Education Commons^™

Relationships Among Orthographic Measures And Reading Achievement, Margaret Scruggs Wood

Masters Theses

As participants in an after school tutoring program, 29 second through fifth graders were administered subtests designed to measure visual processing and memory skills: Orthography, Visual Discrimination, Sound Symbol Learning, Letter Memory: Visual, and Rapid Symbol Naming from the Test of Dyslexia (McCallum & Bell, 2001); and Picture Recognition and Visual-Auditory Learning from the Woodcock-Johnson III-Cognitive Battery (WJIII; Woodcock, McGrew & Mather, 2001). Subtest scores were obtained from administration of achievement measures: Letter-Word Calling, Fluency, Passage Comprehension, and Spelling (Test of Dyslexia); Letter-Word Identification, Reading Fluency, Comprehension, and Spelling (WJIII-Achievement Battery); and the Test of Silent Word Reading Fluency …

Using Mom:Tips As A Short-Term Inservice With Four Day-Care Teachers, Kathryn M. Tanner

Doctoral Dissertations

Four day-care teachers were introduced to Methods of Mothering: Training in Parenting Styles (MOM:TIPS), which is a parent-training program that has never been used with teachers. Modules addressing Self-Management, Disciplining/Monitoring, Nurturing, and Teaching Concepts were presented in an inservice training. Four workshops and available one-to-one consultations occurred over the period of one month. Each teacher was evaluated as a single-case in an A-B design using direct observations and self-report questionnaires.

With Self-Management, each teacher reported that she makes daily schedules and follows a routine, but Teachers A, D indicated that they rarely or never used the steps involving more methodical, …

Adult Learning Theory And High School Students, John A. Henschke Edd

IACE Hall of Fame Repository

No abstract provided.

"Running In And Out Of Pregnancy": Elite Distance Runners' Experiences Of Returning To Competition After Pregnancy, Karen M. Appleby

Doctoral Dissertations

Female athletes often feel compelled to make the difficult decision between being mother and pursuing a career as an elite athlete (Allred, 2001). The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of elite female runners’ return to competition after pregnancy. A review of the current literature in sport and exercise psychology revealed very little information on this topic. The research that has been conducted, however, proposes that pregnancy and motherhood can both constrict and enhance performance in a number of ways. For example, Balague, Shaw, Vernacchia, & Yambor (1995) suggest that elite pregnant athletes may experience anxiety due …

The Stories Readers Remember: An Interview Study Of The Enduring Effects Of Literature, Carolyn Roberts Boswell

Doctoral Dissertations

This interview study explores the legacy of the reading experiences of adults. The researcher, working from a constructivist paradigm, seeks to answer these two questions: (a) What are the characteristics of stories that participants remember, and (b) how do participants say these stories affect their thinking, their character, their worldview?

Eight participants, volunteers and referrals, were interviewed about their memories of their reading experiences. After each initial interview, the researcher read some of the literature cited by the participant as personally significant. A follow-up interview focused on the participant’s response to the literature cited.

The researcher used a typological analysis …

Reasoning For Wisdom In Emotional Education, Michael Joseph Carter

Doctoral Dissertations

This study is dedicated to the search and love of wisdom. It argues that wisdom should be the common philosopher’s and the practical educator’s primary guide in emotional education. It challenges the limits of the epistemology of scientific research. It suggests that love primarily for knowledge could be problematic when wisdom is neglected. The continued collaborative practice of enhancing emotion regulation through the insights gained from the interactive wisdom of practical and formal experiences is encouraged.

Not only do we know more than we can measure or can tell, but we need to take the responsibility to act with wisdom …

Pygmalion In The Athletic Training Room: A Qualitative Case Study Approach, David Keith Fitzhugh

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore and attempt to understand how Pygmalion works in the rehabilitation environment and how it may influence the rehabilitation adherence of injured athletes. A qualitative case study approach was used to explore athletic trainers’ and athletes’ experiences with expectancies and their subsequent influences at one NAIA College. Five athletic trainers and 10 injured athletes participated in this study. Each athletic trainer ranked his/her injured athletes from high to low ability for rehabilitation. A high and low ability injured athlete was interviewed for each athletic trainer. Results of this study revealed potential Pygmalion effects …

The Effect Of Student Mobility On Achievement And Gain-Score Test Results, Zenith Patton Gamble Iii

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a significant effect of student mobility on student achievement and/or a student’s gain-score test results in both reading and mathematics. A conclusion was then reached as to whether or not the schools in Tennessee are being fairly assessed since mobility is not taken into account in the state’s performance model.

