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Full-Text Articles in Education

Investigating Effective Instructional Strategies To Increase Reading Comprehension Of Ells, Caroline Kosho Feb 2024

Investigating Effective Instructional Strategies To Increase Reading Comprehension Of Ells, Caroline Kosho

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High school classroom teachers with English language learners (ELLs) assigned to their classrooms might not be using effective instructional strategies to increase reading comprehension scores of ELLs. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the use of strategies that high school classroom teachers use to teach cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP) to ELLs who have difficulty reading for understanding. The conceptual framework guiding this study was Cummin’s second language acquisition theory. The basic qualitative research design was guided by two research questions intended to determine the effectiveness of strategies used by the high school classroom teachers to …


Employer Perceptions Of The Skills Gap In College Graduates’ Written Communication, Julie Minnaugh Jan 2023

Employer Perceptions Of The Skills Gap In College Graduates’ Written Communication, Julie Minnaugh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

U.S. employers have reported that many college graduates are underprepared in written communication when hired and that lack of preparedness hinders these graduates’ employment success. Higher education institution (HEI) administrators need information regarding which writing skills should be taught across the curriculum to improve student outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate employers’ perspectives on the written communication skills gap that hinders college graduates from being successful in their professional practice. Swales’s six characteristics of a discourse community provided a conceptual lens for the study, as graduates commencing employment represent newcomers to a discourse community. A basic qualitative …


Employer Perceptions Of The Skills Gap In College Graduates’ Written Communication, Julie Minnaugh Jan 2023

Employer Perceptions Of The Skills Gap In College Graduates’ Written Communication, Julie Minnaugh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

U.S. employers have reported that many college graduates are underprepared in written communication when hired and that lack of preparedness hinders these graduates’ employment success. Higher education institution (HEI) administrators need information regarding which writing skills should be taught across the curriculum to improve student outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate employers’ perspectives on the written communication skills gap that hinders college graduates from being successful in their professional practice. Swales’s six characteristics of a discourse community provided a conceptual lens for the study, as graduates commencing employment represent newcomers to a discourse community. A basic qualitative …


Beliefs Of Higher Education Online Faculty Regarding The Integration Of Multimedia, Kimberly Diane Hoyt Jan 2023

Beliefs Of Higher Education Online Faculty Regarding The Integration Of Multimedia, Kimberly Diane Hoyt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Integration of multimedia resources in higher education curricula continues to be a concern for today’s teachers, especially in identifying effective, efficient, and engaging resources that provide individualized instruction and meet a variety of learning needs. However, there was a gap in the literature regarding teachers' beliefs about multimedia integration within the context of adult learning in online higher education. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the benefits and challenges higher education online teachers experienced when integrating multimedia resources into their courses. The research question explored the beliefs of higher education online instructors about their experiences when …


Beliefs Of Higher Education Online Faculty Regarding The Integration Of Multimedia, Kimberly Diane Hoyt Jan 2023

Beliefs Of Higher Education Online Faculty Regarding The Integration Of Multimedia, Kimberly Diane Hoyt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Integration of multimedia resources in higher education curricula continues to be a concern for today’s teachers, especially in identifying effective, efficient, and engaging resources that provide individualized instruction and meet a variety of learning needs. However, there was a gap in the literature regarding teachers' beliefs about multimedia integration within the context of adult learning in online higher education. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the benefits and challenges higher education online teachers experienced when integrating multimedia resources into their courses. The research question explored the beliefs of higher education online instructors about their experiences when …


Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Influence Of Teacher Evaluation Process Feedback On Improving Instructional Practice, Ericilda Ottley Herman Jan 2023

Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Influence Of Teacher Evaluation Process Feedback On Improving Instructional Practice, Ericilda Ottley Herman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has shown that teacher evaluation feedback has not positively impacted teachers’ practice or instruction. An average of 53% of U.S. Virgin Island teachers disagreed or strongly disagreed on the value of the feedback they received from administrators on the evaluation system. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the influence of administrator feedback on the teacher evaluation system as it related to improving teacher instructional practice. Two research questions focused the study approach, one on teacher perceptions of the influence of administrator feedback to enhance their instructional practice and the other on teacher perceptions of the …


Principals’ Transformational Leadership Practices In Increasing Reading Achievement For Ells, Michelle Jeffrey Jan 2022

