Education Commons^™

A Conceptual Model For Employer Training To Manage Employee Counter-Productive Behaviors, Naomi Spickard Rock

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop a model for employer training to manage employees who possess counter-productive behaviors. With the increasing encouragement for employers to hire without discriminating, the number of individuals with disabilities in the workforce will rise. There is limited training in universities and businesses to teach how to deal with difficult individuals.

Qualitative research in the form of focus groups was conducted. The following research objectives were developed: 1) Identify components of counter-productive behaviors that need to be managed in the workplace. 2) Develop behavioral management strategies that need be learned by employers. 3) Integrate …

Community Of Inquiry Framework And Learning Outcomes, Jennifer Ann Maddrell

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

First described by Garrison, Anderson, and Archer (2000), the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework suggests social presence, teaching presence, and cognitive presence are essential elements to foster successful educational experiences in computer-mediated higher education distance learning environments. While hundreds of CoI-based articles have been published since 2000, those critical of the framework and related research suggested a lack of empirical evidence to support the framework's central claim that a CoI leads to deep and meaningful learning outcomes (Rourke & Kanuka, 2009). The current study, conducted with 51 graduate students in five distance education courses at the same university, compared the …

Effect Of High School Completion Of The Agricultural Education Program On The Rate Of Return On Investment For The Commonwealth Of Virginia, Phillip Scott Bevins

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

This research study sought to determine the effect high school completion of the agricultural career and technical education program has on the rate of return on investment by public schools in Virginia. The research questions guiding this study included: (1) Were students able to find employment related to the agricultural career and technical education program they completed, (2) What federal and state funding was allocated for students participating in the agricultural career and technical education programs in the state of Virginia, (3) Was there a significant level of tax revenues generated by incomes from those who participated in the agricultural …

Factors That Influence Learning Satisfaction Delivered By Video Streaming Technology, Daniel Stephen Keenan

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

In 2005, over 100,000 e-Learning courses were offered in over half of all U.S. postsecondary education institutions with nearly 90% of all community colleges and four year institutions offering online education. Streaming video is commonplace across the internet offering seamless video and sound anywhere connectivity is available effectively making any location a learning environment. The problem investigated in this study was to determine factors that affect the learning satisfaction of students that video streamed courses. This study is important to enable improvements in curriculum, delivery of content, designs of alternative study venues, and guide college administrators in making decisions on …

Effectiveness Of The Combat Operational Stress Control Training Program: Expectations Of The U.S. Marine Corps, Marek M. Sipko

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the U.S. Marine Corps combat operational stress preventive training program to determine whether the program meets the training effectiveness criteria of the Marine Corps. This evaluation entailed both qualitative and quantitative inquiries to answer the subject matter research questions.

The participants consisted of active duty and reserve Marines on active duty. For the purposes of the quantitative analysis, the researcher obtained a random sample of 480 Marines. Additionally, the researcher obtained a purposefully stratified qualitative sample of 12 active duty Marines consisting of four junior non-commissioned Marines, four staff non-commissioned officers, and four commissioned …

A Conceptual Model Of Career Development To Enhance Academic Motivation, Nancy Creighton Collins

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop, refine, and validate a conceptual model of career development to enhance the academic motivation of community college students. To achieve this end, a straw model was built from the theoretical and empirical research literature. The model was then refined and validated through three rounds of a Delphi study. The Delphi study solicited the opinions of students who had successfully completed community college programs.

Three research goals guided this study: (1) identify the components of modern motivation theory that apply to the academic motivation of community college students, (2) identify key components of …

The Effects Of Cooperative And Collaborative Strategies On Student Achievement And Satisfaction In Blended And Online Learning Environments, Christine E. Nickel

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine whether cooperative versus collaborative strategies used for a group project had differential effects on students' achievement, process and solution satisfaction, value and preference for collaboration, and perceptions of community of inquiry in online and blended environments. The study sample consisted of teacher education students enrolled in a technology integration course. Students' age, academic level, online experience, and teaching experience were used as covariates in an effort to identify differential effects associated with student characteristics. Cooperative and collaborative strategies were differentiated by the amount of structure imposed by the instructor as well as …

Relationship Between Membership In Deca, An Association Of Marketing Students, And Grade Point Average As An Indicator Of Academic Success, Michael Frederick Kosloski Jr.

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Stakeholders in career and technical education, and more specifically marketing education, tout member benefits of applied learning through career and technical student organizations. However, there is little empirical evidence to support the notion that such student organizations help students to achieve academic gains. As a result, the purpose of this study was to collect and analyze empirical data to determine whether there is a relationship between DECA, An Association of Marketing Students, and academic gains as indicated by grade point average.

