Education Commons^™

Preservice Candidates' Rating Of Effectiveness In Agricultural Education Through Structured Communication With Cooperating Teachers, Christopher Lee Hunt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between cooperating teacher and student has been found as one of the key elements that affect the overall teaching efficacy of student teachers and their decision to enter the teaching field after graduation (Edgar, 2007; Edgar, Roberts, & Murphy, 2011,2008; Kasperbauer et al., 2007a; Roberts, Greiman, Murphy, Ricketts, Harlin, & Briers 2009; Roberts, Harlin, & Briers, 2007, Roberts, Harlin, & Ricketts, 2006; Roberts Mowen, Edgar, Harlin & Briers, 2007, Stripling, Ricketts, Roberts & Harlin, 2008; Wolf, 2011; Wolf et al., 2010). Therefore, determining impacts towards teaching efficacy during the student teaching experience could play a vital role in …

Graduation As A Function Of Attendance And Discipline Of Students In The Student Success Initiative Of Texas In One South Texas Urban School District, Maria Luisa Trevino-Guerra

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study examined the trends and patterns across time of grade placement committee students on the dependent variable, graduation. Longitudinal data for independent variables, attendance and discipline was collected for 173 students from 2005 to 2013. The independent variables of attendance and discipline were examined to determine whether or not high school completion is dependent on these two measures.

The Grade 5 students of 2005-2006 in one south Texas large urban school district who were retained in the fifth grade or advanced to the next higher grade by the grade placement committee in accordance with the Student Success Initiative (SSI) …

Contributing Factors That Affect The Achievement Of African-American Females Taught By Caucasian Teachers On The Arkansas Literacy Exam: A Case Study, Felicia Renee Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative intrinsic case study was designed to assist Caucasian educators with the researched academic skills and behaviors to engage African-American females in the learning environment. The study provided strategies and recommendations to promote self-worth, self-motivation, self-efficacy, and morale in African-American females when they did not perform as well as or higher than their Caucasian peers in a high school English classroom on the state literacy examination instructed by a Caucasian teacher. The research site was a low socioeconomic urban high school with a majority of minorities with several native based home languages. The study took an in-depth approach to …

Dropping Out In Southeast Kansas: Why Students Leave School Early, Garon Kent Wire

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study takes a deeper look into the lived experiences of students in southeast Kansas who have dropped out of high school. As a result, school and community leaders are better informed to create effective strategy, policy, and practice in dropout prevention.

Framed as a phenomenology, data was collected by conducting in-depth, face-to-face interviews with 12 participants and a focus-group interview with four participants. The researcher administered a survey/questionnaire to an additional 15 participants. Utilizing the Streamlined Codes-To-Theory Model (Saldana, 2009); organizational, structural, and elaborative coding techniques were implemented to reduce the data into categories, which led to the …

An Open Letter To Governor-Elect Mcauliffe, Thomas J. Shields

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Almost every governor elected in recent memory has recognized how critical education is to the economic and social welfare of our commonwealth. Each has come into office ready to put his personal stamp on Virginia's educational system. However, we believe the time has come for our state's chief executive to realize that our current system is no longer functioning in an equitable manner, particularly for children who are at or below the poverty line.

Enhancing The Academic And Social Learning Of Irish Undergraduates Through Emotional And Social Skills Development., Aiden Carthy, Celesta Mccann, Sinead Mcgilloway, Colm Mcguinness

Articles

This paper considers the potential merits of emotional competency coaching for undergraduate students. We outline the findings from our previous work which showed, for example, that a sample of First Year undergraduate students failed to engage with coaching primarily because it was not a mandatory aspect of the curricula. An analysis of the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) - which details the specific learning outcomes that must be achieved by all Irish academic syllabi found that this framework makes scant reference to the development of social and emotional skills. Therefore, a revised working model of the NFQ is proposed, which …

The Relationship Between Teachers' Perceptions Of The Feedback They Receive And Their Teaching Efficacy In High-Performing Schools, Joshua D. St. John

Open Access Dissertations

As reform efforts are prescribed in every state through mandates and regulations in an effort to better prepare students to compete in a global economy, and as states like Indiana implement new evaluation plans for teachers based on a rigorous rubric and objective measures of student achievement, close attention to the ripple effects must be involved. While efforts such as professional learning communities and instructional coaches are aimed at building teacher capacity, maximum results can only be achieved when school leaders balance how they leverage their evaluative power while promoting these formative experiences. Absent in the drive for heightened accountability, …

Lowering Educational Standards To Meet The Needs Of The Students: The Exploratory Study Of Brown V. Board Of Education, Valencia Tamir Johnson Dr.

