Education Commons^™

A Collective Case Study Of Mobile E-Book Learning Experiences, Jeffrey Scott Kissinger

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research was designed to explore the learning experiences of state college students using mobile e-book readers. The purpose of the study was to build a rich description of how students used electronic textbooks delivered on mobile computing devices for college-level, introductory sociology courses. This research employed a multiple case study design that thoroughly investigated and documented student experiences with this instructional technology.

The bounding frame was comprised of the literature on mobile technology, mobile learning theories, and e-books. Situated within the mobile learning framework was a theoretical lens of learning theories commonly found in the literature on mobile learning …

The Perceptions Of Recent Business Graduates Of The Transition Experience From The Collegiate Environment To The Work Environment, Gloria Jean Davis

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study represents an examination of the perceptions of 18 recent business college graduates of their transition experiences from college to the workplace. The participant’s ages ranged from 23 to 28 years including 4 males and 14 females of diverse racial and ethic groups. One-on-one, semi-structured, open-ended interviews were the primary method for data collection. Using excerpts from the participants’ interviews, the data were examined and analyzed using content analysis (Patton, 2002) and educational criticism (Eisner, 1998). The data were organized into three main topics: the importance of organizational socialization, the complexity of mentoring in the workplace, and the …

Effects Of A Professional Development Initiative On Technology Innovation In The Elementary School, Delia Raymos Pass

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This non-equivalent group study explored the impact of teacher participation in the development and use of a web-based instructional resource on computer utilization by students. The effects of participation in the technology initiative on teacher attitudes toward computers, technology proficiency, and stages of adoption of technology were also investigated. Teacher volunteers participated in a treatment group that received a professional development intervention and a comparison or web access group (WAG) that received no professional development. The treatment, or Professional Development Group (PDG), received instruction that modeled a constructivist hands-on approach to creating technology-rich lessons based on classroom curricula and Internet …

Toward A Unified Theory Of Cognition: A Kantian Analysis, Clayton Daniel Austin

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this paper is to provide classroom teachers a more unified theory of cognition. The current cognitive theories of information processing, schema theory, and constructivism exhibit limitations and a lack of cohesion that make their implications for teachers unclear. This paper will be presented in five sections. 1) The first describes problems with current cognitive theories and the need for a unified theory of cognition 2) The second provides a review of the literature of current cognitive theories. 3) The third section consists of research in the history of cognitive theory both in philosophy and psychology. 4) The …

Constructing A Public Community College Presidency: A Retrospective Study, Annabel Brooks

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This retrospective, qualitative case study examined the complexities of leadership in a community college setting under a single, long-term president. Six critical events were identified by 16 key informants as a basis for reflection on their views of the 23-year presidency of Dr. William Seeker at Florida Keys Community College.

The researcher found a highly participatory leadership model and a college that functions in a less hierarchical manner than is traditionally encountered in community colleges. The study further revealed that the president of Florida Keys Community College expanded the role of president by giving priority to the construction of a …

Causes Of Student Underachievement In Northside New Era Secondary School In Ghana, Edward Larbi

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on the causes of student underachievement in a selected high school in Ghana. The anonymous name chosen for the school was Northside New Era Secondary School. The participants in the study were administrators, teachers, and students. They were selected from the same school where the researcher conducted the study. The school was located in the Northern Region of Ghana. It had proven records of underachievement compared to other schools in the country according to the Ministry of Education's recent statistical report on education. The criterion for measurement was based on the results of the final examination conducted …

Dimensions Of Servant-Leadership In American Not-For-Profit Hospitals, William C. Mason

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The leadership of American not-for-profit hospitals is one context in which servant-leadership finds appropriate expression. However, little research exists that explores the sources of servant-leadership within the leader, what processes leaders use to engage in servantleadership, or what impact servant-leadership has on organizations and communities. This research presents a new perspective offering insight into those questions.

The Dimensions of Servant-Leadership in American Not-for-Profit Hospitals is a qualitative study of the lives and works of four chief executive officers of successful not-for-profit health systems identified as exemplars of servant-leadership. The researcher further examined perceptions of servant-leadership among colleagues of each of …

Decision-Making In Ryan White Care Act Planning Bodies: An Analysis Of The Decision-Making Process Of The Joint Committee Of The Jacksonville Hiv/Aids Planning Council And Consortium, Andrea Clarkson Davis

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine which factors and the degree to which these factors influenced the Joint Committee when deciding how much money should be allocated to the different services funded by the Ryan White CARE Act. This study focused on the possible explicit and implicit factors influencing the decision-making process and interactions of the members of the HIV/AIDS Joint Prioritization & Allocation Committee in the decisions that were being made on behalf of the people who are infected and affected by this disease.

