Education Commons^™

Perceptions Of Education Attainment In Rural And Appalachian Schools, Michael Estep

Online Theses and Dissertations

Today, education methods and strategies are ever changing. Educators and administrators of public schools are looking for the best methods and strategies. Appalachia is a region that is known by outsiders for its backwardness, violence, poverty, and hopelessness (Amerikaner, 2016). Counselors are the front-line workers and educators when discussing a student’s family, community, future, and plans. The plan for this study was to dive into the perceptions of counselors and what they see is a determining factor of a student’s choice of college or career technical education pathways. Testing data gives us only part of the information needed, but the …

Perceptions Of The Impact Of Project-Based Learning Within An Urban Alternative Education Center, William Trent Hamlin

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the qualitative study was to examine the perceptions of success regarding project-based learning implementation into classes in an urban Alternative Education Center. Specifically, how do current teachers describe project-based learning instruction within their classrooms at an urban alternative education center? My perspective was influenced by my own wondering if project-based learning was the best model of instruction for alternative school students. The decision to pursue this topic is based upon my experience working in alternative education and witnessing concerted efforts to implement PBL into my daily practices. I chose a grade 7-12 alternative education center located in …

First Year Perceptions: How Does Starfish Retention Solutions™ Help With Student Engagement?, Flora B. Jackson

Online Theses and Dissertations

This research investigation examined the legitimacy of Starfish Retention Solutions™ interactive early warning system impact on first year student’s academic engagement. The goal of the study was to diagnose first year student’s perceptual opinion of the early warning systems capacity to motivate students to seek academic resources and evaluate their level of educational satisfaction.

State legislators have been habitually cutting appropriation funding from the state budget in protest to the escalating college drop–out rates and declining graduation rates. The action of public officials has lead colleges and university administers to compensate for education costs by increasing college tuition. In response, …

Effect Of Digital Advertising On Website Traffic At A Kentucky Comprehensive Regional University, Brandon Lee Moore

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to quantify differences in key performance indicators between paid and organic (not paid) website traffic over a one year period of time at a regional comprehensive university in Kentucky, which is located in the southeastern United States. Two distinct sources of website traffic can be measured: paid traffic and organic traffic. Using data from website traffic analytics, this study employed multiple linear regression analysis and time series methods to understand the similarities and differences between key performance indicators of paid traffic and organic traffic as they relate to key performance indicators. Data from Google …

Examining Cpe's Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Policy And Its Impact On Hr Directors To Recruit And Hire Faculty Of Color At Associate-Level Colleges In The Commonwealth Of Kentucky, Dr. Adarrell Lafawn Owsley

Online Theses and Dissertations

Strategies to recruit and hire faculty and staff of color to the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s population levels have continued for 57 years. From Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to the Kentucky Plan in 1982 to the Strategic Plan for Kentucky Higher Education from 1982 to 1995, to the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education’s 2010-2015 Policy and Framework for Institution Diversity Plan to its current 2016-2021 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy. Despite five policy implementations, a problem still exists in recruiting and hiring faculty of color at associate-level colleges in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.The need for public …

Appreciative Inquiry: Transition Strategies For Students With Disabilities, Jerry Petrey

Online Theses and Dissertations

Transition policy and procedures are integral for districts promoting students with disabilities to successful post school outcomes in career or in higher education. School districts are given a set of standards that must be addressed in their curriculum but are not clearly delineated by state and national organizations. Additionally, transition programs in the secondary curriculum have not been examined extensively, and most research investigated particular individual disabilities in higher education settings or studies involving independent living or employment after school has been completed. This qualitative appreciative inquiry study sought to understand commonalities in the policies and procedures of the implementation …

The Impact Of Mindfulness On Mental And Emotional Health, Physical Fitness, And Academic Performance, Melanie B. Smith

Online Theses and Dissertations

Past research has indicated promising results with mindfulness and mental health. This study examines the relationship between mindfulness and mental health, physical fitness, and academic performance for middle and high school students enrolled in health and physical education courses. The Calm app was utilized in part of the Calm Schools Initiative. (n.d.) as part of the intervention. The treatment group took part in mindfulness activities twice per week for the duration of the study. Measurers were recorded using the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale – Adolescents (Brown, West, Loverich, & Biegel, 2011), Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen, Karmarck, & Mermelstein, 1983), Patient …

Strengthening Student Engagement Through Positive Teacher-Student Relationships, Kimberly H. Snodgrass

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between teacher-student relationships and student engagement. Specifically, this study was designed to answer the following questions (a) Is there a correlation between student engagement and teacher-student relationships? and (b) Is there a correlation between student engagement and a safe classroom environment (location of teacher-student relationship development)?

