Education Commons^™

Determining The Difference Between Nebraska Administrators’ And Nebraska Secondary English Teachers’ Perception Of The Teacher Evaluation, Michael Scott Musil

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to determine the difference between Nebraska administrators’ and Nebraska secondary English teachers’ perceptions of the teacher evaluation. The study explored teacher and administrator perceptions of the teacher-evaluation process as it relates to Nebraska secondary English teachers. Teachers and administrators from across the state of Nebraska had equal opportunity to participate in this study.

Both groups of teachers and administrators responded by Likert scale to 42 online statements arranged by theme about their experiences regarding the teacher-evaluation process. Participants aggregated themselves by geography, school size, gender, experience, and socioeconomic status of students. Quantitative data was …

Middle School Student Perceptions Of Homework In Mathematics, Camille M. Thomas

Honors Scholar Theses

Homework has been a source of debate in schools for the past several decades and will continue to be an important topic in the future. It is a traditional part of education but some debate its importance in the classroom. This study explored student perception of homework and their reported performance in middle school mathematics. The research questions focused on student attitudes about homework, the relationship of students’ self-efficacy and support resources to their homework completion, and the relationship of students’ general level of achievement in mathematics to their attitudes about homework. The study involved a survey of 230 middle …

The Senior Year Transition, Catherine E. Long

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This research focuses on how college seniors emotionally and mentally experience their final year of college. The senior year experience should be a time of reflection and closure of their undergraduate experience. The students in this study identified how types of involvement led them to self-reflection and recognize individual strengths and outcomes that prepared them for their post-graduate lives. By capturing these students’ voices through their experiences the research examined the need for all-inclusive support during the senior year transition. The data provides implications for programming and services, with the intent to facilitate reflection and closure.

Adviser: Debra Mullen

Comparing The Perceptions Of Inclusion Between General Education And Special Education Teachers, Debra Bruster

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This causal-comparative, quantitative study compared the perceptions of inclusion of students with disabilities in the mainstream classroom that are held by high school general education teachers and high school special education teachers that teach in inclusive settings. The study determined there is a difference between the perceptions of inclusive education between teachers with different teaching assignments. Special education teachers were clearly more positive than general education teachers about the inclusion of students with disabilities, the influence of students with disabilities on the general education classroom and its students, and the management of behavior in the inclusive classroom. There was no …

Working Towards School Goals At Lion Elementary: A Phenomenological Study, Benjamin Butcher

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological study was to understand the perspectives of educators regarding school goals at Lion Elementary. Perspectives concerning school goals were generally defined as the importance of competing priorities as described by participants. This research can inform educators about whether perspectives regarding school goals were aligned, and provide insight regarding the reasons behind similarities and differences by having considered several questions: (a) What were the perceptions of the principal and teachers regarding school goal priorities? (b) What were the main challenges they perceived for meeting school goals? (c) What factors contributed toward schools successfully meeting goals? …

A Cross-National Comparison Of School Students' Perceptions Regarding High Performing Peers, Hyerim Oh, Margaret Sutherland, Niamh Stack, Maria Del Mar Badia Martín, Sheyla Blumen, Anh-Thu Nguyen Quoc, Catherine M. Wormald, Julie Maakrun, Barbara Baier, Martha Schmidt, Albert Ziegler

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This cross-national scenario based study examined fourth-grade students' perceptions of high-performing classmates in terms of their expected intellectual abilities, positive social qualities and popularity among their peers across seven countries. The overall results show that high academic achievements predominantly lead to positive expectations within the peer group. However, pronounced differences were found between the countries. The results indicated that students from Spanish-speaking countries viewed their potential high-performing peers most favorably, followed by students from Australia, the United Kingdom and Germany. The least favorable expectations, but by no means negative attitude, were exhibited by students from the two East-Asian countries Korea …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of Exercise Mental Toughness: Perceptions Of Exercise Leaders And Regular Exercisers, Lee Crust, Christian F. Swann, Jacquelyn Allen-Collinson, Jeff Breckon, Robert Weinberg

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Although elite sport has provided an ideal context for exploring mental toughness (MT), currently, there is scant research examining how this construct might be equally applicable in exercise settings, where high rates of attrition have been reported. The present research, therefore, aimed to address this gap, and to understand and conceptualise exercise mental toughness (EMT) through in-depth phenomenological interviews with a range of exercise leaders and exercise participants. Seven qualified and experienced exercise leaders and seven regular and frequent exercisers from formal exercise environments (i.e. gym and fitness classes) were interviewed. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed independently …

Stakeholder Perceptions Of Ielts As A Gateway To The Professional Workplace: The Case Of Employers Of Overseas Trained Teachers, Jill Murray, Judie Cross, Kenneth E. Cruickshank

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper reports on a qualitative study which explored stakeholder perceptions of the IELTS test as a gateway to the professional workplace for teachers in Australia and New Zealand. The goal of this study was to research perceptions of school principals as regards teachers who have entered the profession through IELTS or other English language proficiency test pathways and how the changing language demands of teaching may have impacted on these perceptions. Three research questions were addressed, with data for the study collected from 21 principals through their participation in one-to-one interviews and/or face-to-face focus groups. Five IELTS sample Speaking …

Exploring The Participation Of First In Family Students In University With Particular Reference To How This Impacts Upon Intergenerational Choices Around, And Perceptions Of, Higher Education, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract of a paper presented at The Forum for Access and Continuing Education's (FACE) 21st Annual Conference, 2-4 July 2014, Salford, United Kingdom

Measuring Students' Perceptions Of Plagiarism: Modification And Rasch Validation Of A Plagiarism Attitude Scale, Steven J. Howard, John F. Ehrich, Russell Walton

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Plagiarism is a significant area of concern in higher education, given university students' high self-reported rates of plagiarism. However, research remains inconsistent in prevalence estimates and suggested precursors of plagiarism. This may be a function of the unclear psychometric properties of the measurement tools adopted. To investigate this, we modified an existing plagiarism scale (to broaden its scope), established its psychometric properties using traditional (EFA, Cronbach's alpha) and modern (Rasch analysis) survey evaluation approaches, and examined results of well-functioning items. Results indicated that traditional and modern psychometric approaches differed in their recommendations. Further, responses indicated that although most respondents acknowledged …

Technology And Engineering Education Doctoral Students' Perceptions Of Their Profession, Gene Martin, John Ritz, Michael Kosloski

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The growth and vitality of both technology and engineering education professions rely on the quality of contributions of its new and emerging leaders. Many of these leaders are currently enrolled students in doctoral programs. These students will be challenged to assume leadership roles in which they are not currently engaged (Ehrenberg, Jakubson, Groen, So, & Price, 2007). Some students may choose to focus their careers in developing new curricula; some will become active in grant writing and grant procurement some will choose to serve as officers in their professional organizations; and others will contribute to the body of literature in …

Novice, Rural New York State Teacher Perceptions Of Their Classroom Management And How These Perceptions Affect Their Job Satisfaction And Retention, Shawn Bielicki

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative phenomenological inquiry listened to the voices of five novice teachers from a rural area in New York about their encounters with classroom management and their perceptions of job satisfaction and retention. Data were triangulated through the use of four audio recordings, an online focus group featuring two online discussion board topics and two online discussion board replies, and two individual phone interviews per participant. Data analysis resulted in nine emerged themes. Findings indicated that participants felt (a) experience was necessary to succeed; (b) issues with classroom management are part of the job; (c) approaches to classroom management were …