Education Commons^™

Construct-Validity Of The Engagement With Challenge Measure For Adolescents: Structural- And Criterion-Validity Evidence, E. Whitney G. Moore, David Hansen

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

For adolescents, engaging with challenge is a key developmental task, hypothesized to support development of adult-like competencies (e.g., agency and self-direction; Larson, 2000). This study aimed to assess the construct-validity (structural- and concurrent-validity) of a new self-report measure assessing adolescents’ engagement with challenge to help researchers understand how different settings and the conditions in these settings support adolescents’ development. The sample consisted of 337 adolescents in 10 FFA programs along with the adult advisors in each program. Adolescents completed a questionnaire, which included the Engagement with Challenge measure and the following criterion variables: number of contests completed, participation frequency, and …

How To Produce Articulate Artists, Peter J. Barr Phd, Christine Reising

Mid-America College Art Association Conference 2012 Digital Publications

This twenty-minute Powerpoint presentation will describe the team-taught, year-long Foundations Core Concepts Program at Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan. It has been in place since 2006 and has successfully integrated a course previously called "Language of Art" (taught by an art historian) with hands-on studio assignments previously taught in a stand-alone design course (taught by a studio professor). We have found that this hybrid approach is extremely effective in developing sensitive and articulate art majors who are prepared to integrate design concepts into all of their artworks and to analyze and describe eloquently both personal and historical works of …

Urban High-School Girls' Sense Of Relatedness And Their Engagement In Physical Education, Bo Shen, Nate Mccaughtry, Jeffrey J. Martin, Mariane Fahlman, Alex C. Garn

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

A sense of relatedness is individuals' views about themselves as connected to others and worthy of love and respect from others. Using the Self-System Model of Motivational Development as the framework, this study was designed to examine associations of urban high-school girls' relatedness toward teachers and peers with their behavioral and emotional engagements in physical education. Participants (N = 184, ages 15-18) completed questionnaires assessing relevant psychological and behavioral constructs while their teachers also completed corresponding measures during classes. Regression analyses revealed that relatedness toward teachers and peers had direct and interactive roles in both behavioral and emotional engagements. …

Caudate Nucleus Volume Mediates The Link Between Cardiorespiratory Fitness And Cognitive Flexibility In Older Adults, Timothy D. Verstynen, Brighid Lynch, Destiny L. Miller, Michelle W. Voss, Ruchika Shaurya Prakash, Laura Chaddock, Chandramallika Basak, Amanda Szabo, Erin A. Olson, Thomas R. Wojcicki, Jason Fanning, Neha P. Gothe, Edward Mcauley, Arthur F. Kramer, Kirk I. Erickson

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

The basal ganglia play a central role in regulating the response selection abilities that are critical formental flexibility. In neocortical areas, higher cardiorespiratory fitness levels are associated with increased gray matter volume, and these volumetric differences mediate enhanced cognitive performance in a variety of tasks. Here we examine whether cardiorespiratory fitness correlates with the volume of the subcortical nuclei that make up the basal ganglia and whether this relationship predicts cognitive flexibility in older adults. Structural MRI was used to determine the volume of the basal ganglia nuclei in a group of older, neurologically healthy individuals (mean age 66 years, …

Roses In The Concrete: A Critical Race Perspective On Urban Youth And School Libraries, Kafi D. Kumasi

School of Information Sciences Faculty Research Publications

This article utilizes Critical Race Theory (CRT) to interrogate school library practices and school librarian belief systems as they relate to serving urban youth of color. The author offers several area for interrogation including: 1) disrupting cultural deficit views; 2) honoring students voices and life experiences; 3) recognizing structural inequalities; and 4) understanding whiteness. This work has implications for helping school librarians develop the cultural sensitivities and dispositions necessary for creating library programs that support and affirm urban youth of color.