Principals’ Transformational Leadership Practices In Increasing Reading Achievement For Ells, Michelle Jeffrey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Principals in public schools are being challenged to improve English language learning (ELL) student achievement through transformational leadership practices. This qualitative study aimed to explore the aspects of transformational leadership that principals use to reduce the disproportionate level in state summative reading assessments between ELL students and their non-ELL peers. The conceptual framework that supported this study was Burns’ theory of transformational leadership. The research question focused on how principals in public school settings employed transformational leadership practices to support a reduction in ELL students’ disproportionate achievement in reading. Semi structured interviews were used to collect data from 10 principals …


Strategies That Financial Managers Use To Effectively Conduct Corporate-Responsible Financial Reporting, Wendelin Parker Jan 2022

Strategies That Financial Managers Use To Effectively Conduct Corporate-Responsible Financial Reporting, Wendelin Parker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The primary role of financial managers is to produce accurate financial reporting that shows financial health. Financial managers may experience negative effects on the financial stability of their business organizations if they do not conduct corporate-responsible financial reporting effectively. Grounded in the international accounting standards board’s framework, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies financial managers use to conduct corporate-responsible financial reporting to achieve financial stability. The participants comprised three financial managers in Georgia, US, with strategies to conduct corporate-responsible financial reporting to achieve financial stability. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, organizational documents, and …


The Meaning Of Violence, Justice, Training, And Administrative Support For Teachers, Pearstina Linnette Badger Jan 2022

The Meaning Of Violence, Justice, Training, And Administrative Support For Teachers, Pearstina Linnette Badger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractTeachers are experiencing violence at work at an alarming rate. Violence against teachers has become a national and international issue. However, there has been little discussion on the issue. The research questions pertained to how teachers experienced justice and violence at work and if they received training or adequate support before and after the violent incident. The research used a social constructivist conceptual model, and organizational justice was used as a theoretical framework. An inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the semantic data. The data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis, which created semantic data that were coded at …


Individual Public-School Teachers’ Influence On Technology Implementation, Aletcia Whren Jan 2022

Individual Public-School Teachers’ Influence On Technology Implementation, Aletcia Whren

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many teachers in the United States, despite access to and demonstrated benefits of instructional technology, are reluctant to integrate these innovations into their teaching. Although public schools spend millions to supply the technology to improve instruction and student academic achievement, teachers often choose not to adopt it. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to understand better how and why many teachers are reluctant to integrate instructional technology in their classrooms. Guided by cultural historical activity theory, the study occurred in two phases. First, the Concerns-Based Adoption Model Stages of Concern Questionnaire was used to identify a sample of …


Exploring How Principals Make Sense As They Implement Reform, Melissa Renee Beattie Jan 2021

Exploring How Principals Make Sense As They Implement Reform, Melissa Renee Beattie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School principals serve a critical role with staff in leading change at their schools. School districts increasingly seek to implement system-wide reforms to improve academic achievement in all schools under their jurisdiction; yet inconsistency in application is often a problem. In a K–12 public school district in California’s Central Valley, a district-driven, science technology engineering and math (STEM) curriculum reform initiative is being implemented inconsistently. The research questions guiding this study asked how elementary school principals make sense of the content of a district-driven, STEM reform initiative to improve overall student academic achievement and how these principals use their interpretations …


Lived Experiences Of Nurse Faculty Teaching Patient Safety Risks From Smartphone Distractions, Nicole Irene Helstowski Jan 2021

Lived Experiences Of Nurse Faculty Teaching Patient Safety Risks From Smartphone Distractions, Nicole Irene Helstowski

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Smartphone distractions frequently occur in healthcare, disrupting nurses’ provision of patient care and threatening patient safety. To ensure safe care for patients, nurse faculty must prepare prelicensure nursing students with the knowledge, skills, and behaviors that they need to mitigate patient safety risks. A lack of research regarding how nurse faculty teach nursing students about patient safety risks from smartphone distractions was the concern for this study. The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive phenomenology study was to identify and report the lived experiences of undergraduate nurse faculty regarding teaching about patient safety risks from smartphone distractions in prelicensure nursing programs …


Decision-Making Of Unionized Men Toward Work And Post-Secondary Education: A Qualitative Study, Angela Pesce Jan 2021