The first step to this end required an investigation into the current knowledge of student mobility. The second step was an investigation into accountability in general and accountability specifically in the state of Tennessee. Approval to access the Tennessee …

A Comparison Of The Scaffolding Approach And The Cognitive Enrichment Advantage Approach In Enhancing Critical Thinking Skills In First-Year University Freshman, Vernon J. Hurte

Doctoral Dissertations

Critical thinking has received much attention in the literature in recent years. Although there is no universally accepted operational definition of critical thinking, there is agreement that it can be improved through various means of instruction. The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of a modified, condensed version of the Cognitive Enrichment Advantage (CEA) approach and the Scaffolding approach in enhancing critical thinking skills in first-year university freshman.

A modified pre-test/post-test comparison group design was employed in this study. Participants were students enrolled in a freshman seminar course for first-year freshman in a merit-based scholarship program for …

An Analysis Of The Elementary Social Studies Methods Courses-Initial Preparation Programs-In Colleges And Universities In The Southeastern United States, Jeanine Renea Emory

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine elementary Social Studies methods courses as taught in teacher education programs in the Southeastern United States. Ninety-nine colleges and universities were identified to use in the study. The survey instrument was a mailed questionnaire created by the researcher. The questionnaire sought to find the extent to which music, creative writing, drama, and/or storytelling were used in the elementary Social Studies teacher preparation courses at each university surveyed, to what extent each instructor had over course design, and what types of instructional strategies/media other than music, creative writing, drama, and/or storytelling were used …

A Study Of The Perceptions Of Job Satisfaction Of General And Special Education Teachers In Selected Georgia Elementary Schools Implementing The Inclusion Model, Jonathan Edward Willard

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate perceptions of job satisfaction of general and special education teachers. Full-time teachers in grades K-5 in 26 randomly selected Georgia elementary schools were surveyed. Differences in job satisfaction were measured through the use of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire – Short Form (MSQ) and a descriptive survey accompanying it. Differences in responses based on the descriptors were analyzed using the Mann Whitney U and multivariate analysis of variance at a confidence level of .05.

General education teachers reported greater levels of satisfaction than special education teachers on the MSQ scales of Achievement, Social …

The Experiences Of Undergraduate Reentry Collegiate Males During Times Of Perceived Psychological Stress, Elaine West-Anderson

Doctoral Dissertations

While adult education can occur in a variety of settings, the number of adults returning to higher education has increased over the years. Because these adults tend to be older than the “typical” college student, they are frequently categorized as “nontraditional” students. Many nontraditional students struggle to manage the student role as it interacts with other life roles. Even though multiple roles provide the heterogeneity of experience that adult learners bring to higher education classrooms, they can add to the daily stress experience by returning students.

Stress has been reported to be a major barrier faced by adults returning to …

Teachers' Attitudes And Perceptions Of Multicultural And Diversity Awareness In Elementary Schools, Joy Lynne James

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine how teachers perceived teaching multicultural students and their own training toward teaching multicultural children. The aim of this study was to determine whether to what extent those perceptions could be attributed to teacher training, multicultural curriculum, and teacher attitudes and perceptions of multicultural and diversity awareness. The research design included a quantitative inquiry. A questionnaire was given to 50 elementary teachers from 5 schools who taught second and fifth grade. The questionnaire attempted to measure teachers attitudes and perceptions of cultural and diversity awareness.

While teachers' general attitudes toward cultural diversity were …

Collegiate Coaches’ Experiences With Stress - ‘Problem-Solvers’ Have Problems, Too, Melinda Ann Frey

Doctoral Dissertations

Previous research has demonstrated that coaches experience stress due to the nature of their job and that it may affect their physical and mental well-being (e.g., Richman, 1992; Wang & Ramsey, 1998). The purpose of this study was to achieve a greater understanding of coaches’ experiences with stress, the perceived effects of stress on their coaching performance, and their coping strategies. A semi-structured interview approach was utilized with 10 NCAA Division I male and female head coaches. The five major themes identified in the data were: contextual/conditional factors, sources of stress, responses and effects of stress, managing stress, and sources …

The Athlete Life Quality Scale: Development And Psychometric Analysis, Noah B. Gentner

