Education Commons^™

The Impact Of Goal Orientation And Learning Organization On Mobbing Of Academic Advisors In The U.S., Bette A. Ludwig

Dissertations

Mobbing emerged in research decades ago as a way to understand aggressive behavior in the animal kingdom (Lorenz, 1966). This same concept has been adapted for higher education to explain acts of incivility and negative behaviors employees experience within their institutions (Duffy & Sperry, 2007, 2012; Harper, 2016; Yelgecen & Kokalan, 2009). The theory of mobbing encompasses both the organization and the aggressor.

This quantitative study, operationalized using measurable behaviors from the Work Domain Goal Orientation Questionnaire (Vandewalle, 1997), the Dimension of Learning Organization Questionnaire (Watkins and Marsick, 1993), and the Negative Acts Questionnaire (Einarsen, 1997), researches mastery orientation, performance …

Principal Leadership And The Development Of Teacher Professionalism And Autonomy Within A Collaborative School Culture, Sukinah Ali Al Ramel

Dissertations

This instrumental multiple case study examines the actual activities and behaviors of elementary school principals who are known for building a collaborative school culture. The principals in these case studies were nominated by key informants as leaders who empower and mobilize teachers to grow professionally and interdependently in ways that enhance self-direction and motivation through reflecting on their own practices, practicing authentic self-assessment, and setting goals based on evidence of student achievement. Each Southwest Michigan principal was recruited from a diverse sample that met the study criteria. The study design included data from multiple in-depth interviews and documents shared by …

Special Education Teachers Use Of Reading Strategies To Support Students With Learning Disabilities In Reading, Ali A. Alhamdan

Dissertations

This research captures how special education teachers select, use, and monitor reading strategies for 4^th and/or 5^th grade students who have learning disabilities in reading. A multiple case study, the research focused on five different southwest Michigan classrooms where special education teachers teach students with learning disabilities in reading. Data was collected through teacher interviews, classroom observations, and document review. The study results include that small group instruction is the approach teachers value most for Tier II instruction, while direct instruction is valued most for Tier III instruction. At both Tier II and III, teachers select interventions and …

Teacher And Parent Perspectives On Alignment To The Next Generation Science Standards Following Teacher Professional Development, Adam C. Channell

Dissertations

Science teachers are receiving professional development (PD) since the introduction of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in 2013. Following PD, teachers are facing several challenges while attempting to implement NGSS in their classroom, some of which include budget constraints, administrative support, and student preparedness (Banilower et al., 2013). Additionally, Channell and Cobern's (2018) study on teachers’ experiences aligning to NGSS following PD adds parent pushback to this list of challenges. This study seeks to address a set of interconnected issues related to teachers creating and administering lessons aligned to the NGSS that they have created following PD, and subsequent …

Finding The Right Words: Exemplary Educators Essence Of Vocabulary Instruction, Mackenzie W. Sheahan

Dissertations

This study was warranted in order to deeply understand the exemplary teacher and the complexity of beliefs, challenges, and overall essence of vocabulary instruction in early elementary. By using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis the study illuminates how exemplary second-grade teachers make meaning of their own daily experiences in relation to vocabulary instruction. Specifically, the study allows insight into the perceptions and daily actions that meet the needs of all students, with and without disabilities, through vocabulary instruction.

Change In Attribution Perspective, Shame, And Academic Identity For Freshmen On Probation Enrolled In University Academic Recovery Courses: A Mixed Methods Study, Christine L. Robinson

Dissertations

Student retention is critical to the success of the student, the college or university, and society in general. Consequently, institutions of higher education continue to focus efforts on student retention strategies and one such strategy utilizes academic recovery courses to support probationary freshmen. Previous research studies of these courses largely focus on academic outcomes without examining the “why” or “how” behind such outcomes. Some studies also discuss constructs including attribution perspective, shame, and academic identity. However, the relationship between these constructs has not been researched, particularly with regard to any change that may occur for probationary freshmen engaged with an …

The Impact Of Character Education Programs On Middle School Bullying Behavior, Kelly M. Amshey

Dissertations

Bullying is recognized as a barrier that must be addressed by schools to ensure that all students have access to educational opportunities. Due to high accountability with limited resources, schools must identify strategies to address issues such as bullying in a manner that provides the maximum benefit to students. Character education (CE) programs, which contribute to the bullying deterrent of positive school climate, may also lessen bullying through explicit teaching of character traits and prosocial skills.

