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Full-Text Articles in Education

Triggering Relationships That Contextualize The Pathway For Student Success, Darin R. Eckton Apr 2012

Triggering Relationships That Contextualize The Pathway For Student Success, Darin R. Eckton

Theses and Dissertations

America invests large amounts of money in K-12 education to develop its human capital. As such, K-12 student success is vital to the human capital development and future of America's children and adolescents. There is significant concern for the K-12 students who are predictably at risk of not graduating from high school (e.g., low-income, ethnic minority, and first generation college students) let alone qualifying for and enrolling in postsecondary education. Over the past four decades student success has primarily been explained by sociological research on status attainment as well as social capital and cultural capital. However, very little research addresses …


Identifying Patterns In The Crucial Educational Leadership Constructs Used By The Most Cited Authors And Published Works Of 1990-2010, Sitalaiti Lotulelei Mar 2012

Identifying Patterns In The Crucial Educational Leadership Constructs Used By The Most Cited Authors And Published Works Of 1990-2010, Sitalaiti Lotulelei

Theses and Dissertations

This study conducted a bibliometric analysis for the purpose of identifying the crucial leadership constructs that best explain and/or define effective educational leadership in two decades (1990-2000 and 2001-2010). The study reviewed top authors in educational leadership and analyzed their top cited works to identify leadership constructs which were (a) unique to leadership works within the 1990-2000 decade, (b) unique to the 2001-2010 decade, and c) similar or different between the two decades. The study found that the leadership constructs did evolve and shift during the study period and addressed the changing demands of individuals, educational organizations, and the external …


Impact Of Indigenous Language On Achievement And Emotional Conditions: A Case Study Of East European Students In Utah, Natalya Georgiyeva Dec 2011

Impact Of Indigenous Language On Achievement And Emotional Conditions: A Case Study Of East European Students In Utah, Natalya Georgiyeva

Theses and Dissertations

The importance of using an indigenous language as a medium of school instruction has been discussed in world education for a long time. This study focuses on the influence of the presence of a native language in the learning process of the students and the impact on their academic achievement, emotional conditions, and post-school lives. A qualitative method of research was used in the study, comprising 12 interviews among Ukrainian/Russian adopted and nonadopted students who attended Utah schools. Information obtained through interviews presented language levels of students (both native and English), academic achievement, and emotional conditions of students during the …


The Relationship Between Elementary Principals' Conceptualizations Of Instructional Leadership And Their Perceived Use Of Time, Mardel S. Higginson Dec 2011

The Relationship Between Elementary Principals' Conceptualizations Of Instructional Leadership And Their Perceived Use Of Time, Mardel S. Higginson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to learn about how elementary principals conceptualized instructional leadership and whether the way they thought about leadership influenced their allotted use of time for instructional leadership. In order to answer this question, two sub-questions needed to be answered about how elementary principals conceptualized instructional leadership and how elementary principals perceived they used their time. This mixed-method study interviewed 30 principals in an urban-suburban school district in Utah to produce data. Each principal participated in a newly constructed survey of 84 questions. The survey consisted of four parts including demographics, open-ended questions about instructional leadership, …


Measuring Mathematics Instruction In Elementary Classrooms: Comprehensive Mathematics Instruction (Cmi) Observation Protocol Development And Validation, Sue Ann Womack Aug 2011

Measuring Mathematics Instruction In Elementary Classrooms: Comprehensive Mathematics Instruction (Cmi) Observation Protocol Development And Validation, Sue Ann Womack

Theses and Dissertations

Measuring Mathematics Instruction in Elementary Classrooms:Comprehensive Mathematics Instruction (CMI) Observation Protocol Development and Validation Sue A. Womack Department of Educational Leadership and Foundations Doctor of Philosophy despite the availability of reform standards in mathematics since 1989 (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics), teachers have not yet aligned instruction with reform ideals on a widespread basis. (Cohen & Hill, 2000; Hiebert, et al., 2005; Spillane & Zeuli, 1999; J. W. Stigler & Hiebert, 1999). Consequently, mathematics education in elementary schools has not produced students with strong mathematical understanding (Hiebert & Grouws, 2007).