Doctoral Dissertations

Quality of life (QOL) is a widely researched topic in many fields (Dijkers, 1999). However, there is a dearth of information regarding athletes’ QOL contained within the extant sport psychology literature. Few attempts have been made to identify factors that influence athletes’ quality of life (Chelladurai & Riemer, 1997; Riemer & Chelladurai, 1998). Unfortunately, this research has primarily focused on performance as the predominant factor in athletes’ life quality, thus ignoring other salient aspects of athletes’ experiences. These may include, but are not limited to, physical health (Gould, Jackson, & Finch, 1993), relationships with significant others (Scanlan, Stein, & Ravizza, …

An Exploratory Study Of The Impact Of An Inquiry-Based Professional Development Course On The Beliefs And Instructional Practices Of Urban Inservice Teachers, Leslie Ann Suters

Doctoral Dissertations

Five urban teachers completed a total of 50 contact hours, over a seven month period, of professional development, in which they: participated in authentic, inquiry based experiences facilitated by a scientist; learned new science content related to the nature of science and scientific inquiry; developed inquiry-based lesson plans to implement in their classrooms; and developed science-specific strategies to mentor novice and experienced teachers. The focus of this research was to determine changes in their: beliefs and instructional practices; understanding of scientific literacy; and efficacy toward mentoring other teachers.

A collective case study methodology was used in which participants completed questionnaires …

The Experience Of Friendship For Young Adults Severely Burned As Children: A Phenomenological Investigation, Suzanne Holm

Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of the present study was to understand the meaning of friendship to young adults who survived severe childhood burn injuries as generated through their descriptions of their experience. This was accomplished through a phenomenological exploration of the subjective experience of friendship as described by ten young adults who survived severe pediatric burn injuries. In-depth, non-directive interviews were conducted, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using a phenomenological research methodology. Interpretive analysis revealed the following five interrelated themes of the experience of friendship: (a) How Society Looks At Me, (b) How I Deal With It, (c) They Understand or They Don't …

Essential Elements For Assessment Of Persons With Severe Neurological Impairments For Computer Access Using Assistive Technology Devices: A Delphi Study, Brian Scott Hoppestad

Doctoral Dissertations

This study was undertaken with the intention of determining potential elements for inclusion in an assessment of persons with disabilities for access to computers utilizing assistive technology (AT). There is currently a lack of guidelines regarding areas that constitute a comprehensive and valid measure of a person’s need for AT devices to enable computer access, resulting in substandard services. A list of criteria for elements that should be incorporated into an instrument for determining AT for computer access was compiled from a literature review in the areas of neuroscience, rehabilitation, and education; and a Delphi study using an electronic survey …

You Signed The Line: Collegiate Student-Athletes’ Perceptions Of Autonomy, Aimee C. Kimball

Doctoral Dissertations

This study had three goals: First, to assess student-athletes’ perceptions of autonomy within the structure of collegiate sport. Second, to gain an understanding of student-athletes’ perceptions of power and how these perceptions affect student-athletes’ autonomy. Third, to understand the ways in which student-athletes’ perceptions of autonomy are important to the field of sport psychology was explored.

Working from within the constructivist paradigm (Hatch, 2002), a semi-structured interview approach was used to investigate the perceptions of autonomy of collegiate student-athletes. As described by Kvale (1996), data were gathered through semi- structured conversations with the co-researchers surrounding the theme of their perceptions …

Knowledge Construction In Graduate Education: A Case Study, Kim Douglas Dillivan

Doctoral Dissertations

This study addresses the process of knowledge construction experienced by a group of students during a graduate education course. Data sources included transcriptions from student interviews, participant-observer notes, and audiotape recordings of classroom dialogue. Analysis of data revealed seven categories of themes: exploration, nonparticipation, respect, frustration, congruence, reflection on experience, and feelings. Although the themes overlap, they describe complexities of dialogue as a mode of discourse in a formal classroom environment. Relationship building and the necessity of developing a process-orientation to learning were found to be the most difficult aspects of learning for students in their attempts to jointly construct …

Students' Moral Judgment, Cultural Ideologies, And Moral Thinking At Evangelical Christian Liberal Arts Colleges, Michael Alan Hayes

Doctoral Dissertations

A model using moral judgment and cultural ideology (political and religious ideology) for predicting moral thinking, developed by Narvaez, Getz, Rest, and Thoma (1999), was assessed for utility with students at Christian, evangelical, liberal arts colleges. This study also extended the Narvaez et al. study by including gender as a predictor, assessing the model’s goodness of fit, and determining whether the model had comparable predictive power for new and advanced students.