Decision-Making Of Unionized Men Toward Work And Post-Secondary Education: A Qualitative Study, Angela Pesce

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High school graduates who opt for labor-based unionized positions, versus matriculating, are typically viewed as unable to matriculate, less intelligent and a myriad of other less desirable qualities. Current literature fails to showcase the decision-making experiences of unionized men who did not matriculate. There is also a gap regarding unionized mens’ perceptions on matriculation, including their reasons for not. This general qualitative study explored the career decision-making experiences of unionized men and their perceptions on postsecondary education through semi-structured interviews with 10 unionized men in Delaware and Pennsylvania. Purposeful and convenience sampling were used for recruitment through posted flyers within …


Teachers’ Experiences Addressing Students’ Trauma-Related Behavior In The Classroom, Amanda Lynn Henry Jan 2020

Teachers’ Experiences Addressing Students’ Trauma-Related Behavior In The Classroom, Amanda Lynn Henry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Trauma is not something the untrained eye can see; it can be described as a silent issue, but the effects of trauma are seen in society. Research about trauma has focused on the perspective of the student and not the interaction between the teacher and the student. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore classroom teachers’ perceptions and experiences with addressing students’ trauma-related behavior. The theoretical foundation was trauma theory. Data were collected through questionnaires and in-person interviews with teachers and administrators who work in Southwest Pennsylvania. There were a total of 13 participants. Descriptive coding was …


Teachers' Perceptions Of The Role That School Administrators Play In Their Job Satisfaction, Lakeshia L. Polite Jan 2020

Teachers' Perceptions Of The Role That School Administrators Play In Their Job Satisfaction, Lakeshia L. Polite

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The role that middle or high school administrators play in the job satisfaction of teachers has not sufficiently been studied. The purpose of this basic qualitative study, guided by Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory, was to understand the veteran teachers' perception of the role that school administrators play in their job satisfaction. The researcher sought to determine the motivating factors that school administrators focus on to increase job satisfaction and the hygiene factors that school administrators focus on to decrease job dissatisfaction. One-on-one, semistructured interviews were conducted with veteran teachers (9 female teachers and 1 male teacher). Data were analyzed with codes …


Experiences Of Postsecondary Students With Physical Disabilities With Online Learning, Amanda Elizabeth Cole Jan 2019

Experiences Of Postsecondary Students With Physical Disabilities With Online Learning, Amanda Elizabeth Cole

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over one tenth of students in postsecondary education have a documented disability as defined by the Americans with Disability Act. However, faculty and course designers often lack understanding of these students' experiences, which leads to insufficient accommodations. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the experiences of students with physical disabilities (SWD) in online courses. The research was grounded in self-determination theory, which posits 3 basic needs for self-actualization: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. This theory in combination with universal design for learning provided a lens for exploring these experiences. Data collection included 8 interviews with postsecondary students …


The Underrepresentation Of Low Socioeconomic Status Children In Gifted And Talented Programs, Teresa Clark-Massey Jan 2018

The Underrepresentation Of Low Socioeconomic Status Children In Gifted And Talented Programs, Teresa Clark-Massey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem is children from low socioeconomic status households are often underrepresented in gifted and talented programs. Only a small percentage of these students is selected to participate in the district's gifted program. The purpose of the study was to help appropriately identify and include low SES children in the district's gifted program. The social constructivist foundation was applied for a better understanding of how the environment affects a child's learning and how social factors contribute to cognitive development, which could possibly alter the perceptions of how successful children can be. The guiding questions revolved around the teachers' perceptions of …


Effective Leadership Strategies, Employee Performance, And Organizational Sustainability In The Boxing Industry, Rita Ali Jan 2018

Effective Leadership Strategies, Employee Performance, And Organizational Sustainability In The Boxing Industry, Rita Ali

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective leadership impedes employee performance and threatens organizational sustainability, causing U.S. businesses to spend billions of dollars addressing such issues. Correspondingly, boxing promotion companies are challenged as some leaders lack strategies to improve employee performance. This single case study was focused on leadership strategies utilized in the boxing promotion industry to improve employee performance. Transformational and charismatic leadership theories were the conceptual framework for this study. The data consisted of semistructured interviews with 8 participants from 1 organization (4 leaders and 4 subordinates), as well as document review of company training materials. The 6-step model for thematic analysis coding procedure …