Dr. Valencia T Johnson, PhD, EdD, Hon. D.Div, LLM, MS, BS

As the Bible according to Luke 12:48 “For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much is required”. In recent years, educational institutions started to decrease their educational requirements and standards to meet the needs of the students, instead of meeting the expectations of the students learning ability. In most colleges and universities “D’s” are acceptable grades for students to progress to the next level. What intrigues me about the level of expectations in educational standards is that many parents and educators and government officials condone these types of minimal levels of expectations that the institutions have done …

The Dialectics Of Staff Unionism And University Management; Critical Discourse For Effective Educational Service Delivery, Olukunle Saheed Oludeyi, Adebayo Olatunde Akinsanya

Olukunle Saheed, OLUDEYI

This paper was poised by the lingering lamentations about the acute fall in standard of education and rapid knowledge declination among Nigerians today. The problem has become so intense that Nigerian ivory towers are now accused of producing ill-prepared and unemployable graduates who seriously lack the skills and competencies needed to positively assist the nation in its quest for growth and development. Unfortunately apart from poor university management, suspicious and insincere, if not selfish relationship between leadership of staff unions and leadership of university management is another factor impeding adequate and effective educational service delivery in Nigeria today. With pluralist …

Light And Enlightenment, Jan-E-Alam Khaki

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

Mothers’ Involvement In Children’S Learning, Khush Funer Murtaza

Professional Development Centre, Gilgit

No abstract provided.

The Lived Experience Of The Novice Nursing Dean: Exploring The Meaning And Significance, Melissa Rae Bouws

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Deans of nursing hold a unique position for the future of the profession. Few others have the potential to bring about change within the academic setting, or hold such a strong influence on the future of nursing and on our students. Current statistics reveal multiple vacancies in nursing dean positions. Further understanding of how nursing deans begin their role, attain their identity as dean, and successfully execute this important position is needed to recruit and retain strong leaders who have the methods and skills to develop and support the advancement of the nursing profession. Understanding the process of becoming nursing …

Scientifically Based Reading Research Strategies In The Preschool Classroom: An Investigation Into Quality Early Childhood Reading Practices And Literacy Acquisition In One Northern Michigan Early Reading First Program, Yvonne Donohoe Mccool

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

A growing body of research has emerged to support the concept of providing early childhood education as a quality investment for our children, unlocking early potential and creating lasting impacts related to school success and beyond. Several landmark studies indicated that a quality education targeted at our youngest learners has the ability to yield impressive returns academically, economically, and socially. Early childhood education is credited with reducing costs associated with educational remediation, retention, and special education services. More important, early childhood education is associated with the prevention of early learning difficulties and overall improved education outcomes.

On the foundation of …

Perceptions Regarding The Use And Experience Of Information And Communication Technology From Female Students In A Catholic Middle School, Julio Cuauhtemoc Tellez

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Despite advancements in the search of equity, females still struggle to find acceptance in the field of information and communication technology. Research indicates that differences in perception of ability of ICT use begin to manifest in the middle school level. This mixed methods study explored the experiences and perceptions of 46 middle school females and males to expose possible influential factors about the use of ICT by females. The dissertation study occurred in two phases. The first phase involved a survey that was given to the entire middle school. Data from the survey provided participants for the second phase, which …

Operation Fast And [We're Serious], Daniel Miedema, Donald Mitchell Jr., Ph.D.

Executives, Administrators, & Staff Publications

The intention of this piece is to push thinking beyond NCLB and offer a fresh perspective on how the U.S. educational system might progress in the future. Consider this a call to action to inspire and promote real change in a profession that has been restrained by federal regulations, standardization, and modest funding.

