Education Commons^™

Seeing Reading In First-Year Composition, Matthew Felumlee

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on a study of reading-into-writing strategies employed by students in two sections of first-year-composition (FYC) that were paired with a support course as part of an accelerated learning program (ALP) at a community college. Each FYC course was comprised of 11 students whom the college had deemed college-ready without the ALP course, and 11 students who were deemed at remedial levels in reading and / or writing and who were subsequently required to enroll in the ALP course. The study employs grounded theory methodology to identify and consider the many factors that influenced how reading was portrayed, …

Writing Development Of Emerget Bilinguals: School-Wide Contextual Factors, Alma Rosa Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

The State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) measures Texas public school students’ knowledge and skills in many areas, including fourth grade writing. This system requires that students meet a certain performance standard score in writing to be successful. This state mandate impacts many Texas districts, teachers, and students. Districts must be prepared with necessary resources and tools to meet the writing needs of all students, including emergent bilinguals.

This case study focused on investigating how a bilingual teacher in a bilingual campus taught writing to her emergent bilinguals. Using the writer’s workshop approach, which many districts implement to …

The Effect Of Digital Storytelling On Academic Performance, Interest And Motivation Of Police Cadets In A Law Enforcement Academy, Damon Ing

Theses and Dissertations

The Effect of Digital Storytelling on Academic Performance, Interest and Motivation of Police Cadets in a Law Enforcement Academy. Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), December 2018, 93pp., 6 tables, 83 references, 5 appendices. With increasing criticism concerning police interactions with the public and the use-of-force decisions, the importance of preservice law enforcement instruction is an ongoing concern for both police practitioners and the public. Law enforcement education can benefit from the integration of new instructional strategies that can increase comprehension and long-term knowledge retention transferable into the field. Digital storytelling has been proffered as an effective cross-cultural communication tool and has …

Outcomes Teacher Mentoring Has On Professional Learning And Delivery Of Instruction, Susana A. Zapata-Burguete

Theses and Dissertations

A qualitative study using grounded theory was conducted to discover how educational mentoring was transferred to subsequently transform instructional delivery in the second year of teaching for novice secondary school teachers. The study was conducted in a Deep South Texas public school district during the 2017–2018 academic year. After concluding a year of mentoring, interviews were conducted to reveal how the mentoring phenomena helped transform their present day delivery of instruction. Data was gathered through face-to-face interviews with seven participants. During this second year, the novice teachers primarily relied on both what was learned through their mentoring experiences and networking …

The Role Of Teaching Presence On Academic Achievement In Fully Online Asynchronous And Hybrid Undergraduate Mathematics Courses, Shaghayegh Azadi Setayesh

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to investigate how mathematics student perceptions of teaching presence differ by course delivery mode and student achievement. Online learning has had a steady growth in higher education, and mathematics courses are also offered in fully online and hybrid modes, but the research on online mathematics learning and academic achievement is limited. In order to contribute to the body of research in this field, the focus of this study was on teaching presence and academic achievement in two delivery modes: fully online asynchronous, and hybrid.

The Community of Inquiry was the theoretical framework of this study, where …

A Case Study Of A Technical College's Faculty Perceptions Regarding The Value Of Professional Development Activities, Kermelle D. Hensley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to investigate technical college faculty members' perceptions of the professional development. Most of the literature was focused on four-year higher educational institutions. For the purposes of this qualitative case study, the researcher addressed the limited amount in the literature about professional development in two-year technical colleges. The researcher investigated faculty perceptions concerning the usefulness of professional development in a two-year higher education institution through survey research design with 8 participants. The main themes were 1) technical college faculty desired professional development; 2) technical college faculty needed for follow up from the professional …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between High School Seniors And High School Seniors Participating In A Multi-Year, Looping, School-Based Mentoring Program, Devon Alaine Lassetter

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have indicated that secondary school students were more likely to be truant than primary school students which lead to students dropping out of school and becoming less productive citizens as adults. Researchers have also shown that participation in a school-based mentoring program can positively influence the students and help them make better life decisions. The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent a multi-year, looping, school-based mentoring program has on the attendance data, behavioral data, achievement data, and graduation rate of high school seniors at a rural high school in west Georgia. The researcher conducted a …

The Effect Of Professional Development On Middle School Teachers' Technology Integration: An Action Research Study, Kristen Collins Tyner

