Education Commons^™

An Inquiry Approach To Reading Instruction: A Case Study Of The Relationship Between Instruction And Motivation, Tammy Turri-Scodeller

Dissertations

This research is a qualitative case study analysis of the experiences of five fifth grade students who were involved in a classroom, action research project. The purpose of this action research was to measure the impact of this method of instruction on reading motivation of the fifth grade class as a whole. From the action research project, five, individual, student cases were purposefully sampled for further in-depth analysis. The objective of the individual student case study analysis was to explain how the behaviors of five students with a low level of reading achievement, activity, and motivation changed, or did not …

Looking Back And Looking Ahead: A Narrative Inquiry Of Practice Related To Reading Programs In An Accountability-Based Reform Context, Amanda Villagómez

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Teaching in an era of standards and accountability-based teaching has a direct impact on teachers and students. Narrative inquiry methodology was used to better examine the impact on the participant researcher and her students in the context of teaching adolescent literacy (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000; Montero & Washington, 2011; Schaafsma & Vinz, 2011). Over a three year period, adolescent literacy teaching methodology was examined through contrasting classroom contexts through the eyes of the teacher researcher and her students.

The following questions guided the inquiry: How has policy impacted me as a literacy teacher and the decisions I make, as well …

Building Spiritual Capital: The Effects Of Kundalini Yoga On Adolescent Stress, Emotional Affect, And Resilience, Meliné Sarkissian

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

In order to integrate a mind, body, spirit approach in school settings, yoga programming such as Y.O.G.A. for Youth was introduced to one public and two charter schools in Los Angeles area urban neighborhoods. The study examined the effectiveness of the overall program and its effect on adolescent stress, emotional affect, and resilience. A survey was administered to measure the three dependent variables and informal interviews were conducted to determine the overall effectiveness of the program. The results of the mixed method approach indicated that the overall program was effective in creating a general sense of well-being and statistically significant …

Black Students' Perspectives On Academic Success, Melanie-Anne P. Atkins

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis investigates the academic achievement of Black high school students. It employs a theoretical framework of social constructivism grounded in anti-racism to conduct five case studies of achieving black Canadian high school students to examine how these students managed to achieve in the midst of a system that predicts their failure. I asked three questions: (1) What factors do achieving black Canadian high school students identify as being helpful to their academic achievement? (2) How do these students perceive their racial identities? (3) What is the significance of these students’ racial identity at school? I found that these students …

Mechanisms Of Transfer: Modeling Motivational And Self-Regulatory Processes That Promote Transfer Of Learning, John A. Gonzalez

Instructional Design, Development and Evaluation - Dissertations

A critical goal of many school and training interventions is to provide learners with the strategies and foundational knowledge that will allow them to tackle novel problems encountered under circumstances different than the learning situations. This is also quite often referred to as the ability to transfer learning. Theories of transfer posit that providing learners with ways to make connections between learning experiences and possible transfer tasks, accumulating domain and strategic and knowledge, and encouraging diverse abstractions of concepts might help promote transfer to new situations. Notably missing among these theories is the role various motivational tendencies play in helping …

Developmental Education Repeaters: Stories About Repetition, Jade J. O'Dell

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Developmental education students make up almost half of the community college population in the United States (Bettinger & Long, 2005). Approximately 42% of first-time freshmen at community colleges must enroll in at least one developmental education course in English, reading and/or math (NCES, 2010). Many developmental education students are unsuccessful in passing a developmental education course in their first and second attempts and retake the course sometimes five times before passing. There is substantial research on persistence among college students, but the research fails to link persistence to developmental education repeaters. My study sought to explore community college developmental education …

The Impact Of Positive Reinforcement Strategies On Increased Job Performance In A Virginia University Facilities Management Department, Brandon Keith Artis

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Maintaining employee motivation and engagement on the job is important to organizational productivity (Groen, Wouters, & Wilderom, 2011; Leoni, 2011; Vroom, 1964; Wolf & Zwick, 2008). This study investigated the impact of positive reinforcement strategies on increased job performance. The data was obtained from mid-career, non-supervisory individual contributor employees at a Virginia university Facilities Management department, using a quantitative survey. The employees were asked to reflect on their perception of their own job performance, as well as the type, amount, and frequency of feedback they received from their supervisors while on the job. The research found that positive reinforcement has …

Examining Elementary Students' Use Of Electronic Readers For Independent Reading, Tammy Lynn Anderson

Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

The impetus for this study was to understand a relatively new phenomenon, elementary students’ use of electronic readers for independent reading, and the impact it might have on reading behaviors. Interested in students’ perspectives, I examined third grade students’ experiences using electronic readers, including references to self-descriptions of reading motivation and engagement. This descriptive case study addresses the research question: In what ways does reading on electronic readers during independent reading affect third grade students’ reading experiences and behaviors?

