Education Commons^™

Causal Attribution And Dimension Differences Between Sixth-Grade Urban Middle School Students Who Pass And Students Who Fail Reading On The Virginia Literacy Passport Test, Elsie Perry Daniels

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

Attribution theory, which focuses on student beliefs about why they succeed or fail, was investigated with 220 sixth grade students who were required to pass the Virginia Literacy Passport test. Part I of this study investigated the reliability and validity of Causal Dimension Scale II (McAuley et al., 1992) when it is used with a sixth grade preadolescent population. Part II investigated student attributions for performance outcomes on the reading portion of the Virginia Literacy Passport test. This study researched the hypothesis that middle school students who passed the Virginia Literacy Passport Test (LPT) reading test would attribute their successful …

The Relationship Between Job Satisfaction And Collegial Support To Retention Of Nurse Educators In Baccalaureate And Higher Degree Nursing Programs In Virginia, Estella Mary Henry Reynolds

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This descriptive correlational study was designed to explore job satisfaction and collegial support in relation to the retention of nurse educators.

A survey questionnaire adapted from Batiste-Beaty (1990/1991) was used to collect data on nurse educators' retention rates and their perceptions of job satisfaction and collegial support in their present institutions. The survey was distributed to the 350 faculty members in the 12 baccalaureate and higher degree nursing programs in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The survey had a 51% return rate, with a total of 178 respondents. The two primary statistical procedures used in analyzing the data were Pearson's product-moment …

A Study Of The "Pride" Program: A Residential, Summer-School Program For At-Risk Middle-School Students In An Urban Community, Maria Teresa Amillategui Grimm

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This research examined the Pride Program (1991 and 1992)--a residential, summer-school program for at-risk middle-school students. It was conducted with subjects from two large, urban middle schools for the purpose of determining if, after five school years, differences existed among three selected groups (treatment, control and comparison) of at-risk students in the areas of academic achievement, attendance and conduct. Treatment-group self-esteem was examined over a three-year period. Furthermore, this study provided a qualitative program evaluation of the Pride Program for the first two years of its existence.

The results are as follows: The qualitative evaluation indicated that all participants were …

A Survey Of Characteristics Of Effective Alternative Education Teachers As Perceived By Alternative Education Teachers, Administrators, And Students, Barbara Jean Nicholson Anderson

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This study sought to identify the behavior management, programming, and other teaching characteristics of alternative education teachers perceived by teachers, administrators, and students to be effective when the teachers are working with alternative education students. The characteristics examined were taken from empirical and related urban-centered literature, which underscore the behavior management and programming skills needed by teachers who work with students with behavior disorders. Stated and implied characteristics from related alternative education literature were also used.

There is a need to identify effective characteristics of alternative education teachers, since alternative education programs are becoming an integral part of the regular …

The Measurement Of Mood Variation Over Time And Its Relation To Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy In Young Adolescents, William Thomas Pinkston

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

Variation in mood states over time and the relationship between mood states and career decision making self-efficacy in young adolescents were investigated using the Profile of Mood States (POMS), the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List - Revised (MAACL-R), the Rotter's IE locus of control test, and the Career Planning Confidence Scale (CPCS). These tests were administered twice a week for six weeks. A correlational analysis was performed. The results showed a higher correlation between mood state measures as the subjects' moods varied over time than between either mood measure and locus of control which did not covary with either of …

Classical Montessori: A Study Of The Classical Rhetorical Canons In Early Montessori Writing Instruction, Deborah E. O'Neil

English Theses & Dissertations

This thesis begins by proposing that all five classical canons are an ideal theory for guiding any writing pedagogy. The majority of the thesis, then, details how Montessori writing instruction synergistically exploits these canons to create a powerful pedagogy. Devised by Maria Montessori in the late 1800s, her instruction displays standard and nonstandard applications of invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery. Because Montessori writing instruction begins in preschool, this thesis concludes with an exploration of the potential benefits of introducing a classical curriculum before college.

