Education Commons^™

The Attitudes Toward Reading And Reading Achievement Of Seventh Grade Students In A Sustained Silent Reading Program, Tarra Renee Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Davis and Neitzel (2010) and Patrick, Ryan, and Kaplan (2007) indicate that many students develop negative attitudes toward reading as they advance through school. Because students report that they enjoy independent reading time, providing this time to students in middle school is thought to be beneficial. Additional research is needed to determine whether providing independent reading time to middle school students using a range of texts will influence attitudes toward reading. The purpose of this study was to determine seventh grade students' attitudes toward reading who participate in sustained silent reading (SSR). A secondary purpose was to determine if their …

Analysis Of The Congruency Between Educational Choices And Community College Student Degree Aspirations, Mark Quathamer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research explored variables that influence community college student degree aspirations and students purpose for enrolling and pursuing specific degree types. The study was conducted using secondary data for students pursuing Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and Bachelor of Applied Science degrees at a single community college. A logistic regression test was used to test graduate and baccalaureate degree aspirations of the entire sample of students and separately by degree type. Significant predictors of degree aspirations included age, gender, credits enrolled in, participation in student groups, academic course planning, receipt of scholarship, and college GPA. In general, community college …

Multicultural Counseling Competence Of School Counselors: Relationship To Multicultural Behaviors And Perceived School Climate, Jennifer Greene

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Diversity in the United States is steadily increasing with racial and ethnic groups traditionally called minorities expected to account for over 50% of the U.S. population by 2050 (U.S. Census Projections, 2009). At the same time, the school age population is expected to consist of 60% students from "minority" backgrounds. Yet, school counselors are mostly from White, European backgrounds and are projected to continue to come from that background (Brown, Parham, and Yonker, 1996; Pack-Brown, 1999; Vaughn, 2007). This creates frequent cross-cultural counseling relationships within schools necessitating that school counselors have multicultural competence. Multicultural counseling competence (MCC) has been related …

The Impact Of A Group Counseling Intervention On Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, And Queer Older Adolescents' Levels Of Hope, Coping, And Suicidality, Catherine Lamb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This investigation examined the impact of an eight-week group counseling intervention on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) older adolescents’ (aged 18-20) levels of hopefulness, coping skills, and suicidality. An experimental, randomized-controlledtrial research design was employed to identify differences between the intervention group and waitlist control group participants’ hopefulness, coping skills, and suicidality scores. In addition, the relationship between the LGBTQ+ participants’ outcome variables (hopefulness, coping skills, and suicidality) scores was examined. Furthermore, the impact of group therapeutic factors experienced by the LGBTQ+ participants in intervention group for the variables of hopefulness, coping skills, and suicidality was examined. Key …

Replacing The "Raise Your Hand To Speak" Rule With New Social And Sociomathematical Norms In An Elementary Mathematics Classroom, Lisa Brooks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study documents the establishment of new social and sociomathematical norms in a second grade classroom. The teacher allowed students to speak directly to one another without having to raise their hands first during whole group mathematics instruction. Reform efforts in mathematics and the standards for mathematical practice contained in the Common Core State Standards call for students to discuss their reasoning with each other. Data were collected through interviews with the teacher and students, field notes, and video-recorded lessons over the course of 23 days. An online survey tool was utilized to share selected video of the teacher's …

Staffing Practices Of Elementary School Principals For Teachers In Primary Grades And Implications For The Prek-3rd Continuum, Laura Albers-Biddle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Principals are considered the educational leaders of their schools and face pressure to improve the quality of education across all levels and disciplines. Principals were interviewed to understand their beliefs, knowledge, and dispositions on staffing teachers in the primary grades. A purposive sample of elementary school principals was drawn from one mid-size suburban district in Florida. Data were analyzed using Bolman and Deal's four-frame organizational theory framework, Cohen's cognitive frame, and Boote's theory of professional discretion. The data strongly suggest that principals do not understand the foundations of early childhood practice. In addition, they do not understand the differences between …

Reformation And Renaissance: An Examination Of America's Education Reform Movement, Craig Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Education reform has grown into a major policy issue at the state and national level in the United States and for that matter around the world. The purpose of this study was to determine the political and social forces supporting, the rationale behind, and the growth and impact of education reform policies in the K-12 public education system of the United States from 2001-2011. Through mixed-methods data analysis a descriptive and analytical picture of education reform was able to be concluded. The results of the analysis showed that with an increase in education reforms from 2001-2011, legislators, predominantly Republican, created …

