Education Commons^™

Student Engagement Differences By Ethnicity And Scale For Ninth Grade Students, Melissa Mcfarland Fattor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Differences on three subscales of student engagement were compared across ethnic groups and by subscale. The ninth grade is often considered a vital juncture that indicates success or failure to graduate high school. When a student goes through a transition he or she often experiences some type of change in student engagement levels and may experience adverse effects in the form of academic, social, and psychological challenges. Researchers of the National Research Council (2004) believe that the engagement process (the successful interaction between the individual and the educational context) is considered a means toward alleviating unsuccessful student outcomes. Therefore, this …

Middle School Student Records As Dropout Indicators, William Sherman Gregg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dropping out of school is associated with a wide array of negative outcomes and the extraordinarily high United States dropout rate has brought the issue to the forefront of American education.

This study investigated normally collected middle school data from a suburban Colorado school district to determine the predictive value toward students dropping out or graduating from high school. Accessed was a longitudinal data set of first year in middle school records, 7^th grade, from 1999-2003 for students that graduated or dropped out from a Colorado suburban high school from 2003-2007. Discriminate function analysis was utilized on 2,195 student …

Non Traditional Superintendent: A Case Study Of The Transition From Military To Public School Superintendent, Luiza Miera Hernandez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In June of 2006, Urban School District appointed the individual who is the focus of this study, a retired Air Force Two Star Major General, as its new superintendent. Although the appointment represents the first nontraditional superintendent to lead Urban School District, it was one of several such appointments to large, urban school districts throughout the nation. This study investigates his transition from military leader to urban school superintendent, using a case study approach.

The study presents findings in response to the research question: How did the Participant transition from military leadership to urban school superintendent? The findings of the …

Teachers' Perspectives About Implementing A Content-Specific Technology Innovation, Thomas Stovall Hibbs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research was designed to examine the implementation of a technology innovation in a content area from teachers’ point of view. Three classroom teachers who were involved in organized implementations of a technology innovation at the school level were asked to describe their implementations. They then were asked to review those implementations through four specific lenses that research indicates are important: school change, factors affecting implementation of technology innovations, technology in their content area, and examining their use of developers’ innovative improvements. Finally the classroom teachers were asked, as a summary technique, to talk about factors important to include in …

Walking On The Red Brick Path: A Portrait Of African-American Women's Experiences With The Built Environment Of A Predominantly White Institution, Stephanie L. Krusemark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

“Space, like language, is socially constructed; and like the syntax of language, the spatial arrangements of our buildings and communities reflect and reinforce the nature of gender, race, and class relations in society” (Weisman, 1992, p. 2). While institutions of higher education have granted physical access to African-American women over the last 150 years, their presence on American campuses has not been readily reflected in the physical design of the walls within which they learn. In examining the historical foundations of institutions of higher education, we cannot deny institutions consciously embed their values and basic assumptions within their physical manifestation …

Learning And Serving: An Exploratory Action Research Case Study Of A Middle School Service Learning Curriculum Project, Georgina Levey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Service learning, a natural link between community service and standards-based education, encourages students to learn about themselves in the context of the world in which they live. In other words, service learning is a method of teaching that enriches learning by engaging students in meaningful service to their schools and communities, and integrating that service with established curricula or learning objectives (NYLC Service-Learning Glossary, 2005). Educational service activities can be done directly or indirectly and they can have a varying degree of “involvement” ranging from community service, community exploration, community action or advocacy and research. In this study, a service …

Teacher Perceptions Of The Factors That Influence Support For An Adequacy Model Of School Funding, Nancy L. Alex

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to determine teacher perceptions about the factors that influence support for an adequacy model of school funding and what relationships exist between specific demographic variables and those perceptions.

Using the instrument created for the study, one hundred thirty-nine teachers from the Montrose RE-1J School District where surveyed. Data was tabulated using standard descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages). As a general data analysis approach, bivariate comparisons were performed using Pearson correlations and t-tests for independent means. Multiple regression prediction equations were used to examine the relationships between specific demographics and teacher perceptions of the factors …

Effects Of Narrative Video Script Advance Organizer Strategies Used To Introduce Video In The Foreign Language Classroom, Philip D. Ambard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study compared participant comprehension of content in foreign language videos using 2 different advance organizer (AO) strategies. The students were 50 college students enrolled in 3 sections of an intermediate-level Spanish course at the United States Air Force Academy.