Miguel A. Nevárez: A Life History Of Educational Leadership, Rolando Avila

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this qualitative study was to analyze Miguel A. Nevárez’s educational leadership style by focusing on his notable contributions to The University of Texas-Pan American. The researcher defined leadership style as actions by the leader. After examining Nevárez’s background to place his motivations and actions in proper context, this study analyzed what Nevárez did, how he perceived his actions, and how others perceived his actions. The life history written by the researcher was primarily based on data collected through 25 interviews; however, the researcher also utilized other available published and unpublished sources to supplement the interview data. The …

Kierkegaard And A Pedagogy Of Liminality, Sylvia Mcmillan

Theses and Dissertations

There is a strain of curriculum theory especially since the reconceptionalist movement that applies existential philosophy to educational issues and questions. There is also a related branch of curriculum theory that looks especially at existentialist theology to cast light on curriculum issues from a more religious slant. Both of these strains of analysis are rooted in Kierkegaard, the father of existentialism and existential theology (Huebner, 1999; Tillich, 1948). The educational implications of the works of Kierkegaard are a subject that has been virtually unexamined in either educational or Kierkegaardian scholarship except by two scholars whose works are already 40 years …

Evaluating Alternative High Schools: Program Evaluation In Action, Drew Samuel Wayne Hinds

Dissertations and Theses

Alternative high schools serve some of the most vulnerable students and their programs present a significant challenge to evaluate. Determining the impact of an alternative high school that serves mostly at-risk students presented a significant research problem. Few studies exist that dig deeper into the characteristics and strategies of successful alternative schooling. Moreover valid program evaluation methods to identify successful alternative school practices are hit and miss. As a result, public policy and systems of accountability have either disregarded information relating to alternative high schools or unjustifiably included them in comparisons with traditional high schools.

This dissertation studied the issue …

An Open Letter To The Class Of 2013, Center For Public Service

SURGE

Upon graduation I will have received no honors. After four years of college, thirty-seven courses, ten labs, two sets of major requirements and several almost complete minors, I have won the ultimate consolation prize: a diploma. I know that not everyone has the privilege of going to college and I also know that those who start college do not always make it to the end, some not even through the first week. However, in the world of academia, students are pushed to strive for the best grades. Even at Gettysburg College where global awareness, critical thinking and an integration of …

Case Study Of A District's Implementation Of Culturally Relevant Social Studies Curriculum, Dagoberto Eli Ramirez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Texas districts approved Update 93 from the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) in spring 2012. The policy update called for use of culturally relevant materials in school districts’ implementation of their instructional program. The policy uses seventeen words to describe resources necessary to deliver, support, enrich, and assist in implementing the district’s educational program: materials that “represent many ethnic, religious, and cultural groups and their contributions to the national heritage and world community”. Using a qualitative case study approach in a Texas school district, this University of Texas-Pan American Educational Leadership Doctorate Degree research project investigated how and to …

The Effects Of Principal's Transformational Leadership Behaviors On Teacher Leadership Development And Teacher Self Efficacy, Socorro M. Espinoza

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Leadership has been identified as an essential ingredient of educational reform aiming to ensure that every student gets the education they need to succeed in an era of high accountability. Transformational leadership in the educational context is conceptualized as a process of building commitment to meet the challenges faced by professionals in education everyday while empowering teachers to become leaders in the process of educating our children. The purpose of this study was to examine how much of the total variance of teacher leadership development and teacher efficacy can be accounted for or explained by their principal’s transformational leadership behaviors …

A Historical Snapshot On The Progression Of Educational And Social Opportunities For Mexican American Students In The San Benito Public School System, 1909-2009, Marco Antonio Lara, Jr.

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study investigates the barriers Mexican American students encountered in educational and social opportunities within the San Benito Public School System from 1909 to 2009. This qualitative research study was organized chronologically by collecting information on the city, school district, and students who attended the San Benito Public School System. Personal and telephone interviews, as well as emailed questionnaires/surveys were used to gather firsthand information from former students, and current/former teachers, administrators, and board member of the district. A review of school board minutes, high school yearbooks, newspaper articles, books, and other related materials were also included for use in …

An Analysis Of An Exemplary South Texas Charter School, Mario H. Salinas

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Charter schools have emerged as a powerful force in American school reform. When first introduced in 1991, charter schools came with two distinct promises: to serve as an escape hatch for students in failing schools, and to create and incubate new educational practices. Through qualitative inquiry, this study examines a charter school’s best practices and how some of these practices can be applied or emulated in a traditional public school setting. The goal is not to replace traditional public school practices with charter school practices, but to emulate charter school practices that have shown to be successful. The Chief Executive …

The Leadership Role In Transitioning An Urban Secondary School From A Traditional Service Delivery Model To A Co-Teaching Service Delivery Model For Students With Disabilities: A Phenomenological Case Study, Ginni Elizabeth Mcdonald

