Education Commons^™

Distributed Leadership Practices Of Elementary And Secondary School Administrators In The State Of Washington, Kelly A. Raymond

WWU Graduate School Collection

The positive impact of an effective school administrator cannot be understated. Research on leadership practices highlights the efficacy of distributed leadership for positive student outcomes and teacher satisfaction especially after the challenges of the pandemic. However, further research is required to understand how principals implement distributed leadership practices and the differences across school levels. The purpose of the study was to examine the engagement of elementary and secondary school administrators in the State of Washington in distributed leadership practices. Utilizing the Distributed Leadership Readiness Scale, perceptions of distributed leadership engagement were assessed across four dimensions: mission, vision, and culture; leadership …

The Power Of Place-Based/Outdoor Education In A Rural District: Effective Leadership To Increase Learning, Engagement, And Belonging Through Place-Based Education, Mary Sewright

WWU Graduate School Collection

The research for this qualitative bounded case study on place-based/outdoor education in Mount Baker School District focused on fourth through sixth grades. The research was done mainly through interviews collecting the voices of 37 students including 16 fourth graders, 11 fifth graders, and 10 sixth graders. Twenty of those students were boys and 17 were girls. A total of nine District staff were interviewed including seven teachers and two administrators. Leaders at each of our Community-Based Organizations from Common Threads Farm, Wild Whatcom, Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, Camp Saturna, North Cascades Institute, and Whatcom Environmental Education Coalition making up our …

Equitable Access To The Career And Technical Education Graduation Pathway For Students Receiving Special Education Services, Mike Snow

WWU Graduate School Collection

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the access of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) graduation pathway for students who receive special education services in a selected school district. Analyzing the course taking of three cohorts of high school students, who had individualized education plans, involved a deep dive into each one of their transcripts. This type of analysis enabled me to compare and contrast the course taking between students served in special education who lost an elective opportunity to receive additional IEP services to those who did not. Did the students who lost an elective …

The Impact Of Mentorship On Attracting And Sustaining Female Superintendents In The State Of Washington, Michelle Kuss-Cybula

WWU Graduate School Collection

Female superintendents continue to make up a small fraction of public-school superintendents in this country. This study focused on gathering stories of current female superintendents in the state of Washington, all of whom are within their first three years of their superintendency to determine the extent to which mentoring had an impact on their career path leading into the superintendency role and the impact of mentoring in sustaining their role as a seated superintendent.

This qualitative study focused on five essential questions:

• What kinds of mentoring do female school superintendents experience on their pathway to becoming chief executive of a …

Aahkóinnimaan Kii Makoyiisaaminaa: Indigenous Success In La Conner Public Schools, William Makoyiisaaminaa

WWU Graduate School Collection

In relationship with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community using an Indigenous research paradigm listening to stories and lived experiences resulted in narratives of Swinomish students attending La Conner Public Schools in La Conner, Washington. The purpose and research questions were generated through focus group interviews of Swinomish Indian Tribal Community elders, family members, parents, and educators. In other focus groups and individual interviews, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community elders, family members, parents, educators, and high school seniors, share their experiences at La Conner Public Schools. Their stories tell the reader the factors that contribute to successful experiences while sharing the barriers …

“Make The Big Time Where You Are” Applying The Coaching Principles Of Frosty Westering To Build A Culture Of Success, Steven Stoker

WWU Graduate School Collection

Building a culture that allows sustained success is the goal of any organization. While an organization may have a period of success, few have sustained success. In some cases, however, success is sustained. This is the case for the Pacific Lutheran University football team under the leadership of head coach Frosty Westering. As the head football coach, Frosty Westering won four national titles. He is also a member of the college football hall of fame. How did he continue to be successful over time? This study attempts to answer that question.

A qualitative, multiple case study research methodology with a …

School And District Leader Perceptions Of The Root Causes Behind Male Underachievement In American Secondary Schools: A Mixed-Methods Study Of This Phenomenon, Patrick Hegarty

WWU Graduate School Collection

The Title IX legislation of 1972 asserts that “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance, ..” This, along with other movements and forces of the past half century, laid the foundation for our ongoing challenging, national dialogue about individuality, identity, opportunity, equality, and equity. This study advances that conversation based on the continuing evidence of male underachievement in our secondary schools.

