Education Commons^™

Urban Teacher-Student Relationship Quality, Teacher Burnout, And Cultural Competence, Ashley E. Poklar

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Researchers across multiple disciplines suggest that teacher-student relationship quality (TSRQ) has a strong association with positive student outcomes across all domains of student functioning (McGrath & Van Bergen, 2015) and serves as a moderating factor in outcome measures for students of color (Murray, Waas, & Murray, 2008) and for those considered economically disadvantaged (Olsson, 2009). Despite the clear benefits of positive TSRQ, the literature is scarce regarding teacher specific factors that may impact TSRQ. This study is the first to explore TSRQ in relation to implicit teacher factors utilizing a mixed-methods approach. Through canonical correlation analysis, utilizing a sample of …

Writer Self-Efficacy And Student Self-Identity In Developmental Writing Classes: A Case Study, Bridget Ann Kriner

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The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how instructional approaches to teaching developmental writing at a large urban community college foster the development of college students’ self-efficacy regarding academic writing and self-identity as college students. The case study examined the perspectives of four instructors and six students. The research considered: 1) how students experience the development of self-efficacy related to their academic writing; 2) how students experience their self-identity as college students; 3) how writing instructors foster students’ development of self-efficacy as writers; and 4) how writing instructors foster students’ self-identities as college students. The findings of …

"Serviam": A Historical Case Study Of Leadership In Transition In Urban Catholic Schools In Northeast Ohio, Sarah M. West

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The purpose of this historical case study was to explore, through the lens of knowledge transfer, answers to the following two questions: how did the Sister-educators from one community in Northeast Ohio prepare themselves for leadership, and when it became clear that the future of their urban school depended on transitioning to lay leadership, how did Sister-principals prepare their religious communities and their school communities for that change. This qualitative study focuses on six members of one active, engaged, service-based community which has supported schools Northeast Ohio for over a century. The research revealed that a successful Sister-to-laity leadership transition …

Parent-Teacher Perceptions Of The Factors That Interfere With Productive Parent-Teacher Relationships In Urban Schools, Darryl Marc Mason

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The main premise of this study is that teachers and parents (that is, single head-of-household mothers) of Black males living in urban communities should engage in collaborative, mutual, and respectful dialogue. A barrier to fostering such collaboration, however, lies in differences between the worldviews of teachers and parents based on a variety of cultural, social, economic, and individual factors. If external and/or internal barriers to developing a productive parent-teacher relationship can be overcome, Black males will have a significantly greater chance of succeeding in school. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of single African American …

This Is Why I Teach! An Investigation Into The Ongoing Identity Development Of African American Educators Teaching In Urban Settings, Erica Joi Glover

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Concerns regarding teacher recruitment and teacher retention among African American teachers continue to illustrate the difficulty in diversifying the teacher population. At the same time, African American teachers currently working in urban schools must successfully find strategies to engage urban youth, who face inequitable educational opportunities. Such realities can be challenging to African American teachers, who have also experienced structural oppression, as they are expected to conform to the educational ideologies and strategies of dominant, white society. As such, the personal and professional experiences of African American teachers working within urban schools will not only influence their on-going identity, but …

Teacher Motivation Matters: An Hlm Approach To Understanding Motivation Towards The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme, John Murphy Moore

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The International Baccalaureate Organization’s Middle Years Programme (IBMYP) has experienced explosive growth in the United States since its early stages in 1994. Despite its aggressive expansion, little research has explored the relationship between teachers and the program, ignoring the role of motivation in the ways in which the external standards and practices of the program are internalized and enacted. External regulation threatens teachers’ autonomous motivation and is thus associated with compliance attitudes, increased burnout, and less autonomy-support in the classroom. Conversely, teachers who experience more autonomous motivation are generally more creative, resist burnout, and inspire lifelong learning in students.

This …

Teacher Self-Identity: A Narrative Inquiry Into The Lives Of Teachers And The Influences On Their Interactions With Students, Hannah Marie Reid

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New teachers are supported extensively while participating in teacher training programs and during the first years of teaching. During this time, there are opportunities for the new teacher to explore their self-identity and determine how they will interact with students in the classroom. As teachers enter the later years of their careers and are considered experienced, they are forced to contend with changing political and societal factors that influence their experiences around teaching in the classroom, often times without the extensive support that is provided for the teachers in their first years. Through a lens of social constructivism, narrative inquiry …

International Students Career Development: Acculturative Stress And Career Outcomes, Sneha J. Pitre

