Education Commons^™

Case Study Of The Classroom Culture That Impacts Teacher Efficacy Of Secondary Level Teachers Of English Language Learners, Connie Marie Davis Banks

Education Dissertations and Projects

Throughout the United States a dramatic shift in demographics is taking place, similar to the changes of the early 20th century, as thousands of immigrants cross the threshold of Ellis Island (Karathanos, 2009). Undergoing a greater makeover is the culture of classrooms and American teachers who have seen, firsthand, an increase of more than 60% of English language learner (ELL) students over the past decade (Ballantyne, Sanderman, & Levy, 2008). The purpose of this study was to develop a more in-depth understanding as to whether mainstream teachers from a school district located in upstate South Carolina perceived themselves to be …

A Mixed-Methods Study Of A Teacher Preparation Program: Preservice Teachers' Perceived Preparedness To Integrate Technology Effectively, Erin Banks Davis

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which preservice teachers within a teacher preparation program perceived themselves to be prepared to integrate technology, specifically examining the level of confidence preservice teachers perceive themselves to have towards TPACK-related skills needed to integrate technology into their instruction. Participants in this research study were solicited based on their enrollment in the selected teacher preparation program within the last 5 years; also included were current seniors enrolled in their final semester before degree completion. This research study contains a sample size of 20 participants from a small, private university in …

A Study Of Teacher Job Satisfaction, Teacher Preferred Leadership Behaviors, And The Impact Of The Leadership Behaviors On Teacher Job Satisfaction, Lorna Jackie Tobias

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study’s purpose was to examine teacher job satisfaction, teacher preferred leadership behaviors, and the impact of these behaviors on teacher job satisfaction. Current research points to a myriad of contributing factors regarding teacher job dissatisfaction including increased accountability, heavy workloads, low salary, and perceived lack of principal support. In this study, 81 teachers secondary from an urban school district in North Carolina completed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Bass & Avolio, 2004) and the Job Satisfaction Survey (Spector, 1994). This online survey identified job satisfaction levels of teachers, preferred leadership behaviors, and correlations between teacher job satisfaction and the preferred …

Family And Community Engagement In One High School: Where Perceptions Meet Practices, Coreen Ann Marie Anderson

Education Dissertations and Projects

The intent of this study was to explore the perceptions of administrators, teachers, students, and families of students in one urban high school regarding the importance of family, school, and community engagement; and to explore the steps they take, or not, to develop and sustain such engagements. The study is grounded in Bandura’s (1977, 1986) work which indicates self-efficacy influences peoples’ beliefs to perform different tasks. Additionally, the study relies on Epstein’s (1995) theory of overlapping spheres which postulates six typologies to guide family and community engagement. A two-phase, explanatory sequential mixed methods was used to obtain statistical results from …

Structured Prekindergarten: Is It A Bridge For The Reading Achievement Gap For Hispanic Kindergarten Students?, Carol Hayes Artis

Education Dissertations and Projects

Educational journals, researchers, and practitioners assert that prekindergarten yields positive academic and socialization results for those who attend (Neuman, 2007; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, 2010). This mixed-methods study was conducted to examine the impact of the prekindergarten program in County X Public School District on the kindergarten reading performance of Hispanic students. The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) was the instrument used for measurement. This subgroup’s accountability results and school performance reflect a significant gap as compared to White students. Hispanic students, whose presence in North Carolina schools is …

Use Of Technology And Perceived Level Of Engagement With 1:1 Technology, William Blake Tucker

Education Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative dissertation was designed to describe to the policymakers and stakeholders of School District Z the frequency of use of the 1:1 technology, the frequency of use of other technological devices by teachers and students, and the importance of 1:1 technology to student learning. District Z provided Chromebooks to each student in Grades 6, 7, and 8 during the 2014-2015 school year with the goal of harnessing the power of technology to engage students and ultimately to improve student achievement. The researcher developed a survey instrument to capture data from approximately 1,100 students 1 year after implementation of the …

A Study Of Student Attitudes And Dispositions Toward The Use Of The Inquiry Method In Teaching Eighth-Grade Social Studies, Michael George Bolling

Education Dissertations and Projects

Despite a recent emphasis on instruction that utilizes higher level critical thinking skills in middle schools, too many history teachers rely primarily on rote memorization due to state standards that place an emphasis on teaching to a multiple choice standardized test. The difficulty of having to teach copious amounts of information is that it can give rise to the problem of coverage. Teachers feel they must cover massive amounts of material so their students will do well on the standardized test at the end of the school year. This leaves little time for engaging the students in higher level critical …