Theses and Dissertations

Equipping teachers with the appropriate knowledge and skills to integrate technology effectively into their practice is a key component of school-wide technology implementation. Technology is fast becoming ubiquitous in the realm of education. Teachers and schools struggle to keep abreast of changing technologies while preparing students for a 21st century workforce. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills defined four skills critical for success in the twenty-first century: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. School and district leaderships are tasked to provide relevant and meaningful technological professional development (PD) in order to prepare their teachers to integrate these skills into their …

The Impact Of Response To Intervention On The Reading Performance Of Third-Grade African American Male Students: An Action Research Study, Brandelynn S. Green

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study followed Mertler’s (2014) action research cycle of planning, acting, developing, and reflecting as the participant-researcher explored the impact of cultural and individualized differentiation to address the affective needs of learners within a response to intervention (RTI) framework in a third-grade classroom at Oak Park Elementary School (a pseudonym). A traditional RTI framework places the student at the center of all instruction while providing a scientific approach to meeting the needs of struggling learners (Williams, 2015a), but, as argued by Beth Harry (n.d.), simply providing evidence-based strategies to struggling students may not be enough; students also need …

Perceptions Of Principal Leadership On Teacher Morale, Caroline Elaine Gadson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine what leadership behaviors high school teachers perceive as having an impact on teacher morale. This qualitative study explored the oral history of nine teachers from various high schools across South Carolina through semi-structured interviews. Various factors emerged regarding principal behaviors and characteristics that impacted teacher morale. The personal experiences shared by these teachers provided an insight of the actions and behaviors that increased or reduced morale. The study identified four factors that increased morale: (1) administrative support and trust; (2) recognition; (3) positive relationships; and (4) positive school environment. Factors that decreased …

Discovering Discourse: Utilizing Peer Mediation In Middle School To Achieve Literacy, Stephanie Van Hassel

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the impact of implementing a peer mediation program in a middle school setting through an action research framework, presented as a series of case studies. The group of students receiving the intervention are on one “team” in the middle school, sharing the same group of teachers. The team is on a lower academic track, and are marginalized due to this placement. The intervention’s impact on the participants’ Discourse will be explored.

The Effect Of Professional Development On Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Role Of School Librarians: An Action Research Study, Jennifer C. Mandrell

Theses and Dissertations

The role of the school librarian has greatly evolved from its origination as a person who solely checks out books or reads to students. School librarians are a vital part of schools and, when utilized appropriately, can be an integral part of the learning process with students. When collaboration occurs regularly, collaborative relationships between school librarians and teachers have been found to improve students’ academic performance. This paper describes a proposed action research study, which stems from the lack of a collaborative relationship between the school librarian and teachers at a middle school in South Carolina. The study focuses on …

The Impacts Of A Multimodal Assessment Project In General Biology I At A Southwestern Community College, Larchinee Turner

Theses and Dissertations

This Dissertation in Practice (DiP) uses an action research (AR) methodology to answer a research question pertaining to the impacts of implementing a multimodal-based assessment project in the introductory, General Biology I (BI 114) classroom at East- State Junior College. A mixed-methods approach will be utilized to ascertain the impacts on student learning as well as student perceptions of the project. Chapter One provides a justification of the relevance and importance of the research question regarding student learning, the post-secondary science landscape, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and the challenges of providing positive learning opportunities and experiences to those students. A concise literature …

The Impact Of Classroom Engagement In A College Civic Engagement Classroom: An Action Research Study, Kimberly Seibles

Theses and Dissertations

At Southern College (pseudonym), a liberal arts college in South Carolina, students were enrolled in an introductory civic engagement course. The purpose of this action research study was to examine how an introductory civic engagement course influenced students’ perspectives on civic engagement. Additionally, the research focused on how a civic engagement course prepared students to engage in service learning. The dissertation sought to explore how peer conversations, course readings, and direct instruction would impact students’ attitudes, beliefs, and perspectives toward civic engagement. The study was implemented over a 14-week period. The researcher collected and analyzed data using a mixed methods …

Challenges Of Attempting A Pedagogical Shift From An Essentialist Classroom To The Reformed Model, Joshua Germany

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study is to examine the challenges a teacher faces when shifting from an essentialist classroom toward a reformed approach in a high school US History class. The action research is taking place at a high school predominantly comprised of minority students who are considered to be of a high level of poverty.

