Education Commons^™

An Investigation Into Relationships Between Alternative Assessment And Pre-Service Elementary Teachers’ Beliefs About Mathematics, David Charles Coffey

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how including alternative assessments in a reform-based mathematics course affects pre-service teachers’ mathematical beliefs. A single section of a mathematics course designed for elementary education majors that employed three different alternative assessments was the setting for the study.

A pre- and post-belief survey completed by students enrolled in the section under study represented the first level of data collection and analysis. The results of the pre-belief survey guided the selection of seven informants from the section and provided belief statements for the informants to verify during subsequent interviews. Based on the data …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Epistemic Style And Evaluation Practice, Deanna Draze

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences between personal epistemic styles of professional evaluators, the influence those styles have on evaluation practice, and to determine whether a typology of evaluation practice can be extrapolated from a study of epistemic style. Epistemic style was defined as how one determines what is true (or what constitutes knowledge). The intent was to provide empirical evidence of the relationship between theory and practice in the hope that it will contribute to an increased awareness of the evaluator “as an instrument’' through which data is filtered.

The Psycho-Epistemological Profile (Royce, Mos, and …

A Case Study Of The Effects Of The Strategic Planning Process On The Trust Level Of Administrative Staff In A K - 12 School District, Michael F. Paskewicz

Dissertations

Strategic planning is a process that has been used in the business world since the 1960s as a tool to build employee trust through the development of a shared vision and goals. Public education and other government agencies began to use the strategic planning process in the mid 1970s (Herman, 1994).

The study used data collected by a K-12 school district, two years into the strategic planning process. This study sought to determine if the trust level of administrators would be impacted by the level of participation in the strategic planning process. Trust level was defined by self rating by …

A Comparison Of Learning In Adult Accelerated And Non-Accelerated Courses, Donald J. Green

Dissertations

The focus of this study w as a comparison of learning acquired by adult students in two accelerated sections and one nonaccelerated section o f a college-level course in diversity held at a private school in the Midwestern United States. The course was identical in title, instructor, course materials, examinations, and course outcomes. To measure other potential differences in the experience of the three sections, student participants were asked to complete a precourse survey, postcourse survey, and postcourse classroom environmental assessment instrument called the College and University Classroom Environment Instrument (CUCEI; Treagust & Fraser, 1986).

Upon completion of the course, …

A Study Of Parental Characteristics And School Choice, Chia-Lin Hsieh

Dissertations

Parental choice of schools has been a hot political issue for more than a decade and has become a cornerstone of federal educational policy. This study investigated the relationship between parental characteristics and school choice, and whether the decision to choose schools is related to family characteristics, school characteristics, parental beliefs, and/or parental satisfaction.

This study used existing national data that were gathered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and were extracted from the School Safety and Discipline (SS&D) component o f the 1993 National Household Education Survey (NHES:93). 12,680 parents with children in 3rd through 12th grades …

The Current Structure Of Intellect Remediation Lab As An Intervention For Deficient Readers In Grades 3, 4, And 5, Donna Turner Campbell

Dissertations

Problem. Educational testing procedures focus on identification and classification of students rather than on remediation for their abilities. The Structure of Intellect (SOI) model proposes a multidimensional view of intelligence with a focus on remediation for underdeveloped or nonexistent abilities as they relate to school achievement.

Purpose. The purposes of this study were to determine if participation in the SOI remediation lab had a measurable effect on reading achievement with third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students, and to describe SOI learning profiles of students with below grade reading skills.

Methodology. The subjects for this quasi-experimental study were third-, fourth-, and …

Educational Brain Research As Compared With E.G. White's Counsels To Educators, Linda Bryant Caviness

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this study was threefold: to review current, education-relevant brain research; to review the educational writings of Ellen G. White for major emerging themes/principles; and to compare these findings for similarities and differences.

Method and Results. Using an inductive process, the synthesis and comparison revealed 15 themes from brain research and 12 principles from White's writings from the middle 1800s and early 1900s.

Comparison of the two lists revealed alignment on eight themes/principles, nonalignment on three themes/principles, and partial-alignment on seven themes/principles.

Aligned themes/principles included: body and mind function as one; exercise and movement are vital …

An Assessment Of The Perceived Administrative Effectiveness Of Boarding School Principals In The North American Division Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Malcolm E. Hutchinson Jr.

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to examine the views held by those whose duties include the management and day-to-day operations of the secondary boarding schools within the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This refers specifically to superintendents, principals, and staff members

Method. The survey method was used to gather the data. Respondents were asked to complete an 84-item questionnaire. The population sample was made up of 320 staff members, 32 principals, and 31 superintendents. The data were analyzed using mean scores, percentile rankings, and ANOVA at an alpha of p < .05.