A Case Study Of The Perceptions Of Character Education In A Large Urban Community, Suzanne G. Houff

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This case study seeks to provide insight into the community perception of character education in a large urban area that does not currently implement an explicit program in moral values. The community is established through adolescents in middle school, parents of the adolescents, school counselors and community members. Informants are selected in an attempt to ensure a diverse cross section of the middle school communities.

Perceptions of character education are established through the process of interviews and a card sort involving a total N of 72 stakeholders. Each respondent is asked to provide definitions, synonyms and/or examples of a given …

Drug Prevention Programs Used By Hampton And Newport News School Districts, Charles E. Casey

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

Although each school district's drug prevention program operates as a separate entity from the next one, managers might operate their programs more efficiently if information is discovered that could improve them During this study, the researcher would: 1. Identify major differences between the Newport News and the Hampton City Schools Drug Prevention Programs; 2. Determine by comparison if the two drug prevention programs are effective as used or can be improved; 3. Determine if there is a direct correlation between drug usage and a drop in grades; 4. Assess whether each drug prevention program is designed to prevent drug usage …

Patterns Of Safety Issues Found At Western Branch High School, Chesapeake, Virginia, Bruce Lytle

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The following questions need to be answered to solve the research problem: 1. What were the most prevalent crimes that have occurred at the school? 2. Which crimes pose the greatest threat to students and staff? 3. What procedures can be implemented to reduce threatening crimes?

A Study To Determine The Preferences Of 8th Grade Middle School Students For Modular Programmed Instruction Or Laboratory Instruction, Donald B. Todd

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The objectives of this study were established to determine: 1. If eighth grade Newport News Dozier Middle School students preferred technology education classes using programmed instruction of the Synergistic Systems modules to other academic classes; 2. If programmed instruction using Synergistic Systems modules motivated the eighth grade Newport News Dozier Middle School student to prefer this instructional method over traditional technology teacher-directed laboratory instruction.

A Comparison Of White Male College Students Attending An Urban Black University And An Urban White University: White Racial Identity And Perceived Comfort With Blacks, Cheryl Lorraine Evans

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to determine the difference in White Racial Identity and degree of tolerance for Blacks between two samples of White male undergraduate students attending an urban Black university and those attending an urban White university. The theoretical framework for this study was based in Social Contact Theory as a contributor to racial tolerance and Racial Identity Development Theory as a factor in human growth toward increasing acceptance of diversity. This was a quasi-experimental post-hoc design using intact groups.

The study analyzed the responses of 182 White male undergraduates using three instruments. A Background Questionnaire, designed …

Patterns Of Giving To Urban Public Higher Education Among Corporate Foundations In Virginia And Select Others Which Have A Significant Presence In Virginia, Grace Aine Porter

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This study examines patterns of giving among the corporate foundations in Virginia and select others which have a significant presence in Virginia. The purpose is to better understand how and why they give as they do. In addition to investigating trends in giving, the amounts given, and motivations for giving, the study compares these data with prior research that has indicated corporate favoritism toward private and public "specialized" or "elite" higher education (Reich, 1992; Council for Aid to Education, 1994). "Specialized" is defined by the Council for Aid to Education as medical schools and science research institutions. One utilitarian purpose …

The Influence Of Reading Comprehension And Other Selected Factors On Student Dropouts In An Urban Southeastern School District In Virginia, Viola Garris Morgan

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this research was to examine the influence of reading achievement on the dropout status. The major research question was to determine to what extent does reading comprehension influence the dropout rate after controlling for demographic and performance characteristics?