The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a relationship between utilization of character education and prevalence of bullying in middle …

The Learning Experiences Of Practicing School Leadership Coaches: A Multiple Case Study, Dustin Anderson

Dissertations

In 2017, the US Department of Education awarded Western Michigan University (WMU) a Supporting Educator Effectiveness Development (SEED) grant to fund the High-Impact Leadership for School Renewal (HIL) Project. The purpose of the HIL Project is to recruit and prepare school leaders with the skills associated with instructional leadership for improving school conditions that support student achievement. Through the use of school leadership coaches (called Implementation Facilitators in the HIL Project) trained on an adaptive school leadership coaching model, the HIL Project seeks to address one of the most challenging aspects of school leadership: developing and sustaining the HIL Model …

The Role Of Mental Models In Sensemaking During The Data-Driven Decision-Making Process And Their Impact On Instructional Practice, Ann M. Bingham

Dissertations

Data-driven decision making (DDDM) is a practice that has been shown to improve student achievement. However, the success of this process relies on the mental models applied during sensemaking. The purpose of this multiple case study was to describe and interpret how elementary mathematics teachers made sense of data from the Delta Math readiness screener. Additionally, this study captured the types of changes that teachers made as a result of analyzing this particular data source.

This study employed qualitative methods to determine the mental models that teachers applied during DDDM. These methods also provided participants an opportunity to describe how …

Female Senior Student Affairs Officers’ Experiences In Decision Making Across Their Careers, Somaia Hamza Mustafa

Dissertations

This study explores the experiences of female Senior Student Affairs Officers (SSAOs) in decision-making across their careers in colleges and universities. This study focuses on female SSAOs who work in public and private institutions in the Midwest region of the United States. The experiences and perspectives of female SSAOs focused on the changes in decision-making styles while making small or large-scale decisions over time, the skillsets utilized, the challenges that they faced and the strategies that they employed. This study also explores female SSAOs’ experiences and perspectives regarding decision making when handling crises on campus.

The research design for this …

An Exploratory Investigation Into The Role Of Evaluation Theory In Evaluative Thinking, Lyssa Wilson Becho

Dissertations

The field of evaluation generally agrees that evaluation theory is important. Evaluation theorists and scholars have written prolifically about the role of evaluation theory in practice. However, the empirical literature associated with how and why evaluation theory is important is still emerging. In particular, how evaluation theory fosters high quality evaluation practice through transparent logical reasoning, attention to values and valuing, and contextual responsiveness, and how these inform evaluative thinking are understudied phenomena in the field.

This study intends to provide insights into the relationship between evaluation theory and evaluation practice to answer two major research questions. The first research …

College Adjustment, Belongingness, Academic Self-Efficacy, Persistence, And Academic Success Among First-Generation College Students, Heather R. Highhouse

Dissertations

Previous research has compared the impacts of college adjustment, belongingness, and academic self-efficacy on first-generation and continuing-generation college students. However, the impacts of these factors on academic success (GPA) and persistence of first-semester, first-generation college students have not been investigated. The primary purpose of this study was to examine college adjustment and belongingness for first-semester, first-generation college students, with a focus on race and gender. This study also examined the impact of academic self-efficacy (i.e., course self-efficacy and social self-efficacy), college adjustment, and belongingness for academic success (GPA) and persistence of these students. The roles of race and gender in …

The Use Of Principal Feedback From Teachers To Create Effective Leadership, Kevin Richard Macina

Dissertations

In the past decade, K-12 education has undergone many changes, often brought about by national and state policymakers putting a higher emphasis on student outcomes. There are enhanced accountability expectations for all levels of education that have added to the responsibilities of principals. Research can be found on many different areas regarding effective educational leadership. Studies abound to reinforce the need for principals to lead their schools through decisions and actions that are evidence based and data informed. In that body of work, there is a growing attention to the importance of staff, student, and even parent feedback as an …

Values In Evaluations Of Maternal And Child Health Programs, Erica Lynn Dodds

Dissertations

Values are a central component in evaluation and are prominently discussed in evaluation theory, but relatively little is known about how they are used in practice. The theory-practice gap in evaluation may cause unsound evaluation practice or irrelevant or impractical evaluation theory. However, little is known about this gap as it relates to values and valuing. Failing to take certain values into account in an evaluation risks reinforcing the status quo to the detriment of vulnerable populations, so identifying how the theory-practice gap plays out in the use of values is important.

