Education Commons^™

Development And Validation Of A Scale To Measure Misconceptions About Educational Psychology Among Pre-Service Teachers, Morgan Mcafee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Misconceptions are widespread or commonly held beliefs explicitly contradicted by empirical evidence. When teachers harbor misconceptions or unjustified beliefs about teaching, learning, and human motivation, the potential pedagogical consequences are profound, and these inaccurate beliefs may be instilled into future students through ineffective teaching strategies and gross misinterpretations of learning science. While existing research has examined misconceptions about general psychology and neuroscience among various populations, no prior work has evaluated pre-service teachers' misconceptions about topics of educational psychology, comprising inaccurate beliefs about teaching, learning, and human motivation. The purpose of this research is to describe the development and validation of …

An Analysis Of Choice-Making As A Means To Decrease The Frequency Of Self-Injurious Behaviors In Students With Severe Disabilities, Melanie Olson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This single case multiple baseline research study examined choice-making as a means to decrease the frequency of self-injurious behaviors in six students with severe disabilities. Five males and one female between the ages of 14 and 21 participated in the five-week intervention. The following research questions were addressed: 1) Does the choice-making intervention reduce hitting, biting, and self-injurious behaviors? 2) How much time does the choice-making intervention add to the classroom teacher's preparation? 3) What costs are associated with the choice-making intervention during an average lesson? The choice-making intervention was associated with positive behavioral outcomes for all of the students. …

Kindergarten Through Twelfth Grade Student Perception Of Online Courses And Qualities That Lead To Course Completion., Jennifer Peterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was two-fold, to understand student perception of the supplemental online courses and improve the online learning program at ABC Online Learning School. The study focused on students in Grades 6 -12 who belonged to the ABC School District and enrolled ABC Online Learning School high school credit courses to supplement their education. Student participants were asked to complete the Student Survey of Online Course Design. The data retrieved from the survey was analyzed using the Spearman correlation to establish the strength of the relationship between student perception of quality online course design and the importance …

An Examination Of The Algebra 1 Achievement Of Black And Hispanic Student Participants In A Large Urban School District's Mathematics Intervention Program, Elethia Bronson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The mathematics achievement gap between Black and White as well as Hispanic and White students has been well documented nationwide and in the school district of study. Much has been written in observance of the achievement gap, yet markedly less research has focused on practices and interventions that have improved mathematics performance for Black and Hispanic students. Consequently, this study examined the Algebra 1 achievement (indicated by student scale scores on the Florida Standards Assessments Algebra 1 End-of-Course exam) of Black and Hispanic students participating in a mathematics intervention program as compared to the Algebra 1 achievement of their similar …

Acculturation And Belongingness: The Keys To International Student Satisfaction, Semehar Ghebrekidan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to explore if acculturation in conjunction with belongingness, affected international student satisfaction. With the changes in immigration, the political climate as a whole and college campus demographics, it was important to evaluate what stress factors international students faced while being undergraduate students at a Midwestern University. In addition to using secondary research, primary research was conducted in the form of 4 interviews and 59 electronic surveys. The independent variables that were measured were reorganized into 2 categories: the students’ religious beliefs and the country where the student is from. Themes that came across throughout …

A Phenomenological Study Of Black Fifth Grade Students' Perceptions Of Social Studies And A Discussion With Secondary Students, Irenea Walker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem I address in this study is the lack of Black elementary students' knowledge and interest of the social studies content. Black students who lack a true identity of self, fail to develop into productive citizens. Although previous studies have examined Black students' experiences in secondary social studies classrooms, few have thoroughly examined Black students' experiences in the elementary classrooms. For this study, I analyze Black fifth grade students' perceptions of the social studies content. Identifying these perceptions is imperative so educators can adjust their pedagogical practices based on what they deem as important for educational growth, and the …

Transformative Learning: Improving Teachers' Cultural Competencies Through Knowledge And Practice Of Ubuntu Pedagogy, Alecia Blackwood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The pursuit of this ethnographic study was inspired by my lived experiences as an urban school teacher for 18 years, as well as, the experiences of a group of other urban teachers. The study explored the following question: Does knowledge and practice of Ubuntu pedagogy help to improve teachers' cultural competencies in an urban school? The research documents how knowledge and practice of the three pillars of Ubuntu pedagogy help to transform the perspective of urban teachers. The three pillars are (1) Humanism and Ubuntu Competency, (2) Collaboration and Partnership, and (3) Relationship and Learning Community. Data were collected using …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Online Focus Groups Versus In-Person Focus Groups, Brendan Richard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasingly researchers are turning to online focus groups as a qualitative research method, yet rigorous methodological studies regarding the quantity, quality and diversity of the data generated relative to traditional in-person focus groups are limited. This study experimentally tests the idea generation capabilities of online text-based focus groups versus traditional in-person focus groups using sustainability in the hospitality industry as the idea generation topic. Participants were purposively sampled from the hospitality program at a large Southeastern university and randomly assigned into one of two treatment groups: online text-based or traditional in-person focus groups. The in-person focus groups resulted in a …

