Education Commons^™

Expanding Teacher Diversity And Learning Achievements: Understanding And Supporting The Teaching Career Decision Making Of Minoritized Students, Jannatul Anika

University Scholar Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore how college students of color who are considering (or have considered) the teaching profession describe the internal and external factors that are influencing their career decision. In Connecticut during the 2021-22 academic year, 89.9 percent of public school teachers identified as White, while Connecticut’s population of students of color is more than 45 percent. This project translated the observations and experiences around the lack of diversity in the teaching workforce and aimed to understand the underlying reasons why there is a shortage of teachers of color with the goal of recommending solutions. …

Incentivized Learning And Libraries: A Comparative Study Of Summer Reading Programs In Connecticut, Andrew Morrison

Honors Scholar Theses

With digital forms of entertainment and media more inescapable than ever, it has become increasingly difficult to encourage children and teens to read. Simultaneously, despite an overwhelming amount of literature demonstrating the educational benefits of reading, especially as a necessity in the summer between academic years, library budgets are shrinking as federal funding nears its end. How do libraries promote summer reading amidst declining interest and decreased funding? Using data from public libraries across Connecticut, this paper investigates how libraries are adapting their children's summer reading programs to a changing landscape, how programs are designed to incentivize reading without eliminating …

Analyzing The Mindsets And Behaviors Of Introductory Physics Students Through The Lens Of Intellectual Humility, Meagan Sundstrom

University Scholar Projects

Students often enter the physics classroom with intuitive conceptions drawn from real life experiences or former coursework, and may be hesitant or reluctant to re-evaluate these mindsets in favor of formally instructed knowledge. The goal of introductory physics courses is not only to teach and expose students to new content, but also to cultivate students’ ability to reason through and derive content knowledge through personal inquiry. This scientific process necessitates one’s abilities to be open-minded in terms of hearing evidence that contradicts his or her personal opinion, to be willing to discard any original misconceptions in the face of such …

Analyzing The Mindsets And Behaviors Of Introductory Physics Students Through The Lens Of Intellectual Humility, Meagan Sundstrom

Honors Scholar Theses

Students often enter the physics classroom with intuitive conceptions drawn from real life experiences or former coursework, and may be hesitant or reluctant to re-evaluate these mindsets in favor of formally instructed knowledge. The goal of introductory physics courses is not only to teach and expose students to new content, but also to cultivate students’ ability to reason through and derive content knowledge through personal inquiry. This scientific process necessitates one’s abilities to be open-minded in terms of hearing evidence that contradicts his or her personal opinion, to be willing to discard any original misconceptions in the face of such …

Underrepresentation Of Minorities In Gifted And Talented Programs: A Content Analysis Of Five District Program Plans, Jessica Stargardter

Honors Scholar Theses

Many educators and researchers recognize the issue of underrepresented minority groups in gifted and talented education programs. Since the landmark Supreme Court case Brown vs Board of Education in 1954, policies, laws, and standards have been attempting to establish equity in educational programs. This content analysis explores how select districts in the metropolitan region of Colorado align with the NAGC’s standard 2. The research showed that the majority of these districts followed NAGC’s standard 2, but the underrepresentation of minority groups within the metropolitan region of Colorado continued. National, state, and local districts need to do more to promote equity …

Green Chemistry As A Tool For Understanding The Toxic Substances Control Act: A Lecture Module For Undergraduate Students, Molly R. Blessing

Honors Scholar Theses

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is the central form of chemical regulation existent in the United States today, yet scientists are often unaware or uncertain of its provisions. Violations of TSCA by unknowing chemists set industry and government unnecessarily at odds. A lecture on TSCA was developed for undergraduate students that uses the concept of green chemistry to promote interest and incentivize learning. Green chemistry methods are cleaner and less wasteful than traditional chemical ones, and many companies using them are at the forefront of technological innovation. The lecture explains both green chemistry and TSCA, includes company case studies, …

Honors Retention: The Persistence Of Juniors And Seniors In The Honors Program Through Examination Of Commitment To Completion Of Honors Thesis, Amy A. Holland