The purpose of this study was to explore school …

The Policy Governance Leadership Model: A Qualitative Historical Narrative Study About Bellingham School District’S Implementation Of Policy Governance And The Impact On Student Success, Byron Gerard

WWU Graduate School Collection

Policy Governance is a leadership model developed in the 1970s by Dr. John Carver. It has been adopted by the boards and CEOs of numerous business organizations and is gaining popularity among public school superintendents and school boards. Policy Governance creates specific roles and responsibilities for the board and the superintendent, allowing them to work together toward targeted outcomes referred to as Ends. The Bellingham School District adopted Policy Governance in 2010 and has experienced qualitative and quantitative success using this governance structure. This study will provide literature research coupled with the experiences and testimonies of the current and past …

Factors Affecting Indigenous Student Motivation In K-12 Public Schools In British Columbia, Duane Penner

WWU Graduate School Collection

Many Indigenous Tribes within Canada, such as the Sto: Lo and Matsqui First Nations in British Columbia, with whom I work alongside in the Abbotsford School District, have struggled since the time of first contact and colonization to preserve and defend their culture and values. It is through truth, reconciliation, and the hope of working together that we may find common ground moving forward within our society. This research study considered Indigenous peoples’ narratives through interview questions and stories. The research question was what are factors that motivate student success in K-12 public schools in British Columbia, Canada? A small …

Educating Adolescent Ukrainian War Refugees: Current Practices And Recommendations To Address Complex Learning Needs, Eric Cahan

WWU Graduate School Collection

This research is important due to the thousands of Ukrainian war refugees seeking their education in the U.S. with limited English language proficiency and having likely experienced some ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) leading many to have some levels of trauma. This reality has resulted in MLL (Multi-Language Learner) educators needing support to identify effective classroom approaches. This qualitative research took a phenomenological approach utilizing constant comparison methods and triangulation to code the data and come to conclusions and recommendations. The results of the data show a need for a trauma screener for Ukrainian war refugee students, as well as a …

The Impact Of Guiding Coalitions On The Overall Success Of Schools Properly Implementing And Sustaining Professional Learning Communities, John Lombardi

WWU Graduate School Collection

The role of the school administrator and teacher leadership has become increasingly embedded within education. Extensive research and literature suggests teacher leaders are critical in reforming schools. Strong professional learning communities (PLCs) recognize that teacher leadership development must be a purposeful and formal component of their culture. The purpose of this quantitative study was to understand the impact of having or not having a guiding coalition (GC) on the overall success of schools properly implementing and sustaining PLCs.

This study explored the perceptions of secondary school administrators throughout Washington State on the five dimensions of PLCs as delineated by the …

A Qualitative Case Study Of Two School Districts’ Onboarding And Retention Mentorship Programs For New Teachers During The Covid‐19 Pandemic, Angelina Quiles

WWU Graduate School Collection

Every year, districts welcome new teachers to a school community and prepare them for the new school year. Establishing and maintaining a strong school culture is an important and vital part of a teacher's job. Part of this preparation entails hiring, training, and retaining the best teachers to establish a framework for ensuring that new teachers hit the ground running from the first day of school (Howard, 2019). This qualitative research case study focused on the onboarding and retention mentorship program for new teachers in two school districts in Washington State. This case study focused on two districts’ onboarding and …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Superstitious Behavior And Performance: How It Starts, Why It Works, And How It Works, Alexandra A. Farley

WWU Graduate School Collection

Superstition has been analyzed in prevalence and in performance in the worlds of athletics, academics, and economics (e.g., Bleak & Frederick, 1998; Dudley, 1999; Wright & Erdal, 2008). Superstition has been postulated to be positively associated with external locus of control, high athletic identity, ambiguous intolerance, and high stress situations (Foster, Weigand & Banes, 2006; Todd & Brown, 2003). To date, there has been no research exploring how an individual decides to believe in the power of superstition and how they choose a superstitious behavior (SB). Additionally, no research has been conducted analyzing individual SBs within the military and performing …

Special Education Teacher Burnout: The Effects Of Efficacy Expectations And Perceptions Of Job Responsibilities, Rachel L. Berry

WWU Graduate School Collection

Special education teachers work with some of the neediest students in our nation's public schools and experience higher levels of attrition and emotional burnout than those teachers who work with the general student population. The purpose of this study was to examine a variety of teacher belief variables and job characteristics to help understand the phenomenon of emotional exhaustion experienced by special educators. Results indicated that 43% of the variability in the level of burnout reported by special education teachers can be attributed to differences in levels of outcome efficacy, the amount of experience teaching special education, levels of self-efficacy, …

Bridging Biblical Faith And Ecology For Adults An Experiential Environmental Education Program, Linda Houck

WWU Graduate School Collection

Understanding the implications of an ecological view of nature for a Christian has recently become a growing interest to the Evangelical community. Until recently resources for exploring how ecological understanding might be incorporated into Christian thought and action have been scarce and difficult to find. Books and internet resources are now emerging, but these represent only a fraction of potential resources and approaches to environmental education for Christians who desire to connect their faith with ecological understanding. This project aims to move beyond the passive and theoretical perspectives of print and media discussions to practical encounters with the natural world. …

Educational Programs That Feature Live Animals Advertisement, Research, And Methodology, Constance Woodman

WWU Graduate School Collection

This thesis looks at live wildlife programs in two parts, first an essay featuring discursive analysis of adertisement for programming by accredited zoos and aquariums. The analysis determines that current programs available are not providing in-depth environmental education, and programming skirts important controversial issues. Secondly there is original research on lecture programs that feature live animals and their cognitive effects on boys ages 11 to 17. The research suggests that lectures, especially those that are designed around difficult material, do not benefit from the presence of live animals even though the animal is relevant to the lecture.