A Quasi-Experiment On The Degree To Which I-Ready Reading Instruction Predicted Florida State Assessment Scores For Low Performing Students Compared To Students On Grade Level, Ashley Pierce

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which i-Ready® Reading Instruction (a computer adaptive testing program) predicted Florida Standards Assessment English Language Arts (FSA ELA) scores for low performing students (Level 1) compared to those who are on grade level (Level 3). Participants included students in seventh grade at a central Florida school district who participated in i-Ready® Reading Instruction and who had previously scored a Level 1 or Level 3 on the FSA ELA. A hierarchical multiple regression was run to determine the impact of the interaction effect between prior year FSA performance level and …

A Single Case Study On The Influence Of Feedback On The Instructional Quality Of A Preservice Elementary Teacher In Mathematics: The Instructional Quality Assessment Toolkit As A Resource, Makini Campbell Sutherland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this single case study was to determine if a preservice elementary teacher's instruction would be influenced by feedback on mathematics lessons. The focus of the research was on the use of the Instructional Quality Assessment (IQA) (Boston 2012) toolkit as an integral part in the feedback process. The IQA toolkit provides number ratings as well as qualitative descriptive ratings of various aspects of the mathematics lesson, defined under two constructs, or groups, labeled Academic Rigor and Accountable Talk. The researcher evaluated a preservice teacher's instruction on three occasions and facilitated feedback sessions following those observation sessions, integrating …

A Comparison Of Student Achievement In Florida Charter Schools With For-Profit And Not-For-Profit Management Models, Maurice Kaprow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study, the researcher compared student achievement in Florida charter schools by investigating differences in those managed by for profit and not-for-profit entities in all 530 charter schools that reported results on the 2016 Florida Standards Assessments in Grades 4, 8, and 10 in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics. Using a two-way analysis of covariance, this investigation found statistically significant achievement differences only in 10th-grade ELA when using poverty as a moderator variable and eighth-grade mathematics using both school cohort size and poverty as moderator variables. Also, the covariates of percentage of minority students, percentage of disabled students, …

Exploring High Performing Second Grade Students' Reading Achievement And Time Spent On I-Ready With Their Motivation To Read., Chloe Webb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The motivation to read plays a key role in any student's reading development and success. In the context of 21st century literacies and learning, students engage in reading with print and digital texts and read in traditional and multimodal settings. This situated thesis explored the topic of second grade students' motivation to read through the lens of reading performance and time spent reading and improving their reading skills using i-Ready. Fourteen second grade students in a Central Florida elementary school classroom received the Motivation to Read Profile- Revised (MRP-R) (2013), an established survey, that is designed to gauge elementary school …

Community College Leadership: The Pathways, Competencies, And Preparation Of Presidents And Chief Academic Officers, Richard Minton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

At the beginning of the new millennium, concerns were raised that a leadership crisis was soon to develop due to a high percentage of community college presidents and chief academic officers (CAOs) approaching retirement within the decade. With concerns that there would not be a sufficient number of leaders ready to assume these roles, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) developed a list of six competencies essential to community college leadership (AACC, 2005). The purpose of this study was to examine the pathways, competencies, and preparation of community college presidents and CAOs. Leaders in those positions at two-year colleges …

The Impact Of 21st Century Community Learning Centers On Middle Schools In Seminole County, Ashley Buxton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the study was to research the impact 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) has on Title 1 middle school students in Seminole County. A mixed methods design was used to interview and survey teachers working for the after-school program, and student data was collected to assist in identifying the impact of the program. Initially, interviews were conducted to research the implementation of the program. Following interviews, willing participants completed the survey sent out to all middle school teachers who work for 21st CCLC. The survey investigated how the vision of the program was presented to staff and …

Do Variations In Service Delivery Models Influence Parents' Perspectives In The Early Intervention Program?, Andrasne Weiszhaupt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study has multiple purposes. The first purpose is to investigate whether variations in the Early Intervention (EI) service delivery model influence parents' perceptions of the quality of their EI services. The second purpose is to compare parents' satisfaction level with the early intervention program in the selected counties from Pennsylvania and Florida. The third purpose is to reveal whether families' residency determines the level of access to services. The study subjects were parents and caregivers whose children received services through the Part C early intervention program between January 2013 and January 2017. The targeted population for the study were …