Findings. The major findings in …

The Relationships Between Student Diligence, Student Support Systems, Other Related Variables And Student Academic Outcomes In High Schools In Grenada, Christon Arthur

Dissertations

Problem. The Ministry of Education on the Caribbean Island of Grenada has been seeking to find ways to improve students' academic performance. The Ministry's emphasis has been on finding ways to make students more responsible for their education and at the same time trying to examine the level of educator support and parental support students receive. This emphasis on the level of educator and parental support that students receive was due in part to the findings of Hinds et al. (1999) that students in the Eastern Caribbean rate the support from parents and educators as being very important to …

Survey Of Nigerian University Student Affairs Services: A Comparison Of Students' Perceived Service Importance And The Students' Level Of Satisfaction, Michael Adewale Adeniyi

Dissertations

Problem. Nigerian university student-affairs serviceshave been characterized by negative campus activism, violent demonstrations, and the destruction of lives and properties, the result of which led to the closing down of many Nigerian universities. Thus far, little empirical data exist regarding the student personnel servicesavailable to students at Nigerian universities, the importance of student-affairs services, or the level of student satisfaction with these services.

Methods. A quantitative survey methodology was used to assess 35 student-affairs services. A developed and validated survey instrument, the Student ServicesQuestionnaire (SSQ), was administered to collect data from currently registered undergraduate and graduate students of …

An Assessment Of Home And Classroom Literacy Environments And The Emergent Literacy Development Of Kindergarten Students In Two Southwestern Michigan School Districts, Magdalene Tobias

Dissertations

Problem. In some school districts, low literacy proficiency is a problem of tremendous proportion. Assessing whether a solid foundation is being laid is more important than focusing our efforts at remediation in the later years. This study aimed at investigating the illiteracy problem at the "root" level. The purpose of the study was to determine the characteristics of the home and classroom literacy environments and the development of print, writing, and story concepts of kindergartners in two selected school districts. It also explored whether there was a difference in the performance of students from morning, afternoon, alternate whole-day, and …

A Study Of The Out-Of-Class Experiences Of Saint Mary's College Students Studying In Maynooth, Ireland, Carolyn S. Langley

Dissertations

Problem Statement. The purpose of this study is to describe the out-of-class experiences of 21 students who studied in the Saint Mary's College Ireland Program in Maynooth, Ireland, during the 1998-1999 academic year. It examines (1) how the program orientation influenced students' desire to become involved in out-of-class activities, (2) how out-of-class experiences fostered students' learning of the Irish culture, and (3) how the experiences influenced students' attitudes toward cultures other than their own.

Methodology. This study employed descriptive qualitative research. Focus groups were conducted to gather data used in developing questions for long interviews, and these long interviews …

The Role Of Faith In God In Administrative Decision-Making: A Descriptive Multiple Case Study Of Three African-American Christian Women Administrators Of American Higher Education, Nancy Ann Link

Dissertations

Problem. Faith in God is a phenomenon that is difficult to define. Yet, it can be seen as an attitude of complete trust in God. As Proctor (1995) stated, faith in God is believing that there is a purpose and a power (called God) available to each of us, giving us an "inexhaustible source of evergreen inspiration" (p. xvii). Therefore, this study focused on how faith in God impacted administrative decision-making practices of three African-American Christian women administrators of higher education.

Method. To achieve the purpose of this study, the literature was reviewed to identify existing theories. This descriptive …

The Effects Of Prereferral Intervention Through The Connecticut Early Intervention Project On Special Education Prevalence Rates In Connecticut Schools, Marianne Eike Kirner

Dissertations

Problem. Prereferral intervention has been implemented in many schools across the country as one systemic solution to concerns about special education prevalence rates. This study analyzed change in special education prevalence rates in Connecticut schools participating in the Early Intervention Project (EIP) as compared to Connecticut schools not participating in the project. The project incorporates a building-based team using a problem-solving approach to provide prompt and sustained support to classroom teachers who request assistance in working with students who are at risk of referral for special education.

