Education Commons^™

Exploration Of Strategies Of Teacher Leaders For Responding To Students Experiencing Trauma Framed In Casel's Social And Emotional Learning Theory, Kimberly Dionne Parrott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative instrumental case study was to explore strategies for supporting students experiencing trauma as perceived by teacher leaders framed in CASEL’s social and emotional learning theory. A descriptive instrumental case study design utilized data from online interviews and voluntarily submitted artifacts of nine middle school teacher leaders to investigate strategies used to support students experiencing trauma. Data were manually coded to determine themes indicating recommend strategies used to support students who have experienced trauma. The overall findings revealed that teacher leaders require professional development focusing on trauma-informed practices to suitably support students who are experiencing trauma. …

An Exploration Of Teachers’ Perceptions And Experiences Serving Students Of Incarcerated Parents In A Rural Setting, Melissa P. Phelan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The increase in the United States prison population over the past several years has precipitated a record number of children in the public school system with incarcerated parents. Consequences of this trend have recently been given significant attention by researchers due to the myriad of difficulties noted to be associated with parental incarceration. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions, experiences, and insights of educators in a small rural district in Texas as they serve students experiencing parental incarceration. Presentation of an educator in context schema was provided by the application of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological …

Youth Leadership Development Programs: Participants’ Pre- And Post-Perceptions Of Leadership Life Skills Development, Courtney A. Pruner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research exists on the participation of youth in various types of youth leadership development programs. However, the problem is a lack of understanding of the perception of participants’ pre- and postparticipation on their development of leadership life skills. The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to determine how youth leadership development program participants perceive themselves in the area of leadership life skills development pre- and postparticipation in a youth leadership development program. In this study, specific consideration was given to the difference in gender and ethnic minority affiliation reporting scores. The independent variables in this study were participation in …

Opioid Use Disorder: A Crisis Of Concern, Evangella Harville

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to a statement from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 2000 and 2017, approximately 700,000 people died from drug overdoses in the United States. Approximately 128 persons lose their life each day from an opioid overdose. The data for this study were collected by the vice president of operations at the study site from a preexisting database for 2019 and 2020. The participants were inpatient patients, 18 and older, both male and female, and were from all ethnicities. The study facility was located in Western New York and offered a 30-bed inpatient treatment center with 24-hour …

Perceptions Of Classroom Management Coaching At District A Independent School District, Ashley L. Brittain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study addressed teacher retention and research-to-practice gaps in the literature related to classroom management coaching and what types of teacher support are the best and why. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of teachers, campus administrators, and campus intervention coaches regarding District A Independent School District’s campus intervention coach model. This study attempted to understand better the perceptions of how the campus intervention coach model influences teachers’ decisions to remain in the profession; how teachers, campus administrators, and campus intervention coaches perceive the campus intervention coach model’s effectiveness in reducing the percentage of …

Rural School District Strategies To Increase College, Career, And Military Readiness, Amelia J. Reeves

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Preparing students for life after high school is a challenge faced by all K-12 educators. In small, rural school districts, school leaders encounter unique barriers and limitations due to the limited capacity of school counselors, geographic isolation, lack of resources, and other factors. The purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to explore the district-wide strategies utilized by rural school districts in West Central Texas to increase the career, college and military readiness (CCMR) of all students. Five cases were identified that met the criteria, which included being a rural district defined by TEA, a school administrator responsible for …

Interventions For Ninth-Grade Middle-Achieving Students, Bradley C. Cook

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Implementing intentionally designed interventions to improve students’ academic performance has been a focus of educational stakeholders for decades. However, the implementation of academic interventions for average-achieving students, particularly during their freshman year of high school, appears to be lacking. The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to explore designed interventions implemented by high school administrators from two unified school districts in California that focused on the academic performance of middle-achieving students during their ninth-grade year. This qualitative grounded theory study focused on the perspective of a purposive sampling group of high school administrators, which included principals, assistant principals, …

African American Teachers' Experiences Of Becoming A Teacher In Ohio: A Case Study, Feon M. Battiste

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There has been a hiring discrepancy in the recruiting and hiring process of African American teachers in Ohio (Stein, 2019). The purpose of this descriptive case study was to explore African American teachers’ experiences of becoming teachers in Ohio and their suggestions for improving the hiring process. Five research questions guided the study: (a) What were African American teachers’ lived experiences of becoming a teacher in Ohio? (b) How do African American teachers perceive the obstacles and catalysts of becoming and remaining teachers in Ohio? (c) How do African American teachers view diversity in the teaching force? (d) What policies …