Learning Opportunities And Challenges Of Sensor-Enabled Intelligent Tutoring Systems On Mobile Platforms: Benchmarking The Reliability Of Mobile Sensors To Track Human Physiological Signals And Behaviors To Enhance Tablet-Based Intelligent Tutoring Systems, Luis Vazquez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Desktop-based intelligent tutoring systems have existed for many decades, but the advancement of mobile computing technologies has sparked interest in developing mobile intelligent tutoring systems (mITS). Personalized mITS are applicable to not only stand-alone and client-server systems but also cloud systems possibly leveraging big data. Device-based sensors enable even greater personalization through capture of physiological signals during periods of student study. However, personalizing mITS to individual students faces challenges. The Achilles heel of personalization is the feasibility and reliability of these sensors to accurately capture physiological signals and behavior measures. This research reviews feasibility and benchmarks reliability of basic mobile …

Effects Of Standards-Based Grading On Students In Agricultural Education, Matthew Tripp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Standards-based grading is being discussed more frequently in the field of education as school districts either explore or adopt this grading method. This study examined the effects of standards-based grading on achievement and perceptions of students enrolled in high school agricultural education courses. This nonequivalent quasi-experimental study focused on how students’ perceptions of classroom feedback, abilities, and opportunities to redo assessments were affected by the implementation of a standards-based grading method. Participants in this study were students who enrolled in a quarter long Home Maintenance course that used standards-based grading methods to assess student mastery on specific content standards in …

Symmetry Identified In 2-Dimensional Artwork Compositions Using Visuospatial Ability, Theresa Ferg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

At the John Langdon Down Foundation A.C. in the La Escuela Mexicana de Arte Down school in Mexico City D.F., Mexico, art students with Trisomy 21 display the use of a mathematical construct in the painting compositions of their artworks. The mathematical construct is a type of symmetry and it carries a positive affect. This is important because there have been no studies that have investigated the use of the symmetry in the artwork compositions of persons with Down syndrome. The geometric construction of the artwork compositions follows the artistic principle of the Rule of Three and the division of …

Higher Education Student Debt & Tuition Costs, K. Harrison Maloy Jr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

U.S. higher education tuition costs have risen at nearly double the rate of inflation over the past forty years. In 2012, student loan delinquency rose to 12% and surpassed credit card delinquency rates as the top category of consumer debt delinquency. Meanwhile, recently enacted federal policies advocate for increased higher education accessibility, affordability and attainability, but simultaneously promote educational institutions to increase spending with funds fueled by student debt. The growth of $136.8 billion in student loan delinquency has triggered decreasing participation in non-student debt markets by people with student loan debt. Fortunately, Americans continue to enroll in colleges at …

Academic Resilience In Newcomers, Jacquelyn M. Carrillo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The United States continues to transform demographically, economically, culturally, and linguistically, as it has for several generations. At the forefront of this change are the educators, struggling to make sense of how to teach students who are culturally and linguistically diverse.

The main research question guiding this study was: What factors support or constrain the academic resiliency of Newcomers? The purpose of this study was to examine the academic resilience of Newcomers at an urban high school in Colorado. This qualitative study utilized case study methods of data collection. This study took place in four stages. The first stage encompassed …

A Descriptive Policy Analysis Of State-Level Universal Preschool Adoption, Holly Higgins Wilcher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Presently, the United States does not have a publicly funded, comprehensive, universal ECE system. The fragmented and piecemeal approach to providing ECE creates social injustice and inequity for many young children (Kagan & Roth, 2017; Kagan, 2009). With the absence of comprehensive and streamlined federal ECE policy, several states have attempted to at least provide universal preschool to all four-year-old children. For states that aim to adopt universal preschool, it is critical to understand the factors, political conditions, and policy environments conducive to creating preschool policy change. Although many states would like to provide universal preschool, very few have been …

Curiosity And Gifted Identification: A Mixed Methods Study, Cameron Hays

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation was designed to explore the link between epistemic curiosity and giftedness, in order to provide an additional potentially non-biased assessment to contribute to gifted identification "body of evidence" files for underrepresented and underserved populations. Students of color and students of lower socio-economic status are less likely to be placed into gifted and talented enrichment programs (Donovan & Cross, 2002). If a significant relationship is found between high curiosity and students who benefit from gifted education, psychometric instruments used for measuring curiosity could be invaluable in placing students in appropriate educational environments.