The study examined three relationships. The first was the relationship between DECA membership and grade point average movement, the …

Technology Education Teacher Supply And Demand In The United States, Johnny J. Moye

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

This research investigated the supply and demand of technology education teachers in each of the United States. The research goals guiding this study were to determine (1) the number of technology education teachers produced in the United States, (2) the number of technology education teachers employed in the United States public schools during the spring of 2009, (3) the number of vacant technology education teacher positions in United States public schools during the spring of 2009, and (4) the projected number of technology education teacher vacancies for the fall semesters of 2009, 2012, and 2014. The 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2006-2007, and …

The Effect Of Technology Education On Student's State Standardized Test Scores, Maurice Torrez Frazier

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The intent of this dissertation was to determine if technology education program completers score higher on academic standards assessments than do students who do not enroll in technology education courses. Many states have developed academic standards for public school students to measure the quality of the educational system. States and local school systems adopted these standards and their accompanying tests to establish a level of academic competency for all of their students. One of the goals of technology education courses was to provide practical applications to reinforce the content of the core subject areas. The purpose of this study was …

Technological Literacy In K–12 Teacher Preparation: A Review Of Course Requirements At Accredited Education Institutions, Roger Allan Skophammer

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The goal of this study was to determine to what extent, technological literacy courses were required in K-12 teacher education. The study was limited to initial teacher education programs that are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and Teacher Education Accreditation Council. Out of 697 accredited programs in the United States, a random sample of 248 programs was created. A document review of the appropriate course catalogs for initial teacher preparation was conducted. The document review identified general education requirements and options for technological literacy courses, as well as requirements and options for these courses for …

Comparing High School Students' And Adults' Perceptions Of Technological Literacy, Henry Ladson Harrison Iii

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

This study compared high school student's perceptions of technology and technological literacy to those perceptions of the general public. Additionally, individual student groups were compared statistically to determine significant differences between the groups. The ITEA/Gallup Poll instrument was used to survey high school student's perceptions of technology in the study. The instrument has been used twice (2001, 2004) in the United States and once (2005) in Hong Kong to survey adult's perceptions of technology. The student population in question consisted of three subgroups: students enrolled in a standards-based technology education courses, students enrolled in a Project Lead the Way® (PLTW®) …

Middle School Parents' Perceptions Of Career And Technical Education, Virginia R. Powers Jones

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

This study explored middle school parents' perceptions of the contributions career and technical education could make to their child's educational or workforce plans. It also examined what actions parents undertake to influence their child's plans, specifically the impact of the career exploration tool, Coin Career Community©, on their actions. Last, the study explored the correlation between the course choices students made in ninth grade relative to their parents' perceptions.

This study took place at Halifax County Middle School, located in South Boston, Virginia, in spring 2009. This school was the only middle school in the county with a student population …

Efficacy Of Dual Enrollment In Rural Southwest Virginia, Karen Glass Carter

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The intent of this dissertation was to determine if enrollment into a career and technical education dual enrollment program encouraged students to continue their education into postsecondary education and if workplace readiness skills were increased. This study completed a factorial analysis of student demographic and factorial data as associated with the enrollment of career and technical education dual enrollment in rural, southwest Virginia. Specifically, the study explored secondary students (N = 221) currently enrolled during the academic school year 2008-2009 within a Virginia approved career and technical education dual enrollment course. These students attended one of four career and …

Instructional Alignment Of Workplace Readiness Skills In Career And Technical Education, Sarah Jane Martin

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The United States faces a skills shortage that goes beyond academic and technical skills. Employers report entry-level workers lack the necessary "soft" skills, also referred to as workplace readiness skills, needed for success in the workforce; thus, calling on educational institutions to make improvements in high school curriculum in order to address the skills gap. The intent of this dissertation was to examine high school marketing education teachers' knowledge of workplace readiness skills and whether that knowledge had an impact on student workplace readiness skill achievement. Further, this study examined the usage of Virginia's 13 Workplace Readiness Skills curriculum and …

The Impact Of An Employer Sponsored Walking Program On Employees' Cardiovascular Risks, Joan Breslin Sechrist

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The problem of this study was to determine if participation in an employer sponsored walking program reduced employees' cardiovascular health risks. The independent variable was the "WalkAbout with Healthy Edge" program and the dependent variables included: body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, cholesterol, amount of exercise, and tobacco use. The study population was an employer group of 1300, and 284 employees registered for the program. Due to attrition, 79 submitted the first month of step logs and participation decreased over the months respectively to 58, 40, 38, 32, and 29. Twenty-three participants submitted six months of walking logs, and pre-test …

Dislocated Worker Training And Education Perceptions: The Effect Of Tailored Information, Self-Concept, And Role Salience On Self-Reported Deterrents To Education Participation, Lisa A. Row

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated whether selected information would change dislocated workers' deterrents to education participation. The study also explored whether information presentation method altered the participants' perceived deterrents. Finally, the study explored whether self-concept or role salience as a student moderated information reception.

The population included North Carolina workers pending job dislocation from three manufacturing plants. The final analysis included results from 194 workers. Participants were randomly assigned to groups using a roster having random group assignments and case numbers.

A three-group, quasi-experimental design explored changes in education deterrents. Three instruments provided data: the Adult Learning Questionnaire, Tennessee Self-Concept Scale, Second …