The Kentucky Student Voice Survey (KSVS) survey utilizing a Likert-scale was given anonymously to the students of 804 classroom teachers in grades three through twelve in a school district in the state of Kentucky. Of the seven domains of the KSVS, the domains of …

Examining Formative Critique In The High School Visual Arts Classroom, Peter C. Edwards

Online Theses and Dissertations

Formative assessment techniques are integral to high school visual arts teachers’ curricula, but are not clearly delineated by state and national organizations. Additionally, formative assessment in the high school visual arts classroom, defined in this study as formative critique, had not been examined as extensively, and most research investigated either high school core content practices or critique procedures in higher education settings. This qualitative phenomenological study sought to understand commonalities in the implementation of formative critique by high school visual arts teachers in central Kentucky. In this study, six veteran high school visual arts teachers were interviewed, using open-ended questions …

Comparing Success Rates Of Online Courses To Traditional Courses In A Small Rural Community College, David Lee Frazier

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine how academic performance of the online learning mode compares with the traditional face-to-face mode in rural community colleges. As online learning has become a popular instructional offering among many rural community college students seeking to advance their opportunities, so has the level of scrutiny. The perception of online courses is to be of lesser academic rigor and quality than their face-to-face counterparts. In this study I will (1) examine the demand for online courses in rural community colleges, (2) explore how state governments are linking community college funding to course success rates, …

The Relationship Of Extracurricular Activity On Leadership Development: Comparing International And Domestic Students, Juhee Kim

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study explores how extracurricular activities experiences affect students’ leadership development outcomes. The current status of students’ experiences of extracurricular activities and leadership development outcomes identified. Also, it analyzed the correlation, as well as how they contribute to the college students’ leadership. Lastly, the result was compared between international students and domestic students. This study focused on the individual, group, and community/society values of the Social Change Model of Leadership Development. Data was collected from 708 college students and analyzed using quantitative methodology. The results showed that college students’ participation in extracurricular organizations were relatively lower than high school students. …

A Phenomenological Examination Of The Experience For Deaf Faculty Members In A Post-Secondary Institution In America, Amy Anne Schilling

Online Theses and Dissertations

The experience of Deaf tenure track or tenured faculty in post-secondary education is largely unknown. This qualitative phenomenological examination afforded six Deaf tenure track or tenured faculty to share their experiences. The purpose of this study is to share the day-to-day lived experience of Deaf tenure track or tenured faculty in post-secondary institutions. The goal of the study was to reveal areas of growths and strengths to allow institutions to better recruit, support, and retain Deaf tenure track faculty. Deaf faculty shared their experiences and have overcome barriers leading to success in their field. Interviews were conducted with each participant …

Effective Strategies For Recruiting African American Males Into Teacher Education Programs, Fredrick Wellington Snodgrass

Online Theses and Dissertations

In today’s society, the teaching workforce should be more diverse. However, it still consists of majority white females. From a survey reported by Education Week in 2017-2018, the teaching workforce consisted of 79.2% white teachers. The same data reported that the teaching workforce consists of 7% African-Americans (Will, 2020). From that 7% of African-Americans, African-American males consists of 2% of the teaching workforce (Bell, 2017). Some school districts are seeking to attract more minority teachers to reflect their student demographics. In 2018, data reported from statista.com shows the following student demographics in K-12 public schools across the U.S.: 47% White, …

Correlation Between Teacher Efficacy And Effective Professional Learning Communities, David Glen Gilliam

Online Theses and Dissertations

High levels of teacher efficacy are consistently identified as having a strong impact on student achievement. This is reasoned by Donohoo (2016) as “If educators’ realities are filtered through the belief that they can do very little to influence student achievement, then it is very likely these beliefs will be manifested in their practice” (p. 7). Conversely, when educators believe they influence student achievement the results are very positive. Hattie (2016) indicates that a strong collective efficacy is the greatest single factor that influences student achievement.

The questions addressed by this study examine the relationships between teachers’ collective-efficacy and professional …

Does Experiential Learning Add Value In Financial Literacy Education: A Qualitative Investigation, Abra Akers Endsley

Online Theses and Dissertations

According to Marketwatch.com the lack of financial literacy among U.S. citizens has cost upwards of $200 billion over the last twenty years. Besides racking up student loan debt that averaged about $37,172 per student in 2016 (Marketwatch.com) millennials and those in Generation Z are also the most likely to engage in risky financial behaviors like payday loans, pawnshops and tax refund advances (PwC, 2016; Mottolla, 2014). Being financially vulnerable as young adults compounded with today’s increasingly complex financial environment (Batty et al., 2015), make fertile ground for mistakes that have lifelong impact.