In the collaborative group reading condition (AOg), students read a target language narrative video script aloud in small groups. Students then watched the video corresponding to the script they had read and took a 10-question English only multiple choice test. In the quiet individual reading condition (AOq), students read the same narrative video script quietly before watching the same video …

From Kabul To The Academy: Narratives Of Afghan Women's Journeys To And Through U.S. Doctoral Programs, Bushra Aryan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the experiences of seven Afghan women pursuing doctoral degrees in a variety of disciplines and programs across the United States. The guiding question for this study was: What factors influence Afghan women's journeys to and experiences in doctoral programs?

In an attempt to understand Afghan women doctoral students, I provided a historical background of Afghanistan and education in Afghanistan followed by a literature review on South Asian women, the broader category for Afghan women. Within this literature review I explored the following components: culture, gender, immigration, experiences in postsecondary education; all factors that may be influential in …

Influence Of Ethnicity On English Vocabulary Measurement: Using The Montgomery Assessment Of Vocabulary Acquisition In One Rural Southeastern New Mexico School, Eileen M. Gatliffe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined vocabulary acquisition of elementary students in grades kindergarten through fifth in one rural New Mexico school. The school had 277 students. Hispanic students comprised nearly 80% of the student body. All students received free lunch and breakfast. The 65 students who participated in the study were assessed using the Montgomery Assessment of Vocabulary Acquisition (MAVA). This new assessment, published in 2008, tests receptive and expressive vocabulary utilizing the three-tier vocabulary model introduced by Beck, McKeown and Kucan (2001). The study assessed each student for proficiency in identifying and using tier-I, tier-II and tier-III words. Hispanic and non-Hispanic …

Mario Math With Millennials: The Impact Of Playing The Nintendo Ds On Student Achievement, Adam Gelman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the biggest innovations of the last century has been the invention of the video game. Video games are an extremely popular form of entertainment today. While some question the use of video games in education, others argue that video games are one innovation that if introduced into the classroom, might change how teachers effectively engage learners. This quantitative study examined the impact of Brain Age 2 for the Nintendo DS on seventh grade achievement in math and on student attitude towards school. A sample of eighty seventh graders from the same school played the Nintendo DS daily for …

The Theory And Practice Of Leader And Leadership Development: A Multi-Level Perspective, Jacob P. Hahn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The understanding of leadership and how it is developed continues to evolve (Day & Harrison, 2007) and while some essential components of effective leadership have been identified, they have not been forged into a comprehensive framework for development (Avolio, 2005). This paper aims to create a theory of leader and leadership development that can aid individuals in understanding who they are as a leader. Of central importance to this paper is the presentation of the Leader and Leadership Identity Development Model, which provides a framework centered on the development of individual leader and leadership identities at personal, interpersonal, and collective …

Process For Selecting An Outside Provider For The Closing The Achievement Gap Project, Dianna Rae Hulbert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the spring of 2008, Dwight Jones, Commissioner of the Colorado Department of Education, invited six Colorado school districts to partner with the department and an outside provider to close their achievement gaps in reading and math between minority and poverty students and White students and non-poverty students. Districts were invited to partner based on an achievement gap that exceeded the state‟s average gap in reading and math, and its perceived leadership capacity to initiate change.

This study examined the process the six districts used to select a provider to assist in closing its achievement gap. The multi-case study analyzed …

Unmasking Whiteness: A Framework For Understanding Inclusive Leadership At A Predominately White Institution, Nicole Marie Latino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the personal journey of 11 White college administrators who were identified as inclusive leaders at a predominately White institution (PWI), recognized nationally for its work on partnering diversity and excellence. One overall question guided this study: How do White college administrators describe their journey to becoming successful inclusive leaders at a predominately White institution? This question was explored from the perspective of critical race theory (CRT), that is, inclusive leadership for White administrators could be achieved by intentionally examining their construction of Whiteness and their personal racial identity.

Narrative inquiry was used to co-construct a developmental framework …

The Expressed Emotion Of Mothers Of Children With Fragile X Syndrome, Jeanine M. Coleman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A review of the literature revealed that mothers with children with fragile X syndrome (FXS) face many challenges, including managing their child's behavior which is a defining characteristic of children with FXS (Epstein, Riley, & Sobesky, 2002). Parents and professionals have become increasingly aware through research and everyday experiences that children with FXS are often overly sensitive to multiple stimuli (Hagerman, 1999; Hagerman & Hagerman, 2002; Miller et al., 1999). This overstimulation often leads to behavioral challenges that are characterized by tantrums, angry outbursts, and other forms of aggression. Additionally, mothers of children with FXS have their own personal challenges …

The Pedagogical Role Of Reggio-Inspired Studios In Early Childhood Education, Laura Ann Ganus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The influence of the Reggio Emilia philosophy has been present in early childhood programs across the United States for decades, with many programs attempting to adapt the philosophy's concept of a studio, but few studies have examined them. This study describes, interprets, and appraises two Reggio-inspired studios in the United States in order to provide an in-depth analysis and shed new light on such practices.