Meeting The Needs Of Students Through A Targeted Professional Development, Anthony Copelin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study presents a complex problem of practice occurring at Primrose Elementary school [pseudonym]. A large portion of Primrose Elementary School's population has been unable to meet Florida's state reading proficiency standards over the last twelve years. Students of Primrose Elementary have a poor foundation in language on which to build vital reading skills. Consequently, students cannot overcome this deficiency because teachers lack the content knowledge to meet the students' language and subsequent reading deficiencies, in spite of 12 years of reading professional development. This dissertation in practice will propose the use of targeted professional development to address below grade …

Student Engagement And Ethical Care In A Title I Middle School Program, Marguerite Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine if the foundational constructs (student engagement and ethical care) were experienced by the 8th grade students that participated in a morning tutoring program: Future Problem Solvers. A mixed methods design was adopted for the purpose of this study including raw data, survey data, informal observations, and face-to-face interviews. The goal was to determine if the 28 participants (male and female) demonstrated academic success on the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (Science). The study was also conducted in order to explore the level of student engagement and the development of reciprocating relationships based ethical …

Predictors Of School Engagement For Females With Emotional And Behavioral Disabilities, Stacey Hardin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Women in general have been historically overlooked in society and, more recently, in research females with emotional and behavioral disabilities (EBD) have been unnoticed (Rice, Merves, & Srsic, 2008). The purpose of the current study is to build a foundation of knowledge and practices for educators and researchers to better support and education this unique population of females. To better understand females with EBD, the researcher imposed a three-phase study, situated in two frameworks-the Culturally Responsive Theory Framework (Wlodkowski & Ginsberg, 1995) and the Participation-Identification Model (Finn, 1989), to look into the predictors of school engagement for females with EBD. …

Website Interactivity As A Branding Tool For Hotel Websites, Albert Barred Davila

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation explored the relationships among Website interactivity, brand knowledge, consumer-based brand equity and behavioral intentions in the context of hotel Websites. Based on an in-depth literature review, a theory-driven model was proposed and ten hypotheses were developed. The dissertation employed an empirical study based on a survey design, and collected data via a marketing company. Respondents who booked a hotel room online using hotel branded Websites in the last 12 months were approached to complete the online questionnaire. Four hundred ninety six (496) respondents completed the online questionnaire by answering to questions related to their last hotel booking experience. …

The Effect Of Jyoti Meditation On Student Counselor Emotional Intelligence, Stress, And Daily Spiritual Experiences, Daniel Gutierrez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has found meditation to be effective in reducing practitioner stress, improving emotional functioning, and increasing pro-social emotions, such as empathy and compassion. In addition, research examining the effects of meditation on student counselors has shown that it increases counselor self-efficacy, reduces distress, and increases cognitive empathy. Therefore, it behooves counselor educators to discover methods of integrating meditation into counselor training. The meditation practice investigated in the current study is new to the counseling and psychology literature. The majority of the current research has examined transcendental and mindfulness-based practices. However, recent research has shown that spirituality has the ability …

Exploring The Influence Of Stigma, Level Of Trauma, And Social Support On The Experience Of Posttraumatic Growth In Adults Living With Hiv, Melissa Zeligman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigated the influence of HIV-related stigma, social support, and impact of HIV diagnosis on posttraumatic growth (PTG) in adults living with HIV (N = 126). In addition, the study aimed to identify if social support moderated the relationship between stigma and PTG. Lastly, the study attempted to determine how impactful receiving an HIV diagnosis was to the sample. One hundred and twenty-six adults living with HIV within the state of Florida (41% response rate) participated in the research. Participants were recruited from a series of support groups and HIV focused agencies throughout the state, and responded through …

A Comparison Of Teachers' Beliefs Of The Use Of Inquiry Teaching, Origin Of Knowledge Of Inquiry Teaching, And Student Achievement Between International Baccalaureate And Non-International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme Schools, Lucy Haddock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of improving student achievement is of paramount interest to all public schools. The focus of this research was to determine the difference between inquiry based teaching strategies and student achievement. Additionally, the researcher investigated the origin of inquiry based teaching knowledge and International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IBPYP) affiliation. IBPYP affiliation was studied due to the nature of the IBPYP as an inquiry based philosophy of teaching. The McGill Strategic Demands of Inquiry Questionnaire (MSDIQ) was used to determine teacher beliefs of inquiry based teaching strategies. Student achievement was measured using Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test 2.0 (FCAT 2.0) …

A Professional Learning Community Design: Using Close Reading Techniques To Improve The U.S. History Comprehension, Maureen Tinsley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation in practice presents a research-based model for staff development utilizing the elements of a professional learning community. The focus of this problem of practice was determined through an analysis of one high school's reading data indicating that 36% of the student body was reading below grade level according to the state assessment test for reading. Researchers have noted that reading demands for college and careers have increased (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2011; Barton, 2000; Common Core State Standards, 2014). If students do not develop reading proficiency to graduate with a high school diploma, they are at risk of …