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International students face many challenges as they adapt to a new host country. These challenges are present in social, psychological, academic, and career domains of life. Although students aim to reduce the difficulties encountered in the acculturation process, negative experiences often have a harmful impact. Acculturative stress can negatively affect mental and physical health, as well as career outcomes. The literature focusing on the career-related needs and placement concerns of international students with relation to acculturative stress is scare and needs further exploration. The present study investigated the relationship between acculturative stress and the career outcomes of work hope, career …

Identity And Career Experiences Of Muslim Immigrant Women: The United States Context, Basak Kacar Khamush

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Muslim women's sense of self is at stake due to prevailing stigma and oppression toward Muslims. Employment and workplace have emerged as primary settings for encounters of negative bias, prejudice, and discrimination. Muslim immigrant women face multiple disadvantages on the basis of their various intersecting identities. The purpose of this study was to explore identity and career experiences of first generation immigrant Muslim women in American society, particularly in work and career settings. Informed by relational approaches to career development and social identity perspective, and grounded on the constructivist paradigm, a phenomenological qualitative analysis using consensual qualitative research (CQR) was …

The Dividing Lines Of Opportunity: The Relationships Among Student Characteristics And Selected Institutional Services At Two-Year Public And For-Profit Colleges, Elizabeth Anne Gilblom

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This study examined if and to what extent selected institutional services and special learning and credit opportunities in the 2-year private, for-profit college sector and community colleges in the United States are related to race, socioeconomic status and urbanicity. The researcher evaluated whether the institutional services and special learning and credit opportunities available to students at these 1,479 institutions are stratified by the socioeconomic and racial characteristics of their student bodies and their local communities, by institutional control, by the institution’s degree of urbanization, and the student financial aid characteristics. The researcher also investigated the relationship among institutional services, special …

Leveling The Playing Field: Ensuring African-American Students Access To Advanced Placement Courses, Alisa L. Lawson-Mckinnie

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The under-representation of African-American high school students in advanced placement classes must be understood in terms of broader school contexts and practices. This qualitative study investigated how teachers and guidance counselors contribute to the academic success of African-American students of high potential at a large suburban high school in the city of Cleveland. The purpose was to improve the participation and performance of these students in AP courses. Data indicates that (a) school employees (teachers and guidance counselors) can positively affect achievement, (b) their definitions of success shape these students’ opportunities for achievement, and (c) developing the capacities of high-potential …

Predicting Student Success: Factors Influencing Nclex-Rn® Rates In An Urban University's Pre-Licensure Programs, David M. Foley

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As the US population becomes more diverse, schools of nursing are faced with the formidable challenge of graduating diverse groups of competent students who will pass the NCLEX-RN® and serve an equally diverse public in the safest manner possible. Although institutions of higher learning have adopted plans to enhance diversity among nursing graduates, tension is created between these initiatives and the academic rigor required by nursing education. In particular, schools of nursing in diverse urban metropolitan areas face unique challenges educating increasing number of men, minorities, and students for whom English is a second language (ESL). Stanton-Salazar’s (2011) Social Capital …

The Unemployed Adult In The Liminal Space Of A Job-Training Program: Transformations Of Learner Identities, Anthony Craig Adkisson

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This research addresses the impact job-readiness programs have on the identity of unemployed adults. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the transformational learning that happened for a group of seven unemployed adults seeking employment. The research considered: 1) what meaning do unemployed adults make out of their experience going through job-training programs; 2) what are the liminal aspects of job-training programs; 3) how do aspects of the job-training programs influence the development of their identity; 4) what are the ways the programs shapes their views toward learning; and 5) in what ways was this experience transformative? …

Institutional Agents In The Lives Of Chagrin Falls Park Youth, Alison Taylor Kaufman

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This qualitative case study researched how adults from a community center and school acted as institutional agents in assisting youth navigating between community and school settings. The research was conducted in the context of Chagrin Falls Park, a historically marginalized community in the Cleveland metropolitan region. The research included semi-structured interviews with eleven participants across three participant categories, including institutional agents from Kenston Local Schools and Chagrin Falls Park Community Center and young adult Kenston graduates. The research explored: (1) the perceptions and roles of institutional agents in how Black youth construct identities, relationships, and navigate between institutional and community …

The Impact Of School Policing Practices On Student Behaviors In Ohio Public Schools, Jennifer Marie Dohy

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Many American public schools began to employ School Resource Officers (SROs) in the 1990s as a result of mass school shootings in the early 1990s (Weiler & Cray, 2011). An SRO is a law enforcement officer serving primarily within a school community whose mission is to ensure safety, order, and discipline through conflict mediation and critical incident response (Clark, 2011). According to national data, there are currently SROs in 35% of schools, regardless of level (e.g., elementary, middle, and high school), location (e.g., rural, town, suburban, or city), or student population (Weiler & Cray, 2011). Despite a heavy reliance on …

Executive Mba Programs: Impact On Female Executive Career Development, Monica A. Butko

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Corporate America faces an erosion of senior leadership talent due to the exodus of many baby boomers who had occupied these positions.Many of them have either retired or will do so in the next decade. The erosion of this talent will become a major problem that can be avoided by grooming women to assume many of these positions.