This study focuses on the maternal and child …

The Relationship Between Student Math Achievement And Teachers Utilizing A Process Involving Interim Instructional Assessments, Douglas B. Greer

Dissertations

According to recent national and state level assessments, only about one-third of Michigan students are proficient in secondary math. Previous studies have been inconsistent in demonstrating the impact of an interim assessment process on student achievement, especially with high school mathematics. Moreover, previous studies were not found to utilize Hierarchical Linear Models (HLM) to test such a relationship, especially a three level HLM that links secondary students to a primary math teacher. Therefore, the purpose of my study was to ascertain the extent to which math teachers utilized an interim instructional assessment (IIA) process within middle and high schools, and …

Saudi Arabian Female English Language Teachers’ Perspectives On Instructional Supervisors And Supervision, Afaf Mohammed Albalawi

Dissertations

This study investigates the effectiveness of educational supervision in improving the performance of Saudi female English language teachers from the teachers’ perspectives. Finding and supporting professional English language teachers and supervisors is one of the greatest obstacles facing Saudi Arabia (Alrabai, 2016; Sywelem & Witte, 2013). In Saudi Arabia and other countries, a lack of skills, training, and resources, such as time, money, and meeting spaces, seems to be a common problem for many supervisors and schools (Badah et al., 2013; Tawfiq & Almajali, 2012). Examining the perceptions of English teachers in Saudi Arabia contributes to a deeper understanding that …

Artist As Academic Leader, George H. Brown

Dissertations

The American College President Study (ACE, 2017) revealed that 78% of university presidents are planning to retire within the next nine years. With the increasing complexity of higher education, the demand for innovative leadership will grow as a result of the departure of these leaders. This demand will create opportunities for artist practitioners interested in higher education leadership. However, if artist practitioners doubt an administrative role will give voice to their imagination, will they accept the challenge and opportunity of leadership?

Currently, only 0.33% of university presidents serving four-year degree-granting institutions of higher education in the U.S. come from the …

Professional Learning Communities In Michigan’S Center-Based Schools: A Mixed Methods Study, Benjamin L. Oakley

Dissertations

In 2018 the The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), a program of the U.S. Department of Education (DoED), issued a letter of determination to the State of Michigan concerning compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 (IDEA) Parts B and C. States are evaluated for compliance with IDEA 2004 based upon a set of 20 State Performance Plan Indicators (SPPIs). Michigan was the only state in the union to receive the lowest rating possible, “needs intervention,” for the 2016-2017 school year.

Over 10% of students with disabilities in the State of Michigan spend less than …

Teachers Use And Perceptions Of The Impact Of Response To Intervention (Rti) On Co-Teaching At The Secondary Level In General Education Classrooms, Hawazen Alasiri

Dissertations

When working together, Response to Intervention (RTI) and co-teaching can serve the needs of teachers and their students in a duet that Murawski and Hughes (2009) called “a logical combination for successful systematic change” (p. 267). According to the U.S. Department of Education, the number of students with disabilities, ages 6–21, who spent most of the school day in general classrooms in regular schools increased from 33% in 1990 to 62% in 2014 (U.S. Department of Education, 2016). With twice as many students with disabilities attending general education classrooms today, it is essential that all stakeholders in the education field …

Superintendent Practices And Initiatives For Building Principal Instructional And Collaborative Leadership Capacity In A High-Performing High-Poverty School, Fatemah Ali Al Ramel

Dissertations

This study explores how superintendents build school principal leadership capacity by developing (a) principal capacity to function as instructional leaders and (b) a culture of shared and collaborative leadership. A particular focus for this study is the ways in which superintendents work with principals to build instructional and shared leadership capacity in order to turn low-performing schools that educate high-poverty student populations into schools that outperform their demographic peers. This study describes the activities and strategies that characterize the ways in which superintendents build a strong collaborative leadership team with their school principals, then use that collaborative team to develop …

The Lived Experience Of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder Transitioning From High School To A Liberal Arts College, Joseph D. Bishop

Dissertations

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are transitioning into colleges and universities at a growing rate. All types of post-secondary institutions are seeing this influx, yet some are ill prepared to assist students with ASD, especially within the transition process. There is a gap in the research focusing on students with ASD within liberal art colleges. The purpose of this study is to understand the lived experience of students with ASD as they transition from high school to a small liberal arts college.