The theoretical framework centers around the belief that a constructivist classroom will increase student engagement while enabling the students enhance their critical inquiry skills. This study’s mixed methods design uses both quantitative and qualitative data in a narrative case study describing the …

Impact Of Explicit Instruction Using Culturally Relevant Texts In Reading On Student Confidence, Wendy Harriford Platt

Theses and Dissertations

This paper describes an action research question focused on how explicit instruction in reading, coupled with culturally responsive teaching, can affect the confidence levels of African-American male ninth graders regarding their reading comprehension abilities. The research question seeks to illustrate the benefits of using explicit instruction in the context of materials seen as relevant by the student to unpack each step of the reading comprehension process thereby engaging students who otherwise view reading as a streamlined, passive process; it also uses teacher modeling to show how to increase reading comprehension, Also, classroom instruction on the secondary level makes use of …

A Single Case Study Exploring Self-Efficacy In An After-School Program, Dubois T. Mcmillan

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this single-case study was to examine the impact that the Young Moviemakers of America (YMA) after-school program had on the self-efficacy levels of six student-participants. Self-efficacy is considered a strong predictor of students’ academic success and social-emotional intelligence that influences life trajectories. YMA was formed to provide an outlet for youth in south Los Angeles to express their creative voices through a project-based, hands-on model where participants write and produce an original short documentary film.

This study was conducted to examine how YMA’s use of self-efficacy building strategies might impact students’ personal perceptions of general self-efficacy. Various …

Enhancing Intrinsic Motivation And Reading Achievement Among Elementary Students In An Early Literacy Program, Rachel High

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study explores the enhancement of intrinsic motivation and reading achievement in an early literacy-tutoring program through the use of culturally relevant pedagogy. This program is an interventional method used in addition to the students’ reading curriculum. Students who have shown a reading deficit through low reading grades and consistently poor performance in benchmark tests qualify for the tutoring program. This paper contains a thorough review of the literature used to elucidate the theoretical framework. The historical background and importance of this research topic are also discussed. The methodology section of this study uses a mixed- methods design …

The Impact Of Differentiated Instruction On Student Accomplishment Through Mathematics Stations, Dawn M. Lawson

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this action research study is to determine how differentiated mathematics stations effect student learning. The research question that guided this study is as follows: How does the implementation of differentiated instruction using math stations impact individual student learning progression on the Student Learning Objective (SLO) posttest, unit pretests and posttests, and end of the year state assessment?

The research question is answered through an action research study where students completed mathematics stations designed to meet the individual needs of each student. Research theorists, instructional strategies, and policies effecting education support the focus of this study on differentiated …

A New System Of Teacher Evaluation In The Central Valley Elementary School District: An Action Research Study, Bryan Ballenger

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study describes the problem of practice as a dysfunctional evaluation system that is not meeting the needs of the teachers or the administration within the Central Valley Elementary School District. The identification of the problem of practice led to the development of a research focus examining elementary-level teachers’ beliefs concerning Danielson’s Framework for Teaching as the method for evaluation and the accompanying research question: What are elementary teachers’ perceptions of Danielson’s Framework for Teaching Evaluation Model? The purpose of the present action research study is to identify elementary teachers’ beliefs concerning Danielson’s Framework for Teaching Evaluation …

Culturally Responsive Literacy Instruction In The Urban Pre-Kindergarten Classroom, Jacqueline E. Kennedy

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study describes the influence of culturally relevant literacy instruction on an urban preschool classroom and its effect on an educator-researcher. This research study was grounded in a theoretical framework that involved culturally responsive teaching pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1995), reality pedagogy (Emdin, 2012), and early literacy instruction (Algozzine, O’Shea, & Obiakor, 2009). The study was assembled as a case study bounded by one classroom in a federally funded daycare in a southern coastal city. It sought to answer the question: What are the important factors to consider when designing a culturally responsive reading curriculum for pre-kindergarten urban youth? The …

Implementing A Rite Of Passage Intervention Through School-Based Extracurricular Activities: Instilling A Sense Of Belonging, Sharon Spry Dukes

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the impact implementing a rite of passage through school- based extracurricular activity has on a students’ sense of belonging. The students participating in the rite of passage are members of a school-based club known as the Orientation Team. The team consists of 24 students at an urban high school facing discipline challenges and a strained school climate. The intervention’s relationship with the theory of liminality will be explored.