Aligning Instructional Practices With Content Standards In Junior Secondary Schools In Indonesia, Rumtini Suwarno Mar 2011

Aligning Instructional Practices With Content Standards In Junior Secondary Schools In Indonesia, Rumtini Suwarno

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the degree of alignment between instructional practices and national curriculum standards, which may vary as a function of teacher characteristics. Using self-reports from teachers about their experiences teaching the national curriculum standards, the study explored three aspects of the alignments: (1) topic coverage, (2) level of difficulty for teachers to teach, and (3) level of difficulty for students to learn. While topic coverage is determined by the percentage of the national curriculum standards topics taught during the year of 2008-2009, the level of teacher difficulty to teach and the level of student difficulty to learn are assessed …


Latino Educators Of Tomorrow: Culture-Specific Mentoring For The College Transition, Anna Trevino Mar 2011

Latino Educators Of Tomorrow: Culture-Specific Mentoring For The College Transition, Anna Trevino

Theses and Dissertations

The population of Latino students is growing faster than any other ethnic group in U.S. public schools today; however, the number of Latino teachers throughout the nation has remained low. The Latino Educators of Tomorrow is a new and ambitious Latino educational career program designed to increase the number of Latino students entering teaching as a profession. This research addressed the following questions: 1) What do participants identify as influential in their trajectory towards becoming an educator, and why?; 2) How do LET instructors, acting in the role of mentors, influence participants' desires and plans to become educators, and why?; …


Principals' Opinions On The Impact Of High-Stakes Testing On Teaching And Learning In The Public Elementary Schools In The State Of Utah, Raylene Jo Hadley Dec 2010

Principals' Opinions On The Impact Of High-Stakes Testing On Teaching And Learning In The Public Elementary Schools In The State Of Utah, Raylene Jo Hadley

Theses and Dissertations

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) brought high-stakes testing to the forefront of American public education. With its call for teachers and schools to be accountable for academic performance, NCLB has focused the spotlight on yearly progress, as measured by students' test scores. Issues associated with this charge include the questionable reliability of tests, the variation evident in state standards, and the consequences an emphasis on high-stakes testing may have on teaching and learning in the classroom. The purpose of this study was to investigate the consequences of high-stakes testing on teaching and learning in public elementary …


The Asher And Dane School Districts' Mentoring Models: The Relationship Between Mentoring And Retention Of Beginning Teachers, Po N. Chou Nov 2010

The Asher And Dane School Districts' Mentoring Models: The Relationship Between Mentoring And Retention Of Beginning Teachers, Po N. Chou

Theses and Dissertations

Diverse mentoring models have been implemented by educational organizations to address teacher retention, but debate continues over which mentoring model is most beneficial. Two school districts in Utah, USA, hereafter referred to as the Asher and Dane (pseudonyms) School Districts, provide distinct approaches to mentoring. Both the Asher and Dane School District have used veteran teachers with full-time teaching loads to mentor beginning teachers. The Dane School District, however, has recently implemented a unique and distinct mentoring model in addition to in-school mentors. In this model, full-time released teacher "coaches" with specialized mentoring responsibilities are assigned by the district to …


Headteacher Visibility, Teacher Characteristics, And Headteacher Trustworthiness: Perceptions Of Secondary School Teachers In Mukono District, Uganda, David Mckay Boren Nov 2010

Headteacher Visibility, Teacher Characteristics, And Headteacher Trustworthiness: Perceptions Of Secondary School Teachers In Mukono District, Uganda, David Mckay Boren

Theses and Dissertations

Research indicates that students perform better academically in schools with higher levels of trust than in schools with lower levels of trust. School leaders are primarily responsible for building cultures of trust but are often at a loss as to how to do so effectively. With the assumption that as perceptions of school leader trustworthiness improve, teachers will be more likely to place their trust in that school leader, this research seeks to clarify how Ugandan headteachers improve teachers' perceptions of headteacher trustworthiness. In particular, we examined how specific types of headteacher visibility related to teachers' perceptions of headteacher relational …


Defining Well-Being From Inside The Navajo Nation: Education As Poverty Derivation And Poverty Reduction, Donald R. Baum Jul 2010

Defining Well-Being From Inside The Navajo Nation: Education As Poverty Derivation And Poverty Reduction, Donald R. Baum

Theses and Dissertations

The stated purpose of this study was to facilitate Navajos through a process of determining for themselves what poverty is, what indicators determine well-being, and what factors contribute to the phenomenon of poverty on the Navajo Indian reservation. The study used a Q-Squared Participatory Poverty Assessment to gain a better understanding of how the Navajo culture and Navajo people themselves view and operationalize wealth and poverty. Semi-structured participatory interviews performed with 22 Navajo Indians, in the reservation communities of Chinle, Arizona, and San Juan, New Mexico, discussed and determined what it means to be poor in Navajo households and communities, …


Gendered Distances: A Methodological Inquiry Into Spatial Analysis As An Instrument For Assessing Gender Equality In Access To Secondary Schools In Mukono District, Uganda, Patrick Richard Wawro Mar 2010