Daily observations of students’ reading behaviors during independent reading were recorded in detailed field notes. In addition, transcripts of conversations …

The Impact Of Gender And Pedagogy On The Development Of Self-Regulated Learning Strategies In Undergraduate Engineering Classrooms, Jennifer Walter

Master’s Theses

The purpose of this paper is to examine ways in which pedagogy and gender of instructor impact the development of self-regulated learning strategies as assessed by the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) in male and female undergraduate engineering students. Pedagogy was operationalized as two general formats: lecture plus active learning techniques or problem-base/project-based learning. One hundred seventy-six students from four universities participated in the study. Within-group analyses found significant differences with regard to pedagogy, instructors’ gender, and student gender on the learning strategies and motivation subscales as operationalized by the MSLQ. Male and females students reported significant post-test differences …

Enhancing The Calibration Accuracy Of Adult Learners: A Multifaceted Intervention, Antonio P. Gutierrez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The present study employs the Nelson and Narens Model of Metacognition (NNMM) to examine the influence of metacognitive strategy training and extrinsic incentives on performance, level of confidence, and the calibration accuracy of undergraduate students' metacognitive judgments within a pretest/posttest experimental design. Calibration of performance is crucial because it allows learners to engage in appropriate comprehension monitoring during a learning episode. As metacognition implies, those individuals who are better calibrators can more adequately adapt to the demands of the situation (monitoring), and thereby better prepare for learning episodes that are similar in format or content (control). Consequently, this aids in …

Motivational And Persistence Factors For Military Spouses Earning A College Degree, Lisa A. Keenan

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Projections estimated that nontraditional student enrollment in post-secondary education would increase by 19% as compared to traditional student enrollments of 10% from 2006 through 2017. Adult students were less likely to complete a college degree compared to traditional students, and drop-outs cost taxpayers billions of dollars in lost taxes. Military spouses were a sub-group of nontraditional students with unique challenges and stressors due to their military lifestyle. Limited research-based literature existed on military spouses enrolled in post-secondary education. Financial incentives such as My Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) and the transferability of the Post-9/11 GI Bill enabled military spouses to participate …

Predictors Of Science Success: The Impact Of Motivation And Learning Strategies On College Chemistry Performance, Shari B. Obrentz

Communication Sciences and Disorders Dissertations

As the number of college students studying science continues to grow, it is important to identify variables that predict their success. The literature indicates that motivation and learning strategy use facilitate science success. Research findings show these variables can change throughout a semester and differ by performance level, gender and ethnicity. However, significant predictors of performance vary by research study and by group. The current study looks beyond the traditional predictors of grade point averages, SAT scores and completion of advanced placement (AP) chemistry to consider a comprehensive set of variables not previously investigated within the same study. Research questions …

Portuguese As A Foreign Language: Teaching And Learning In The United States: A Dissertation, Celia Bianconi

Educational Studies Dissertations

This dissertation reviewed the history of foreign language education in the United States relating it to political and economic world events. A quantitative study and a hypothesis generating case study revealed the motivation of learners of Portuguese as a foreign language. Portuguese teachers in higher education in the United States were surveyed and three recently published Portuguese textbooks were analyzed. The results showed that the main reasons that motivate students to learn Portuguese as a foreign language are interest in Brazilian culture, plans to travel in a Portuguese-speaking country, familiarity with Spanish language, skills needed to reach professional goals and …

Elementary School Teachers' Reasons For Staying In Their Current Schools: A Comparison Study, Luzmila Beanira Adrianzen

Dissertations

This study examines elementary school teachers' reasons for staying in their current schools, specifically, comparing two schools, one from a low-income district and one from a high-income district. The researcher assesses similarities and differences among teacher's perceptions of these factors in these two schools.