The Effect Of Postpartum Depression Screening Education For Postpartum Nurses, Shecarra S. Cook

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Depression affects about 13% of pregnant women and about 10% of women after childbirth. Some cases are so severe, the mother may even commit suicide. If left untreated, postpartum depression (PPD) affects both the mother’s and the infant’s health as well as their quality of life. The gap in clinical practice is that currently, patients only complete a postpartum depression screening tool during their 6-week follow-up appointment with their OB/GYN, leaving a gap in PPD detection and care during the immediate postpartum period. Postpartum nurses are not usually given specialized training in postpartum depression. The purpose of this study was …

Online Course Communication And International Student Academic Performance, Christie L. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Online course communication activities can be used to support the social and cognitive needs of students in online courses, but when those students are international students from across the globe studying in the United States where there are language and cultural differences, online learning can be a challenge. The purpose of this study was to examine undergraduate international students’ online course communication behaviors and their academic performance in order to inform quality online course development and delivery. In this qualitative case study, semistructured interviews with 11 undergraduate international students were conducted, online course communication behaviors were observed, and five faculty …

Exploring The Experiences And Effectiveness Of Student Loan Entrance Counseling, Manoj Thekkadathu Oommen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Student loan debt is one of the most pressing issues in the United States today. The rate of student loan debt in the United States continues to rise year after year, and the country is experiencing a crisis of increased student loan debt. A program that started with a budget of $15 million in 1965 to expand access to higher education has increased exponentially to over $1.5 trillion in student loan debt today. Students are ushered into the college experience often without possessing a firm grasp of basic financial literacy skills. Federal legislation mandates borrowers to take a 30-minute counseling …

Hazy Team Composition Processes: Shared Team Leadership, A Strategy To Team Excellence In Higher Education, Pervaiz Masih

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teamwork is an emergent property of efficacious organizations. Team-based and result-oriented organizational structures are gaining momentum, increasing 6% each year. Over 80% of organizations globally deploy teams by putting ordinary people to work together for extraordinary performance. The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center is a unique institute that teaches foreign languages in an immersive and team-based environment. This mixed-methods research study investigated (a) the teaching team composition processes, (b) the applicability of trust and diversity in team composition, and (c) the impact of shared team leadership in the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center. Data were collected from 82 …

Retention Factors Of Rural East Texas Superintendents, William Z. Crawford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify factors that influence retention of school superintendents in rural Texas. Constant turnover in the position of superintendent has created inconsistent learning environments for students and unstable working environments for staff. Small, rural schools have often served as steppingstones for superintendents who use their experience in these small rural districts to obtain positions in larger, suburban schools. The researcher used semistructured interview questions to conduct this study. In this qualitative case study, participants were recruited from the educational service center of Region VII school districts in Texas. One group included superintendents …

Narratives Of First-Generation Community College Students In Central Texas: Restorying The Path To Success In Higher Education, Stephanie Diana Perkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

First-generation college students (FGCSs) face a myriad of issues when entering higher education. As FGCSs continue to enroll in community colleges at high rates, it is important to discuss their pathways to success in higher education. This qualitative study explored the experiences of FGCSs who attended a community college in Central Texas to learn more about their experiences with being identified as FGCS; what prevents them, if anything, to identify support systems that are conducive to their overall retention and success; and if social capital had relevance to their academic success. Through narrative inquiry, a storytelling approach was utilized to …

Educator And Administrator Perceptions Of Sheltered Instruction In Stem Courses, Tommy D. Duncan Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions held by educators and administrators regarding sheltered instruction of English Language Learners (ELLs) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classrooms; relevant professional development; and the use of the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) within lesson plans. ELLs represent a subpopulation of students with significant achievement gaps in STEM, ultimately affecting student engagement and career interest in STEM. Ten STEM teachers and two administrators from a midsized middle school in west Texas participated in the study. Online semistructured one-on-one interviews and document analysis of submitted lesson plans from …

A Qualitative Study Of Department Chairs’ Perceptions Regarding Job Role Transition In Christian Colleges, Tiniesha La'shae Menete