Digital Interactive Games For Assessment: A Study Of The Effectiveness Of A Digital Game As A Measure Of Students' Understanding Of Boolean Logic, Mohammad Ali Haji

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Digital games have been used mostly for entertainment but recently researchers have started to use digital games in other areas such as education and training. Researchers have shown that digital games can provide a compelling, creative, and collaborative environment for learning. However, the popularity of computers and the Internet brings this question to mind: Are the assessment methods falling behind and remaining traditional? Will the traditional methods of learning and knowledge assessment be sufficient for this new generation who are starving for new technology? This study investigates the effectiveness of using a digital interactive game as an assessments method - …

Analysis Of Commercial Online Training Videos For Teachers Who Instruct Students With Characteristics Of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Kelly Schaffer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A deficit currently exists in teacher preparation programs for teaching students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) using evidence-based practices, specifically in the area of Applied Behavior Analysis. As communication deficits are a primary characteristic associated with the diagnosis of ASD teaching communication skills is a common educational goal for students with ASD, and this skill needs to be addressed in teacher education. Mand training is one evidence-based practice applied to teach independent requesting skills to students with ASD. In this study, four teachers serving students with characteristics of ASD in the classroom participated in a multiple-probe across-participants study evaluating the …

An Investigation Of The Use Of Disciplinary Texts And Achievement On End-Of-Course Examinations In High School U.S. History Courses, Jocelyn Baldridge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to examine whether a disparity exists between teacher expectations of honors and non-honors U. S. History students and if students who read more for U. S. History perform better on the U. S. History End-of-Course (EOC) examination. To generate answers to the research questions, both teachers and students in U. S. History courses were surveyed as to how much time was spent reading for U. S. History content both during class and for homework. The student surveys were matched to the U. S. History EOC Developmental Scale Scores to determine if students who responded as reading …

A Quantitative Study Of The Relationship Between Pell Grant Aid And Associated Variables In A Florida Public State College, Lynn Powers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using Bean and Metzner's conceptual framework related to non-traditional student attrition, the responsible use of Federal Pell Grants was studied by examining the retention and academic performance of college-credit seeking students in a public college in Florida that predominantly offered two year degree programs. Also analyzed were differences between Pell Grant recipients and non-recipients among various demographic categories. Chi-square tests of independence indicated that statistical significance existed between Pell Grant recipients and non-recipients in retention rates from fall to spring terms, as well as in the demographic variables of academic performance, gender, ethnicity, age group, residency, and credit hours achieved. …

Admission Criteria For Schools Of Business: Common Prerequisites And Academic Performance In Upper-Level Business Coursework, Helen Becker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Schools of business within the Florida State University system have state-mandated common prerequisites that students are required to complete prior to formal admission into baccalaureate business programs. As such, the common prerequisites serve as minimum admission requirements for schools of business in the state of Florida. This study sought to determine the ability of these discipline specific admission criteria to predict academic performance in upper-level business coursework. This study looked at existing data for 860 students in the College of Business Administration at the University of Central Florida. Findings of the study demonstrate that there is a positive and moderate …

Discovering Self, Leaving Struggle Behind, And Setting Examples: Perspectives From First-Generation, Minority Community College Women On The Value Of Higher Education, Antonia Sheel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored how first-generation, minority community college women who participated in a Student Success course understood their higher education experiences. The researcher used a basic interpretive qualitative methodology to uncover how the value of higher education was constructed within those discussions. Five purposively selected students participated in one-on-one semi structured interviews. The participant's understandings were highlighted independently, reflecting a wide range of sentiments that were largely self-directed in essence, at times ambiguous and yet, complex in nature as the women made sense of their experiences. Through the use of thematic analysis, three dominant discourses about the value of higher …

Building Educator Capacity In Support Of Student Achievement On Florida's United States History End-Of-Course Assessment, Stacy Skinner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Florida's United States History End-of-Course (EOC) Assessment performance outcomes are scheduled to impact student course grades, educator evaluation scores, and school grades. A professional learning plan to improve teaching and learning in support of student achievement on the Assessment does not exist. Neither Florida Statute nor the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) facilitate or fund professional learning in support of these influences. This dissertation in practice proposes the use of the U.S. History EOC Assessment Professional Learning Series to build educator capacity in support of student achievement on the Assessment. Implementation of professional learning could address the disparity between the …