The researcher reviews literature on factors that explain teacher turnover and retention. Furthermore, literature on theories of motivation, such as Herzberg's two-factor theory and Vroom's expectancy theory to motivation was reviewed and also used as a methodological approach to analyze the data.

To examine elementary school teachers' reasons for staying in their current schools a quantitative …

Dynamicity Of Motivational Change In Learning Japanese As A Foreign Language, Ayaka Komori

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Enhancing students’ motivations could lead to the improvement of students’ academic achievement in second language acquisition. Many scholars have discussed changes and outcomes of motivation over the language learning process to examine the relationship between attitudes, motivation, and language learning outcome. The present study examines how some high school student learners of Japanese in an American high school have changed or maintained their motivational levels toward learning Japanese, as well as how their motivation in their second language learning can be influenced by classroom activities. The results of the questionnaire data, the classroom observation data, and the interview data indicate …

Student And Teacher Perceptions Of Teacher Immediacy Behaviors And The Influence Of Teacher Immediacy Behaviors On Student Motivation To Learn Science, Vania Littlejohn

Education Dissertations and Projects

The National Assessment on Educational Progress signals that American students are not being adequately prepared to compete globally in an ever changing scientific society. As a result, legislation mandated that all students be assessed and show proficiency in scientific literacy beginning in Grade 4 with the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2002 also known as No Child Left Behind. Research indicates a disturbing decline in the number of U.S. students pursuing more rigorous science courses in high school, majoring in scientific areas in college, and choosing future careers in science. With a need to improve science …

The Effect Of Visualized Student's Self-Set Learning Progress Goals On East Asian Chinese Student's Motivation And Self Confidence In Learning, Yu Ao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to determine if visualized goal achievement can help enhance East Asian Chinese students‟ motivation in learning and elevate their confidence in reaching their goals thus improving their performance. The goal achievement was visualized on a goal achievement progress chart that was self-created and self-managed by the East Asian Chinese students and the goal creating was under the supervision of their instructor. In this study, literature reviews on the theories, previous research studies in the perspectives of East Asian students‟ motivation in learning, goal setting on motivation, self-determination, self-efficacy, and expectancy theories are conducted to provide theoretical …

An Analysis Of University Student Academic Self-Entitlement: Levels Of Entitlement, Academic Year, And Gender, Tiffany Brook Hartman

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Academic self-entitlement is a rapidly increasing phenomenon that is becoming a problem in universities today. Self-entitled students expect high grades for minimal effort and tend to be highly demanding; they exhibit strong emotions when outcomes fail to meet their expectations. This type of student behavior increases the burden placed upon unprepared faculty, emphasizes performance goals rather than learning goals, and threatens to place the core values of education at stake. This study investigates whether relationships exist between student gender, year in school, and academic self-entitlement. University students were assessed using the Academic Entitlement Scale (Achacoso, 2002). A two-way MANOVA revealed …

An Examination Of The Perceptions And Motivations Of African American High School Students Regarding Performance Character Qualities For Future Success, Robin W. Stewart

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to understand student perceptions and motivations regarding performance character qualities (i.e., assertiveness, perseverance, resilience, and self-control) at an urban high school. In examining these relationships, students' perceptions and motivations towards performance character qualities were identified. The study is important because students' poor academic performance, low test scores, low high school graduation rates, and employers reporting that high school graduates do not possess the necessary performance qualities needed to excel on the job indicate that urban high school students may lack the proper orientation toward performance qualities. Research is needed to understand types of skills …

A Case Study: The Impact Of An Immersion Experience On The Vocation Of Lay Teacher-Leaders In American Jesuit High Schools, Martin Joseph Schreiber

Dissertations

The purpose of this case study explores the impact of an immersion experience to a least developed country on the vocation of lay teacher leaders in American Jesuit High Schools. Nine lay teacher leaders engaged in a four stage process of immersion from November 2009 to August 2010. The study employed the conceptual framework of Edward Hahnenberg's, "Awakening Vocation" to develop a self-understanding of a lay teacher leader's call. The writings of Paulo Freire, Fredrick Buechner and Parker Palmer informed the study's exploration of vocation. Poetry from Mary Oliver and William Stafford functioned as a method for articulating a lay …