The target population consisted of 677 urban twelfth-grade students attending schools in an urban southeastern school district in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Of the 677 students, 142 were dropouts, and 535 were nondropouts. Simple and partial correlations were used to determine the relationship between variables after partialing out performance and demographic variables. In addition, the discriminant analyses were used …

The Effects Of Applied Technology Instruction On Mathematics Achievement And Career Interests Of Urban Seventh-Grade Students, Eric M. Fischer

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The present study has been implemented to provide insight as to how, given limited resources, Technology Education curricula might be developed to best support the unique goals of an urban middle school aerospace magnet program. It was hypothesized that applied academic strategies, including interdisciplinary hands-on aerospace and computer-assisted instructional activities, would affect larger gains in mathematics achievement and would enhance career-interest development of urban seventh-grade students to a greater degree than would non-participation in such instruction. A randomized subjects, pretest-posttest control group design was used to assess treatment effects upon 71 urban seventh-grade students. Dependent variables were measured using the …

Social Support, Prior Interracial Experiences, And Network Orientation: Factors Related To Later Adjustment Among Black Freshmen At A Predominantly White University, Calvin Graham

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

African-American students (mostly Freshmen) enrolled for the first year at a four-year university completed information about the racial composition of their high school, family income, living arrangements, and stressor prior to entering school. At two times during the first semester they completed measures of social support, network orientation and adaptation to college. Information about Grade Point Average (GPA) for the following term and attendance at the University one year later were also obtained. Racial composition of high school had some affect on social support at the university: Students from integrated and mainly Black high schools reported more social support satisfaction …

An Evaluation Of The 2 + 2 For Teachers: Alternative Performance Appraisal Program In The Norfolk Public Schools Prime Project, Alyce C. Leblanc

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The current study was a utilization-focused implementation evaluation of the 2 + 2 for Teachers: Alternative Performance Appraisal Program (2 + 2). The 2 + 2 program is an experimental appraisal program designed to support substantial instructional reform in the Norfolk, Virginia based PRIME (Public school Restructuring through Innovative Mainstream Education) systemic reform project. Through frequent classroom observations by administrators, peers, and students, who offer two compliments and two suggestions for improvement at each observation, the 2 + 2 program provides a framework for teacher collaboration and professional growth. Ultimately, improved instruction is an expected outcome, but was not evaluated …

Assessment Methods For Virtual Laboratories In Civil Engineering Technology, Carol L. Considine, Vernon W. Lewis Jr.

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Old Dominion University has developed an extensive distance learning system that includes 40 remote sites. A majority of the sites are located at community colleges. There are 30 sites in Virginia, three sites in North Carolina, one site in Washington State and one site in Arizona. In addition, there are four sites at Higher Education Centers in Virginia and one site at a local industrial facility. The Civil Engineering Technology curriculum requires three laboratory courses, which are a challenge in the distance learning environment because of the lack of laboratory equipment and computers at the broadcast sites. The three courses …

Teacher's Attitudes Of Block Scheduling And Lesson Preparation Quality/Time In Two Virginia Beach City Public High Schools, Christin G. Browning

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of the study was to compare teacher's lesson preparation time and utilization of alternative teaching methods during block scheduling as compared to the traditional seven-bell schedule at Kempsville and Princess Anne High Schools in Virginia Beach, Virginia

A Study To Determine The Differences In Undergraduate Technology Education Teacher Preparation Curricula In Virginia, Cecil Stanley Burgett

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

These goals were analyzed to detect the specific variances among the four technology education certification programs in Virginia: 1. How are the Virginia technology education teacher preparation programs accredited? 2. What is the pedagogical curriculum in undergraduate technology education teacher preparation at each university? 3. What is the technical content of the four Virginia undergraduate technology education teacher preparation programs? 4. What are the field experiences of the four Virginia undergraduate technology education teacher preparation programs? 5. What are the general education requirements of each program?

A Season Inside The Old Dominion Monarchs Men's Basketball Team, Sean K. Burris

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The following goal was established to assist in this study. 1. To give the fans of Old Dominion University the opportunity to have an inside look at what the basketball team goes during the course of a season. A) To inform the average fan about what the college basketball player has to go through during the school year; B) To allow the average fan to have a closer look at what the coaches have to endure during the school year.

The Effect Of Safety Training At The Ford Assembly Plant In Norfolk, Virginia, Maggie Daniels

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

These research goals were established to answer the problem and provide guidelines to conduct the research: 1. Determine when, how often, and under what conditions safety training was given; 3. Determine what teaching method was used in the delivery of safety training; 3. Determine the amount of lost time due to safety violations before and after the safety training was given.

