Education Commons^™

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Educational Games In Promoting Interest And Understanding Of Gravitational Wave Physics, Jonathan Wheeler

Honors Theses

The LIGO Scientific Collaboration Education and Public Outreach group seeks to ameliorate the lack of public understanding of gravitational wave physics. One such effort is Black Hole Pong, a remake of the 1972 arcade classic developed by researchers at University of Birmingham, UK. Black Hole Pong differs from other educational games in that it stretches the laws of physics to make the user experience more exciting. Another effort has been my own work in developing a game called Chickens in Space where players can create mass, which coalesces and eventually forms black holes, which serve as obstacles to the players. …

Parental Involvement, Socio-Economic Status And Students' Perceptions Of The Classroom Learning Environmnet As Predictors Of 8th Grade Students Academic Achievement: A Structural Equation Model, Allyson Blandin

Dissertations

Problem

Academic achievement among the nation’s youth has been on the decline for decades. The statistics from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) paints a bleak picture of the academic performance of more than half of the 4th and 8th grade students being below the required levels of proficiency in reading and mathematics. This is evidence that a problem of low academic achievement exists among certain student groups within the public education system. Therefore, it creates an academic achievement gap, which is reflected in the disparity in the standardized scores between students of color from low socio-economic status with …

The Impact Of Values Clarification And Expression Of Beliefs On Dysfunctional Leadership Among Church Lay Leaders, John F. Cosgrove

Dissertations

Problem

Leaders face challenges from within themselves and from others. Dysfunctions within the leader and with their group can lessen leadership effectiveness. It appears some leaders manage these dysfunctions better than others. More needs to be understood about how these dysfunctions are best mediated and some have suggested clarification of values and beliefs can do that.

Method

This study followed a quantitative correlational research design. Data were obtained using surveys that 84 participants completed on line. Participants were selected from current lay leaders and former lay leaders of not more than three years past from Christ United Methodist Church of …

The Relationship Between Financial Incentives And Perceptions Of Student Choice At Private Michigan Universities, Ndahwa Musa Masanja

Dissertations

Problem

The rising cost of getting a college or university degree gives millions of students “sticker shock” each year, and paying off student debt has only grown more difficult over time (Liberto, 2012). The College Board, a nonprofit group that runs the SAT exam, indicates that over the past decade, the average annual tuition for community college has risen 40% to $3,122 while the yearly cost at a four-year public university has risen 68% to $7,692. The escalating cost of higher education has inevitably influenced students’ choice of college or university (Felton, 2012). These high tuition costs make a college …

Musical Listening Interest, Socio-Demographic And Socio-Psychological Factors As Predictors Of Test Anxiety Among Students Of A Christian University In Jamaica, Wayne E. N. Ireland-Cleghorne

Dissertations

Problem

There is an enormous deficit in the literature on the factors associated with test anxiety generally, and test anxiety and music listening interest in particular, in the Caribbean region. This deficit is made even more distinct by the numerous studies that exist on test anxiety elsewhere and the effect it has on students’ behavior and performance in the classroom.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between musical listening interest and test anxiety, while controlling for variables that are deemed plausible predictors of test anxiety. Predictor variables utilized include sociodemographic factors such as gender, age, …

Identity Styles, Mediated By Commitment And Syncretism, As Predictors Of Undergraduate Students' Attitudes Toward Selected Discipleship Practice At Vally View University In Ghana In 2015: Implications For Religious Education, Juvenal Balisasa

Dissertations

Problem

The study of student life on campus has attracted numerous social science enquiries especially in the areas of spirituality, religiosity, and meaning making in life. Of particular interest has been the attempt to restore value-based education in Christian institutions of higher learning, taking cognizance of the need for cultural contextualization and the influence of postmodern ideology. This present study sought to examine the possible predictive role of identity styles, mediated by commitment and syncretism, in the attitudes towards discipleship practices among undergraduate students of Valley View University in Ghana, West Africa in 2015.

Method

The study employed the principles …

Self-Efficacy, Locus Of Control, Perceived Stress And Student Satisfaction As Correlates Of Dissertation Completion, Gabriela A. Dumitrescu

Dissertations

Purpose of the Study

Doctoral students face a multitude of challenges in the process of completing their degree, and barriers to the success of doctoral program completion can occur at many different levels. Many factors contribute to dissertation completion or non-completion. Studying the influence of these factors on the task of dissertation completion may result in enhancing dissertation progress and program completion. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of self-efficacy, locus of control, perceived stress and student satisfaction on dissertation completion among doctoral students in educational psychology at selected university in the United States.