Over the past 60 years women have made significant strides in middle management as cited by their progression in the workforce since World War II. Education has been viewed as a key to career development by women. While women have made significant …

A Multilevel Analysis Of Student, Community, And School Factors That Predict Students’ Achievement In Visual Art, Christine Baker Mitton

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Multiple access points for visual art education exist within the nation’s schools and communities. How these diverse school and community contexts collectively impact the development of student visual art achievement and perceived competence has not been sufficiently researched. The purpose of the study was to identify student, community, and school factors that impact middle school students’ achievement and perceived competence in visual art. The study sought to contextualize the structures and policies that shape visual art instruction within the nation’s schools by building understanding of how visual art experiences influence adolescents at a crucial moment in their social, emotional, and …

Exploring The Coping Strategies Of Female Urban High School Seniors On Academic Successes As It Relates To Bullying, Brenda Elaine Brooks-Turner

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Bullying has become a worldwide problem of pandemic proportion and degree. (Thomas, Bolen, Heister & Hyde, 2010). In the United States over thirty-five percent of school-aged students were directly involved in bullying incidents. Tragic news stories about suicides and school violence raised awareness about the importance of addressing this global issue (Van Der Zande, 2010). To date reports further indicate that more females are involved in indirect relational bullying than males. Unfortunately, as technology becomes more and more accessible, relational bullying has become one of the fastest growing epidemics (Brinson, 2005; Rigby & Smith, 2011).

Current research explanations were limited …

An Exploration Of African American Male College Students’ Perceptions Of Factors That Contribute To Their Academic Success, Yvette N. Daugherty-Brown

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According to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (2012), college degree attainment among African American males is only 16%, as compared to 20% for African American females, and 32% for Caucasian males. A great deal of research and emphasis has been placed on the struggles, challenges and shortcomings relative to African American male educational attainment. However, more work needs to be done to determine the factors that contribute to their academic success.

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore the factors that contributed to the academic success of African American male college students that participated in the Baldwin …

Negotiating Identity And Constructing Masculinities: A Narrative Case Study Of Men In Early Childhood Education, Matthew C. Luginbill

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Men teachers are not present in early childhood classrooms for many reasons, despite recruitment efforts. Many men who do choose to follow this feminized career path find themselves positioned as tokens and often quickly leave for administration. Informed by a three-dimensional narrative inquiry approach this research utilized identity and masculinities paradigms to investigate the experiences of veteran men teaching young children. A series of four interviews was used to explore and describe the individual professional life history of participants. The narratives of Frank, Jerry, and George provide a deeper understanding of how men negotiate identity and construct masculinities over time …

Bosnian Refugees' Understanding Of Their Health And Well-Being In A U.S. Context, Irina Bransteter

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Two decades after the civil war in Bosnia, more than fifty percent of population is suffering from various war aftereffects. However, most studies focused on objective outcomes, including gathering data on quantity of affected individuals. Very few studies focused on exploration of the experience itself, as well as Bosnian refugees’ perception of their own health and well-being. The purpose of this study was to explore war and post-war experiences, as well as health and well-being of Bosnian refugees. Particular interest focused on the meaning making of their experience through personal narratives. Following the Qualitative Consensual Research analysis, seven domains emerged: …

A Comparative Analysis Of Female Leaders In Urban Educational Settings, Larraine Freeman Fuller

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The purpose of this research was to explore the ways in which race and gender impact the leadership effectiveness of female leaders in urban school districts. An effective educational leader demonstrates certain leadership qualities. Realizing that barriers will inevitably accompany the leadership role assumed, the leader must be able to identify these barriers and work to overcome them.

Six educational female leaders participated in this study. As a result of this study, four themes emerged. The themes identified how the leaders viewed their leadership style, ways to lead effectively and how others perceived them. The information that was revealed through …

Predictors Of School Connectedness In Community Colleges, James A. Gardner

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College students leave school before completing their degrees. Costs are high when college students fail to persist and reach their graduation goals. There are many reasons why students fail to persist which have already been thoroughly investigated elsewhere. Prior research has shown a positive correlation between strength of school connectedness and persistence. This document examined the concept of school connectedness and how it related to perceived strength of school connectedness in older, nontraditional age community college students in votech programs as compared to traditional age students in associate degree programs.