Honors Scholar Theses

The goal of the Honors Program is to engage intellectually stimulated students in a unique, challenging experience culminating in the writing of an undergraduate thesis, a piece of scholarly work. The four elements to the mission of the Honors Program include challenging academics, a scholarly environment, a supportive community, and on-campus engagement. This study conducted a qualitative assessment of the Honors Program through written questionnaires and oral interviews of ten juniors or seniors either completing an Honors Thesis or not committed to the Thesis. This research did not find significant differences between these two groups due in part to small …

Depicting Estimates Using The Intercept In Meta-Regression Models: The Moving Constant Technique, Blair T. Johnson Dr., Tania B. Huedo-Medina Dr.

CHIP Documents

In any scientific discipline, the ability to portray research patterns graphically often aids greatly in interpreting a phenomenon. In part to depict phenomena, the statistics and capabilities of meta-analytic models have grown increasingly sophisticated. Accordingly, this article details how to move the constant in weighted meta-analysis regression models (viz. “meta-regression”) to illuminate the patterns in such models across a range of complexities. Although it is commonly ignored in practice, the constant (or intercept) in such models can be indispensible when it is not relegated to its usual static role. The moving constant technique makes possible estimates and confidence intervals at …

Dropouts To Diplomas: Closing The Attainment Gap In Connecticut High Schools, Richard A. Wilson

Research Papers

The Connecticut Advisory Committee submits this report, Dropouts to Diplomas: Closing the Attainment Gap in Connecticut High Schools, as part of its responsibility to advise the Commission on civil rights issues in Connecticut. Based on the briefings, the Connecticut Advisory Committee offers this report and findings and recommendations with the aim of improving high school graduation rates in economically disadvantaged school districts and across the state. In distilling best practices, the report focuses on school culture, school leadership, teacher evaluation, teacher retention, parental involvement, data collection, English language learners, and the General Educational Development test.

The Relationship Of Student Demographics To 10th Grade Mcas Test Anxiety, Peggy Mccaleb-Kahan, Rolfe Wenner

NERA Conference Proceedings 2009

The intensification of consequential testing situations is associated with an increase in anxiety among American students (Casbarro, 2005). Test anxiety can have negative effects on student test performance (Everson, Millsap, & Rodriguez, 1991). If test anxiety has the potential to decrease students’ test scores, it becomes a factor that can threaten the validity of any inferences drawn between test scores and student progress (Cizek & Burg, 2006).

There are several factors that relate closely to test anxiety (Cizek & Burg, 2006). Variables of key influence include gender, socioeconomic status, and teacher-manifested anxiety (Hembree, 1988). Another influence upon test anxiety is …

Constructed Response Answers In A Multiple-Choice Universe, Carl W. David

Chemistry Education Materials

A scheme is introduced which allows computer readable multiple choice forms used in traditional examinations to be employed for constructed response items.

Multiple-Choice Testing In Science And Technology Courses, Carl W. David

Chemistry Education Materials

Wide spread and continuing use of multiple-choice testing in technical subjects is leading to a mindset amongst students which is antithetical with actual use of intellect.

Measuring Teachers’ Perceptions Of Grading Practices: Does School Level Make A Difference?, Xing Liu

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

The effectiveness of classroom assessment and grading practices has become an increasingly important research topic in education. However, previous research had no consensus on whether school level had an effect on teachers’ grading practices. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether middle and high school teachers differ in regard to ratings of the importance and usefulness of grading practices, teachers’ perceived self-efficacy of the grading process, and the degree to which factors such as student effort, ability and teachers’ personal grading habits affect their grading decisions. A total of 107 secondary school teachers participated in this study …

Assessing Measurement Invariance Of The Teachers’ Perceptions Of Grading Practices Scale Across Cultures, Xing Liu