Gendered Distances: A Methodological Inquiry Into Spatial Analysis As An Instrument For Assessing Gender Equality In Access To Secondary Schools In Mukono District, Uganda, Patrick Richard Wawro

Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on how accessibility to secondary schools in the Mukono District of Uganda is related to the sex and gender of the student and the distance that separates the student's home from the school they attend. This research is methodological inquiry exploring the use of spatial analysis, specifically how cognitive and metric distances can be used as alternatives to gross enrollment rates (GER) and net enrollment rates (NER) for assessing gender equality in realized accessibility to secondary schools. Student home locations were collected for 756 secondary students, including 437 boarding students and 319 day students from 8 different …


Annotated Bibliography: Education In Nauvoo, Marnie Hopkins Jan 2010

Annotated Bibliography: Education In Nauvoo, Marnie Hopkins

Student Works

Sources used for a Masters Project by Marnie Hopkins titled, "History of Latter-day Saint Education in Nauvoo 1839-1845."


History Of Latter-Day Saint Education In Nauvoo 1839-1845, Marnie Hopkins Jan 2010

History Of Latter-Day Saint Education In Nauvoo 1839-1845, Marnie Hopkins

Student Works

Understanding the history of education within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is essential in order to comprehend the full history of the Church, its people and culture. As the records of the Church have continued to be explored, members and non- members alike have been enriched by the lives of the early saints. Historians have made wonderful progress to provide the common reader with access to the records and history of the Church. However, there is still a substantial amount of research to be performed. One major gap in the research can be found during the Nauvoo …


A Multidimensional Measure Of Professional Learning Communities: The Development And Validation Of The Learning Community Culture Indicator (Lcci), Courtney D. Stewart Dec 2009

A Multidimensional Measure Of Professional Learning Communities: The Development And Validation Of The Learning Community Culture Indicator (Lcci), Courtney D. Stewart

Theses and Dissertations

Because of disunity among prominent professional learning community (PLC) authors, experts, and researchers, the literature was studied to develop a ten-element model that represents a unified and reconceptualized list of characteristics of a PLC. From this model, the Learning Community Culture Indicator (LCCI) was developed to measure professional learning community (PLC) implementation levels based on the ten-element model. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to determine the structural validity of the LCCI. Factor analyses provided successful levels of fit for the models tested in representing the constructs of the LCCI. Reliability measures also indicated high levels of internal consistency …


High-Stakes Testing Under The No Child Left Behind Act: How Has It Impacted School Culture?, Rashel Anderson Tingey Jul 2009

High-Stakes Testing Under The No Child Left Behind Act: How Has It Impacted School Culture?, Rashel Anderson Tingey

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of high-stakes testing under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act on school culture. Individual interviews and focus groups were conducted with first grade through sixth grade teachers and principals from two of Nebo School District's schools located in Utah. Their responses were categorized into twelve themes. Most of the teachers and principals reported that high-stakes testing negatively impacted student and teacher motivation, teaching and learning, and curriculum. They also discussed negative effects of the application questioned the accuracy of high-stakes testing. Fewer teachers and principals communicated positive effects of …


Save The World, Steven J. Hite Apr 2008

Save The World, Steven J. Hite

Faculty Publications

Development education, or the use of education as a tool for human capital development, is an intensely interesting and diverse field. First catalyzed by my experiences as a missionary in Apartheid-era South Africa, my conviction is that equitable access to quality educational opportunities is the key to development and, consequently, life advancement for individuals, families, communities, and nations.


The Effect Of Sustained Principal Development On The Development And Maintenance Of Collaborative Activities In Schools., Sarah Westerberg Mar 2008

The Effect Of Sustained Principal Development On The Development And Maintenance Of Collaborative Activities In Schools., Sarah Westerberg

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effect of sustained principal development through membership in the BYU Principals Academy on collaborative activities and teamwork in schools. Principals who participated in the BYU Principals Academy received preparation and training to assist in the development and maintenance of professional learning communities in their schools. A 39-item online survey that focused on attitudes and experiences with teamwork and collaboration was disseminated to 12 teachers at each school where the principal was a member of the Principals Academy and where e-mail addresses were available. In addition, a control group of teachers from schools where the principal had …


The Role Of Perceptions Of Female Administrators Regarding The Gender Regimes In Urban Co-Educational Secondary Schools In Uganda, Frances Naluwemba Mar 2008

The Role Of Perceptions Of Female Administrators Regarding The Gender Regimes In Urban Co-Educational Secondary Schools In Uganda, Frances Naluwemba