A Study To Investigate The Implementation Of Performance Standards And Feedback Reports On The Effect Of Productivity Of Substance Abuse Clinicians At A Community Mental Health Center, Fred W. Jenkins

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The following hypothesis was selected to guide this study: 1. The implementation of performance standards and monthly measurement reports will improve the productivity of mental health clinicians in a community mental health facility.

A Study To Determine The Correlation Between The Elizabeth City State University Football Players Sat Scores To Their Cumulative Grade Point Averages As A Predictor Of College Success, Juan M. Langford

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The following hypothesis was established to guide this study: 1. There is no correlation between the SAT scores earned by student athletes and their accumulated GPA for football players at Elizabeth City State University.

A Study On The Feasibility Of Implementing Advanced Placement Courses In The Field Of Technology Education, Donald S. Luebbecke, Mark A. Mcgrath

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

This study was developed with three goals in mind: 1. To determine the opinions of state supervisors/directors of Technology Education concerning the establishment of an AP program for Technology Education; 2. To request recommendations or nominations for AP credit content areas applicable to Technology Education from state supervisors/directors; 3. To determine the procedures to be followed by the Technology Education profession and The College Board to establish and implement a Technology Education AP program.

A Study Comparing Fundamental Skills Development Of Technology Education Students At Larkspur Middle School In Virginia Beach, Virginia, Steven W. O'Green

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The following goals were established to direct the conduct of this fundamental skills study: 1. Determine students' level of fundamental skills; 2. Determine the effect Technology Education has on the development of fundamental skills for middle-school students.

A Study To Determine The Reasons Why Old Dominion University Military Career Transition Program Students Selected Certification To Teach Technology Education As A Second Career, Michael G. Owen

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

In order to guide this study, the following questions were posed: 1. What were the prime factors that influenced the current Military Career Transition Program students to choose technology education certification in lieu of a traditional core curriculum certification? 2. What are the psychological type preferences of the Military Career Transition Program students who chose licensure as a technology education teacher? 3. What were the significant strengths and weaknesses of the Old Dominion University technology education program? 4. What are the current student's recommendations to enhance curriculum requirements and improve student satisfaction?

An Analysis Of The Attitudes Of Technology Education Students Enrolled In The Military Career Transition Program At Darden College Of Education, Old Dominion University, Rodney L. Pastore

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

Through the analysis of the reasons given by students for enrolling in Old Dominion University's MCTP and Technology Education programs, the following goals will be answered: 1. Determine the reasons why students selected the Military Career Transition Program; 2. Determine the reasons why students enrolled in the Technology Education programs; 3. Assess the motivational and attitudinal factors contributing to their enrollment and completion of the Military Career Transition Program, Technology Education program.

A Study To Evaluate The Effectiveness Of Block Scheduling To Determine What Form Of Block Scheduling Should Be Adopted By Lake Taylor High School, Norfolk, Virginia, Kerry L. Mcdaniel

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The goals of this study were to answer the following questions: 1. Does a change to block scheduling provide more academic options for students? 2. Does a change to block scheduling provide for greater academic success? 3. Does a change to block scheduling reduce disciplinary and attendance problems? 4. Does a change to block scheduling increase non-lecture teaching strategies?

A Study To Examine The Reasons For Licensure Preferences By Mctp Students, James S. Mcneill

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The following goals were used to direct this study: 1. Determine the exact reason for the middle school licensure preference by MCTP graduate students; 2. Determine if the age of their prospective students was a reason for their preference for middle school licensure; 3. Determine if MCTP graduate students choose middle school licensure because their military and undergraduate experience lends itself best to this area of teaching.

A Study To Examine Patterns And Performance Trends Among Black And White School Students On A National Level From The 1970s To The 1990s, Otis L. Miller

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

This study will attempt to accomplish the following research goals: 1. Explore some of the characteristics of low self-esteem or image and motivation among black school children; 2. Examine the academic performance trends between black and white school children by making a comparison between dropout rates, science scores, mathematics scores, and reading scores; 3. Analyze the overall effectiveness of public school desegregation.