Education Commons^™

The Effects Of Looping On The Academic Achievement Of Elementary School Students., Vada S. Bogart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the academic achievement of students in looping programs from school systems in East Tennessee to their peers in traditional one-year instructional programs. Looping is defined as any program design that perpetuates a cohesive student group with the same teacher for more than one year. The study included all students who had completed fourth grade in 2001 at every school in East Tennessee that implemented a third/fourth grade looping design. Student scores reported for 1999, 2000, and 2001 on the TerraNova Standardized Achievement Test were obtained from individual student records. Comparisons were made …

A Qualitative Study Of Effective School Discipline Practices: Perceptions Of Administrators, Tenured Teachers, And Parents In Twenty Schools., Faye Nelson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many educators and parents are gravely concerned about disorder and danger in school environments. In addition to school discipline issues, American classrooms are frequently plagued by minor infractions of misbehavior that disrupt the flow of classroom activities and interfere with learning.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate common threads of effective school discipline practices as perceived by administrators, tenured teachers, and parents in 20 schools in East Tennessee. I also attempted to determine if the views of administrators, tenured teachers, and parents are consistent with published research on school discipline practices. Data were collected from administrators, tenured …

Relationship Between Text Display Method And College Student Short Term Knowledge Retention During Self-Study., Jeff W. Church

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This purpose of this study was to determine if a significant difference existed in the short-term knowledge retention of college freshmen reading informational stimulus materials presented through one of three different text display modes; 1) traditional printed text, 2) computer-displayed linear text, and 3) computer-displayed hypertext. The sample consisted of 267 college freshmen at a southern regional university. The 267 students were randomly selected from the entire population of entering freshmen during Fall 2002. These students were then randomly assigned to one of the three treatment groups. After reading the stimulus materials for a specified amount of time, students completed …

The Relationship Of Home Environment And Kindergarten Readiness., Nancye C. Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between home environment and school readiness of children entering kindergarten in a rural East Tennessee county. Family and home environment variables included family income, family structure, parents' education, participation in literacy activities, availability of home learning tools, and amount of children's television viewing. A self-reported parent survey was used to gather information about the family environment; the Brigance K Screen was used to determine entering kindergartner's readiness for school. Three hundred and thirty eight children and parents participated.

An initial analysis of data incorporated simple descriptive statistics in the form …

Desired Characteristics Of Ethical Leaders In Business, Educational, Political And Religious Organizations From East Tennessee: A Delphi Investigation., Jeff Moorhouse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Leadership is the moving of people towards specified goals. Leaders come in all shapes and sizes. The leadership dynamic of human interaction is one of the most studied and least understood phenomena. More attention is currently being given to the ethics of leadership in light of recent situations involving misconduct in the White House, illeagal accounting practices amoung top corporations, and misuse of power in religous organizations.

In this study, I sought to identify and prioritize characteristics of ehtical leadership with the assistance of leaders in four distinct groups; the business, religious, political, and educational communities within a six county …

Organizational Structural And Cultural Variables As Predictors Of Quality In Federally Approved Nursing Homes., Lorraine V. Desormeaux

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which nursing home organizational structure and cultural variables were related to the outcomes reported by the Health Care Finance Administration public use data set (HCFA-NHCD). A second purpose was to examine the effects of a new style of nursing home management called the Eden Alternative™ concept. A related purpose was to test the usefulness of the HCFA-NHCD in predicting the quality of care for residents in federally approved nursing homes. Secondary data analysis was conducted on the HCFA-NHCD, as published in December 2001. Descriptive statistics and measures of association …

An Analysis Of Functional Behavioral Assessments Used In Public Schools In Tennessee And Georgia., Dana Winningham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to survey special education supervisors in public school systems throughout Tennessee and Georgia to determine the types of Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) procedures used and training provided to assessment personnel in their school systems. The primary focus of the study was on who conducts assessments, differences between the amount of training and support provided by school districts, and the use of best practices in conducting these assessments.

Surveys were mailed to 317 supervisors, 108 in Tennessee, and 123 in Georgia. These supervisors were asked to respond to questions concerning assessments in their respective school …

Perceived Barriers To The National Board For Professional Teaching Standards Certification., Jan Woodard Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since its conception in 1987, much money and effort have been expended establishing the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Although 16,038 educators in 45 states and the District of Columbia have obtained National Board Certification, there are over 1,200 teachers in the East Tennessee counties of Cocke and Sevier who are eligible for National Board Certification, but have not obtained this certification. This study sought to identify the barriers that discouraged this population from attempting to gain National Board Certification.