Universal Design For Learning: Is Training Making A Difference In Teacher Pedagogy, Michelle D. Sizemore

Theses and Dissertations

David H. Rose and his colleagues at the Center for Applied Specialized Technology (CAST), a non-profit organization specializing in educational research and development, worked for over one quarter of a century to improve learning opportunities for all individuals (Rose, 2012). In the late 1990s this work led to a set of principles known as Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a research-based instructional framework grounded in neuroscience and educational research that allowed teachers to proactively identify barriers that might exist between students and learning and account for those barriers during lesson development and implementation (CAST, 2015). One school district in southwest …

An Examination Of Teacher Perceptions Of Credit Recovery In Three South Georgia School Districts, Brooks Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

The present study was an exploration of the credit recovery program in three school districts in Georgia. The researcher explored the implementation of the credit recovery program used as a tool for improving graduation rates and college and career readiness of students in three purposefully selected school districts in Georgia. Three research questions were used focusing on the implementation process, the reason why the credit recovery program was implemented, and the outcome of the credit recovery program after implementation. The methodology was a qualitative comparative research design, which included data from three school districts in Georgia. Data were collected via …

Dual-Career Couples: A Coup Or To Cope In Academia, Kendall D. Isaac

Theses and Dissertations

Dual-career couples are common in academia. Indeed, anyone presently working at a higher education institution can likely make a cursory and informal inquiry to see if there are couples on his campus and quickly realize that several exist. Couples working on the same campus can bring with it certain positives such as increased institutional loyalty and productivity, as well as certain negatives such as departmental frustration at a trailing spouse hire and possible discord at times when the couple’s relationship lacks harmony. In an attempt to delve deeper into this phenomenon and to explore the pros and cons associated with …

In- And Out- Of-School Literacy Practices Of Student Refugees: A Cross-Case Analysis In A South Texas Middle School, Maria L. Mendez

Theses and Dissertations

As the leading U.S. state currently welcoming all kinds of refugees, Texas has a public school system that offers a formal education to refugee students (Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration, 2015). For many student refugees, formal schooling begins in this system. Thus it is important to understand how Texas public schools support the linguistic and academic development of these diverse learners. In order to fill this research gap, this study examines student refugee school-based literacy interactions in the U.S. public school system and how these practices connect or do not connect with the literacy practices these students experience in …

Teaching And Living In La Frontera: Teacher Perceptions Of Mexican Immigrant Students' Lived Experiences With Border Violence, Edith Trevino

Theses and Dissertations

This research is grounded in the truth of my own lived experience with border violence in La Frontera. Gloria Anzaldua (1987), describes the U.S. Mexico border (La Frontera) as an “open wound where the Third World grates against the First World and bleeds”(p. 3). Border violence in La Frontera is discussed in this research through four lenses which create a nexus of intertwined connections within curriculum and education. I use the lens of a grieving displaced daughter, a desperate mother trying to find support for her traumatized child in a failing educational system, a teacher who tries to honor her …

Exploring Experienced Educators' Perspectives On Teacher Professional Development: Potential Implications For English Language Learners, Mary Mann Endress

Theses and Dissertations

Growth in the ELL student population triggers a need for more educators equipped to address the academic and linguistic needs of this growing population. Through a phenomenological case study, this dissertation addresses the following over-arching research question, "What can be learned about the implementation of professional development for teachers of ELLs from the reflections and experiences of former ESL/Bilingual educators?" This dissertation provides a look at PD through the reflective lenses of retired educators who worked directly with ELLs and teachers of ELLs. Data were collected from a questionnaire, interviews and a focus group describes how participants. Through their stories …

Investigating Faculty Perceptions Of Technological Pedagogical, And Content Knowledge (Tpack) At A Newly Established University, Jessica Daniell Hruska

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is in response to Garrett’s (2014) dissertation on “A Quantitative Study of Higher Education Faculty Self-Assessments of Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge (TPaCK) and Technology Training” which has been the inspiration and guide throughout the design of this study. The purpose is to assess the perceptions of tenure and non-tenure faculty on technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPaCK) at a recently established university in Texas. More specifically, this study compared and contrasted the technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPaCK) of faculty use of technology tools in face-to-face, blended learning and online environments as methods to enhance learning based …

A Natural Pairing: Social Justice And Theatre Education, Danielle Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Social justice curricula are often solely geared toward middle and high school students. I intend to prove that a social justice curriculum can be creatively paired with a theatre curriculum. I also intend to prove that social justice can be taught as young as pre-kindergarten. I will design a social justice curriculum for various grade levels, beginning with pre-kindergarten. Through research and age-appropriate strategies, I will develop curriculum goals and learning experiences for all grade levels. The curriculum is not an end point for teachers, but rather a starting point for theatre teachers who want to integrate social justice into …