Teacher Perceptions Of Parental Involvement At An Inner-City K-8 Center In The United States, Latonya Eaford Jan 2018

Teacher Perceptions Of Parental Involvement At An Inner-City K-8 Center In The United States, Latonya Eaford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Educators and researchers have long considered parental involvement to be an integral factor in the success of students. However, parental involvement is low in many U.S. schools. Guided by Epstein's parental model, the purpose of this case study was to examine teachers' perceptions and experiences of parental involvement at an inner-city K-8 center in the United States which has had low parental involvement over the last 5 years. The overarching research question concerned teacher perceptions and experiences regarding communicating with parents, encouraging learning at home, and parents volunteering. Data sources consisted of interviews, questionnaires, and unobtrusive data. Purposeful sampling was …


The Experiences Of Male Counselors Of Children Who Have Experienced Trauma, Kathleen Michelle Wallace Jan 2018

The Experiences Of Male Counselors Of Children Who Have Experienced Trauma, Kathleen Michelle Wallace

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Men are increasingly underrepresented in counselor education and in the counseling profession, with only 27% of members of the American Counseling Association reporting as men. Men in counseling often feel marginalized and isolated. Additionally, they are socialized to be independent, emotionally and physically strong, and to focus on success, while being discouraged from seeking help. Continual exposure to the trauma material of others can cause secondary trauma, with cumulative deleterious effects identified in this study using the Heidegger's hermeneutic phenomenology. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of male counselors who primarily work with …


Community College Transitioning Experiences Of Dual Enrollment Students, Sandra Lucille Fuline Jan 2018

Community College Transitioning Experiences Of Dual Enrollment Students, Sandra Lucille Fuline

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Dual enrollment transitioning experiences of students are poorly understood, leaving higher education stakeholders without the proper information to smooth the transitioning process and keep students in college. This basic qualitative study using interviews explored how 10 dual enrollment students described their transitioning experiences from high school to community college by investigating their motivations, ability to acknowledge self-efficacy, and understanding of social interactions using Badura's self-efficacy model and Keller's motivational theory and the attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction model. Data were analyzed through an open coding method to categorize themes and patterns as well as discrepant information. Key findings indicated that …


Principals' Perceptions Of Instructional Leadership Development, Carla Brabham Brabham Jan 2017

Principals' Perceptions Of Instructional Leadership Development, Carla Brabham Brabham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Instructional leadership is an important aspect of student achievement and the overall success of schools. Principals, as instructional leaders, need continual reflection on their competency. Job-embedded professional development (JEPD) for teachers is implemented and monitored by instructional leaders. The purpose of this case study was to examine the perceived instructional leadership development of two principals at two schools where JEPD was used. Weber's model of instructional leadership guided the research questions on how the implementation of JEPD affected the principals' instructional leadership growth and development. Data collection occurred through interviews, observations during principal-led JEPD sessions, and document review after which …


An Evaluation Of Service Learning For Associate Degree Nursing Students, Valerie Marie Pauli Jan 2016

An Evaluation Of Service Learning For Associate Degree Nursing Students, Valerie Marie Pauli

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to evaluate outcomes of the service-learning requirement in the Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) curriculum at the local college. The problem addressed in this study was that the local ASN program lacked formal evaluation of the service-learning requirement. Guided by Kolb's model of experiential learning, a goal-based, summative evaluation employed as a qualitative case study explored the perceptions of 20 stakeholders including graduates, faculty members, and key community informants. The research questions focused on how service learning influenced a student's learning of cultural competence and the impact service learning had on the community. …


Junior High Latino Parents' Perceived Roles In Home And School Partnerships, Mytzy Vania Rodriguez-Kufner Jan 2016

Junior High Latino Parents' Perceived Roles In Home And School Partnerships, Mytzy Vania Rodriguez-Kufner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A rural K-12 district in the Midwest evidenced a rise in the Latino population from 2002 to 2013, yet parental participation amongst Latino parents at the junior high was low. Low parental involvement has been linked to lowered self-efficacy, which impacts student learning. Although there is a plethora of research on the positive aspects of parental involvement, there is little research on Latino parent involvement in small rural communities. Within this instrumental case study, Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler's model of parent involvement was used to explore Latino parents' perceptions of their roles and responsibilities of communication strategies within the junior high …