The research design was inferential and utilized data from a survey instrument constructed by the researcher. A pilot test …

Students' Perceptions Of Multimedia Classrooms At East Tennessee State University., Shouhong Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate students' perceptions of multimedia classrooms at East Tennessee State University regarding technologies in multimedia classrooms, students' learning achievements, instructors' instructional methods, and students' learning styles. Two surveys in multimedia classrooms and traditional classrooms were designed to measure and compare students' perceptions of multimedia classrooms. The VARK (Fleming, 2002b) learning style survey was used to calculate the students' learning styles.

The research was conducted during spring semester, 2002. Participants in this study included 187 students in multimedia classrooms and 110 students in traditional classrooms at East Tennessee State University. The majority of students …

Barriers And Supports Affecting The Inclusion Of Special Education Issues Into The Preservice Training Of School Principals: Faculty Perceptions., Gerard O'Leary Farley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The literature contains repeated claims that most aspiring principals have limited academic knowledge and exposure to special education related issues. However in this same literature there is substantial discussion that, for prospective administrators to be prepared to deal with the ever-increasing demands of special education, principal preparation programs need to increase the amount of instructional time and structured experiences related to special education issues.

This qualitative study gives voice to faculty directly involved in the preservice training of principals in this ongoing call to reform principal preparation programs and increase the attention paid to issues concerning special education. In addition, …

The Effects Of Character Education On Student Behavior., William G. Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Character education has been a part of public schooling in the United States since its beginning. It has undergone dramatic changes over the years, from didactic instruction to service learning; it continues to evolve as more and more schools become involved in teaching students right from wrong. The current emphasis on character education in schools began in the early 1990s as an attempt to alleviate the increasingly violent behavior of students as reported in the media.

The purpose of this study was to determine how character education affected the behavior of students. The study involved: observing student behavior; interviewing teachers, …

Determining Standards For Sources Of Free Information On The Internet For Inclusion In Academic Library Holdings By 2010., Doug D. Cross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop a consensus from a panel of experts composed of library deans/directors, reference librarians, and instructors with online teaching experience. The panel developed the methodology necessary for evaluating free sources of information on the Internet for inclusion in academic library holdings by the year 2010. The following areas were explored as they related to the forecast: 1) The changes in higher education institutions that will be necessary to prepare students to deal with free sources of information on the Internet; 2) The procedures that librarians need to develop and implement to ensure that …

Special Education Teachers' And Speech Therapists' Knowledge Of Autism Spectrum Disorder., Carol Hendrix Whaley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to survey special education teachers and speech therapists in eleven school districts in Northeast Tennessee regarding their knowledge level (etiology and educational programming) of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The primary focus of the study was to identify effective programs and methods used by special educators in this region, comparing them to the latest techniques and teaching methods prescribed by recent research. In addition, identified weaknesses were used to recommend future training and staff development to enable educators to provide the best possible programs for children with autism.

Five hundred fifty-two surveys were disseminated to …

The School's Role As A Support System For Children Of Parental Divorce., Constance Myers Cottongim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the year 2000, over one million children were involved in a new divorce. These statistics indicated that this subgroup of children would continue to be a large part of the school population. The school, because of time spent there, becomes a likely place for the recognition and identification of problems that may arise from parental divorce, thus providing an appropriate setting for interventions to be conducted.

The purpose of this study was to determine how parents, classroom teachers, and school counselors viewed the role of the school as a support system for children of divorce. The study also explored …

An Evaluation Of The Using Information Technology Program At East Tennessee State University., John Dalton Chenoweth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents information gathered and analyzed during an evaluation study of the Using Information Technology (UIT) program at East Tennessee State University. The UIT program, which all undergraduate students must complete before graduation, consists of satisfying a computer literacy foundation requirement and a two course UIT-intensive requirement. The foundation requirement is satisfied by completing a two credit hour course or a challenge exam. Students then take two courses that have been designated as UIT-intensive. One of these courses must be completed in the major.