To measure perceived strength of school connectedness, this research used …

Persistence Redefined: Why Men Stay, Karie A. Coffman

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The research addressed factors affecting degree completion for adult male students. This qualitative case study explored factors that contributed to the persistence of undergraduate adult male students and their perception of their role within the campus community. The research considered: 1) how adult male undergraduate students described their ability to persist until degree completion; 2) what factors contributed to persistence; 3) what types of social interactions enabled participants to persist; and 4) how adult male undergraduate students described their relationship to the campus community. Data were collected through interviews with nine nontraditional male graduates who earned a baccalaureate degree within …

Design And Production Of A Hydrogel Forming Polypeptide: Engaging High School Students In Protein Design, James K. Deyling

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Bioinks are a class of hydrogel that have the potential to be the ink used in the creation of printed organs, connective tissue, and other important structures within the body. One class of material that may be a suitable bioink hydrogel is elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs), which are synthetic biopolymers inspired by the naturally existing connective tissue elastin. ELPs consist of a repeat pentapeptide sequence (GXGVP)n, where X is any of the 20 naturally existing amino acids other than proline. These biomolecules are capable of exhibiting environmental responsiveness when exposed to certain stimulus such as salt concentration, temperature, and pH, depending …

African American Urban Public High School Graduates’ Experiences Concerning Mathematics, Lorenzo A. Rashid

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This interpretive qualitative study explored African American urban public high school graduates’ experiences concerning mathematics, how these experiences may play a role in the choice to further their mathematics education, and how the Model of Academic Choice (MAC) may facilitate in the understanding of the experiences.

It examined the lived experiences of seven African American urban public high school graduates concerning their mathematics education. Through criterion-based sampling, the seven participants selected had graduated from a public high school located in Northeast Ohio school districts having similar characteristics.

Data were collected through semi-structured interviews that explored participants’ kindergarten through post-secondary mathematics …

Relationship Of Passive Hip Range Of Motion To Countermovement Jump Height And Peak Power Output In Young Adults, Jacob Karl Hoopingarner

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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine passive hip range of motion (ROM) and how it relates to countermovement jump height (CMJH) and peak power output (PPO). Methods: Twenty subjects (10 males, 10 females), 19-31 years of age (23.5 ± 3.0) participated in this study. Height (170.3 ±6.9 cm), weight (65.8 ±10.5 kg) and body fat (15.6 ±6.9 , BodPod) were measured. Males with body fat greater than 17.5 and females greater than 27.5 were excluded from the study since jumping ability is limited by body fat. Power athletes were excluded from the study due to their likely …

A Cross Sectional Comparison Of Flexibility And Balance In Children 10-14 Years Of Age, Allison Anne Lowe

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To determine the effects of age on flexibility and balance in children ages 10-14. This study also determined the validity of the Y-balance test by comparing it to the standard back-saver sit and reach (BSSR) and the balance error scoring system test (BESS). Methods: 84 participants males (n=41) and females (n=43) ages 10-14 years old from a school in Chardon, Ohio, volunteered through a convenience sample to complete the study. Each subject had to complete three different tests in a randomized order during their regular physical education class. To compare the results of the three tests, gender and the age …

Exploratory Factor Analysis Of The Spiritual Wellness Inventory, Chivonna Y. Childs

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The relationship between psychology and spirituality has been tenuous. Psychology distanced itself from spirituality, which could not be empirically tested, in order to establish itself as a viable science. As psychology sought this endeavor, a renewed interest in spirituality and therapy arose resulting in numerous studies exploring the effects of religion and spirituality concluding that religion and/or spirituality may provide a protective psychological factor which enhances coping skills (Johnstone et al.,2008).There has been a renewed interest regarding spirituality and therapists have realized the importance of identifying a client's spiritual outlook or lack thereof in care planning and treatment of clients …

Impact Of Teacher Attitude And Urbanicity Through The Implementation Of Positive Behavior Support Programming, Theodore Caleris

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One of the major questions that both urban and non-urban public school districts are faced with is the relationship between the predictors of school climate, student behavior, staff perceptions and the influence these variables have on school climate. School districts are under public scrutiny to produce positive achievement results for all students. Much research suggests that schools that are considered urban are generally considered unsafe, unproductive and unable to produce students that are competitive in a 21st century global economy. In the major urban centers, student populations are decreasing, flooding the first-ring school districts. First-ring school districts are the individual …