Method. The research design consisted of a comparison of special education prevalence change …

Differential Perceptions Of English Teachers About The Teaching Of Literature In Seventh-Day Adventist Secondary Schools In Selected Regions Of The Caribbean, Shirley Ann Mcgarrell

Dissertations

Problem. Literature, as a subject in the English curriculum, is not taught in all Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) secondary schools in the Caribbean. This research attempts to investigate and document the reasons why this subject is not taught as part of the English curriculum in some schools and yet is taught in other schools. Literature, as a course of study, addresses philosophical, moral, ethical, and spiritual questions, and often teachers are not the central controllers in determining whether this subject should be taught in church-operated secondary schools. The literature teacher’s role could be pivotal in this situation, but only if …

The Professional Development School : A Descriptive Case Study Of Its History And Development, Denise G. Michaelis

Dissertations

Problem. The development o f school/university partnerships is not a simple process. It requires collaboration between two groups o f professionals who come from different cultures, have developed different forms o f expertise, and operate under different organizational conditions and reward structures (Goodlad, 1990; Stoddart, Winitzky & O ’Keefe, 1992). Throughout much o f the last century, collaboration between schools and universities have often been unsuccessful. In order for Professional Development Schools to be successful in educational reform, it is necessary to focus on defining and delineating the essential characteristics of Professional Development Schools and the process o f their …

Institutional Activities In International Higher Education : An Assessment Of Advancement Strategies Used At Selected Small Church-Related Colleges And Universities, Janeric Arne Gustavsson

Dissertations

Problem. Small church-related colleges and universities are experiencing financial difficulties. This study assesses the institutional advancement programs at selected Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities. The purpose of this examination was to analyze "what is" to determine the present-day process of the advancement function, and what "ought to be." These data will also suggest potential areas for growth and development.

Method . The study uses a non-experimental, descriptive design. To accomplish the purpose of the study, the literature on institutional advancement was reviewed to find a useable framework. The instrument used for this study was the one used in Willmer's …

Students’ Conceptions Of Mathematics And The Transition From A Standards-Based Reform Curriculum To College Mathematics, Rebecca K. Walker

Dissertations

Students’ conceptions of mathematics are shaped by the environment within which they learn mathematics and in turn they affect the manner in which students engage in mathematics.

This study examined students’ conceptions about learning, knowing, and doing mathematics after studying four years of a Standards-based reform high school mathematics curriculum developed by the Core-Plus Mathematics Project (CPMP). Student conceptions were examined at the end of high school (n = 2S6) and after one semester of college mathematics (n = 92). The study also provides case studies of six students as they navigated from the CPMP curriculum through college Precalculus or …

Japanese Students' Perceived Need For Communicative English And Their Perceived Proficiency Levels, Takanori Mita

Dissertations

Japanese students of English need to develop their proficiencies not only in oral aspects but in overall practical language aspects. English programs from junior high school to college levels need to be improved in consideration of current needs of students.

This study was conducted to assess college students’ perceived need for changes in the English curricula enhancing communicative competence and to seek their perceived levels of proficiency at graduation in the four skill areas (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) in relationship with students’ majors, academic experience in English-speaking countries, and lengths of such experience.

The research was conducted in Tokyo …

The Relationship Between Multicultural Counseling Competencies And Attitudes Toward African Americans Among White Female Graduate Students, Dianne T. Robinson

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between multicultural counseling competencies and attitudes toward African Americans among White female graduate students in counseling psychology. Participants were 67 White female students enrolled in either the master’s or doctoral level counseling psychology programs in a large Midwestern university. Subjects were administered four instruments. Participants’ self-perceived competencies in multicultural counseling were measured by the Multicultural Counseling Inventory (MCI, Sodowsky, Taffe, Gutkin, & Wise, 1994) and racial attitudes were measured by the Attitudes Toward Blacks Scale (ATB, Brigham, 1993). Demographic information as well as subjects’ level of participation in several activities …

Students' Mental Models Of Electricity In Simple Dc Circuits, Andrew C. Isola Iii

Dissertations

This study presents the results of research into middle school students' knowledge about the nature and mechanisms of action of electricity in simple DC circuits. Sixth, seventh, and eighth graders (n=99) were asked a series of questions about the roles of bulbs, batteries, wires, and electricity in circuits. Almost half the number of students (n=42) were found to have used detailed, well-defined, and logically consistent mental models based on their responses. A total of 15 different detailed mental models were documented in these students that belonged to one of four different general model types: (1) round trip flow using both …

A Comparison Of International And U.S. Students In Apa-Accredited Programs: Acculturation, Counseling Self-Efficacy And Role Difficulties In Supervision, Johanna E. Nilsson

Dissertations

There has been a call in the multicultural supervision literature to enhance the understanding of minority students’ unique training needs and develop appropriate theories and models of training for these students (Leong & Wagner, 1994; McNeill, Horn, & Perez, 1995). Although a few researchers have empirically examined differences between U.S. majority and minority students in multicultural supervision (Cook & Helms, 1988; Vander Kolk, 1974), virtually no empirical studies have been published on international students’ training experiences.

