Education Commons^™

The Role Of Virtual Communication Platforms In Academically Supporting Post-Secondary Students, Eldora M. Fosmire

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

While many consider college students to be digital natives, who are at ease with multiple forms of technology, many of these students do not adapt these skills for academic purposes. Retention concerns for college students often prompt support staff to seek out and adopt technology approaches to promote completion. This study provided a virtual learning platform to deliver academic support and sought to promote learning community interaction for rural and urban post-secondary students. A subset of vocational major programs that prepare students for employment after completion served as a participant pool. However, participants in the study chose not to use …

An Exploratory Case Study Of How High-Performance Team Training Develops Sociomathematical Norms And Differing Levels Of Math-Talk, Melanie V. Durfee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This exploratory study investigated the influence of High Performance Team (HPT) training on sociomathematical norms and differing levels of the Math-Talk Learning Community framework (Math-Talk) when sixth-grade student teams solved challenging mathematics problems while working in teams. HPT training involved (1) training students on distinct roles in the team problem-solving process, (2) challenging students with complicated mathematical problems, and (3) holding students accountable for contributions to the team. This research project explored the initial stages of the relationship between HPT and student-to-student mathematics conversations though the lens of the Math-Talk Learning Community framework.

The researcher studied four teams (i.e., four …

A Case Study On How Meeting The Academic Needs Of Students Substantially Below Grade Level In Mathematics Affects Their Self-Efficacy Beliefs And Engagement, Lauren K. M. Burton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This researcher examined an alternative classroom structure for ninth-grade students substantially below grade level (SBGL) in mathematics. This researcher considered whether targeting the academic and social needs of students SBGL in mathematics in a ninth-grade class would increase their self-efficacy and engagement with the mathematics by studying four teaching effects: teacher, teacher-curriculum, peer-curriculum, and peer.

The researcher used interviews, observations, and surveys to collect qualitative and quantitative data. The case study (n = 19) employed a QUAL + quan convergent parallel mixed methods case study. Meta-inferences from the analyses of qualitative and quantitative data indicate that the structure of …

A Qualitative Comparison Case Study Evaluation Of The Emotional Intelligence Of College Health Care Business Students, Cheryl Nutter

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Health care is undergoing significant transition in practice models, payment structures, and assessment strategies requiring health care leaders to adapt to support transition and lead change (Larkin, 2015; Miles, 2017). There is speculation that current health leaders lack the necessary awareness to connect the patient’s needs with critical business decisions (Quy, 2017). If this ability is lacking in current employees, academic institutions should evaluate college students to determine if there is a gap in knowledge that can be identified. Using emotional intelligence (EI) as the conceptual framework, this study aims to evaluate EI in college health care management (HCM) business …

A Case Study Of How Principals Create Collaborative Environments, Amy Blakey

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This study examines the perceptions of principals and their respective teachers regarding the principals’ abilities to create a collaborative environment at the elementary level. Isolation of teachers has been a historical practice in most American schools and contributed to a lack of growth among practitioners. Increasing collaboration and ending isolation is one way to improve our country’s educational system for students and teachers. The methodology applied in this study employed a qualitative multiple case study design which provided an in-depth perspective of three elementary school principals and staff respective staff. The major findings of the data collected from interviews, focus …

Explanatory Case Study: Transitions Of Highly Mobile Students From Military Families To Public Non-Military Elementary Schools, Courtney Williams

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this explanatory case study is to review the supports provided by public elementary schools for highly mobile students from military families. When military families are uprooted and move to new locations, the children are forced to form new social ties as well as adapt to a new curriculum and learning objectives. The research questions that were addressed in the research for this study included: (a) How are issues of military mobility addressed at the study school sites so students are academically and socially successful? (b) What problems are noted by school staff when working with highly mobile …

Benefits Of Veterans’ Oral History On Gifted Students, Katelyn Watkins

Honors Theses

To combat boredom and negative sentiments, all students need to be provided with engaging experiences in history. This is especially the case with gifted students. One strategy that has proven beneficial to students is oral history, which brings people who have lived through history into the classroom. Research supports the use of oral history in the classroom; however, research on the benefits of veterans’ oral histories on gifted students in particular is scarce. This study describes research on how a veteran’s oral history might benefit gifted students. Qualitative research methods consisting of case study and narrative research were used. The …

Fostering Sense Of Belonging : A Multi-Case Study Of Black Male Retention Initiatives., Jarrod Elliott Druery

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The retention and graduation rates of Black male collegians continues to be a work in progress for colleges and universities in the U.S. Researchers have highlighted impediments to student success and degree attainment of this population at historically White institutions (HWIs)—with racism being prominent. As a result, recent efforts have been made to promote success and persistence among Black men in college. Within the last decade, Black male initiatives (BMI) have emerged on college campuses across the country. BMIs are programs aimed at increasing persistence and success among Black male collegians. Based on the newness of these initiatives, there is …

Academic And Social Adaptation Through A College Success Course: A Case Study Of Second Semester Students At A Suburban Community College In Northern New Jersey, Jenny Pamela Marcenaro

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative critical single case study was to explore how second semester students who took a college student success course during their first term adapted to their second term. Specifically, by focusing on how this course contributed to their academic and social adaptation, and why this course may have facilitated such adaptation and persistence at their institution. Findings from this study indicated that this course contributed to these students' adaptation from first to second semester by teaching these students the importance of time management, changing their priorities, putting their academics first. In addition, these participants learned about …