The Effects Of The Go For The Green Challenge On Electricity Use, Behaviors, And Attitudes Of Western Washington University Residents., Kimbrough Leverton Mauney

WWU Graduate School Collection

This thesis investigates the effect of the Go for the Green Challenge (GGC), a multi-faceted, educational awareness and behavior change campaign originating in the Office of Sustainability, on residents of Western Washington University. Per capita residence hall electricity use figures in participating and control halls were evaluated. Surveys of residents gauged energy use behaviors, and a questionnaire assessed how hall leaders implemented GGC. Participating halls had significantly less electricity use than control halls. Correlation was significant between electricity reductions and certain components of GGC. The halls most affected by GGC had designs conducive to social diffusion and leaders that mobilized …

The Effect Of Interactive Computer Animations On Introductory Geology Students' Conceptual Understanding Of Mountain Building Processes, Michelle (Michelle Alicia) Malone

WWU Graduate School Collection

The use of computer animations to help students visualize processes they cannot observe directly is becoming more widespread in geoscience classrooms, but few studies have formally assessed the effectiveness of these technological aids as learning tools. This research project evaluated the effect of interactive computer animations on undergraduate introductory geology students' understanding of mountain building processes. The study focused on introductory geology students’ misconceptions about the formation of mountains. With the assistance of Flash programmers, an online interactive web activity was developed. This tool was aimed at reducing misconceptions, and included activities related to plate tectonics, isostasy, erosion and rock …

The College Of Ethnic Studies At Western Washington University: A Case Study, Maurice L. Bryan Jr.

WWU Graduate School Collection

This case study is a brief history of the College of Ethnic Studies (CES or Ethnic Studies) at Western Washington University. Established in the fall of 1969 as the third of three cluster colleges, after Fairhaven and Huxley, it lasted until the fall of 1978 when it was disbanded and dispersed throughout the university. This study examines factors that led to the rise and fall of the College of Ethnic Studies.

Investigation showed that while budget and bigotry played a major role in the demise of CES, as assumed, other factors such as turnover in faculty and administrative leadership, and …

The Development Of Written Expression In Young Children, Eilene Kay Glasgow

WWU Graduate School Collection

This Study investigated written expression development of forty- six children ages three to nine. "Written expression refers to the written productions of the child which reflect intentional symbolic representation of ideas, but which may not necessarily use the ideographic symbol system" (Klein, 1981) . The two purposes of the study were: 1. To examine the types of writing strategies used by young children to record the verbal cues of a guided writing task. The responses were compared to responses reported by A. Luria in his original study (1977-1978). 2. To determine if use of elicitation cues containing quantification or color/contrast …

A Sedimentary Core Analysis Of Late Pleistocene To Recent Sediments In A Portion Of Bellingham Bay, Washington, James T. Lowe

WWU Graduate School Collection

Sub-bottom profiles and core sampling indicate that a trough-like depression below the bay near South Bellingham is a Pleistocene erosional paleotopographic surface sloping bayward from the uplandds to the east. A series of Late Pleistocene glacial till and glaciomarine deposits overlie the erosional surface and fill the depression. The glacial deposits are overlain by Recent sand and mud deposits which are rich in wood fragments and shell materials.

Bellingham Bay is basin-shaped with a deep narrow trough to the west. The Pleistocene basement is generally structureless and conforms to the bay bottom. Several trough shaped depressions which are overlain by …

Clay Mineralogy Of Late Pleistocene Sequences In Northwestern Washington And Southwestern British Columbia, Michael Arthur Hepp

WWU Graduate School Collection

Pleistocene clay-bearing sediments of parts of northwestern Wash­ington and southwestern British Coliambia were studied in an attempt to determine the clay mineral composition of these units; the origin of these clay minerals; and any correlation between clay mineral composi­tion, sediment type, location, or probable geologic history of the sediments. The Pleistocene stratigraphy of the area is fairly well known, although in some specific locations the stratigraphy has not been determined. Recorded work in the region dates back to Dawson (1887). The units studied range in age from the greater than 50,000 year old Double Bluff Drift to Holocene (Recent) river …