Education Commons^™

The Importance Of Maintaining A Heritage Language While Acquiring The Host Language, Anna L. Vallance

Honors College Theses

Few issues are as relevant to modern education as the topic of bilingual students. As the school-age population in the United States becomes increasingly diverse, teachers and other educational professionals need to know how they can best serve their English learners (students who speak a first language other than English). A common question that many educators grapple with is what role a student’s heritage language (native language) ought to play in the classroom. Specifically, how important is it that students maintain their heritage language? By critically reviewing the existing literature relating to the subject, this article strives to answer that …

Assessing Student Perceptions Of Indigenous Science Co-Educators, Interest In Stem, And Identity As A Scientist: A Pilot Study, Sarah Alkholy, Fidji Gendron, Tanya Dahms, Maria Pontes Ferreira

Nutrition and Food Science Faculty Research Publications

Minorities are underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce, post-secondary STEM education, and show high academic attrition rates. Academic performance and retention improve when culturally relevant support is provided. The interface of Western science and Indigenous science provides an opportunity for bridging this divide. We hypothesized that there would be regional (U.S.A. vs. Canada) differences amongst post-secondary students regarding these variables: perceptions of traditional Elders as STEM co-educators; interest in STEM; and self-identity as a scientist. We conducted a short-term longitudinal pilot study of an interdisciplinary, multi-institutional, and cross-cultural STEM course in the spring of 2013. This …

Finding “Diversity Levers” In The Core Library And Information Science Curriculum: A Social Justice Imperative, Kafi D. Kumasi, Nichole Manlove

School of Information Sciences Faculty Research Publications

In this exploratory study, the researchers examined the core library and information science (LIS) curriculum, looking for diversity levers, or conceptual access points, where transformative academic knowledge related to diversity and social justice could be meaningfully integrated. Multicultural curriculum reform, conceptualized as a social justice approach, was the guiding framework for the research design and analysis. The researchers began by establishing what constitutes the core curriculum and essential knowledge taught across thirty-six ALA-accredited master’s of library and information science degree programs. These data were then used to construct a survey that went to one hundred LIS faculty at ALA institutions …

Psychometric Properties Of The Abbreviated Perceived Motivational Climate In Exercise Questionnaire, E. Whitney G. Moore, Theresa C. Brown, Mary D. Fry

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

The purpose of this study was to develop an abbreviated version of the Perceived Motivational Climate in Exercise Questionnaire (PMCEQ-A) to provide a more practical instrument for use in applied exercise settings. In the calibration step, 2 shortened versions’ measurement and latent model values were compared to each other and the original PMCEQ using a 3-group CFA invariance testing approach with previously collected exercise setting data (N = 5,427). Based on the model fit and reliability values, the 12-item version performed better than the 17-item version. The resultant 12-item PMCEQ-A’s CFA model estimates were then compared to the PMCEQ’s model …

Understanding Stress And Aggression Behaviors Among Urban Youth, Erin E. Centeio, Laurel Whalen, Noel Kulik, Erica Thomas, Nate Mccaughtry

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

Background/Objective: Youth violence, including school bullying and fighting, has become a global public health problem. Stress has been identified as a factor related to aggression (i.e., bullying behaviors, fighting, and anger), of which inner-city youth are particularly vulnerable given their often disproportionately high stress living environments. Stress and aggression are of particular concern in urban physical education (PE) given the proliferation of competitive, sport-based curricula, “culture of basketball”, and the often-limited supervision that takes place. Using the Social Ecological Model, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between stress and aggression in inner-city elementary PE students. …

Yoga And Cognition: A Meta-Analysis Of Chronic And Acute Effects, Neha Gothe, Edward Mcauley

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

Objectives: To review and synthesize the existing literature on the effects of yoga on cognitive function by determining effect sizes that could serve as a platform to design, calculate statistical power, and implement future studies.