Project Cems: Cost Efficient Marketing Strategies For Small Businesses, Wendy Brown Dellinger

Education Dissertations and Projects

The goal of any organization is to find cost efficient marketing strategies to promote their business. Project CEMS provided a template for the partnering organization to utilize for the improvement of their customer service and public image. This marketing plan consisted of four distinct yet coinciding stages, each focusing on the goals of the project. In Stage I, an interactive website was built to provide potential clientele with essential company information. During Stage II, high impact and detail oriented presentation packets were created. The focus of Stage III was on customer care which included correspondence, branded promotional items, satisfaction survey, …

Universal Diversity Training, Masonya N. Ruff

Education Dissertations and Projects

The Cleveland County Schools (CCS) district has more minorities and children living in poverty than in past years. With this increase in diverse cultures, teaching and teachers have remained the same. As a result, the achievement gap has not gotten smaller. White students are not growing and achieving as they should. There is a need now more than ever for teachers to step outside the box and do things differently. Not only must they do things differently, but they must also “see” things differently. This requires a paradigm shift.

The purpose of this project is to develop a framework for …

Reinvention: The Reimagined And Continued Evolution Of A Housing Program, John Johnson

Education Dissertations and Projects

A successful housing and residence education program is a vital component of a university’s traditional undergraduate program. Such programs assist in the recruitment and retention of students as well as a serve as a significant source of revenue. Furthermore, such programs are conducive to the ongoing spiritual, academic, and social development of the students who reside in residential communities; however, for such programs to effectively accomplish their respective missions, they must focus on their core mission and goals, effectively manage their occupancy, effectively train their staff, effectively maintain their facilities, effectively market the experiences they offer, and effectively assess their …

Sustaining A Competitive Edge Through Transforming Organizational Culture In A K-12 Setting, April Butler-Mcconneaughey

Education Dissertations and Projects

This project addressed how a program of curriculum development and professional support helped a K-12 tuition-based school transform its culture and create and sustain a competitive edge in a private school market.

Because of the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of a new 21st Century Literacy/Language Arts Curriculum Support: Professional Development Program at the elementary level, this school has been able to create and maintain a high-performance culture and increase market share and student growth and proficiency.

One of the objectives of this project was to develop and implement systems and processes that would foster a collaborative culture and increase student …

University Academic Program Cost Modeling: A Roadmap To Fiscal Sustainability, Patrick Biggerstaff

Education Dissertations and Projects

Fiscal sustainability has plagued institutions of higher education for as long as universities have existed. Colleges and universities must gain a better understanding of the cost to teach our students and the fiscal performance of our academic programs to survive. Understanding how we construct and arrange resources around the essential academic delivery will allow university leadership to better align program decisions with financial sustainability. This project outlines a financial analytics dashboard showing the fiscal impact of academic programs for strategic operational planning and design at institutions of higher education. The dashboard developed was built on a common unit of measurement, …

The Formation Of A Distance Learning Institute: Transforming People, Process, And Product, Martha Eddings

Education Dissertations and Projects

The Distance Learning Institute (DLI) was formed in response to decreasing enrollment and increasing attrition rates ("White Paper: Research in Online Learning", n.d.), to provide another educational option for students, and to compete with other online educational institutions (“The Attack of the MOOCs,” July 2013). This consultancy project documents the initiation of a DLI from proposal to implementation, to offer complete online degrees and certificates. The DLI was planned in four phases with milestones and projected completion dates as follows:

Phase 1: Established the Oversight Committee, researched best practices, determined the need for the DLI, anticipated and actual completion date …

Risk Factors And Interventions Associated With Sophomore Retention At A Small, Private Institution, Michael Reynolds

Education Dissertations and Projects

Analyzing the “sophomore slump” has plagued researchers for decades. This consultancy project analyzed some quantitative and qualitative data from a small, private university and developed key recommendations to help address sophomore attrition. The analysis contained a quantitative component which led to the collection of student profiles that were used to examine specific phenomenon from a more qualitative perspective. Through the process, the project underwent constant revision but maintained the initial scope and boundaries. Work plans, financial assessments, and risk mitigation plans were developed throughout the lifecycle of the project and communicated to key stakeholders. Several challenges included the collection of …

Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions Of Instructional Coaching, Factored By Experience And Levels Of Education, Tina Hicks Whitten

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate elementary teachers’ perceptions of instructional coaching compared to their years of experience and their levels of education. This researcher worked cooperatively with one rural school district in north, central North Carolina and used an online survey instrument with both open- and closed-ended questions to gather data. Two hundred sixty-three elementary classroom teachers were asked to complete the survey; 131 teachers did so with a response rate of 49.8%. Chi square statistical tests were run for the Likert responses on the quantitative portion, and open-ended coding was used for the qualitative piece. …