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

In a cross-cultural study, it is crucial to understand whether items and the factorial structure of a survey instrument are equivalent across different cultural groups, because items might mean differently to different population groups, and thus the factorial structure of the measurement instrument might not hold across groups. The purpose of this study was to investigate the measurement invariance of the Teachers’ Perceptions of Grading Practices Scale (TPGP) across the U.S. and China using structural equation modeling. In particular, this study was designed to examine whether items and the factorial structure of the TPGP scale were equivalent across the two …

Development Of An Instrument To Measure University Students' Social Ties And Social Distance With A Particular Focus On Racial And Ethnic Diversity, Vanessa E. Kass

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

The opportunities for students to create and maintain friendships with individuals whose experiences and cultures differ from their own is steadily increasing. A survey designed to measure students' social ties and social distance was administered to one hundred eighty-two university students. Statistical analysis reveals that students who are more comfortable with people from a different race or ethnicity are more likely to interact with diverse groups. Additionally students are more likely to interact with diverse groups in the classroom than in purely social situations. These findings influence the types of interactions that create meaningful and long-lasting relationships among diverse groups.

Using A Longitudinal Data Mart To Examine The Effects Of Student Mobility On Test Performance Over Time, Richard F. Mooney, Barbara Q. Beaudin

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

Our analysis shows how a longitudinal data mart can provide a simple and effective way to analyze student test performance over time. Our data mart in this case is a mega-table compiled from several years of archival student-level test data, where we have modified all of the fields so that they have a common meaning over time. Using this longitudinal data base we then compared the performance statistics and effect sizes of test results in math and reading on the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) series for grades 4, 6 and 8 and on the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) in …

A Confirmatory Factor Analytic Study Examining The Dimensionality Of Educational Achievement Tests, Nina Deng, Craig Wells, Ronald Hambleton

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

It is important to check the fundamental assumption of most popular Item Response Theory models, unidimensionality. However, it is hard for educational and psychological tests to be strictly unidimensional. The tests studied in this paper are from a standardized high-stake testing program. They feature potential multidimensionality by presenting various item types and item sets. Confirmatory factor analyses with one-factor and bifactor models, and based on both linear structural equation modeling approach and nonlinear IRT approach were conducted. The competing models were compared and the implications of the bifactor model for checking essential unidimensionality were discussed.

The Relationship Between Ap English Language Performance And College Outcomes, Xinhui Xiong, K. D. Mattern, E. J. Shaw

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

This study focused on the relationship between students’ Advanced Placement (AP) English language performance and their subsequent college success. Targeted students were divided into three groups according to their AP English Language performance. Subsequent college success was measured by students’ first-year college GPA, retention to the second year, and institutional selectivity. The demographic characteristics of the three AP performance groups with regard to gender, ethnicity, and best language spoken are provided. Results indicated that, after controlling for students’ SAT scores as a measure of prior academic performance, AP English Language performance was positively related to all three measures of college …

A Validation Of The Collaborative Alternative Magnet School For Leadership (Cams) Student Survey, Wei Xia, Mary E. Yakimowski, Maureen Bransfield, Carolyn Mcnally

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

The Collaborative Alternative Magnet School for Leadership (CAMS) Student Survey is intended to assess students' leadership development and skills. The survey was originally adapted by the Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES) from Connecticut's Common Core of Learning, and was recently revised and used by CAMS. There are four basic aspects in the CAMS Student Survey: responsibility, persistence, respect for culture diversity, and sense of community. In this paper, the authors write about the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) that was conducted to explore the factor structure of the survey, and also report the reliability analysis results. Recommendations are provided about further …

Measuring Middle School Achievement Growth With Student Growth Percentile Methodology, Rachel Slaughter

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

This study examined reading and mathematics achievement growth for middle school students over three years using statewide test scores using student growth percentile methodology (Betebenner, 2008). This newly-emerging growth methodology provides a basis for examining growth normatively (“what is”) in order to provide a foundation for policies about adequate growth (“what should be”) and excellent growth (“what could be”). Growth is compared among student subgroups and different middle schools. A particular focus of the study is identifying typical growth trajectories of low-achieving 6th graders through the middle school years.