Method

Survey …

The Bonds That Break: Sibling Abuse Perpetration Behaviors As Correlates Of Peer Bullying Perpetration Behaviors: A Structural Equation Model, Curt Bachman

Dissertations

Problem

The literature suggests that the perpetration of sibling violence and peer bullying behaviors present multifaceted concerns for both families and society. Furthermore, there are differences in how the perpetration of peer bullying and sibling violence behaviors have been emphasized in the United States. However, research examining how these experiences may be related is limited.

Method

A survey was used to collect data on lifetime reports of sibling abuse and peer bullying perpetration behaviors from a sample of 252 adults. A total of six variables were measured using an altered version of the Conflict Tactics Scale.

Results

Using partial least …

The Relationship Between Leaders' Emotional Intelligence And Employees' Organizational Citizenship Behavior And Job-Related Affective Well-Being At Andrews University, Robert L. Overstreet

Dissertations

Problem

Research has been conducted linking high levels of Emotional Intelligence (EI) in leaders with organizational success. However, the link between leaders’ EI levels and workplace climate (as evidenced by employees’ Job-related Affective Well-being [JAW] and Organizational Citizenship Behavior [OCB] levels) has not been adequately understood. This study sought to improve the understanding of how employee affective well-being and citizenship behaviors are related to leaders’ EI, with additional consideration given to how the gender of those leaders may affect that relationship.

Method

A quantitative correlational research method has been chosen as an appropriate method for the research study in which …

Faculty And Staff Perceptions Of Stress, Efficacy, Personality, And Health Practices During Implementation Of Comprehensive Educational Change At One Secondary School, Virginia Mae Lonser

Dissertations

Problem

Private faith-based schools have experienced a severe drop in enrollment over the past few years contributing to perceptions of job insecurity. Especially in the realm of residential secondary education has this observation been true. This descriptive case study investigated perceptions of stress of secondary-school faculty and staff involved with a school-based systemic change implementation in an attempt to turn around the attenuation in enrollment.

Method

This research study followed a bounded mixed-methods case design using data collected as participant observations of the 24 residential secondary-school faculty and staff and tests were performed to show relationships between variables. Tools were …

Using High-Fidelity Medical Simulation To Assess Critical Thinking In Medical Students, Lynda Daniel-Underwood

Dissertations

Problem

Graduating competent physicians is an imperative societal need. The development of critical thinking skills during medical school is important to meet this societal need and for the care of ill patients. Research shows this skill is key in decreasing medical errors, which in turn decreases cost. (Norman and Eva, 2010) Missing from the literature is a method to assess critical thinking in the setting of caring for the critically ill patient. This instrumental case study tests medical simulation as a method of assessing critical thinking, which incorporates all six competency domains, by looking at the assessment environment, summative patient …

Teachers' Cultural Competence And Students' Perception Of The Social Classroom Climate In Culturally Different Middle School Classrooms, Olivia L. R. Spence

Dissertations

Problem

Teachers and students often come from different cultural backgrounds, so classrooms are increasingly becoming the venue where interactions, if not appropriately managed, will produce a social climate not conducive to learning. The present study seeks to determine to what extent teacher cultural competence impacts student perception of the classroom social environment.

Method

The Teacher Multicultural Attitudes Survey was used to quantify teachers’ cultural competence and a Social Classroom Climate Measure was used to gather scores on the four key factors of the social climate. Hierarchical Linear Modelling was used to assess the influence of teacher cultural competence and several …

Observation And Coaching As A Professional Learning Model To Support The Implementation Of Co-Teaching, Mary Alice Henley

Dissertations

Purpose

This qualitative study provides a description of a professional learning model using observation and coaching for teachers who participated in training regarding co-teaching to support the implementation of co-teaching.

Method

The study involved participants who were general and special educators from grades K-12 across urban, rural, and suburban school districts in Connecticut. The study included 329 observations of 136 co-teaching teams from 44 schools in 14 districts over the course of 14 years. Classroom observations of 15-20 minutes were initiated in schools with co-teachers in their natural settings using an open-ended observation protocol recorded on the Connecticut Co-Teaching Technical …

Perceived Stress And Self-Efficacy As Correlates Of Satisfaction With The Dissertation Process Among Doctoral Students In Educational Psychology In Selected Universities In The United States, Gabriela A. Dumitrescu

Master's Theses

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of perceived stress and self efficacy on student satisfaction with the dissertation process among doctoral students in educational psychology in selected universities in the United States.

Method

Survey research method was used as the research platform for this study. Online surveys using Survey Monkey were administered to doctoral student in Educational Psychology from selected universities in the United States. Dissertation self-efficacy was measured with the Dissertation Self-Efficacy Scale (DSES; Varney, 2003). Perceived Stress was measured with the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10; Cohen, Kamarch & Mermelstein, 1983). …