Methods: Through electronic databases, we identified acute studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of yoga that reported cognitive outcomes. Inclusion criteria included the following: use of an objective measure of cognition and sufficient data reported to estimate an effect size. The meta-analysis was conducted using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software. A random-effects model was used to calculate the overall weighted effect sizes, expressed as Hedge g.

Results: …

Construct Validation Of A Learning & Talent Development Strategic Alignment Scale, Karen Hicks

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of a Learning & Talent Development (LTD) function in organizations is to develop workforce capabilities to execute strategic priorities. A strategically aligned LTD function is perceived as a business partner and as an asset to the business.

The study design followed a psychometrically validated scale development process with the goal of confirming a valid and reliable measure of strategic alignment in LTD functions. Three studies were performed to (1) generate and test the initial pool of items, (2) explore the factor structure, and (3) confirm the factor structure. The results of three studies produced a two-factor, 15-item factor …

A Multiple Case Exploration Of Designers And Reflection In The Design Space, Tamme L. Quinn Grzebyk

Wayne State University Dissertations

For decades, scholars have searched for ways to more effectively teach and practice instructional design. A variety of strategies have been employed to address the ambiguity in and challenges of the field. Much of the focus in the education of instructional designers has been on teaching students how best to use the many models developed for the field (Rowling, 1992). These efforts, while meant to help the new instructional designer succeed, have often been stifled by the ever-changing landscape of what instructional designers are asked to do in their roles after graduation (Kenny, Zhang, Schwier, & Campbell, 2005). Other research …

Do Learning Communities Matter?: An Examination Of The Retention Of At-Risk African American Students At An Urban, Commuter, Research University, Cheryl Deon White

Wayne State University Dissertations

The effectiveness of learning community participation on the retention of at-risk, African American students at a public, urban, primarily commuter, research institution was the focus of this research. A nonexperimental, retrospective, descriptive, cohort research design was used with a sample of 318 first time in any college (FTIAC) African American students enrolled in the Alternative Admission Division (AAD) of Metropolitan Urban University (MUU) starting in the fall 2006 semester. The primary research hypothesis was that African American students who were admitted into the AAD at MUU in the fall 2006 semester would have greater academic outcomes (e.g. grade point average …

An Exploration Of Student Experiences With Learner-Centered Instructional Strategies, Jill E. Stefaniak, Monica W. Tracey

Administrative and Organizational Studies

In this exploratory study, we examined how undergraduate students experience learning in a learner-centered teaching environment and their perceptions of motivation towards learning material in an introductory public speaking communications course. Six faculty members participated in a semester-long study where their teaching strategies were observed. Three faculty members participated in a cognitive apprenticeship where they were taught how to implement learner-centered instructional strategies into their coursework. Participants were 109 students who were enrolled in an introductory public speaking course. Data was collected by means of classroom observations, interviews, and the administration of a survey. Our findings indicated that students who …

Design Ideas, Reflection, And Professional Identity: How Graduate Students Explore The Idea Generation Process, Alisa Hutchinson, Monica W. Tracey

Administrative and Organizational Studies

Within design thinking, designers are responsible for generating, testing, and refining design ideas as a means to refine the design problem and arrive at an effective solution. Thus, understanding one’s individual idea generation experiences and processes can be seen as a component of professional identity for designers, which involves the integration of knowledge, action, and being in support of the professional self. Using written journal responses from graduate students in an introductory course in instructional design, this study explored how students used reflection to reconstruct experiences relating to the emergence of design ideas. Findings indicate that students were able to …

An Examination Of The Relationship Among Iraqi High School Students' Science Achievement And Perceptions Of The Value Of Education, Parent Support, And Peer Support In The United States, Samir F. Al-Mandwee

Wayne State University Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation was to quantitatively study Iraqi students (N=90) who arrived in the U.S.A. in the last 20 years. A non-experimental, descriptive research design was used for this study, which took place in one of three high schools in a large Midwestern suburban school district, during the 2013-2014 academic year. Three factors, including the students' perception of the value of education, the parental support, and the peer support, were examined using the Facilitating Conditions Questionnaire. The three subscales were part of a larger self-administered questionnaire used by McInerney (1997). In addition to the FCQ survey, a student …

