the Multicultural Center’s role in Black male success a PWI. There are a myriad of issues that Black men face when pursuing higher education ranging from a lack of financial resources to “invisibility” in the collegial environment. These challenges are further exacerbated for Black men who are enrolled at a PWI. The Multicultural Center (MC) is among the essential modalities that can …

Exploring Alumni Valuation Of An Undergraduate Leadership Program, John D. Egan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored alumni’ valuation of an undergraduate leadership program by gaining an understanding of what leadership learning and leadership behaviors transferred into their work environments. The alumni graduated from the same university in the southeastern United States, and while enrolled completed a four-year, co-curricular leadership program. In this mixed methods study, eight participant alumni engaged in semi-structured interviews as well as completed the Leadership Practices Inventory. Alumni perceived that leadership experiences, learning community, classroom learning, peer coaching, and intentional reflection were the most valuable attributes of the program. The leadership learning that effectively transferred to work environments included collaboration, …

Stakeholder Attitudes Toward Student Drug Testing, John Jordan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the attitudes toward mandatory student drug testing from various school stakeholder groups in a Small Rural Southeast Georgia School District. This study employed a quantitative methodological research design along with descriptive analyses of two research questions for the sixth through twelfth grade population of students, parents, and school personnel. Survey data from the middle and high school stakeholder groups were received during the fall of 2019 and analyzed to determine the overall attitude toward the use of student drug testing as well as the differences that existed among various stakeholder groups.

This …

The Relationship Between Teachers' Perception Of Data-Driven Instructional Leadership And Their Sense Of Efficacy And Anxiety For Data-Driven Decision-Making, Jarvis J. Price

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the relationship between teachers’ perception of data-driven instructional leadership and their sense of self-efficacy and anxiety towards data-driven decision-making. Additionally, the research study examined if teachers’ school level (elementary or secondary) influenced their perception of data-driven instructional leadership and their sense of self-efficacy and anxiety towards data-driven decision-making. The researcher utilized a correlational research design and correlational/regression analysis to conduct this study based on the theoretical framework of Bandura’s social learning theory. The researcher surveyed 300 full-time certified educators in a rural school district located in the southeastern United States using the …