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 …

The Relationship Between Faculty's Pedagogical Content Knowledge And Students' Knowledge About Diversity In Online Courses, Mitali Chaudhery

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this proposed study will be to examine the relationship between faculty's pedagogical content knowledge and the design of online curriculum to teach students about diversity in a higher education environment. One hundred twenty-seven faculty teaching online courses at a Midwestern state will be selected on non-random sampling to participate in this study. Two main measures will be used to collected data: (1) Faculty Demographic and Background Survey, and (2) Diversity Teaching survey. The Diversity Teaching Survey was broken into 3 subscales that will examine the following: (1) Faculty's Pedagogical Knowledge and Skills, (2) Online Curriculum Design, and …

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 …

Robustness Of The Achievable Benchmark Of Care Method, Jeff Arthur Capobianco

Wayne State University Dissertations

The Achievable Benchmark of Care Method is a process of care performance improvement measurement approach for identifying top performing healthcare providers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the robustness of the method. This was achieved by comparing the robustness of the standard ABC method, which uses the mean to calculate the benchmark, to versions of the ABC method where the mean was replaced with either a 5%, 10%, or 20% trimmed mean, a 15% Winsorized mean or the one-step Huber ø1.28 calculation. Monte Carlo simulations where conducted using publically available, Medicare process of care data. The mean was …

A Design-Based Research Case Study Documenting A Constructivist Id Process And Instructional Solution For A Cross-Cultural Workforce, Monica W. Tracey, Kelly L. Unger

Administrative and Organizational Studies

As the need for instructing a globalized workforce increases, instructional designers must embrace the constraints and the opportunities these projects provide in order to move the field of cross-cultural instructional design (ID) forward. Cross-cultural projects offer multiple avenues for growth in ID practice, overcoming cultural barriers, and a venue to apply and test contemporary models, methodologies, and theories in ID. This design-based research case study employed a rapid prototyping methodology and the constructivist ID model, Layers of Negotiation, to collect critical cultural information for the design of this cross-cultural instruction. Instructional strategies deemed effective for instructing an unskilled workforce in …

Can Goal Specific Self-Efficacy Measures Predict Goal Choice: Understanding The 2x2 Achievement Goal Framework Through Self-Efficacy Theory, Richard James Lucido

Wayne State University Dissertations

The achievement goals that one adopts in an academic context have been shown to be associated with, as well as causally related to, important outcomes. Currently, the most widely accepted theory holds that achievement goals are the result of one's implicit

theory of intelligence. However, there is a lack of empirical support for this assertion. The current study tested the hypothesis that goal specific self-efficacy (self-efficacy measured separately for a mastery or performance outcome) is the primary driver of achievement goals. Two studies were conducted among a combined sample of 274

community college students. As was the case with most …

The Effects Of Two Group Counseling Interventions On Arab-American High School Students' Perceptions Of Their Primary Relationships (Parent, Teacher, Peer), Nuzmeya Bader Elder

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study specifically investigated the effects of two group counseling interventions on Arab-American high school students' perceptions of the strength of their primary relationships (parent, teachers, and peers). It was designed to help high school students increase their acceptance of the culture of their host society and develop a sense of comfort so they can retain some of their own culture and Arab identity without feeling they will totally lose them. One approach was Choice group theory grounded in the reality of making choices concerning thoughts and behaviors. Choice Theory is described as the idea that people have mental images …

Exploring The Relationship Between Pre Service School Counselor's Academic Training And Reported Levels Of Multicultural Competence As Predictors Of Attitudes Toward Inclusion, Rachael Annette Evans

Wayne State University Dissertations

The principal aim of this study was to explore the relationships between preservice school counselors' academic training and their self-reported levels of multicultural competence as predictors of attitudes toward inclusion. Variances in demographic data also were examined as predictors of attitudes regarding inclusion. A nonexperimental, correlational research design was used. Pearson product moment correlations were used to test the relationships between preservice school counselors' level of academic training and their attitudes toward inclusions. No statistically significant correlations were obtained on these analyses, indicating that academic training does not predict attitudes toward inclusion. . Pearson product moment correlations were used to …

An Examination Of The Role Of School Climate In Adolescent Test Anxiety, Lea Ann Imasa

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine intrapersonal and contextual variables in relation to test anxiety among adolescents. Participants (n=298) were students in grades seven and eight from a middle school in a suburb in southeastern Michigan. Academic self-concept was found to fully mediate the relation between academic performance (as measured by GPA) and test anxiety. The intrapersonal variables of perceived threat of tests, effortful control, and academic self-concept significantly predicted test anxiety. The contextual variables were unrealistic parental expectations and school climate. Unrealistic parental expectations was a predictor of test anxiety in a regression model including only those …