Theses and Dissertations

Leaders and policy makers in Uganda developed a national strategy of placing female administrators in traditionally male-dominated coeducational secondary schools in the belief that their vision would promote equitable education by changing gender regimes that play in schools. Gender regimes are patterns of gender arrangements that could disadvantage the education of boys or girls (Connell, 2002). The purpose of this study was to discover if female administrators perceived and had developed strategies to change gender regimes in their schools. Participants were 13 female administrators of government-supported coeducational mixed/day secondary schools in Kampala and Wakiso urban districts. Participants ranged in age …


Sociocultural Aspects Of Russian-Speaking Parents' Choice Of Language Of Instruction For Their Children In Estonia, Raija Pini Kemppainen, Scott Ellis Ferrin, Steven J. Hite, Sterling C. Hilton Feb 2008

Sociocultural Aspects Of Russian-Speaking Parents' Choice Of Language Of Instruction For Their Children In Estonia, Raija Pini Kemppainen, Scott Ellis Ferrin, Steven J. Hite, Sterling C. Hilton

Faculty Publications

In most cases, parents whose native language is not predominant in the area they live in have no opportunity to choose the language for their children's instruction in schools. However, in some areas language minority families have options regarding the language of instruction (e.g., Finns in Sweden and Russians in Estonia). This article focuses on language choice from the viewpoint of these families. Typically, discussions of language of instruction have focuses on integrative issues, such as creating loyal citizens, or instrumental or practical issues, such as education or labor market opportunities (Mtes 2004). Choice, however, may have deeper cultural and …


The Online Journal Of Distance Education Reaches The 10-Year Mark: A Look Back Using Social Network Theory To Examine Its Collaboration Network, Steven J. Hite, Julie M. Hite, Scott L. Howell, Lenae Crandall Jan 2008

The Online Journal Of Distance Education Reaches The 10-Year Mark: A Look Back Using Social Network Theory To Examine Its Collaboration Network, Steven J. Hite, Julie M. Hite, Scott L. Howell, Lenae Crandall

Faculty Publications

Happy 10th birthday to the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration! Who would have ever imagined that this online journal situated on the Web site of a smaller university in Carrollton, Georgia, U.S.A., (population about 20,000 and listed in 2002 as one of the 50 best small southern towns in the United States), and without the financial backing of a large national association, would emerge 10 years later as one of the field's premier journals? Not even the founding editor, Dr. Melanie Clay, quite envisioned the number of contributors and readers who would seek out her journal from all over …


When West Meets East: Communicative Language Teaching In China, Rong Li Dec 2007

When West Meets East: Communicative Language Teaching In China, Rong Li

Theses and Dissertations

With radical social change and educational reform taking place in China since 1976, the English teaching system there has been changing accordingly. The Chinese Traditional Method (CTM) is giving way to the Western Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach. This research is a study of both Chinese and expatriate English teachers who are involved in classrooms and affected by reforms. The goal of this research study is to identify the extent to which Chinese and expatriate English teachers use CLT in China, to discover the possible factors that prevent them from using CLT and to explore an English teaching method that …


Trust Me, I'M The Principal! A New Conceptual Model Of Trust For Educational Leaders, Bryan W. Blair Jul 2007

Trust Me, I'M The Principal! A New Conceptual Model Of Trust For Educational Leaders, Bryan W. Blair

Theses and Dissertations

The ultimate aim of this work is to contribute to the knowledge of how trust influences and relates to those practices that best support student development and growth as educated and productive citizens, prepared to share in our democratic society-which is the ultimate purpose of our schools (Dewey & Dewey, 1915). Specifically, this thesis investigates the role of trust in relationships between school principals and teachers. A comparative analysis of available literature was conducted using grounded theory methodologies to inform the development of a proposed conceptual model describing the role of trust in organizational processes within the school, specifically between …


The Impact Of Ethnic Identity On Student Achievement In China: A Meta Analysis, Xinyi Wu Feb 2007

The Impact Of Ethnic Identity On Student Achievement In China: A Meta Analysis, Xinyi Wu

Theses and Dissertations

There have been concerns about low educational achievement of ethnic minority students in China. Previous studies have explored this area, especially in regard to the relationship between economic backwardness and achievement. However, a new field of study examines ethnic identity being considered as a cause of low achievement. This study is to use meta-analysis to determine the aggregate results of current research on the effects of self-identity on ethnic minority students and their achievement in China. The literature has been collected through searching library holdings, and online electronic resource search. Different levels of identity construction are discussed. This thesis concludes …


Hiv/Aids Education: What African Youth Say Is Effective, Steven J. Hite, W. James Jacob, Stacey A. Shaw, Donald E. Morisky, Yusuf K. Nsubuga Jan 2007