The study, which used a responsive evaluation methodology, involved generating a list of evaluation questions …

Effectiveness Of Pre-Baccalaureate Health Careers Opportunity Programs (Hcop) For Disadvantaged Students In Three Southern States., Virloy Elizabeth Lewin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated three HCOP projects to determine, describe, and assess their overall effectiveness and identify successful strategies used by these projects to reach their specific objectives. Demographic and scholastic data were collected about 393 HCOP participants at the three HCOP projects in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia during the years 1990-1999. Detailed information about the activities used to incorporate the HCOP legislative purposes into the programs was also collected.

Sixty-seven percent of HCOP participants were Caucasian and 78% were female. Scholastic data was limited to data from the EKU and ETSU HCOP programs. The average high school GPA score for …

Troubled Trinity: Love, Religion And Patriotism In Liam O'Flaherty's First Novel, Thy Neighbour's Wife., Robin Heavner Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this research is a detailed analysis of Liam O'Flaherty's first published novel, Thy Neighbour's Wife, as an underlying autobiographical portrait depicted in the main character, Fr. Hugh McMahon. Although never touted as an autobiography, this study shows O'Flaherty drew upon his early cultural, historical, religious, and political influences in creating his main character. Primary and secondary sources, an ethnographic trip to Ireland, and a content analysis of the novel determined the findings.

The fictional McMahon faced difficult personal choices, subsequently coming to terms with past decisions. McMahon's foibles reflect O'Flaherty's early years. O'Flaherty wrote two acclaimed …

A Study Of Former Negro High School Students, Teachers, And Administrators In The Piedmont Area Of North Carolina., Carrie Smith Washington

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is a qualitative study of the perceptions of a purposeful sample of 27 individuals who were students, teachers, or administrators in North Carolina Negro high schools in the period from 1934 to 1966. I interviewed all of them personally or by telephone. All interviews were tape recorded, and the tapes were later transcribed by an individual who was familiar with the speech patterns of the interviewees. A commercial software program was used to help me identify any themes that emerged from the interviews.

One main theme was that the conditions of buildings and equipment varied with the particular high …

A Historical Overview Of The Bumpass Cove Landfill Controversy, 1972-2002., Robert Clinton Marsh Iii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the assistance of information collected by residents of Bumpass Cove, Tennessee Department of Public Health records, and interviews with residents and local health officials, this study provides a historical overview of the inception of Bumpass Cove Landfill, the resulting problems stemming from its misuse, and the reaction of a persistent community during the 1970s and early 1980s. In its early days, Bumpass Cove was an active and productive mining site; however, the area would become a threat to the local residents’ safety with the opening of Bumpass Cove Sanitary Landfill. Years of illegal hazardous waste land filling wreaked havoc …

The Relationship Between Teacher Certification And The Use Of Developmentally Appropriate Practices In Kindergarten Classrooms In Northeast Tennessee., Tracey Marie Cook

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined two types of teacher certification. The certifications of elementary teachers and early childhood teachers were the focus of the study. The purpose of the study was to determine if a relationship existed between teacher certification (early childhood grades pre-kindergarten through fourth and elementary education grades one through eight) and the use of developmentally appropriate practices in kindergarten classrooms in northeast Tennessee.

The approach to the study was quantitative. Data were collected from teacher and classroom observations using the Early Childhood Rating Scale-Revised. Participants included kindergarten teachers in northeast Tennessee.

The researcher investigated the extent to which kindergarten …

A Study Of Grade Distribution And Grade-Point Averages Of The Tennessee Board Of Regents Associate-Degree Nursing Programs., Marylou Reagan Apple

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Library Use Practices Of High School Students In Three East Tennessee Counties., Carrie A. Clabo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine how and why high school students use the library and its resources. It examined how teachers influence students' use of library resources. The participants were 11th-grade students attending public high schools in 3 east Tennessee counties. Participants completed a survey based on library use. Although 350 students were invited to participate in the study, only 130 returned the permission slip, resulting in a 37% response rate. Eleven respondents were asked to participate in a short interview to supplement and add qualitative clarification to the findings. The findings were descriptive in nature, although …

An Exploration Of Emotional Intelligence Scores Among Students In Educational Administration Endorsement Programs., Holly Solomon Click

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the emotional intelligence scores of students in educational administration endorsement programs. The relationship between the length of time in an educational endorsement program and emotional intelligence scores was examined. Relationships with other factors were also examined. The respondents were students in educational administration endorsement at three east Tennessee universities. A total of 85 students participated in the study. Basic frequency based analyses were calculated to identify any relationships between variables.