Assessing The Impact Of Native American Elders As Co-Educators For University Students In Stem, Sarah Omar Alkholy

Wayne State University Dissertations

Introduction: Minorities are underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce, post-secondary STEM education, and show high academic attrition rates. Academic performance and retention improve when culturally relevant support is provided. The interface of Western Science and Indigenous Science provides an opportunity for bridging this divide. This three parts project is an example of Community-based participatory research (CBPR) that aims to support academic institutions that serve minority students in STEM, and implement educational components (pedagogy) to serve the needs of the underserved community. Method: Part 1: was a cross-sectional used a survey given to participants designed to assess …

Relationship Quality And Student Engagement, Jennifer Culver

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the qualities of support, relatedness, and negative interaction within parent-child and teacher-student relationships and their association with cognitive, psychological, and behavioral engagement. Additionally, this study explored the contributions of cognitive and psychological engagement on behavioral engagement. The role of gender, grade, and ethnicity on relationship quality and engagement was also considered. Participants (n=311) were students in grades three through five from a suburban school district in southeastern Michigan. Perceptions of teacher-student relationship quality varied by grade level. In general, younger students reported greater teacher support and relatedness in comparison to older students. …

Literacy Instruction In High School: Examining The Perception Of Bilingual And Monolingual Students Of Middle Eastern Origin, Youssef Mosallam

Wayne State University Dissertations

With the growing need to close the gap in instruction for all students there needs to be more of an emphasis on instructional strategies that assist students to achieve in literacy and a focus on their perceptions of the instruction. There is a specific need to support English language learners as they are the fastest growing subgroup in U.S. schools. Moreover, there needs to be a focus on professional development for teachers to support English language learners, multicultural students and all other students that struggle with literacy.

The purpose of the research study was to examine the instructional practices used …

Robustness And Power Comparison Of The Mood-Westenberg And Siegel-Tukey Tests, Linda Candy Lowenstein

Wayne State University Dissertations

The author examined how, in the context of experimental design, one might become aware of the Behrens-Fisher problem (heteroscedasticity) in order to apply an approximate solution, such as the Yuen's statistic (1974). It was expected that both the Mood-Westenberg dispersion test (1948) and the Siegel-Tukey test (1960) would remain robust with respect to Type I and Type II error properties (and associated power levels) for detecting variance changes when their assumptions of equal means was slightly violated (i.e., the Behrens-Fisher problem). With the use of Monte Carlo Simulations, the author reviewed 34,606 permutations composed of interactions between various sample sizes, …

Neural Alterations Influencing Skilled Reading In Adhd: A Task-Based Fmri Study, Brianne Mohl

Wayne State University Dissertations

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a heterogeneous, neurodevelopmental disorder which co-occurs often with Reading Disability (RD). ADHD with and without RD consistently have higher inattentive ratings compared with typically developing controls, with co-occurring ADHD and RD (ADHD/+RD) also demonstrating impaired phonological processing. Accordingly, inattention has been associated with greater phonological impairment, though neither the neural correlates of the co-occurring disorders nor the association are well understood from a functional neuroimaging perspective. The goal was to assess to what extent ADHD/+RD differ from ADHD without RD (ADHD/-RD) and typically developing controls (TDC) in functional activation of attention- and reading-related areas during various …

Adolescents' Characterization Of Their Neighborhood Through An Art-Based Community Project, Eileen Finnegan

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to study adolescent participation in the development of a neighborhood mural as an art-based community project. I examined perceptions of the adolescents regarding the awareness of their community and neighborhoods. Additionally, I explored adolescents' perceptions of their own development in terms of building their self-confidence. To accomplish this, I facilitated the creation and design of a mural that depicts their perceptions of their neighborhoods, using art as a modality for expression. Fourteen seventh grade students attending a parochial school in a low socioeconomic area of a large metropolitan city participated in the study. They …

