Education Commons^™

Experiences And Perceptions Of Instructional Lead Teachers On Improving Teacher Quality, Maryam Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research suggests that instructional coaching enhances a teacher’s instructional quality thereby improving students’ chances for academic success. Instructional Lead Teachers (ILTs) are positioned within a Northeastern school district to improve instructional quality via a coaching paradigm; however, it is unclear how ILTs influence teachers’ instructional practices. The purpose of this bounded multisite qualitative case study was to explore the perspectives of ILTs regarding their instructional support responsibilities and practices in improving instructional quality. Grounded in Bandura’s social cognitive theory, the research questions addressed ILT perspectives of their influence on teachers’ instructional practices and identified supports ILTs need to increase their …

Evidence-Based End-Of-Life Care Education For Intensive Care Nurses, Kimberly Ann Hare

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Most nurses have limited education on end-of-life care (EoLC), which can affect their ability to provide care to meet the needs of the dying patient. Nurses in a critical care unit in a hospital in the Southeastern United States lacked education on EoLC for their patients. The purpose of this study was to develop a project guided by Kolcaba’s theory on caring. The staff education project addressed the attitudes and knowledge of 36 nurses before and after an educational presentation on EoLC. Data were analyzed descriptively. Results indicated that 56% of the staff nurses had never received prior education on …

Incorporating Twitter In The Clinical Supervision Process: Perceptions Of Secondary School Level Supervisors, Paula Abiola Willis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Collaborative supervision and social media in education have been the focus of many studies, yet research on incorporating Twitter into clinical supervision is limited. Secondary school level supervisors need to learn and understand educational opportunities when using collaborative supervision incorporating online support. This study explored the perceptions of secondary school level supervisors on using Twitter to collaborate with teachers in the clinical supervision process. Siemen’s theory of connectivism and Cogan’s clinical supervision model framed the study. The research questions explored the perceptions of secondary school level supervisors regarding the use of Twitter for collaborating with teachers during the clinical supervision …

Perceptions Of Administrators And Teachers As Facilitators Of Students’ Socioemotional Learning, Crystal January

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Current conditions in the United States have resulted in an increasing number of middle and high school students experiencing trauma. To improve positive learning environments and graduation rates, a Southern school district transitioned from punitive, exclusionary consequences to restorative practices such as socioemotional learning (SEL). A bounded qualitative case study was used to explore the perceptions of administrators and teachers regarding teachers’ facilitation of SEL, the most effective strategies to facilitate SEL, and teacher preparedness to facilitate SEL. The study was guided by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning framework. Data were collected from 5 teachers and 3 …

Relationship Between Skepticism And Nursing Experiences When Treating Chronic Noncancer Pain Patients, Emily Jabour

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Chronic pain is common, costly, challenging to manage, and affects patients’ quality of life. High confidence is placed in the nurses caring these patients. Nurses displaying skepticism or doubt about patients’ motives for seeking pain treatment contribute to the challenges of effective pain management. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there was a relationship among the nurses’ professional skepticism, level of compassion, and years of experience during the treatment of chronic noncancer pain patients in the acute care setting. The communications model of pain guided the understanding of factors influencing nursing treatment of this patient population. …

Perceptions Of White Mountain Apache High School Graduates About College, Tyler Rush Bangert

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Very few high school graduates from the White Mountain Apache Reservation go on to college, and it is not known what perceptions may contribute to a decision not to attend college. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study is to investigate these perceptions, including cultural values and family obligations. The framework of this study is founded on Tribal Critical Race Theory, also known as TribalCrit, which came out of Critical Race Theory (CRT). TribalCrit posits that colonization (Western European peoples colonizing Native American lands and peoples) is endemic in society. Seventeen White Mountain Apache tribal members who had graduated …

Culturally Responsive Leadership And Distributed Leadership Practices In A Stem School, Cynthia Bradley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Culturally responsive leadership practices and distributed leadership are strategies that could aid racially diverse students to become successful in STEM courses and later in a STEM field. The purpose of this study was to explore culturally responsive leadership practices and distributed leadership within a STEM school to support racially diverse students. Distributed leadership and culturally responsive leadership practices were the conceptual frameworks of the study used to explore the rationale for the decision-making within a school. The research questions addressed the challenges and opportunities of implementing culturally responsive leadership practices and distributive leadership to enhance the diversity of students in …