From Frances Elliott Clark To Today's Higher Education Music Educators: An Exploration Of The Perceptions And Usage Of Digital Audio Via Electronic Reserves And Digital Databases, Kathleen Lopresti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Currently, there is a lack of research on the use of digital audio from the perspective of music educators in higher education. Researchers [for example: James Mason and Jared Wiercinski (2009), Jean E. Ferguson (2004), Richard Griscom (2003), Scott R. Phinney (2005) and Kathryn Sullivan, John J. Stafford, and Cindy Badilla-Melendez (2004)] have, however, studied streaming audio in relation to university students and libraries. Knowing the perceptions of instructors is important, because according to Oblinger & Oblinger (2005), they may not have the same perceptions as the students. Additionally, Moseley (2010) recommended further qualitative studies concerning the perceptions of faculty …

Failing The Failed: A Treatise On The Need For A Research Based Pedagogical Approach To Credit Recovery, Kelly Scott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation in practice is to address the problem of online credit recovery. Although online enrollments have skyrocketed in recent years and all preliminary research indicates a large percentage of those enrollments are from students seeking credit recovery, much of the curriculum currently being offered is not research-based. Following a literature review focused on the history of credit recovery as well as successful current methods, we designed CRIT (Credit Recovery Instructional Treatment), a research-based approach to curriculum design for credit recovery. CRIT is a standards based curriculum relying on criterion based assessments. This approach was then applied …

The Relationship Between Financial Aid Type And Academic Success In A Public Two-Year College In Georgia, Donald D. Avery

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there is a relationship between financial aid type and academic success in a public two-year institution in the state of Georgia. Financial assistance contributes significantly to higher education in the form of subsidy to the participants in higher education through student financial aid. Much of the research available on this topic is based on data provided by four-year institutions and research was not identified which investigates the aid type and potential relationship to academic success.

In an attempt to establish this relationship, the investigation considered grades earned in foundational coursework as …

The Caring Beliefs And Practices Of Effective Teachers, Barbara D. Mccollum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Current educational reform tends to emphasize an impersonal test-driven approach to teaching while the present research maintains this reform is inequitable because it neglects the personal component of teacher caring, which is necessary to reach all students, especially disaffected underachievers. The purpose of the present multi-case study was to determine the caring beliefs and practices of six effective teachers in two Title I Elementary schools in a central Georgia school system, how these beliefs and practices manifested in the classroom, and in what ways the teachers’ beliefs and practices may have been influenced by their own cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds …

Comprehension Of Science Text By African American Fifth And Sixth Grade Students: The Effects Of A Metalinguistic Approach, Karen Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Scientific literacy has been at the forefront of science education reform for the past 20 years, particularly for students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds (Lee et. al., 2005; Pearson, Moje & Greenleaf, 2010). The ability to extract meaning from text is an important skill. Yet many students struggle with effectively comprehending what they read, particularly in content areas of science, math and history. According to the National Assessment Educational Progress (NAEP, 2013) report, adolescents are not acquiring advanced literacy skills needed to succeed in the workplace and academic setting. Literacy experts have called for the use of disciplinary …

Examining Emotional Responses To Effective Versus Ineffective Virtual Buddies, Kathleen Ingraham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to explore the impact of virtual character design on user emotional experience and user behavior in a simulated environment. With simulation training increasing in popularity as a tool for teaching social skills, it is essential that social interactions in virtual environments provide authentic opportunities for practice (Swartout et al., 2006). This study used Interactive Performance Theory (Wirth, 2012) to examine the effect of designing a virtual buddy character with ineffective traits instead of effective or expert traits. The sample population for this study (n = 145) consisted of first year university students enrolled …

Effects Of A Mathematics Graphic Organizer And Virtual Video Modeling On The Word Problem Solving Abilities Of Students With Disabilities, Lauren Delisio

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the last decade, the inclusion of students with disabilities (SWD) in the general education classroom has increased. Currently, 60% of SWD spend 80% or more of their school day in the general education classroom (U.S. Department of Education, 2013). This includes students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), a developmental disability characterized by impairments in behavior, language, and social skills (American Psychological Association, 2013). Many of these SWD struggle with mathematics in the elementary grades; fewer than 20% of SWD are proficient in mathematics when they begin middle school, compared to 45% of their peers without disabilities. Furthermore, 83% of …

A Contextual Examination Of Mississippi's Principal Preparation Programs And Their Impact On Student Achievement, Wilner Bolden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Principal preparation programs have faced increased scrutiny concerning their effectiveness in preparing K-12 administrators (Bennet, Gooden, Lindauer, & Petrie, 2001). Due to consistently stagnant academic performance of schools across the nation and reported shortages of quality school leaders, principals have been pushed front and center as the targeted school leader responsible for school failure. Because principals received their preparation from either a traditional or alternate route principal program, there is a need to re-exam the effectiveness of these programs to enhance principal practice and principal performance. The purpose of this quantitative study, a contextual examination of Mississippi's principal preparation programs …