Creating Opportunities For Learning: Play As A Scaffold For Format Based Informational Text Features, Susan Fisher Dandalides

Wayne State University Dissertations

Abstract

A play intervention was used with second grade students to help them develop a deeper understanding of format based informational text features. On Day 1 of the intervention, groups of students role played as reporters as they observed classmates at play. During Days 2 - 5 of the intervention, the same students wrote an informational book about the play they had observed. A pre-interview was used to determine which format based informational text features were noticed and/or explained by the students in an informational trade book. The text features that were included in the trade book were: table of …

The Impact Of Academic Optimism On Student Achievement In Five Middle Schools, Rita Hickey Teague

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study addressed the research question: To what extent do the measures of academic optimism predict academic achievement? The study was conducted in two suburban, adjacent school districts with 102 middle school teachers from five middle schools participating.

A non-experimental, multiple regression research design was used as no treatment or intervention was provided. Data collection tools were a revision of three surveys that purport to measure the three components of academic optimism, and school level outcomes from the Michigan Education Assessment Program and the Measures of Academic Progress. Using Google Forms, data were collected electronically at faculty meetings with submission …

The Quality Of Saudi Accreditation Standards For Distance Learning: Benchmarking And Expert Validation, Sultan Abdulaziz Alarifi

Wayne State University Dissertations

The quality of distance learning is a concern among different stakeholders. An online learning degree is recognized in some countries while it is not accredited in others. Saudi Arabia is one of these countries that have skepticism in the quality of distance learning. It also has specific conditions for accrediting distance learning programs. Saudi Arabia recently has developed accreditation standards to ensure the quality of this learning mode but Saudi universities have not adopted the standards yet. Thus, the quality of these standards has not been tested yet. Therefore, this study investigates the quality of these standards by applying the …

From Local To Global: Purpose, Process, And Product In The Narratives Of Eighth Grade Language Arts Students, Amira Saad Kassem

Wayne State University Dissertations

Using a convenience sampling of 10 eighth-grade language arts students, this exploratory case study examined in depth the literacy processes used by ten 8th grade students to generate various multimodal artifacts that comprise their final projects and the nature of the literacy transactions that fostered these processes over the course of one year in this language arts classroom. Following closely (via the case studies in Chapter Five) how four of the ten students used the literacy events of the classroom to claim spaces to perceive and perform their voices and visions, the study revealed how these students were able to …

Beliefs And Instructional Practices Of Two College Developmental Reading Instructors At An Open-Admission College, Lynne Morgan-Bernard

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

BELIEFS AND INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES OF TWO DEVELOPMENTAL READING INSTRUCTORS AT AN OPEN-ADMISSION COLLEGE

by

LYNNE MORGAN-BERNARD August 2015

Advisor: Dr. Karen Feathers

Major: Reading, Language, and Literature Degree: Doctor of Education

Given the changing demands of the 21st century workplace, it is important that all high school graduates have access to a college education, but many students do not have college-level reading skills. Thus, developmental education is an important component of open-admission institutions. It is important that instructors of developmental courses be effective in order to promote student success. However, we have little information about the factors that affect …

Engaging A Middle School Teacher And Students In Formal-Informal Science Education: Context Of Science Standards-Based Curriculum And Urban Science Center, Shamarion Gladys Grace

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

ENGAGING A MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER AND STUDENTS IN FORMAL-INFORMAL SCIENCE EDUCATION: CONTEXTS OF SCIENCE STANDARDS-BASED CURRICULUM AND URBAN SCIENCE CENTER

by

SHAMARION GLADYS GRACE

May 2015

Advisor: Dr. Jazlin Ebenezer

Major: Curriculum and Instruction

Degree: Doctor of Education

This is a three-article five chapter doctoral dissertation. The overall purpose of this three-pronged study is to engage a middle school science teacher and students in formal-informal science education within the context of a science standards-based curriculum and Urban Science Center. The goals of the study were: (1) to characterize the conversations of formal and informal science educators as they attempted …