Barriers High School Teachers Encounter In Teaching Critical Thinking In Writing, Monica Murray Jan 2016

Barriers High School Teachers Encounter In Teaching Critical Thinking In Writing, Monica Murray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In an urban high school in California, students are generally unskilled in critical writing. The problem has been associated with instructional barriers encountered by teachers. In this qualitative case study, English Language teachers provided their perceptions of such barriers and shared perspectives for solutions based in professional development. Grounded in the theories of Halpern, Saiz and Rivas, Weigle, and Harris and Graham, the conceptual framework emphasized instructional models that develop metacognition in writing, which can increase students' critical thinking. Selection criteria required participants who were English Language Arts teachers of writing critical thinking. Data from 4 participant interviews were coded, …


Marketing Strategies For Increasing Latino Enrollment In Higher Education, Melissa Rocio Gomez De La Fuente Jan 2016

Marketing Strategies For Increasing Latino Enrollment In Higher Education, Melissa Rocio Gomez De La Fuente

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many leaders of higher education institutions in the United States face changes in student demographics, tightened regulatory environments, and reduced state funding. University leaders have an opportunity to leverage targeted marketing strategies in order to increase their institutions' market share in the Latino student segment. The purpose of this study was to explore the strategies that some university leaders use to increase Latino student enrollment in higher education programs. The marketing mix and the Ps of marketing theory comprised the study's conceptual framework. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 3 marketing experts from the higher education sector, who were selected by …


Parents' Perceptions Of And Experiences With School Counselors, Robyn Jean Emde Jan 2015

Parents' Perceptions Of And Experiences With School Counselors, Robyn Jean Emde

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has found that parents may feel isolated from their children's schools due to their own problematic educational experiences or their lack of understanding their children's school experiences. Current literature explores stakeholders' perceptions of school counselors but lacks specific context from a parental perspective. Validating parents' perceptions of and experiences with school counselors enhances students' academic success by providing insight about what motivates parents to invest in their children's schools and how school counselors influence parental involvement. Utilizing key concepts related to the importance of parental involvement for student success, this qualitative study focused on the experiences and perceptions of …


Observations And Teachers' Perceptions Of The Implementation, Benefits, And Challenges Of Breakfast In The Classroom, Dixie Shaffer Jan 2015

Observations And Teachers' Perceptions Of The Implementation, Benefits, And Challenges Of Breakfast In The Classroom, Dixie Shaffer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The federal government established nutrition assistance programs such as the School Breakfast Program and school districts have implemented Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC) to improve participation rates, yet millions of low-income children do not partake in these programs. Thus, many school districts are failing to meet the nutritional needs of the low-income population, which can have negative effects on a child's healthy development. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to observe and explore teachers' perspectives regarding school breakfast implementation in a small school district in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Research questions examined experiences with implementation, …


Army Medics With College Degrees Who Transitioned To Civilian Life, Alex Giberson Jan 2015

Army Medics With College Degrees Who Transitioned To Civilian Life, Alex Giberson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Few colleges and universities have adopted the practice to provide credits for the majority of undergraduate coursework for military career training. Easing the transition from military to civilian life has become a priority for the Department of Defense, yet there is a significant gap in empirical knowledge regarding the potential benefits of a college degree on soldiers exiting the military. The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experiences of Army Medics who have transitioned back into civilian life after graduating from a college degree program that grants significant credit for military training. This phenomenological study used a …


Towards More Effective Teacher Professional Development Initiatives, Laura Sebastian Hooks Jan 2015

Towards More Effective Teacher Professional Development Initiatives, Laura Sebastian Hooks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The No Child Left Behind Act (2002) and Race to the Top (2009) legislation have forged new school accountability measures and led to a sharp increase in demand for teacher professional development (TPD). However, data revealed that there is a disconnection between the training that teachers receive and its implementation, limiting its impact on student achievement. This qualitative case study's purpose was to reveal major barriers to TPD implementation and provide suggestions for crafting more impactful TPD. Based on the social constructivist foundation, this study sought to address the factors that increase teachers' receptiveness to more effective teaching techniques. It …