My research uses a phenomenological approach in order to develop descriptive themes. I interviewed seven students who …

University Auxiliary Services: A Review Of Factors Impacting Privatization Decisions, Rita S. Gordon

Dissertations

The dynamics of higher education funding present unique challenges and opportunities for administrators. One method university administrators employ to contain expenses and provide additional revenue is privatization of academic and non-academic services.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the specific factors considered in a decision to privatize bookstore and/or dining service operations, and perceptions about whether the post-privatization decision met pre-privatization expectations. Gordon’s (2019) Privatization Decision Framework was created based upon existing research and then used to develop survey questions. Twelve pre-privatization decision factors, nine post-privatization contracted relationship expectation factors, overall satisfaction with the privatization decision, and …

The Social-Construct Of Race And Ethnicity: One’S Self-Identity After A Dna Test, Kathryn Ann Wilson

Dissertations

Self-identity—specific to race and ethnicity—is shaped by a myriad of factors, including genealogical evidence, family lore, learned behaviors and lived experiences. How these various factors affect self-identity varies greatly from individual to individual. Even those raised within the same household may hold different views of who they are. This study examines how individuals’ self-identity is affected by results from DNA testing.

This study is filtered through the lens of Social Constructivism theory and looks at many components which may have impacted how we see ourselves and develop our personal self-identification. The study used mixed methods and sources of data. Quantitative …

Delaying Kindergarten Entrance By Participating In Pre-Kindergarten And Academic Achievement In Elementary School: Red-Shirting And Achievement Scores, Rachael Postle-Brown

Dissertations

The purpose of this ex post facto causal comparative study is to examine the academic achievement of students entering the educational system, that is, kindergarten, either through pre-kindergarten or no pre-kindergarten. Allowing me to examine “red shirting,” a practice of giving children an additional year, in pre-kindergarten, to mature physically, socially, and academically before entering kindergarten. This study is important to school district personnel and parents whom need to make informed decisions concerning pre-kindergarten programs.

In this study, I compare the elementary academic achievement of students through 3^rd grade, who delayed kindergarten entrance with those who did not delay. …

The Efficacy Actions Of Priority School Leaders During The Dynamic Change Of School Reform, Micole D. Dyson

Dissertations

There are increasing demands and challenges from the state and federal government for continual academic improvement for all schools. Each year, the Michigan Department of Education creates a “Top to Bottom” list of schools, with the lowest-performing schools designated as priority schools. This priority designation invariably creates the need for principals to examine their own self-efficacy beliefs as they work with teachers to improve these schools.

The purpose of this basic qualitative study is to identify and describe principals’ beliefs in their abilities to organize and execute complex actions to achieve changes within priority schools. Identifying and naming a leader’s …

Factors Contributing To The Attrition Of New Student Affairs Professionals, Nicole Millar Allbee

Dissertations

Alumni who graduated within the previous five years from student affairs master’s degree programs across the nation were surveyed to examine issues related to attrition. In total, 697 alumni responded, of which 588 (84.36%) were still in the field of student affairs and 109 (15.64%) had departed. Participants were surveyed regarding their levels of occupational commitment to student affairs and their satisfaction and burnout in their first postgraduate professional role in order to understand how these factors influenced their retention in the profession. These measures were assessed for all alumni as well as for both comparison groups and a logistic …

The Role Of Sampling Variability In Developing K-8 Preservice Teachers’ Informal Inferential Reasoning, Omar Abu-Ghalyoun

Dissertations

Recent influential policy reports, such as the Common Core State Standards (CCSS-M, 2010) and Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education Report, (GAISE, 2007), have called for dramatic changes in the statistics content included in the K-8 curriculum. In particular, students in these grades are now expected to develop Informal Inferential Reasoning (IIR) as a way of preparing them for formal concepts of inferential statistics such as confidence intervals and testing hypotheses. Ben-Zvi, Gil, & Apel, (2007) describe IIR as the cognitive activities involved in informally making statistical inferences. Over this path from informal to formal inference, many important …

Design Parameters For Planning Cluster Randomized Trials Of Cognitive Skill Interventions: An Empirical Analysis Using The Collegiate Learning Assessment, Yu Du

Dissertations

Recently, higher education has started to place a premium on rigorous research that uses randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to test the impact of educational interventions. This may be due in part to concerns about a deficiency of high-quality evidence of the effectiveness of programs, policies, and practices to improve undergraduate students’ outcomes. Given the naturally nested structure in higher education, e.g., students nested in colleges/universities, researchers in higher education start considering a specific type of RCT called a cluster randomized trial (CRT), which have been frequently used in K-12 impact research. In a CRT, whole clusters, such as colleges/universities, are …