The study used a mixed methods design …

A Phenomenological Inquiry Into The Racialized Experiences Of Southeast Asian American Community College Students, Varaxy Yi Borromeo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Southeast Asian American (SEAA) (e.g., Cambodian, Hmong, Lao, and Vietnamese) students' educational realities are often masked by assumptions that all Asian Americans are model minorities. However, SEAA students have also been racialized as deviant minorities to explain disparities faced by the community. Relatively minimal scholarship has explored how race and racism shape their experiences. In this study, AsianCrit provides a framework for exploring the racial realities of SEAA students in community college. Qualitative research methods were employed to explore in-depth the ways they experience race and racialization. Specifically, this study is a phenomenological exploration of their lived racialized experiences and …

High-Performing Charter Schools And Leadership Continuum: Reconceptualizing Dual Realities, Brittany M. Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research study examines the experiences and identities of school leaders who currently lead or have lead in high performing charter schools. Using educational criticism and connoisseurship, the author focuses on the impact of leaders' experiences and identities, which shape leader intention, school culture, and school development and growth to inform current practice. The author also explores how co-connoisseurship may enhance one's understanding of the nuances of the subject, adding to the literature on the methodology employed.

Leadership Practices In Similar Schools With Varying Primary Grade Reading Outcomes: A Comparative Multiple-Case Study, Jacqueline M. Cuthill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students who are below grade level before they leave third grade are less likely to graduate. A large number of schools are failing to increase student achievement in reading, especially for students of color and those who are economically disadvantaged. Leadership can influence student achievement; however, literature lacks specifics about leadership practices that could help school leaders improve student outcomes. This multiple-case study explores the leadership practices in three similar elementary schools with varying primary grade reading outcomes and contributes details about the leadership functions of Setting Direction, Developing People and Redesigning the Organization (Leithwood, Seashore, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004). …

Now You See Me: A Black Feminist Autoethnographic Poetic Polemic Of Radical Reflexivity And Critical Arts-Based Inquiry, Myntha Anthym

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an autoethnographic poetic illness narrative based on the author's year-long ordeal with unrelenting undertreated chronic pain. The project is grounded in the epistemological tradition of Black Feminist Thought and presented in alignment with the emergent methodological paradigm of critical arts-based inquiry. The purpose of the project is for the author to develop and articulate a radical reflexive praxis within the paradigm of critical arts-based inquiry while demonstrating the value of lived experience as a source of knowledge and poetry as a method of inquiry in revealing subjugated truths about the experiences of marginalized people. The dissertation lives …

Hidden In White(Ness)? Using Racial Logics To Interrogate The Instructional Arc Of A Crisis Intervention Team Training, Tara N. Meister

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Some scholars argue that communities of color have been historically considered criminal by law enforcement (Fanon, 1963/2004; Gordon, 1996; Sharpley-Whiting, 1999), and Parenti (2003) and Kendi (2016) traced the history of modern policing to slave patrols. Wynter (2003) illuminated the racial logics undergirding our society - including policing - to the overlay of monotheism and its fixity with racial constructions of human as historically rooted in slavery and colonization. Thus, policing, too, carries a racialized dimension (Gamal, 2016) that creates or amplifies trauma and mental illness (Westcott, 2015). To address mental health, an undergirding feature of use of force and …

Using Dialogue To Interrupt Legacies Of Exclusion, Incite Hope, Invite Change, And Increase Levels Of Awareness At Predominantly White Institutions With Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Rhetoric, Amanda Meise

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation questions how a predominantly white institution (PWI) could infuse dialogue to aid the implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and invite institutional change. There has been an increased spotlight on racial tensions permeating predominantly white campuses with DEI initiatives; higher education scholars have identified several factors that prevent institutions from fostering inclusive spaces. This research addresses three specific hurdles for PWIs implementing DEI initiatives: (1) social amnesia characterized by romanticized versions of history; (2) a discontinuity between professed values and the goals of DEI initiatives with policy, structure, and experience; and (3) low awareness of privilege …

Adolescent Protective Factors Related To Resilience: Issues Of Academic Self-Efficacy, Parental Involvement, And Special Education Status, Bethdalie Cruz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The predictive value of three constructs was examined in this study in order to explain adolescent self-reported protective factors associated with resilience while moderating for the effects of sex and race. The three constructs included Academic Self-efficacy, Maternal Parental Involvement, and Special Education Identification Status. Participants included 54 adolescents in diverse public middle and high schools, ages 11 to 18. Twenty of these participants were identified as receiving special education services while 34 did not. Results indicated that adolescent perceptions of Academic Self-efficacy significantly predicted protective factors associated with resilience while Special Education Identification Status and Maternal Parental Involvement did …

Studying Facial Expression Recognition And Imitation Ability Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Interaction With A Social Robot, Farzaneh Askari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience limited abilities in recognizing non-verbal elements of social interactions such as facial expressions [1]. They also show deficiencies in imitating facial expressions in social situations. In this Master thesis, we focus on studying the ability of children with ASD in recognizing facial expressions and imitating the expressions using a rear-projected expressive humanoid robot, called Ryan. Recent studies show that social robots such as Ryan have great potential for autism therapy. We designed and developed three studies, first to evaluate the ability of children with ASD in recognizing facial expressions that are presented to …