The methodology included a combination of quantitative and qualitative data, utilizing surveys, coding …

Relations Between Social-Environmental Characteristics Of Families And Career Decision/Indecision Of Secondary Tech Prep Students, Garlon Mobley Webb

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The study examined the relations of social-environmental characteristics of families and demographic variables on career decision/indecision of 425 secondary Tech Prep students in North Florida. Career decision/indecision was the dependent variable, measured by the Career Decision Scale (Osipow, Carney, Winer, Yanico, & Koschier, 1987). Predictor independent variables included social-environmental characteristics of families as measured by the Family Environment Scale (Moos & Moos, 1981). Other predictor independent variables included academic achievement (reading comprehension and mathematics)' gender, economic disadvantage and race.

No significant mean differences were found by gender and by grade of Tech Prep students on the Certainty Scale or the …

Learning Style, Teaching Style, And Attitude Toward Change As Predictors For The Adoption Of Computer Technology By Elementary School Teachers, Bernadette C. Kelley

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the learning style, teaching style, and attitude toward change of elementary school teachers and the relationship of these variables to the adoption of computer technology into teaching and learning strategies. The researcher used four instruments to gather data about the preferred learning style, teaching style, attitude toward change, and current utilization of computer technology both personally and with students.

Survey forms were delivered to seven selected elementary schools in a Northeast Florida public school district. An educational technology survey was distributed to each of the 200 elementary school teachers in these schools. The return rate of completed …

A Comparative Study Of The Effects Of A Token Economy Program On The Achievement, Behavior, And Attitude Of Middle School Students, Jane Nixon White

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the use of a school-wide token economy program on middle school students' achievement, behavior, and attitudes toward school. This involved the comparison of two similar suburban middle schools, one of which used a school-wide token economy program.

A nonequivalent control-group design was used to examine: (1) the effects on achievement as measured by grades and honor roll status; (2) the effects on behavior as measured by numbers of students attaining perfect attendance, numbers of punches earned, and numbers of detentions and suspensions; and (3) the effects on attitude as …

The Effects Of School-Based Management On The Worklife Of Elementary Teachers: A Case Study, Frank R. Brandao

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This case study was a qualitative investigation to describe the nature of teachers' involvement in school based management (SBM), and to describe how this involvement affected teachers' worklives. The review of related literature provided the historical background that led to SBM restructuring, examined what the literature has revealed on SBM, and investigated organizational commitment in the context of SBM.

A semi-structured interview was the instrument used to gather the data. The participants of this case study were a random sample of teachers, a sample of teachers selected by their principals, and the principals currently employed at each of the three …

A Descriptive Study Of Organizational Culture And Climate In Selected Elementary And Secondary Parochial Schools, Maureen C. Thiec

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to collect and interpret base-line data concerning the organizational culture and climate of selected elementary and secondary schools. The sample consisted of 20 parochial schools, 10 elementary and 10 secondary, in the mideast section of the United states. The study focused on three specific questions: 1) What are the cultural values of parochial schools, 2) What is the organizational climate of parochial schools, and 3) Do the cultural values and climate characteristics of parochial elementary schools differ from those of parochial secondary schools? Nelson's (1990) Cultural Value Analysis Tool (CVAT) was used to gather …

The Relationship Between The Educational Beliefs And The Instructional Practices Of Education Interns, Carl B. Williams

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Education researchers suggest that, since belief systems influence practicing teachers' behavior, it is important for teachers to examine their educational beliefs to determine whether those beliefs are consistent with current knowledge about teaching and learning.

If the same relationship between beliefs and practices of inservice teachers holds true for preservice teachers, since beliefs are extremely resistant to change, reflection upon educational beliefs should be cultivated during the preservice stage of teacher development. To discover whether such a parallel exists, 12 preservice teachers, during their internships, were selected for study. First, they responded to a series of vignettes to ascertain beliefs …

Quality Control Of Curriculum And Instruction In Rural North Florida High Schools, Finley James Duncan

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A model of managerial control and an instrument-The School Managerial Control Questionnaire was developed by Bogotch (1989). These were tested using a sample of elementary, middle, and high school teachers in the nation's fourth largest school district. A study by Williams (1990) used the same model and instrument with a sample of elementary school teachers from the same school district. This study used the same model and instrument to measure control processes exercised by principals in small, rural school districts in North Florida.

The model reflects two managerial behavior styles: Discretionary and ministerial; four managerial control processes: Standards, information, …

A Quasi-Experimental Design To Study The Effect Of Multicultural Coursework And Culturally Diverse Field Placements On Preservice Teachers' Attitudes Toward Diversity, Patty Moore Adeeb

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A quasi-experimental study was conducted within the context of the University of North Florida's EXCEL (Excelling in Clinical Education Learning) teacher preparation program to investigate the impact of three types of educational treatment on the attitudes toward diversity of preservice teachers. Data were collected and analyzed based on the pretest/posttest measures of three self-reporting instruments: Cross Cultural-Adaptability Inventory, the Cultural Diversity Awareness Inventory, and the Bogardus Social Distance Scale. The preservice teachers (N = 208; K-12 regular and special education majors) experienced the following treatments: (1) informal seminar studies of multicultural education issues accompanied by a field experience in a …