School Improvements And Student Achievement: Teachers' Conceptions And Practices In An Urban School Community, Jendayi Johari Gardner

Wayne State University Dissertations

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENTS AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT:

TEACHERS' CONCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES IN AN URBAN SCHOOL COMMUNITY

by

JENDAYI JOHARI GARDNER

May 2012

Advisor: Dr. Jazlin Ebenezer

Major: Curriculum & Instruction

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

This mixed-methods study is represented by three articles that examine student achievement. The articles were developed based on the following purposes: (1) to examine teachers' conceptions about student achievement; (2) to examine teacher practices for school improvement that reflects elements of a reform model; and (3) to examine teachers' conceptions about school improvement challenges. Individual interviews were administered to examine teachers' conceptions about student achievement and school improvement …

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

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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 …

Postsecondary Developmental Education And Its Impact On Student Learning And Academic Success, Kim Noreen Lutz

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

POSTSECONDARY DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION AND ITS IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS

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KIM NOREEN LUTZ

March 2012

Advisor: Dr. Gerald Oglan

Major: Curriculum and Instruction

Degree: Doctor of Education

This study explores the affective characteristics of students taking developmental education courses at the postsecondary level. It is widely acknowledged in research that affective issues still remain at the forefront of impeding the success of developmental education students. This is one step in examining the types of interventions which may aid in the academic success of students. This study focuses on an ethnographic approach as it relates to learning …

Queer Adolescent Girls Use Of Out-Of School Literacy Events To Semiotically Express, Candice Marie Moench

Wayne State University Dissertations

This qualitative study focused on the use of multiliteracies (reading, writing, viewing, visually representing, talking, and listening) by four low-income African American LBT (lesbian, bisexual, transgender) adolescents in an out-of-school setting. Data collection methods over a three-month period included transcribed field notes, interviews, questionnaires, participants' writer's notebooks, college workbooks and identity facemasks.

The study focused on critical literacy to understand how the girls used multiliteracies to understand the social practices and socially ascribed identities, which construct them as lesbian, bisexual or transgender and to critique this social construction thereby contributing to their ability to reconstruct identities and beliefs that have …

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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A Model Of Student Engagement And Academic Achievement: The Role Of Teacher-Student Relationships And Teacher Expectations, Aja C. Temple

Wayne State University Dissertations

A MODEL OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: THE ROLE OF TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIPS AND TEACHER EXPECTATIONS

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AJA C. TEMPLE

MAY 2012

Advisor: Dr. Jina Yoon

Major: Educational Psychology

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

The purpose of this study was to examine patterns of academic achievement among minority students and investigate teacher-student relationships, teachers' classroom and future educational expectations for students, and students' levels of classroom engagement in order to better understand their patterns of academic achievement. Participants (n=522) were students in grades four through six from a suburban district in Michigan. Student achievement varied according to both gender and ethnicity …

Conceptual Change And Science Achievement Related To A Lesson Sequence On Acids And Bases Among African American Alternative High School Students': Ateacher's Practical Arguments And The Voice Of The "Other", Lynda Charese Wood

Wayne State University Dissertations

The study of teaching and learning during the period of translating ideals of reform into classroom practice enables us to understand student-teacher-researcher symbiotic learning. In line with this assumption, the purpose of this study is threefold:(1) observe effects of the Common Knowledge Construction Model (CKCM), a conceptual change inquiry model of teaching and learning, on African American students' conceptual change and achievement; (2) observe the shift in teacher's practical arguments; and (3) narrate the voice of "the Other" about teacher professional learning.