Over the last 20 years, much has been …

The Relationship Between Cognitive And Linguistic Abilities In Bilingual Children, Ines Elena Martin

Online Theses and Dissertations

We examined the relationship between cognitive and linguistic abilities in bilingual children (English – Spanish). In particular, we measured the effect of attentional control (the ability to maintain an operative goal, and goal-relevant information, in the face of distraction) and educational experience (amount of time reading) on reading ability (the ability to recognize words and discard misspelled non-words). The sample included 82 developing bilingual children from an immersion school in the United States. Participants were presented with two tasks: the Flanker task as the measure of attentional control (resistance to distractor interference) and the Lexical decision task as the measure …

The Relationship Between Teacher Perceptions Of Professional Learning Communities And Shared And Supportive Leadership, Alicia Hunter

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study is an exploration of leadership practices that develop and sustain a professional learning community (PLC). It explores teacher perceptions of these leadership practices. Findings include descriptions of teacher perceptions of leadership practices as they relate to shared and supportive leadership, shared values and vision, collective learning, supportive conditions, and shared personal practice. This study utilized the five Madison County (KY) middle schools to assess the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of shared and supportive leadership practices and the other indicators of an effective Professional Learning Community. The characteristics evaluated included teachers’ perceptions of professional learning through PLCs along with …

Types Of Social Support In Distance Education And Academic Performance At A Southwestern Historically Black College And University, Jennifer Paige Miles

Online Theses and Dissertations

As a result of rapid growth in distance education, increasingly more students are enrolling in online courses. Nearly 81% of all U.S. postsecondary institutions offered “at least one fully online or blended course” in 2003 (Jones & Davenport, 2018). Previous research has demonstrated African American students site “convenience” as an influence in enrolling in an online course (Kwun et al., 2012). While online learning offers benefits to both institutions and students (Anderson, 2008), research has also found students may exhibit stress and anxiety as a result of isolation and loneliness caused by distance learning (Duranton & Mason, 2012; Heinman, 2008; …

Exploring The Relationship Between Teacher Caring, Teacher Job Satisfaction, And Burnout In Alternative School Teachers, Sandra Hope Davis

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the relationship between teacher caring, teacher job satisfaction, and burnout in Kentucky alternative school teachers. The methodology was a cross-sectional, correlational web-based survey. Instrumentation included the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), Teven’s Teacher Self-Report of Caring Survey, and the Teacher Job Satisfaction Scale (McCroskey’s Generalized Belief Measure). The independent variables were the three sub-dimensions of the CBI: Personal Burnout, Work Related Burnout, and Client Related Burnout. The dependent variables were Teacher Caring and Teacher Job Satisfaction. For context, teachers were asked about the size, location, and type of school they served, and the length of their teaching experience …

Living With A Chronic Condition: Perspectives Of College Students At A Public Institution Of Higher Education, Kelley Lynn Harlan

Online Theses and Dissertations

Chronic conditions are ongoing, have a pattern of recurrence or deterioration, and produce consequences impacting an individual’s quality of life. An estimated 164 million Americans are expected to be affected by chronic conditions by the year 2025 (Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, 2016). College students with chronic conditions face unique challenges making it difficult to succeed in traditional degree programs due to unpredictable shifts in wellness. The purpose of this qualitative research was to discover the lived experience of college students with chronic conditions. Eight adult, full-time, traditional university students with chronic conditions were recruited and participated in a one-time, …

Associations Between School Safety And Behavioral Health Issues: A Multivariable Study Of A Large School Sample In Kentucky, Patricia M. Clark

Online Theses and Dissertations

The perception of feeling safe in school impacts academic achievement of students. As the number of school shootings has grown, implementing effective school safety plans has become a significant job duty of educators. There is some conflict in the exact constructs that fit within the school safety definition and often behavioral health issues are not addressed as part of the school safety planning process. Research shows that when students don’t feel safe their behavioral health issues increase (Fletcher, A., Bonell, C., Sorhaindo, A., & Strange, V., 2009). The multivariable regression study identified the association of substance use, mental health issues, …

Preparing For The Teaching Of English Language Learners: A Comparative Study Of Cultural Intelligence From One Rural Kentucky University, Elisha Lawrence

Online Theses and Dissertations

This cross-comparative qualitative study included the analysis of teaching candidates who graduated in the Spring of 2019 and former students who graduated in the Spring of 2018 from the same rural Kentucky Independent Higher Education University. Each of the Spring 2018 participants were mostly current teachers who could reflect not only on their prior teacher preparation experience but also on their experience in working with English Language Learners as current teachers. Both sets of participants were divided among three groups. The first group of participants were those who had the opportunity to student-teach in a foreign country. The second group …

An Examination Of Clery Crime Statistics At Four Year Public Institutions Of Higher Education Served By Or Without Dedicated University Police Departments, Bryan Makinen

Online Theses and Dissertations

This paper was written to examine the impact of dedicated university police departments relative to reporting Clery statistics, fundamental information that prospective students and their parents can use in selecting an institution of higher education. The prospect of gaining knowledge and bettering one’s life occurs best when taking place in a safe and transparent environment. While college and university campuses are not immune to crime, similar to society as a whole, they are statistically safer places by which learning can occur.