Prekindergarten Educators' Perspectives On Professional Development About Transgender And Gender-Nonconforming Children, Danita Marie Norris Mccray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Young children start to develop an understanding of gender and gender identity in prekindergarten. Early childhood educators require professional development in creating safe, supportive learning environments for transgender and gender nonconforming children. Limited research has focused on prekindergarten educators' knowledge, skills, and dispositions about supporting transgender and gender nonconforming children in their classrooms. Framed by Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems theory and Derman-Sparks antibias early childhood concepts, the purpose of this basic qualitative study with interviews was to explore prekindergarten educators' perspectives on professional development about transgender and gender nonconforming children. Data were collected using semistructured, in-depth interviews with 12 prekindergarten educators …

Increasing Reading Skills For Students With Intellectual Disabilities Through Lively Letters, Barbara Ann Forney-Misuraca

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

All students can learn how to read, but students with intellectual disabilities (ID) often learn at a slower rate than their peers without disabilities. The purpose of this quantitative, pretest-posttest study design was to analyze whether Lively Letters (LL), a researched-based program, was a useful tool for teaching students with ID to read by using a multisensory approach. The two main theories used were Bandura’s social cognitive theory, also known as social learning theory, and Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning. Sixty-eight students participated in a self-contained program. The students’ phonological skills (PA) skills were measured before and after the …

Prekindergarten Practitioners’ Perspectives Of The Creative Curriculum For At-Risk Students, Navine Fortune

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Investigators have addressed elementary practitioners’ perspectives concerning the concept of curriculum development and children’s learning; however, much less information is available on prekindergarten practitioners’ perspectives of curriculum for at-risk prekindergarten students. This basic qualitative study explored prekindergarten practitioners’ perspectives of self-efficacy, competence, and motivation in the implementation of The Creative Curriculum for Preschool Program with at-risk students in a southeastern state. The theories of constructivism and self-efficacy guided the conceptual framework for this study. The research questions focused on prekindergarten practitioners’ perspectives of self-efficacy, competency, and motivation during implementation of the curriculum. Data were collected using in-depth semistructured interviews with …

Third Grade Math Teachers’ Perceptions Of Their Preparedness To Teach The Standards For The Staar Math Test, Diana L. Everman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teacher professional development (PD) is acknowledged as an effective approach for changing teachers’ beliefs, practices, and behaviors to raise student academic achievement. A rural school district identified that 3rd grade math teachers felt inadequately prepared to teach the College and Career Readiness and Academic Standards (CCRS) standards for the state math assessment (STAAR). The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore third grade math teachers’ perceptions of their preparedness to meet the demands of the new third grade STAAR math test. Vygotsky’s constructivist theory from an adult learning perspective and Bandura’s self-efficacy theory guided the study. The research …

Effects Of A Developmental English Program Redesign On Underprepared Students’ Academic Success, Susan Jean Konantz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The study explored first-year composition (FYC) success by students who were initially enrolled in developmental English at a public university in the western United States. The study site redesigned its developmental English program to increase time to completion and completion rates of FYC and minimize time to completion of that course by developmental students, yet no evaluation had been conducted to determine the effects of the redesigned program. The framework that supported this study was Adelman’s theory of academic momentum. Using a quantitative nonexperimental, causal-comparative design and census sample, the research question explored two dimensions of FYC completion, including (a) …

Retail Business Leaders’ Strategies To Increase Employee Engagement And Workforce Productivity, Sada Hye Jaman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Retail leaders face increased performance challenges due to disengaged employees. Disengaged employees cost United States’ organizations $77 billion to $96 billion in lost revenue annually. Grounded in the transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies retail leaders use to improve employee engagement and increase workforce productivity. Data were gathered from semistructured, face-to-face interviews using open-ended questions with 4 retail business leaders in the eastern region of the United States who effectively used strategies to engage sales associates and increase workforce productivity. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis through inductive coding of phrases …

Parent Home-Based Literacy Activities With Third-Grade Students, Erin Antionette Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a widening reading achievement gap for third grade students in a southern state as indicated by declining reading achievement scores of third-grade students on the state standardized assessment over the last few years. The problem in the local setting is that little is known about how the local school district includes home-based literacy activities as an aid to improve literacy instruction and student achievement. The purpose of this descriptive case study was to explore ways that home-based literacy instruction is currently implemented in the local setting and to capture how parents’ experience this instructional partnership. The conceptual framework …

Associations Between Developmental English Models And College Students’ Completion And Persistence, Deanna Lynn Surfus

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Midwest Community College (a pseudonym) students who do not score high enough in reading and writing on an assessment must take an integrated reading and writing (IRW) developmental English (DEng) course. The college transitioned most of its IRW courses from stand-alone courses, grounded in Vygotsky’s scaffolding concept where students first take IRW and then the first-semester English course (ENGL 100), to a corequisite model, grounded in a modification of Tinto’s theory of persistence, in which students take the IRW course concurrently with ENGL 100. Even with the corequisite model, too many students are not passing ENGL 100. The purpose of …