Laughing Our Way To Stronger Democracy: Political Comedy's Potential To Equalize Political Interest And Political Knowledge In Community College Students, Lisa Lynne Lawrason

Wayne State University Dissertations

Political comedy is the one off-line news source – albeit soft news – that young adults access in higher rates than older adults. They are tuning into political comedy to be entertained, but while watching, they also get a healthy dose of politics. For otherwise apolitical young people, does exposure to politics in this format heighten their political interest? Does it make them more politically knowledgeable citizens? Through a 4-weeklong experiment, this study tests the effects of exposure to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on political interest and political knowledge in a sample of community college students in mid-Michigan. …

Exploring A Complex Model Of Student Engagement In Middle School: Academic Self-Efficacy Beliefs And Achievement, Mary Beth Brennan

Wayne State University Dissertations

A significant body of research and literature supports that student engagement in school is critical to academic outcomes. Research also finds that students’ beliefs about their ability to be successful at academic tasks will significantly influence their achievement also. The aim of this study is to explore the impact of academic self-efficacy on achievement in school, as mediated by levels of student engagement. The sample size was approximately 400 students enrolled in the 7th and 8th grade at one middle school building. In order to assess the extent of academic self-efficacy, the Academic Efficacy scale was utilized. In order to …

Bringing The Outside In: Connecting Literacy Practices In A Layered, Technologically-Driven Seventh Grade Honors English Curriculum, Geneva L. Scully

Wayne State University Dissertations

As technology consumes our society today, it was one intention of this study to examine whether purposeful curriculum design that both scaffolded and layered technological tools into a unit of study in a seventh grade honors English classroom would lead to more critical and creative thinking. Through a qualitative design, case study analysis of three students whose experiences demonstrated how students were able to achieve increased levels of critical thinking was described. Another intention of this study was to examine whether or not students connected their in-school and out-of-school literacies through this experience in a more meaningful way as contributors …

Assessing The Reliability Of The Cor Advantage, Vincent Cahalan

Wayne State University Theses

The purpose of this study is to first assess the internal consistency reliability of the COR Advantage with Cronbach’s alpha for the entire scale and the Spearman-Brown prophecy formula for the subscales. The second is to examine the internal factor structure of the eight developmental domains by exploratory factor analysis. Results of the analyses yielded relatively high alpha coefficients ranging from .659 to .963. The exploratory factor analysis produced a two-factor solution that accounted for 47.22% of the variance. These results, with the exception of the Physical Development & Health developmental area having an alpha coefficient of .659, are indicative …

Worker Use Of Social Media For Informal Learning In A Corporate Environment, Susan N. Genden

Wayne State University Dissertations

In the global workplace, workers must quickly adapt to changing information and productivity demands. Workers must filter information, avoid overload and find out what they need to know. How can use of social media technologies benefit the knowledge worker and the corporate workplace? This study presents a closer look at the use, perceptions, and reflections of active social media users within the corporate environment. The purpose of this study was to examine, through worker voice, factors in worker use of social media that lead to successful informal learning outcomes in the corporate environment. This qualitative research used a phenomenological methodology. …

Examination Of College Student Achievement Within An Ecological Framework, Lauren Mangus

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study examined the extent to which variance in college student achievement was explained by self-efficacy, motivation, study habits, extracurricular activity involvement, perceptions of social support, and perceptions of support from faculty and the university as a whole. Participants were 195 college students (54 males, 141 females; mean age 20.84) from a large, urban Midwestern university, primarily a first-generation, commuter campus. Several themes surfaced, including the importance of self-efficacy and organizing study habits in predicting student achievement. Implications with respect to prevention and intervention in order to optimize college student achievement are discussed.