Enrollment And Disenrollment In Voluntary Prekindergarten: A Study Of Educational Leaders’ Decision-Making, Angela Cherie Passero Jones

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study focused on how school leaders’ understandings of (dis)ability were implicated in decision-making and affected student (dis)enrollment in Florida’s Voluntary Prekindergarten Program (VPK). More specifically it explored how leaders in private VPK programs invoked conceptions of normality, and subsequently abnormality, during decision-making processes for student (dis)enrollment. Combining a critical poststructuralist approach (critical disability studies, critical policy analysis), decision-making on (dis)enrollment was contextualized within the current policy ecology. This policy ecology was framed as an historical development of policies regarding preschool for children with and without disabilities in a marketplace shaped by the convergence of federal, state, and …

Playing The Field: A Case Of Restructuring At The University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Jacqueline Brousseau-Pereira

Doctoral Dissertations

In 2008, the United States economy entered a rapid and profound decline. As a result most public universities experienced decreased endowments and a decline in state allocations. Some universities responded to this crisis by refocusing their institutional priorities and restructuring their campuses. This study used the lens of organizational field theory (e.g., 1993; Davis & Marquis, 2005; Fligstein & McAdam, 2012; McAdam & Scott, 2005) to analyze a decision-making and restructuring process at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass), which began in late 2008 and concluded in 2011. The purpose of the research was to investigate the ways the UMass …

Pre-Service Teacher Perception Of Instructor Emotional Intelligence, Catherine Deane

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how pre-service teachers perceive instructor EI in a state college teacher education environment. An operational construct sampling of 12 pre-service teachers investigated the real-time experiences of pre-service teachers in a state college teacher preparation program specifically in exploring instructor EI and EI awareness of self and others. Instrumentation and data collection was accomplished by semi-structured interview, observation, and an online EI survey. Themes identified include: emotional connection through instructor support and empathy, emotional awareness through use of and facilitation of emotions, and emotional engagement through instructional attributes. Teaching practices …

Case Study Of A New Teacher Mentoring And Induction Program, Jennifer S. Collins

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

A single case design was used to explore the implementation of the new teacher induction and mentoring program (NTIMP) from the perspective of new teachers who participated in the program. The district studied for this single case study was experiencing high teacher turnover. To reduce this problem, a NTIMP was implemented by the district. The NTIMP was investigated with a diverse sample of new educators from a semi-rural school district in the western part of the United States. Data sources including interviews, surveys, and document review were used in the study to allow for triangulation of data. Findings indicated that …

A Case Study: The Attitudes Of A Teaching Assistant Of French Toward Instructional Technology, Farida Emelia Ngandu Tshiebue

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Technology has shaped the personal experiences of Teaching Assistants (TAs) of French at the collegiate level in the United States (US), what they feel about the technology tools that are accessible in their work environment, and how they use these tools in their practice of teaching. Yet, there is limited research on the specific topic of the attitudes of TAs of French toward the instructional technologies that are available to them. This study sought to investigate the attitudes of a singular TA of French at a southern US university toward instructional technology (IT) by exploring the dynamics of IT use …

Language Socialization Of Mainland Chinese Adolescents In U.S. Science Classrooms, Fang Yu

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Secondary schools in the United States are enrolling an increasing number of Mainland Chinese students, and this cohort of students is often seen as a “model minority” that can achieve academic success without much if any, extra support. However, many Chinese students encounter difficulties not only in learning English but in learning other content areas raising questions as to what they experience as the affordances and constraints to their learning.

Employee Perceptions Of Effective Training Strategies, Stephen Lindsay Satterfield

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The following study was undertaken because there was a need to establish whether training information at a local guarantor was relevant to employees and clients. Utilizing transformative learning theory, the purpose of this case study was to explore what the guarantor's employees and management require for new account advisors by conducting open-ended interviews with the guarantor's employees. The guarantor's director secured collections contracts and a long-term enrollment advising contract with a new online university. For the guarantor to have trained account advisors, managers must know what kind of training is necessary. Secondly, the university enrollment is growing, and that could …

To Teach Or Not To Teach? The Experiences And Self-Perceptions Of Early Career Teachers In Western Australian Catholic Primary Schools That Led Them To Remain In The Profession, Deborah Black

Theses

The focus of this research was Early Career Teachers (ECTs) in Western Australian Catholic primary schools, their experiences and self-perceptions that led them to remain in the profession. The review of literature highlighted four aspects that were pertinent to ECTs’ decisions to remain in the profession. These four areas were: motivation to join the teaching profession; likes and dislikes of teaching; challenges faced as a teacher; and, strategies used for coping with challenges faced that maintained motivation to remain in the teaching profession.

The study focused on an instrumental case study, the conduct of which was located predominantly in the …

Creating Effective Mental Health Programs In Rural Middle Schools: A Case Study Of Challenges, Policy And Programming, Katelyn Kempf

Honors Theses

Using a case study approach, this study investigated the current status of mental health programs and resources within a specific middle school in Eastern Rural Pennsylvania. Interviews were conducted with a school counselor, principal, teacher, social worker and mental health liaison in order to uncover the perceived strengths and weaknesses of mental health resources at this school, and the perceived barriers to providing mental healthcare. Data analysis revealed that the main barriers included parental involvement, parental follow-through, transportation and funding. Further questions were identified for future research within this school in order to create specific recommendations for improvement. Additionally, a …