Perceptions And Experiences Of Nontraditional Undergraduate Students, Erica Beatrice Wattley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nontraditional undergraduate students have had a high attrition rate over the course of a 4-year program at a for-profit northeastern university. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions and experiences of nontraditional undergraduate dropout students about the influence of academic difficulties, social life, and unresolved educational and occupational goals on leaving the university before graduating. The conceptual framework was guided by Tinto’s model of student persistence. The research questions focused on nontraditional undergraduate student perceptions and experiences of academic difficulties, social life, and unresolved goals. A basic qualitative study design was used to capture the insights of …

Predictive Relationship Between Mathematics Pathways And Success Indicators At A Community College, Anthony Raynard Wilkinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

College algebra, a gateway course, has had the lowest passing rate for students of any freshman course. While research exists on the implementation of quantitative reasoning at 4-year institutions, little understanding exists on whether different mathematical pathways predict non-Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (non-STEM) student mathematics success indicators. This study’s purpose was to determine if mathematics pathways (college algebra or quantitative reasoning) predict non-STEM student mathematics success indicators such as course retention, course passage, continuation to one semester after mathematics course passage, graduation within 1 year, and transfer-out within one semester after mathematics course completion while controlling for preexisting knowledge. …

Outcomes Of A School-Wide Mathematics Intervention, Lisa M. Garrett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In response to students’ poor algebra achievement, Midtown High School, a pseudonym, implemented a school-wide math intervention and enrichment program during the 2014-2015 school year. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to assess the influence of the intervention on Algebra I and Algebra II end-of-course (EOC) exam achievement scores as well as explore math teachers’ perspectives of the intervention program. The theoretical foundation was constructivism. A consensus sample using archival data from all 419 high school students taking Algebra before the intervention 2013-2014 and after the intervention 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 were used with teacher interviews for triangulation. ANOVA results …

Project-Based Learning Implementation In Elementary School, Vehia Goo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Project-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered approach that has been required by state and school-level leadership, but the teachers have not received formal training before implementing it in their classes. This study explored the perception of current PBL implementation among teachers and administrators at an urban elementary school, focusing specifically on fidelity and adaptations. The research questions guiding this study asked what administrators perceive as the intent of PBL instruction and what teachers perceive as the nature of implementation in their classrooms. This qualitative exploratory case study included an analysis of data from interviews, observations, and the relevant documents of …

Implementing Cloud-Based Enterprise Resource Planning Solutions In Small And Medium Enterprises, Ali Hamdar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lacking strategies to implement a cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can lead to a failed implementation. SME owners can improve company performance by integrating company processes by successfully implementing a cloud-based ERP solution. Grounded in the diffusion of innovation theory augmented with business process management design for Six Sigma, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies SME owners use to implement cloud-based ERP solutions. The participants consisted of 4 SME owners in Lebanon who successfully implemented a cloud-based ERP solution and improved company performance and growth. Data were …

Peer-To-Peer E-Learning And Professional Practices Of First-Year Teachers, Brian Keith Green

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students are at an academic disadvantage by having first-year teachers who lack the necessary professional practices and teaching skills. Education leaders need ways to improve professional practice deficits of first-year teachers to address the inequities professional practice deficiencies cause. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental study was to examine the professional practice differences of first-year teachers who participated in peer-to-peer e-learning to those who did not receive similar training. Participants of this study included first-year teachers (n = 28) who participated in peer-to-peer e-learning throughout their first year of teaching compared to a historical cohort of first-year teachers (n = …

Retaining Teachers Rated As Effective In Title I Schools, Jessica Nicole Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teacher retention and continuity are important for students, particularly for those in middle- to high-poverty, low-achieving schools. There is a gap in practice related to providing support for and overcoming barriers to the retention of teachers rated as effective, particularly keeping them with students with socioeconomic and academic need. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of leaders in Title I schools to understand better the elements and support they identify for retaining teachers rated as effective. Bruner's work explaining how needs, motivations, and expectations influence perceptions informed the study. Research questions were designed to …

Teachers’ Experiences Addressing Students’ Trauma-Related Behavior In The Classroom, Amanda Lynn Henry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Trauma is not something the untrained eye can see; it can be described as a silent issue, but the effects of trauma are seen in society. Research about trauma has focused on the perspective of the student and not the interaction between the teacher and the student. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore classroom teachers’ perceptions and experiences with addressing students’ trauma-related behavior. The theoretical foundation was trauma theory. Data were collected through questionnaires and in-person interviews with teachers and administrators who work in Southwest Pennsylvania. There were a total of 13 participants. Descriptive coding was …