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigated the department chairs’ perceptions regarding their job role transition in Christian colleges and universities. Previous studies have focused on department chairs’ perceptions in public colleges and universities across the world. However, there were limited studies regarding the perceptions of department chairs in Christian colleges and universities. This study aimed to explore the department chairs’ perceptions in Christian colleges and universities to add to the body of knowledge. Exploring this problem was critical due to the immense potential department chairs have to negatively affect the future of their institution because of the number of responsibilities they hold …

Student Perceptions Of The Effects Of The Modern Educational Reform Movement On The Concept Of The Whole Child, Edward Theodore Knight

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As a robust public education system is critical to the future of the U.S. democracy, efforts to improve or reform education have been prominent since its inception. Unfortunately, recent strategies to improve academic achievement have not been successful, and unintended consequences were noted for both students and staff. A specific issue related to modern reform was the construct that the focus on the whole child was disappearing as educators focused solely on the cognitive aspects of their students. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of recently graduated high school students in an effort to determine if …

First-Year Seminar And Its Impact On Retention At A Small Liberal Arts College In South Carolina, Michael A. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

First-Year Seminar (FYS) courses have been the foundational building blocks for academic and nonacademic success for first-year college freshman since the late 1970s. With the focus on improving retention and persistence, FYS courses have been viewed as the resource that connects freshmen to the faculty, staff, student, and campus environment. Therefore, it is vital to see the impact that it has had on students and how it can further develop persistence through graduation. The researcher conducted this basic qualitative study to look for emerging themes of sophomore experience in the FYS courses and how that impacted their persistence and retention …

An Evaluation Of Programs And Leadership Practices For Effective Dropout Prevention, Nicole C. West

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This mixed-methods study explored a problem within dropout research which often fails to link characteristics of student subgroups with effective dropout interventions. Considering the characteristics identified in the literature of at-risk learners, the conceptual framework for this study combined the theory of self-efficacy and leadership with emphasis on servant leadership. The purpose of the study was to evaluate dropout intervention and prevention programs in two high schools by examining intervention and leadership practices for students at risk of dropping out of high school. Through causal-comparative and phenomenological approaches, this investigation focused on identifying dropout factors targeted in the intervention …

A Study Of The Association Of Teacher Efficacy And Students' Achievement In A North Texas School District, Ruth E. Schackmann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The field of education places great importance on measurable student achievement and the role of teaching competencies for maximizing success. Whereas much focus has been given to professional development and improving teachers’ skills, this quantitative study examined whether teachers' self-efficacy and judgment about their skills and capabilities were significantly associated with improving student achievement in third grade reading. This dissertation involved a study of teacher self-efficacy using a sample group of third grade English/Language Arts teachers from one Texas urban school district. Targeted teachers were invited to complete a valid and reliable teacher efficacy survey, the Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk Hoy …

Exploring The Challenges And Barriers Of Professional Practice Experience In Health Information Management Education, Darla D. Branda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Professional practice experience in health information management education provides students with the opportunity to apply theory to practice and prepare for the workforce. Yet, problems exist with placing and precepting students at healthcare organizations. The purpose of this study was to identify the challenges and barriers that preceptors have with placing and precepting students at their organizations. For this action research study, a qualitative multicase study was carried out. Data were collected from six participants using pre-interview surveys and interviews. The sample population included credentialed health information professionals currently working in acute care hospital settings with a recent history of …

Experiences That Support Persistence And Retention Of Latinx First-Generation College Students (Fgcs) At Community Colleges, Veronica Rios

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this instrumental case study was to describe experiences of successful Latinx first-generation college students that support persistence and retention toward graduation for Latinx first-generation college students at California community colleges. The study was framed using Tinto’s retention theory. Successful Latinx first-generation college students were defined as those who have attained graduation from a California community college. This study focused on Latinx first-generation college students not persisting toward graduation at California community colleges, a situation that extends to the national level. This case study included nine Latinx first-generation college students, and the researcher collected data through virtual semistructured …

Challenges Of Pastoral Leaders: Maintaining Resilience While Contemplating Transitioning Out Of Ministry, Benjamin A. Griffin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This study was based upon 40 years of observation of pastoral leaders who faced challenges that tested their resilience to remain in or transition out of full-time ministry. Those who were fortunate to navigate their way through these challenges were resilient in ministry or were able to move forward by becoming bivocational. Some went back to school and got secular degrees and sought jobs outside of their calling. While facing career identity challenges, pastors feared their ministerial skills were less viable in a secular context and were reluctant to make a transition. This study aimed to understand their resilience …