The college years are instrumental in shaping the lives and mindset of America’s youth by exposing them to a …

The Impact Of Blended Learning On Measures Of Academic Progress (Map) Based On Student Growth, Molly Elizabeth Mccomas

Online Theses and Dissertations

Blended learning in the secondary setting is a growing and evolving method of instructional delivery. Current research continues to focus on the post-secondary setting and often neglects the impact on student growth in the secondary settings. The combination of technology and teacher involvement to deliver high quality instruction is important in 21st century learning. This quantitative, non-experimental, causal-comparative study analyzes student growth scores on Measures of Academic Progress in the area of mathematics for 8th grade students after two consecutive years in a blended learning instructional setting as compared to 8th grade students after two consecutive years in a traditional …

The Impact Of Prior Settings In Early Childhood On Kindergarten Readiness, April Trent

Online Theses and Dissertations

Learning begins at birth, and 90% of the brain is developed by the age of five. This is one reason why it is critical that children spend time in a quality early childhood prior setting that provides continuous opportunities for optimal cognitive and social development. For this study, the researcher examined Brigance Screener scores for all children in Scott County, Kentucky that would enter kindergarten in 2018. From that screener, prior early childhood settings information was gathered. The data in this study discovered that children who attended public preschool were more ready for kindergarten than children who did not attend …

Exploring The Lived Experience Of Female Presidents In Higher Education: A Journey Of Ascension To The Rural Community College Presidency, Patsy Jackson

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study is to investigate the lived experience of females who ascended to rural community college presidencies. This study explores their perceptions of barriers and facilitators that influenced their success in capturing a rural community college presidency. Lastly, this study aims to examine their leadership approach and their intended leadership legacy. An imminent leadership crisis exists for community colleges and has created an uncertain future for these open access institutions. The number of qualified applicants to fill the presidential pipeline is declining and sitting presidents are retiring at alarming rates, threatening the sustainable of community …

The Efficacy Of Residential Learning Communities On First Generation, First-Year College Students' Success At A Rural Regional University, April Dannielle Barnes

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effect of residential learning communities on the success of first-generation first-year students. Using the theoretical framework of Tinto’s Conceptual Schema this study looked at the social and academic integration factors of living in a residential learning community through fall-to-fall retention rates and EKU GPA. A large institutional database was used to identify the first-generation first-year students in the study as well as their demographic differences. When controlling for gender, race, Pell Grant eligibility, high school GPA, and composite ACT scores, results showed participation in residential learning communities did not make a significant difference in the fall-to-fall …

The Impact Of Positive Human Interest Stories On Raising Hope Through Social Media In Kentucky's Promise Zone Counties, Melissa Newman

Online Theses and Dissertations

During the past decade, social media has gained dominance over traditional media in an agenda-setting role for journalists, often dictating the news of the day (Pfeffer et al., 2014). With data collected from Kentucky’s Promise Zone counties and C. R. Snyder’s (1991) Hope Scale instrument, this study looks at how the use of social media affects hope, while considering five decades of news media negative stereotypical views of those who live in the mountains of Appalachia (Bowler, 1985). This study examines data from those who live in Kentucky’s designated Promise Zone counties, a 2014 designation by President Barack Obama. Kentucky’s …

Alcohol Policy Initiatives Of Post-Secondary Institutions In The State Of Kentucky: An Evaluation Of Best Practice Strategies To Reduce Binge Drinking, Deniece Bell

Online Theses and Dissertations

Binge drinking has become a matter of public health. The legal drinking age is 21 in the United States; however, binge drinking by underage college students is prevalent, alarming, and consequential (Malloy & Goldman, 2002). This polarizing topic has caused great concern among policy makers, legal experts, constituents and organizations alike, and as a result they have acted with a sense of urgency to implement policies and evidence-based recommendations for prevention and treatment (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Alcohol and Health, 1990).

The purpose of this study was to examine the current alcohol policy initiatives among four …

Predicting First-Year Academic Success Of African American And White Students At Predominately White Institutions, Jerel Benton

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine how models utilizing demographic, academic, and social pre-college characteristics are related to first-year academic success of White and African American students at PWIs. The demographic pre-college factors include students& race and gender; the academic factors include ACT composite score and high school GPA; and the social factors include the distance from home, percent of African American in students& high school, and parents& highest education level. First-year academic success is defined by the three dependent variables: first-year retention, first-year GPA, and first-year credit hour completion percentage. The results of the study showed that …