A literature review gave an explanation of emotional intelligence and examined the historical development of emotional intelligence. The existing literature concerning the …

A Study Of The Extent To Which Institutional Strategic Planning Serves As A Guide For Technology Planning In Tennessee Board Of Regents Institutions., Evelyn Leonhardt Fox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Literature indicates that strategic planning is an effective method for serving as a basis for technology planning. Strategic planning calls for the description of resources needed to support the goals and objectives of the plan. From these descriptions, technology planners may develop a technology plan.

This study sought to determine, in Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) institutions, the extent to which strategic planning served as a guide for technology planning. In a quantitative survey administered online to 150 invited participants, 92 or 61% responded. Results indicated that TBR schools valued the strategic plan as a method of communicating technology needs. …

The Work Life Of The Professional Academic Advisor: A Qualitative Study., Susan Bramlett Epps

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Professional advisors are bearing the burdens of a) helping students make a connection to their institution; b) being largely responsible for the efforts to retain these students; and c) providing a multitude of services to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student body. While a great deal of information is available about students, retention, and services, the literature is void of detailed information on the professional advisor and the advisor's work life. The purpose of this study was to learn more about how advisors experience the elements of work life (job satisfaction, relationships with colleagues, commitment to the organization, …

Synesthetic Sensor Fusion Via A Cross-Wired Artificial Neural Network., Stephen Samuel Seneker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this interdisciplinary study was to examine the behavior of two artificial neural networks cross-wired based on the synesthesia cross-wiring hypothesis. Motivation for the study was derived from the study of psychology, robotics, and artificial neural networks, with perceivable application in the domain of mobile autonomous robotics where sensor fusion is a current research topic. This model of synesthetic sensor fusion does not exhibit synesthetic responses. However, it was observed that cross-wiring two independent networks does not change the functionality of the individual networks, but allows the inputs to one network to partially determine the outputs of the …

Successful Integration Of Internet Technology In The K-12 Classroom: Trends Perceptions And Successful Practices., Catherine Anne Edwards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 1994, the Federal Government made a commitment to link all classrooms, libraries, businesses, and industries to the information highway by the year 2000. President Clinton mandated that all classrooms in America be connected to the Internet by the year 2000. While many say this commitment and mandate have successfully occurred, there is still concern and questions about what successful integration of the Internet looks like and what specific practices can tap the bountiful resources available on the Internet. School systems have spent billions of dollars investing in hardware, software, and connection to the World Wide Web. Stakeholders demand accountability …

Parents' Perceptions Of Communication Practices With School Professionals During Initial Years Of Special Education Placement., Susan Ladd Latham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Special education has evolved into a dominant area of education since first brought to the forefront. The reauthorization of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act updated and addressed many issues, including parental issues. Initially parents had to fight to be heard when addressing the needs and concerns of their child. Now parents are considered a crucial part of the special education process.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the thoughts and experiences of parents of children with disabilities related to the initial special education placement and the ongoing communication …

To Group Or Not To Group: A Qualitative Study Of Middle School Principals' Decision Making Processes Concerning Ability Level Grouping., Linda B. Stroud

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The topic of ability level grouping of students for instructional purposes is one of the most studied areas of research in educational literature. However, because of the inconclusive findings in the literature, no clear answer to the question of whether homogeneous or heterogeneous grouping is in the best educational interest of students has been established. Middle level administrators play a particularly important role in the debate concerning the use of ability grouping in individual schools because the pattern for future educational tracks of students is established at the middle level. An exploration of the factors that affect the decision making …

The Development Of A Higher Education Consortium: A Case Study Of The Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center., Susan Carey Fulmer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the creation and development of the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC) in Abingdon, Virginia as an example of a higher education consortium. Case study methodology was used to determine why and how the SVHEC was established, who was involved, and how well it served adult students and the community.

Data were collected through interviews, focus groups, observations, and document analysis. The methodology included identifying key players, designing an interview protocol, and conducting interviews with academic and political figures who had played key roles in the SVHEC’s development. Abingdon community representatives were …