Four questions guided this study: 1) What is the role of a studio in a Reggio-inspired school? 2) What is happening in the studio? 3) What are children learning in this environment? 4) How does …

Effects Of International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme On Teacher Philosophy, Perceptions Of Efficacy, And Outlook On Education, Leroy Alfred Getchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Our nation, if it is going to keep a competitive edge versus the rest of the world, must reform the current system of educating children. The purpose of this study is to provide evidence that implementation of one increasingly popular reform effort, the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IBPYP), changes teachers’ perceptions of what is important about education, the need for international understanding for all students, and the future of education, in general. This dissertation helped answer those questions through an extensive study of relevant literature and the use of an on-line survey to analyze results. This research produced a …

A Descriptive-Comparative Study Of Professional Development And Observed Quality In Early Care And Education Programs, Rebecca Romeyn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With over 12 million children enrolled in early care and education programming across the U.S., families with children under the age of 5 years old are dependent on these programs. Although highly important, little regulation exists regarding qualifications necessary for individuals to work in these programs. Consequently, individuals in the field bring a plethora of professional development experiences, skills, and competencies. This variance is partly a result of the uncertainty surrounding what should be required. Major information about the impact training and education have on these programs is missing from quantitative research, including capturing content and quantity, accurate measurement of …

In Pursuit Of Sustained Achievement: A Case Study Of One At-Risk School's Efforts To Change Behaviors, Carol A. Sorvig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sustained achievement remains out of reach for most Title I schools. While there are many programs and examples of schools touting improved performance, there are precious few that are able to maintain that improved performance over time. This case study examined the characteristics of changes made at one Colorado Title I elementary school that did see improved growth for a period of four years. Two administrators, five teachers and two classified staff members were interviewed. Two of the staff members were also parents at the school. This study utilized a qualitative methodology to examine the changes made that lead to …

Distinguishing A Western Women's College: A History Of The Curriculum At Colorado Women's College, 1909–1967, Jennifer Ann Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Colorado Women's College (CWC), a private, Baptist college for women in Denver, Colorado, first welcomed students to its campus in 1909, making it one of only a handful of women's colleges in the American West, where coeducation predominated. This dissertation describes and interprets the curriculum offered at CWC in the period from 1909 to 1967. The analysis of the curriculum is divided into six eras, marked by moments of curricular change, including the College's transitions from four-year college to junior college, and back. This project distinguishes CWC as an understudied institution by placing it within the literature on the history …

Teaching About Genocide: A Cross-Curricular Approach In Art And History, Mark Thorsen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study describes the experiences of suburban area high school 10th, 11th, and 12th grade art students immersed in a cross-curricular study of the Holocaust and genocide. Three participant-educators, art teachers, and I, a history teacher, designed a two week curricular unit which was implemented in January, 2010, to increase student-participant awareness and action to address the global problem of genocide. This cross-curricular unit used non-discursive sources of testimony in a variety of forms of representation to inspire student-participant artwork.

Four research questions guided this study: How do educators use a variety of forms of representation to teach the complexities …

Cognitive Diagnostic Assessment Of Timss-2007 Mathematics Achievement Items For 8th Graders In Turkey, Turker Toker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated students' responses to released TIMSS mathematics items and considered what those responses might show about participants' mastery level of cognitive areas. The least squares distance method (LSDM) was used in this cognitive diagnostic analysis. There were 4,498 8th-grade students from seven geographical regions of Turkey who took TIMSS items. In this study, using the responses of Turkish students to the released math items of TIMSS-2007, an IRT analysis was also conducted to both compare results with international item parameters A Pearson correlation between these two sets of item logit positions produced a correlation of r = .82, …

The Road Less Taken: A Qualitative Inquiry Of Christian Homeschooling In Taiwan, Wei-Chen Tung

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study is to examine how Christian homeschooling works in Taiwan by investigating the intentions, implementation, challenges and implications of homeschooling practice. With regard to homeschooling as an increasingly popular educational option in Taiwan, particularly among Christian families, the following research questions are used to guide this study: (1) What are the reasons and goals of Christian parents in Taiwan to choose homeschooling for their children? (2)What does their homeschooling look like in practice? (3) What do the Christian homeschoolers perceive to be the advantages and challenges of homeschooling in Taiwan? (4) What are the implications …