Differentiation And Technology: A Study Of An Elementary School’S Use Of Technology In Differentiated Lessons, Kelly Dawn Nelson

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine teacher reports and use of differentiation and to examine the use of technology in differentiated lessons. The researcher posed two questions: (a) What is the association between teacher reports of differentiation use and observed differentiation strategies used; and (b) How are teachers using the differentiation strategies of which they are aware when planning and implementing lessons that involve technology in the areas of content, process, product, and learning environment? This mixed-method study used three tools for data collection: a questionnaire, structured observation protocol, and a focus group. The questionnaire and observation protocol …

The Feasibility Of Implementing Early College Instructional Strategies And Design Principles In Traditional High Schools As A Reform Model, Shelia Smith Wyont

Education Dissertations and Projects

Early college high schools were developed as a partnership between school districts and colleges to provide students an opportunity to earn a high school diploma concurrently with an associate’s degree or transferable college credit at little or no cost. In 2011, North Carolina New Schools implemented the Rural Innovative Initiative with the purpose of expanding college readiness and reducing dropouts by applying early college design principles and strategies into 18 existing traditional high schools in low-wealth districts. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of implementation of early college principles and strategies into traditional high schools. The …

What Do Parents Really Want? Parent Perspectives On Gifted Education, Ryan Mccreary

Education Dissertations and Projects

In this research study, the correlation between the strategies that previous research had indicated as effective for gifted education and the programming sought by parents of gifted children was examined. Survey results and interviews with parents revealed several strategies that parents wanted to be implemented in gifted education as well as powerful practices that would enhance gifted education if implemented by school leaders. The problem of underachievement among gifted students is also discussed as well as strategies to reverse it.

A Comparative Study On The Impact Of Pbis On Student Academic Achievement And Behavior, Kristin Nicole Pitts

Education Dissertations and Projects

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) were initiated to address behavior problems for students with disabilities in the school system but became a proactive discipline approach for all students. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of PBIS on all student behavior and to examine possible connections to academic achievement. Student behavior can be impacted by many things including teacher attitude, academic struggles, and climate of a school. The focus of this study was to determine if PBIS reduces office discipline referrals (ODR) and if there are any impacts on student standardized achievement scores from PBIS. This …

A Mixed-Method Study Of One-To-One Mobile Technology Implementation In Math In A Rural Middle School, Maxie Nathan Deaton Jr

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine the extent of one-to-one mobile technology implementation on student math achievement as measured by standardized test scores. A second focus was on the extent one-to-one mobile technology implementation has influenced teacher practices in math instruction. A final focus was on the extent that teacher lesson plans support or fail to support technology implementation. The setting for the study was a small rural middle school in the Upstate of South Carolina. The participants consisted of males and females from several ethnicities and socioeconomic classes. A parallel/simultaneous method was used for the study. …

The Left- Handed Leader: Educational Experiences And Leadership Practices, Rebecca L. Huffstetler

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of left-handed school leaders during their elementary and secondary school years. Further, this study examined the impact of these experiences on leadership practices exhibited by left-handed school leaders. The researcher used a mixed methods approach to conduct this study. For the quantitative portion of the study, left-handed and right-handed school leaders completed Kouzes and Posner’s Leadership Practice Inventory (LPI) Self, Fourth Edition. To obtain qualitative data, left-handed school leaders also participated in an open-ended question interview where information was collected on their educational experiences in elementary school and secondary school …

The Impact Of Board Certified Teachers On Student Achievement, Cassandra Yellock Dobson

Education Dissertations and Projects

This research study explored the relationship that exists between National Board certified teachers (NBCTs) and the reading achievement of students in third through fifth grade in comparison to non-NBCTs as measured by EVAAS growth data. Additional research questions analyzed which elements contained in the five core propositions participants perceive to be the most effective in contributing to student achievement in comparing perceptions of NBCTs and non-NBCTs. In contrast to data in other studies reviewed for this research, the results of this study signify that there is no significant difference in reading growth between students who are taught by NBCTs and …

A Study Of The Implementation Of The Free, Potable Water Subsection Of The Federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, Jessica R. Mellon

Education Dissertations and Projects

The Association of School and Curriculum Development (ASCD), one of the world’s largest education profession organizations and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called for a “greater alignment between education and health to improve each child’s cognitive, physical, social and emotional development” (ASCD, 2014, p. 6). Lack of attention to the factors impacting learning can prevent students from reaching their full academic potential because education practitioners are failing to meet their students’ non-instructional needs (ASCD, n.d.). Nothing is more basic than water. Repeated studies have identified hydration as an important factor in learning (Bar-David, Urkin, & Kozminsky, 2005; Edmonds …