An Organization’S Ability To Improve Outsourcing Outcomes In Information Technology Outsourcing Initiatives By Increasing Organizational Knowledge: A Case Study, John Michael Mello

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem addressed in this study was the literature gap regarding how internal organizational knowledge can be increased effectively within outsourcing projects. The study was a qualitative social constructionist case study composed of senior technology leaders. The purpose this study addressed was to understand the current structure of technical outsourcing contracts and how future contracts could be structured to address the problem of this study. The research incorporated how a reconceptualized absorptive capacity model, sociocognitive theory, and digital leadership mindsets could improve knowledge transfer outcomes between a vendor and client. Research shows that increasing an organization’s knowledge during an outsourcing …

Traditional And Alternative Certification Programs And Their Effect On Elementary School Teachers’ Efficacy Beliefs In Title I And Non-Title I Schools, Rita Gale Sullivan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School districts across the United States face the challenges of teacher shortages and rely heavily on alternative certification programs to fill teaching positions. Over the last decade, researchers question the quality of fast-track teacher preparation programs compared to traditional educational paths. This quantitative, causal-comparative study examined two methods of obtaining teacher certification (traditional and alternative) and their impact on novice teacher self-efficacy levels in Title I and non-Title I schools. Elementary teachers with five years or less of experience, traditionally and alternatively certified, were asked 24 questions using the Likert-type Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale on student engagement, instructional practices, …

Understanding The Barriers East Texas Community College Students Experience In Transferring To A Regional University, Kelly Leigh Coke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a plethora of research available on students and the barriers they face in transferring to a university, such as transfer processes, articulations, pathways, 2+2 plans, institutional agents, and financial issues. However, in rural areas of Texas, little research is available on the barriers students endure in transferring from community colleges to four-year universities. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to determine the transfer barriers faced by a community college student population and the support services needed for their successful transfers to four-year universities. The framework that guided this study was transfer student capital and transfer shock. …

Critical Thinking In Law Enforcement Training Academies: A Phenomenological Study Of Officer Experiences, Billy J. Spruill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recently, law enforcement officer use of force incidents resulting in death has seemingly become more prevalent. Generally, the educational requirement for a law enforcement officer is a high school diploma or general education development degree. One must question if this requirement is sufficient for a law enforcement officer to be successful in a modern world as the law enforcement training academy may be the law enforcement officer’s only postsecondary education. Critical thinking is a needed skill identified by high-stress professions such as the military, nursing, and disaster management, yet there is limited study regarding critical thinking in law enforcement. The …

School Leaders And Exclusionary Practices: A Study Of Discretionary Daep Placements For Minority Special Education Students, Tiffany Laine Weiss

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study addressed the perceptions of assistant principals, counselors, and school district-level administrators about the overrepresentation of minority special education students in district alternative education placements. The purpose of this study was to examine the discipline practices at three middle school campuses in one 6A urban school district to understand minority special education students’ overrepresentation in discretionary district alternative education placements. The researcher conducted one-on-one interviews with assistant principals, counselors, one dean of students, one assistant superintendent, and one special education director. A document analysis and a data review were conducted to triangulate the results. The findings indicated that years …

Virtual Reality For Public Speaking Rehearsals: Student And Faculty Perceptions, Carrie A. Saltsman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Speeches and speech rehearsals are an important part of many basic communication courses. However, instructors are developing new ways for students to rehearse their speeches every day; one way may be for students to use virtual reality. Although virtual reality is somewhat of a new innovation, it is effective in various settings, including higher education, and more specifically, the speech classroom. However, this efficacy may not matter if students and instructors are unwilling to adopt it into the classroom. Diffusion of innovation theory, developed by Rogers (2003), focuses on how an innovation is diffused and adopted. Using two of the …

Examining The Experiences Of First-Generation College Students Attending A Christian University In The Southwestern United States, Thurmond Derrick Metters

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

First-generation college students (FGCS) face unique challenges that could negatively impact their college success. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of FGCS attending a Christian university in the southwestern United States. A second purpose of this study was to assess whether differences exist between White and non-White FGCS regarding racial and cultural inclusion, academic resources, socioeconomic status, isolation and loneliness, life experiences, sufficient academic resources and financial concerns. An independent sample t-test was conducted to compare the scores of gender and ethnicity of FGCS, and Levene’s test was conducted to assess the equality of variances …