Embracing Resistance At The Margins: First-Generation Latino Students' Testimonios On Dual/Concurrent Enrollment High School Programs, Michelle Renee Turner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite moderate gains in equal educational opportunities over the past 60 years, low-income students of color continue to lag behind their middle-class, White peers. This is particularly true for first-generation Latina/o students who: (a) have the highest K-12 drop-out rate than any other ethnic group in U.S. schools; (b) are underrepresented in high quality, rigorous secondary curricular tracks; and (c) continue to be overrepresented in two-year institutions and postsecondary vocational schools. Using a conceptual framework comprised of critical race theory (CRT), social theory, and community cultural wealth theory it was clear that the U.S. education system is still plagued by …

College Search Factors That Impact College Matriculation For African American Students: Implications For Policy And Praxis, Brandi Nicole Van Horn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

College access is a top educational priority in the United States as millions of federal and state dollars are funneled into programs to ensure college access for all students, minorities and low-income students in particular (U.S. Department of Education, 2009a; U.S. Department of Education, 2009b). Over 80% of high school students and their parents aspire to attain postsecondary education (Dounay, 2006; Institute for Higher Education Policy, 2007). Yet, minorities' and low-income students' ability to penetrate postsecondary doors remains relatively depressed in comparison to their non-minority high-income student peers (Freeman, 2005; Perna, 2007). Most of the research related to college access …

Influence Of Organizational Factors On Job Satisfaction Of Disability Service Providers At Postsecondary Institutions, Emelda Walker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the increase in the number of students with disabilities taking part in colleges and universities nationwide (U.S. Department of Education, 2003; Horn & Nevill, 2006; Schuh, 2000; Collins & Mowbray, 2005), the role of disability service providers is indispensible. The underlying principle of this study was to explore the working conditions of disability service providers, their roles as middle managers, and duties inherent to their position. The review of literature summarized the progression of disability services on the college or university campus, the application of organizational development theory, and the role of middle managers. This synopsis of the role …

Parents As Change Agents In Their Schools And Communities: The Founding Of Families For Early Autism Treatment (Feat), Bethany Kristin Mickahail

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A qualitative research highlights how parent driven "communities of support" create lasting change in schools and communities, through the unique blend of the two methodologies, oral history and educational criticism and connoisseurship.

In recent years, schools and communities are unusually impacted by an escalating wave in the diagnosis and treatment of persons with Autism. In 2010, the Center for Disease Control's Report stated 1 in 110 U.S. children are diagnosed with Autism. Yet long before this official report, parents and professionals affected by Autism and other disabilities were busy during the last half of the 20th century, seeking out ways …

Pragmatic Language Skills Underlying Social Competence Of Reading Disability In Middle School Students, Ali Adibi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to examine pragmatic language engagement and social competence in middle school children with and without reading disability during dyadic interaction. Engagement was defined in terms of degree of information and responsiveness provided by each partner. Analyses indicated reading disabled students differ from non-reading disabled students in terms of pragmatic language engagement. However, this was true only in terms of degree of responsiveness. Students with reading disability employed similar degrees of pragmatic language engagement in terms of information to those of their nondisabled peers. Further, no relationships were found between social competence and either type …

Gifted Voices: A Study Of High School Students' Proficiency In Persuasive Writing And Their Perceptions Of Personal Agency, Susan Carol Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Development of the talents and abilities of gifted children is not ordinarily provided by regular public school programs. Their need for accelerated, complex, and challenging curriculum and processes is often overlooked by educators focused on helping underperforming students to reach grade-level standards. Gifted high school students who are proficient in persuasive writing are able to clearly state a claim, support that claim with evidence and backing, recognize and rebut counterclaims, and draw a conclusion leading to action. If gifted students are proficient at writing persuasively, perhaps they are also able to advocate for learning experiences that are challenging, complex, and …

From Frat To Fraternity: An Evolutionary Model For 21st Century Greek-Letter Organizations, Matthew Charles Brinton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fraternities and sororities have been fixtures of American collegiate campuses since the founding of Phi Beta Kappa in 1776. Since that time the wants, needs, aspirations and desires of the college student has continually evolved. In an effort to keep up with the evolution of the student, Greek-letter organizations (GLOs) have needed to find ways of evolving as well. As we jump head-first into the 21st century and beyond these great bastions of the collegiate experience are again in need of a face-lift to meet the needs of the latest generation of students. Now, more than ever, it is time …