Elementary Principals And Teachers: Perception Alignment Of Leadership Behaviors, Carol F. Montague

Education Dissertations and Projects

A large urban public school system in the piedmont of North Carolina was the setting for this study. Individual school data as well as aggregated data from 25 studied schools were analyzed in order to form overall conclusion of perceptions of leadership for the elementary schools within the system. The purpose of this quantitative survey study was to examine principal perceptions of their leadership behaviors and determine if they aligned with teacher perceptions of these same behaviors using the five practices of exemplary leadership of The Leadership Challenge. The researcher disaggregated the data to identify areas of strength and weakness …

An Examination Of Kindergarten Readiness Perceptions From Prekindergarten Teachers, Kindergarten Teachers, And Parents: A Quantitative Study Of Kindergarten Readiness Perceptions, Angela Cross

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the perceptions of kindergarten readiness for kindergarten teachers, public prekindergarten teachers in both public and private settings, and parents. Data were collected and analyzed through a quantitative method using an inferential approach. A Likert-style survey was distributed to current kindergarten teachers, prekindergarten teachers, and parents; and the data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The data collected from the surveys indicated differences in kindergarten readiness perceptions in the areas of social/emotional skills, literacy skills, and communication between kindergarten parents and teachers and between public and private prekindergarten participants. There were also differences in …

Creating Our Future -- Transforming A Traditional Non-Profit Into A High Performing Organization, William Weller

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the project was to transform the Boys & Girls Club of Cleveland County Board of Directors (the Club) from an executive-directed organization to an organization that encouraged Board member involvement. Our goal was to serve more kids every day, expand facilities, take functional responsibility of the operation of the Club while finding more funding sources to meet the budget. The organization needed to change or it would not be in existence. Using Kotter’s Eight Step Change Model, the leadership team worked to create a sense of urgency for the change process. Strategic planning sessions established goals and …

Project Achieve: A Literacy Program For Excellence, Deitra Johnson

Education Dissertations and Projects

The South Carolina 2013 PASS and HSAP scores indicate students in third through eighth and eleventh grades were below national averages, the achievement gap between subgroups were increasing, and the infusion of STEMs education will encourage student interest. In this project, The Read to Succeed program was incentivizing quarterly after each STAR Reading literacy assessment. The challenge with low-poverty, low-achieving students is student efficacy. The program’s goal was to develop student efficacy in our school. The South Carolina state curriculum was utilized with the infusion of literacy across the curriculum and STEMs education. Educators established relationships with students focusing on …

Incorporating Renewable Energy Resources Into Workforce Development For Technical Programs, Stanley Oswald

Education Dissertations and Projects

As renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic and wind turbines are becoming more prevalent in the generation of electrical energy, it is imperative to have a trained workforce familiar with theory, installations, troubleshooting, and maintenance of renewable energy systems. It is this reason an undertaking is in place to develop a program to train individuals in the Fairfield, Lexington, and Richland County areas of South Carolina to provide entry level training in renewable energy solutions. The reason this project was undertaken hinged on several key factors; one of them being the availability of an untapped resource readily available in South …

Observing The Effectiveness Of Secondary School Science Instructors And The Instructional Climate Through The Analysis Of Student Performance And Feedback, Keesha D. Lewis

Education Dissertations and Projects

The relationship between student performance and instructor effectiveness has been the subject of pedagogical studies for numerous years. The purpose of this project was to determine the extent to which student feedback could positively impact instructor performance, thus influencing student performance and achievement. Additionally, North Carolina instructors are evaluated based on student performance. The evaluations are represented by three colors: red, green, and blue. Instructors who are assessed as “red” are ineffective. Instructors who are assessed as “green” are minimally effective. Instructors who are assessed as “blue” are exceedingly effective. For a minimum of 3 consecutive school semesters, I provided …

The Reinvention Of The Gaston County Animal Control, Jay W. Human

Education Dissertations and Projects

In the fall of 2014 after the retirement of the longtime director, it became apparent that the conditions within the Animal Control Division of the Gaston County Police Department were far from what had been portrayed for years. Facing the department was an antiquated records system, staff with limited training, a lack of supervision resulting in lengthy response times, and a subculture existing independent of the department’s culture.

Utilizing Morgan’s (2006) storyline to determine what forces were influencing the current and future conditions within the division, I identified that the Cultural Metaphor was the dominant frame. As Morgan (2006, p. …