Hiv/Aids Education: What African Youth Say Is Effective, Steven J. Hite, W. James Jacob, Stacey A. Shaw, Donald E. Morisky, Yusuf K. Nsubuga

Faculty Publications

This study on HIV/AIDS-education programs was conducted with the Uganda Ministry of Education and Sports in a national sample of 76 secondary schools in Uganda. Participants included secondary students (N=883) who critiqued their formal and informal school curricula and offered youth perspectives regarding what teaching mediums and programs of HIV/AIDS prevention are most effective. Results indicated that HIV/AIDS education is not taught in their respective school curricula. Students report on informal ways that are helpful in learning about AIDS, recommend changes to their school's curriculum, and report that reactions from various groups in their lives to HIV/AIDS education in their …


Financial Analysis And Fiscal Viability Of Secondary Schools In Mukono District, Uganda, Janet Jeffery Tanner Dec 2006

Financial Analysis And Fiscal Viability Of Secondary Schools In Mukono District, Uganda, Janet Jeffery Tanner

Theses and Dissertations

Within the worldwide business community, many analysis tools and techniques have evolved to assist in the evaluation and encouragement of financial health and fiscal viability. However, in the educational community, such analysis is uncommon. It has long been argued that educational institutions bear little resemblance to, and should not be treated like, businesses. This research identifies an educational environment where educational institutions are, indeed, businesses, and may greatly benefit from the use of business analyses. The worldwide effort of Education for All (EFA) has focused on primary education, particularly in less developed countries (LDCs). In Sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda increased its …


Using Social Network Analysis To Investigate Potential Bias In Editorial Peer Review In Core Journals Of Comparative/International Education, Biao Cheng Dec 2006

Using Social Network Analysis To Investigate Potential Bias In Editorial Peer Review In Core Journals Of Comparative/International Education, Biao Cheng

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores potential bias in the editorial peer-review system within the context of the field of comparative and international education. Assuming the role as “Guardian of Science” and “social status judge” (Zuckerman & Merton, 1971), peer-review, the quality control system of science, directly affects the growth of science, scientists' academic career and their institutions. The very basic tenet of the peer review system is its assumed objectivity. Bias in editorial peer review process, however, is inevitable. The constitution of the blind peer review mechanism is itself a simply undeniable acknowledgement of that fact. Therefore, this study investigated potential peer-review …


The Association Between Co-Authorship Network Structures And Successful Academic Publishing Among Higher Education Scholars, Anne R. Rumsey Jul 2006

The Association Between Co-Authorship Network Structures And Successful Academic Publishing Among Higher Education Scholars, Anne R. Rumsey

Theses and Dissertations

This research explores and describes co-authorship network structures in the academic publication process. The production of academic publications, through co-authorship choices or strategies, creates a network structure among co-authoring scholars which can influence research visibility and enhance stature among peers (Bayer & Smart, 1991). A specific scholar's co-authorship network may reflect a structure of more cohesion (Coleman, 1988) or one which fills more structural holes (Burt, 1992), both of which are theorized, from contrasting perspectives, to be associated with publication success. Therefore, this study examined the association of these two academic co-authorship network structures with publication success, specifically within the …


Understanding The Role And Organizational Value Of Employing An Interim University Of President During Presidential Transitions, Cameron Keith Martin Jul 2006

Understanding The Role And Organizational Value Of Employing An Interim University Of President During Presidential Transitions, Cameron Keith Martin

Theses and Dissertations

A common method for colleges and universities experiencing a transition between permanent presidents is to employ an interim president. A dominant perspective in related literature discussing the role, organizational value, and practices regarding the employment of an interim president has been based upon specific experiences of an institution or individual who had endured or fulfilled an interim presidency; absent, have been the insights of experienced interim presidents-individuals who have been a permanent president at least once and interim president multiple times at different institutions. Therefore, this research answers the following two questions: (a) what are the perspectives and insights of …


The Appointment Of Untenured Department Chairs In Two- And Four-Year Colleges In A Western State: Problems And Potentials, Forrest G. Williams Jun 2006

The Appointment Of Untenured Department Chairs In Two- And Four-Year Colleges In A Western State: Problems And Potentials, Forrest G. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

This research study explored the appointment of untenured faculty as department chairs in three two- and four-year colleges in one Western state's system of higher education. Eleven untenured faculty serving as untenured department chairs were interviewed using the qualitative methodology of grounded theory to analyze the data collected in the form of interview transcripts. At the two- and four-year colleges studied, an untenured faculty member's potential of achieving tenure does not appear to be negatively affected by serving as department chair before receiving tenure. A central finding in this research study is the presentation of an explanatory model that provides …