This study uses retrospective data from a mixed-method approach consisting of Phenomenography, practical arguments and story-telling. Data sources …

Changing The Way We Build Games: A Design-Based Research Study Examining The Implementation Of Homemade Powerpoint Games In The Classroom, Jason Paul Siko

Wayne State University Dissertations

This design-based research study examined the effects of a game design project on student test performance, with refinements made to the implementation after each of the three iterations of the study. The changes to the implementation over the three iterations were based on the literature for the three justifications for the use of homemade PowerPoint games in the classroom: constructionism, microthemes, and question writing. A review of the literature for the justifications found that the game project, as implemented in previous studies using homemade PowerPoint games, did not align well with the justifications. After three iterations of the study, students …

Toward Affective Language Arts Teaching: The Utilization Of Culturally Relevant Literature On Urban African American High School Students, Barbara Benita Craft

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

TOWARD AFFECTIVE LANGUAGE ARTS TEACHING:

THE UTILIZATION OF CULTURALLY RELEVANT LITERATURE ON URBAN AFRICAN AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

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BARBARA-BENITA CRAFT

August 2012

Advisor: Dr. Monte Piliawsky

Major: Curriculum and Instruction

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Data collected and analyzed from English Language Arts teachers in urban, metro-city, and suburban school districts related to the use and extent of use of culturally relevant pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1994a), culturally relevant literature (Ladson-Billings, 1994a), activities and strategies from African American familial culture (Hale-Benson, 1986), and cultural modeling (Lee, 1993), showed similarities and differences in the pedagogical practices and methodologies among the three teachers …

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 …

Miblsi Program Evaluuation Of Participatory Elementary Schools From 2003-20009, Marvin Gibbs

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation details the use of the Program Evaluations Metaevaluation Checklist (PEMC), Stufflebeam, 1999, which is for performing final, summative metaevaluations. It is organized according to the Joint Committee Program Evaluation Standards. For each of the 30 standards the checklist includes 6 checkpoints drawn from the substance of the standard. It reports the use of the PEMC in evaluating the use of So, How Are We Doing? A MiBLSi Evaluation Study. The study shows that the PEMC could be a functional tool for a metaevaluation if modified for a specific evaluation. The results of the Kruskal- Wallis one way analysis …

Refugee College Students Acquiring Academic Literacy: An Exploration Of How Their Views Of Academic Literacy Impact The Process, Amal H. Essak

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to first, examine the difference between the academic literacy definition and views of the involuntary immigrant college students and the academic literacy definition and views of the hosting country; and second, to examine how these students acquire academic literacy over the course of one academic semester at a US college. This study provided understanding of how involuntary immigrant and refugee students develop new academic literacies practices as they go through the academic socialization process, rather than focusing just on what they should know in order to become successful educated members of the new community. …

The Dependent Samples T And Wilcoxon Sign Rank Maximum Test, Saverpierre Maggio

Wayne State University Dissertations

A maximum test using the parametric dependent samples t-test and the non-parametric Wilcoxon sign rank test was created using a FORTRAN program and various subroutines of the International Mathematical and Statistical Libraries (IMSL, 1980). Two tailed critical values were derived from a mixed normal distribution. Critical values obtained were at the 0.05, 0.025, 0.01 and 0.005 alpha levels via sample sizes (n) 8 through 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120. Critical values were compared to values obtained through the application of the Bonferroni correction method. It was concluded that the Bonferroni is an unnecessary method. Findings of the study are …

The Effect Of Nonrandom Selection Of Clusters In A Two Stage Cluster Design, Jason Christopher Parrott

Wayne State University Dissertations

Although not as efficient as simple random sampling, cluster sampling has been regarded as a valid sampling technique when the researcher is attempting to save cost. However in order to do so, it is necessary that random selection occurs in all stages of sampling. This simulation study examines purposeful selection of cluster sampling in the second stage of a two stage cluster design. Using Monte Carlo methods a simulation was conducted comparing the random selection of both stages of a two stage cluster sample to purposeful selection of the second stage of a two stage cluster sample. The study compares …

Narratives Of Possibility: Adolescent Girls Constructing And Negotiating Front And Back Stage Identities Through Blogs, Kattie Marie Hogan

Wayne State University Dissertations

For young woman, the issue of self-expression is important to consider because there are many contexts where their voices and experiences are discounted, silenced, and suppressed. Venues for self-expression can provide a way for those voices and experiences that have been ignored in classrooms and other social outlets to be recognized. This research study explored the ways four girls between the ages of 16-19 used blogging to construct meaning of their experiences and negotiate their identities through a wide range of literary practices including nonfiction and fiction writing, photographs, self-created drawings, and other materials. Writing in these blogs girls moved …