Freshmen (N = 199) and seniors (N = 230) from 2 colleges participated. The colleges were selected according to their accreditation status, membership in the Council for …

The Health Related Behaviors And Attitudes Of Student Nurses, Maribeth Vowell

Doctoral Dissertations

Nurses are an important component of primary medical care, and patient education is a common and important role of most nurses. Patient education and positive role modeling by nurses have the potential to influence patients’ life style choices and the serious diseases that may be affected by those choices. A greater understanding of the ways nurses think about their own health could help facilitate healthier choices for them and in their patients. The purpose of this inquiry was to examine the experiences, attitudes and beliefs of student nurses related to their personal health, and to investigate those experiences, attitudes and …

The Perspectives Of Teachers On The Reciprocal Relationship Of Tutoring And Teaching, Debra Jean Coffey

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the perspective of teachers concerning the relationship between tutoring and teaching. This study was conducted with teachers who participated in a university reading practicum, Reading Education 539, to see how their tutorial experience influenced their teaching. Interview protocols and focus group questions were designed to determine whether they were using reading strategies in their classroom that they used in the tutoring context and to discover how their teaching experiences shaped their tutorial experience. Archival data from the tutorial files, including lesson plans and reflective notes compiled by the participants in …

Wellness Among Freshmen At The University Of Tennessee, Laura Bilderback

Masters Theses

Because health and wellness are declining in college-aged students, it is important for college student personnel administrators to become knowledgeable of wellness programming. Currently available information on students’ wellness at The University of Tennessee (UTK) is incomplete. This study examined the knowledge of wellness of first year students at UTK.

A descriptive survey was conducted in First Year Studies (FYS 100) classes to first year students at UTK during the Fall 2003 semester. The key purpose of this descriptive study was to examine UTK first year students’ knowledge of wellness and the extent to which their lifestyle behaviors reflect potential …

Thinking About Andragogy: The International Foundation For Its Research, Theory And Practice Linkage In Adult Education And Human Resource Development, John A. Henschke Edd

IACE Hall of Fame Repository

More than 50 major works published in English from national and international sources on Andragogy are presented here, in order to provide a clear and understandable, international foundation for the linkage between the research, theory and practice of andragogy, and its application to HRD. The six themes provided a foundation for the linkage: Evolution of the term; historical antecedents shaping the concept; comparison of American and European understanding; popularizing of American concept; practical application; and theory, research, and definition.

Fact Book: 2003-2004, The Office Of Institutional Research And Assessment

UTK Fact Book

I welcome you to the 2003-2004 edition of the University of Tennessee Fact Book. This edition marks the second year that the Fact Book has been produced only in non-printed versions. Our initial venture into electronic publishing last year led to considerable support and acceptance within the university community and resulted in a Best Electronic Fact Book award from the Southern Association of Institutional Research last fall. Not only are considerable financial savings realized from these ventures, but the on-line and compact disk versions of the Fact Book also allow for better distribution throughout the state.

The reader is reminded …

Front Matter

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Editors' Message

At Risk: Teaching and Writing Outside the Safety Zone

In 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education released its damning indictment of American education. In the opening sentence of the report, the authors announce: "Our Nation is at risk." National prosperity, security, and civility are being "eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity" resulting from the failures of our schools and colleges.

Within this context "risk," defined by Webster's as "the possibility of suffering loss," is something to be avoided, or, if that is not possible, something to be managed. Thus, children struggling for success in school …

Jaepl, Vol. 10, Winter 2004-2005, Kristie S. Fleckenstein, Linda T. Calendrillo

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Essays

Lynn Z. Bloom. The Seven Deadly Virtues.

The university stifles most creative writers except the most intrepid—even reckless, the good along with the bad—in the process of teaching them to write according to the conventions of the academy in general, and their specific disciplines in particular.

David L. Wallace. Shallow Literacy, Timid Teaching, and Cultural Impotence.

Any attempt to move to a deeper notion of literacy in our theory and pedagogy must—among other things—involve us facing our own self interest and expecting disruption in our own classrooms, departments, and universities.

Roben Torosyan. Listening: Beyond Telling to 'Being' …

Listening: Beyond Telling To “Being” What We Want To Teach, Roben Torosyan

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

In response to a culture of polarized argument, this paper shows a way to provide people with practice at deep listening and understanding. The author examines ways in which self-disclosure about problems of dialog may be an ideal means for teachers or leaders to show people alternate ways of being in the world of meaning making.

Analyzing Dominant Cultural Narratives Of Religious Pluralism: A Study Of Oprah.Com, Patricia Webb, Zach Waggoner

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

This essay analyzes Oprah.com, the website for multimedia mogul Oprah Winfrey, to examine the tensions between dominate religious ideologies and pluralism in America.