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research studies the leadership role in transitioning from a traditional service delivery model to a co-teaching service delivery model for students with disabilities. While there is an abundant amount of information on the service delivery model of co-teaching, sustaining co-teaching programs, and effective co-teaching programs for students with disabilities, the actual studies for the leadership role in transitioning to co-teaching are fewer. This phenomenological case study explores the leadership role in effectively transitioning an urban high school from a traditional service delivery of special education services to a larger continuum of services, specifically co-teaching for students with disabilities. Participants …

Principal And Teacher Beliefs About Leadership Implications For Student Performance, Jerri Cherita Jackson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to examine whether the leadership style of principals affects teacher and student performance. The study includes an elementary, middle, and high school principal along with two teachers from each school who worked at schools that were in good standing from 2007-2011. Each school made adequate yearly progress (AYP) each year according to the No Child Left Behind Status History Report. This study examined one over arching research question: What do principals and teachers say about school and schooling? Data for this study was gathered through principal interviews, teacher interviews, and the results of an …

Teacher Perception Of School Culture And School Climate In The Leader In Me Schools And Non Leader In Me Schools, Brian Patrick Barkley

Dissertations

In 1989 Dr. Stephen Covey wrote The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People which revealed seven habits that people should integrate into their lives that would help them on the two levels of relationships. First, it would help people to establish a better relationship personally. Secondly, it would help people to improve their relationships with other people. The book was originally written for adults; later Sean Covey, son of Dr. Covey, wrote a version of The Seven Habits that was geared toward teenagers. But the question of whether these adult lessons can be taught to five year olds was taken …

The Effects Of Race And Gender On The Satisfaction Levels Of Entering And Advanced Level Doctoral Students, Tiffany Nicole Labon

Dissertations

Doctoral education is an aspect of higher education that can be both rewarding and challenging for anyone who attempts the journey. Thelin (2004) stated many graduate students obtain the necessary skills that their individual fields of study require in their master’s and doctoral programs of study. Levine (2005), however, has found that the levels of satisfaction between what students expect and what they receive are at odds at many colleges and universities around the country. Thus, the need to assess graduate programs and services regarding satisfaction is warranted.

The purpose of this study was to compare the relationship of overall …

Teacher Attitudes Of Inclusion And Academic Performance Of Students With Disabilities, Jonathan Earl Sutton

Dissertations

Since the integration of the inclusion model, supported by the IDEA (1997), within public schools, teacher resistance and frustration has risen (Hardy, 1999). The climate of general education teachers’ classrooms furthermore, has not been the same (Liu & Meyer, 2005). Key elements ensuring success of inclusion and the implementation of inclusive education are the views, perspectives, and attitudes of the personnel who have the responsibility for implementing it; the teachers (Shade & Stewart, 2001). Avramidis and Norwich (2002) argued that successful implementation of any inclusive policy or programming is extremely dependent upon the educators being receptive and positive. Hines (2011) …

Efficacy Beliefs Of Beginning Hispanic Teachers And The Organizational Health Of Schools In A South Texas School District, Gisela S. Saenz

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This quantitative study examined the relationship between teachers’ sense of efficacy and school organizational health. Teachers’ sense of efficacy was measured using three dimensions of teacher efficacy: efficacy in student engagement, efficacy in instructional strategies, and efficacy in classroom management. Organizational health was measured using dimensions of school health for elementary, middle, and high school including: academic emphasis, institutional integrity, collegial leadership, resource influence, teacher affiliation, morale, principal influence, resource support, consideration, and initiating structure. The sample consisted of 498 beginning Hispanic teachers with one to five years of teaching experience. The sample included, 255 elementary, 126 middle school, and …

Alternative Education Completers: A Phenomenological Study, Becky Lynne Murray

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Billy is a bright, wide-eyed, little boy with bounding enthusiasm and wonder as he enters the doors of school on his first day of kindergarten. When the school doors open in Billy's sixth grade year the wide eyes and bounding enthusiasm have diminished only to leave behind dread and dismay at the thought of confronting yet another abysmal nine months of failure. How can we, as educators, better serve the needs of at-risk students like Billy? Shouldn't we ask them? What elements of the alternative education experience were significant to successful completion of the alternative education program? The phenomenological paradigm …