The main purpose of the present study was to advance knowledge regarding the training needs of international students in APA-accredited programs in psychology. It …

Improving Special Education Teachers' Use Of Data-Based Instruction, Steven D. Goodman

Dissertations

The data-based decision model involves frequent measures of student performance (i.e., 2 - 5 times per week), frequent analysis of performance data (weekly or bi-weekly), and the application of decision rules. In the first study, we surveyed 406 special education teachers state-wide. Results of the survey suggest that the databased decision model is not generally practiced by special educators in the field. Just over one quarter of the respondents report to assessing student performance frequently enough to qualify as using the model. Only 10% of respondents indicate that they generally graph student performance. Additionally, less than 23% of respondents who …

An Analysis Of Grade-Level Expenditures Of At-Risk Funding Among Districts Of Different Economic Status In The State Of Michigan, Benard A. Meyer

Dissertations

Many of the recent financial reforms failed to address the needs of at-risk children. Effective solutions to the problems of the educationally disadvantaged must include changes within the schools, how the schools are funded, and how the schools spend their funding. Michigan’s 1994 finance reform included a funded plan for “unequal treatment of unequals” directed for the support of at-risk students. This fund was called Section 31a Program for At-Risk Pupils and involved a 230 million dollar compensatory education funding allowance for students at risk of school failure. This study presented here will determine if there is a relationship between …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Transformational Leadership And Teacher Attitudes, Scott Palczewski

Dissertations

One hundred Michigan public high schools were randomly selected to participate in a study of the relationship between transformational leadership and teacher attitudes. Forty-eight high schools with enrollments ranging from 237 students to 1,730 students responded, a response rate of 48%. The study required that each building principal complete the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. Designed by Bass and Avolio (1990), the instrument uses 45 questions to identify the relative level of transformational leadership exhibited by the building principal.

Five dependent variables including teacher motivation, teacher satisfaction with administration, follower identification with work, teacher willingness to disagree with administration and teacher attitudes …

Intuitive Understanding Of Time And Space At The Age Of Four, Josephine Barry-Davis

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to test the central hypothesis that “children by the age of four years construct accurate and lasting conceptions o f time (past, present, future) and space (near and far away).” In order to test this hypothesis the researcher relied on qualitative research guidelines developed and published in recent years to address social science and educational research issues. The research design is especially applicable to young children where the researcher assumes the role of participant observer. In order to control for the context of the research, the children were observed for time and space cognitive …

The Use Of Curriculum-Based Measurement To Evaluate The Effects Of A Remedial Education Program, Michael D. Hixson

Dissertations

This study examined the effectiveness of two Direct Instruction programs: Corrective Reading: Decoding and Connecting Math Concepts. The effectiveness of the interventions was evaluated using a single-subject experimental design with curriculumbased measurement (CBM) probes as the main means of assessment. Other methods of assessment included standardized achievement tests, school reports, and pre- and postcurriculum- based assessment probes. The CBM probes for all students were sensitive to the effects of the interventions, although there was a great deal of variability in the CBM reading probes and little correspondence across methods of assessment. The results indicate that the two Direct Instruction programs …

An Analysis Of Nine K-12 School Districts That Have Established Membership With The Coalition Of Essential Schools, Shari A. Peters Kitchen

Dissertations

In the late 1970s, Ted Sizer, professor of education at Brown University, and a team of researchers traveled the country visiting dozens of secondary schools. The purpose of these visits was to understand the American high school by observing it firsthand. Sizer reported his findings in 1984 in Horace's Compromise: The Dilemma of the American High School.

In response to the compromises raised in Horace's Compromise, 12 schools volunteered to become the Coalition of Essential Schools. The Coalition rests on a set of nine Common Principles, which include intellectual rigor, simple and universal goals, personalized school, graduation by exhibitions …

The Role Of Access In Evaluating Distance Learning Program Effectiveness, Carole A. Richardson

Dissertations

Distance learning technologies are increasingly used within public post-secondary institutions as a way to deliver courses to students remote from the home campus. Many proponents of distance learning argue that its use provides a method for reaching the educationally undeserved, i.e., those who lack access to higher education. If a distance learning program decreases access barriers, then it is congruent with traditional American values of providing universal access to education to all citizens. Distance learning program evaluation strategies, therefore, need to include a means of measuring the extent to which access goals are met.

The purpose of this study is …

The Field Study Of A Training Transfer Enhancement Process And Its Effect On Transfer Of Training, Andrew W. Bowne

Dissertations

Transfer of training is defined as the degree to which trainees apply, in their jobs, the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they gained in training. Research regarding transfer of training has called training effectiveness into question. For example, Baldwin and Ford (1988) reported average transfer rates typically in the 10% range.

The study tested the effectiveness of particular procedures and tools intended to enhance transfer of training. These transfer enhancing tools were employed by an experimental group of trainees’ supervisors (who received training from the researcher in the application of the tools) before a half-day problem-solving training workshop for their employees …