Emotional Behavioral Disability Students: How Emotional-Social Intelligence Empowers Mainstream Elementary Teachers, Christopher J. Hanna

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A district in Southwestern Pennsylvania was experiencing disruptive behaviors with students with emotional behavioral disabilities in the elementary mainstream classroom. Grounded in the Bar-On 10-factor structure emotional-social intelligence model, the purpose of the study was to gain understanding of how emotional-social intelligence competency empowered regular-education teachers to maintain positive relationships with students with emotional behavioral disabilities. The qualitative naturalist-constructionist research approach involved implementing the responsive interview technique for data collection. The study involved purposeful sampling for participant recruitment for 10 elementary regular-education teachers. The elementary teachers who taught first through fifth grades were observed by their building principals as maintaining …

Administrators' Conceptions Of Corporal Punishment On Elementary School Students, Betty Jean Marshall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a considerable gap in practice between research on the negative aspects of corporal punishment and its continued use by public school administrators on elementary school students in educational settings. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenographic study was to understand the conceptions of administrators’ practices specific to the use of corporal punishment in public elementary schools. The research questions addressed the conceptions of administrators about the efficacy of corporal punishment and the infliction of physical punishment in 4 elementary schools in the southeastern United States. Bandura’s social learning theory and Hirschi’s social control theory were used to form the …

Mental Health Needs In Schools As Predictors Of Burnout In School Counselors, Sondra Junek

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have found an increasing number of students with mental health issues, and

school counselors are often the first resource available to students. School counselors are

faced with many job duties including supporting students’ academic, career, and

emotional needs. Maintaining these duties of school counseling can increase stress and

lead to burnout. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine mental health

needs, mental health knowledge, and mental health skills as predictors of each of the

three subscales of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal

accomplishment) among early, middle, and late career school counselors. Lazarus and

Folkman’s transactional theory …

Examining Predictors Of Birth Outcomes: Implications For Early Childhood Development And Policy, Cissy Lee Mattingly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While the infant mortality rate has improved significantly in the United States in recent years, a Black-White disparity persists. The problem is the high infant mortality rate in the state of Texas. The purpose of this quantitative multiple logistic regression study was to examine disparities in birth outcomes in the state of Texas by race, ethnicity, and other significant predictors related to socioeconomic status. The Mosley-Chen theoretical framework bridges the gap between social science and biomedicine to identify key predictors of infant mortality including socioeconomic factors for studies in child development. The 2 research questions examined if race and ethnicity …

Instructor Perspectives On Case-Based Learning And Student Engagement In Occupational Therapy Curriculums, Pamela Lewis-Kipkulei

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students who are not engaged in the classroom become clinicians who are not successful in clinicals and entry-level work. This prompted occupational therapy (OT) educators to explore active teaching and learning strategies that have proven successful in various professional programs. This study explored OT instructors’ perceptions and experiences of case-based learning (CBL). This single case, qualitative study utilized content and thematic analysis to analyze interviews, brainstorming activities, and reflective journals from eight participants. Participants were OT professors who utilized CBL strategies. First and second cycle coding was used to categorize data then codes were reviewed for emerging themes. Content analysis …

Elementary Content Teacher Perceptions Regarding Their Ell Instructional Practices, Collier Wesley Owens

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Instructional practices of elementary content teachers of English language learners (ELLs) and their alignment with improved ELL academic performance need to be explored. The purpose of this case study was to explore the instructional practices of elementary teachers of ELLs and how those practices are perceived by the teachers to be aligned with improved ELL academic performance. The study is grounded in Ladson-Billings’ theory of culturally relevant pedagogy which holds that student academic achievement and cultural identity should be affirmed. The research questions focused on exploring instructional practices used by teachers to support ELL learning and the teachers’ perceptions regarding …

Leadership Experiences Of Secondary School Principals In Trinidad And Tobago, Asha Ramraj-Sookdeo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Meeting the leadership needs of principals poses a challenge globally. This problem is exaggerated in Trinidad and Tobago, as certification in leadership is not a requirement to become a principal. Additionally, the lack of empirical data about principal leadership in this country poses a major challenge in developing principals. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological qualitative study was to explore principal leadership in secondary schools in this context. The conceptual lens incorporated Neumerski’s angle on instructional leadership theory developed from Hallinger’s model and Theoharis’s social justice leadership theory. The research questions addressed the nature of the principals’ leadership experiences in …