Education Commons^™

Assessing The Academic Impact Of Two Adaptive Learning Technology Math Programs Using Hattie’S Visible Learning Theory, Charles C. Swan

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This quantitative study examined the academic impact of two adaptive learning technology math programs (Espark and iXL) alongside the social validity of teachers in a rural western Maine school district who used the program in their classrooms. Using Hattie’s Visible Learning Theory (2008) as the theoretical framework, the study tested two different hypotheses. The first hypothesis stated that both Espark and iXL would have an effect size of .40 or greater when the pre and post tests were compared. The study used the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) assessment for its pre and post assessment because it is a nationally normed …

Mindfully Organizing Collective Teacher Efficacy: A Case Study Of Efficacious Educator Teams, Bruce "B.C." Preston

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Collective teacher efficacy (CTE) has well documented positive effects on student outcomes (Goddard et al., 2017), teacher job satisfaction (Buonomo et al., 2020), and educator persistence (Guidetti et al., 2018) in the face of challenging tasks. Characterized by the collective belief in the group’s capability to successfully accomplish tasks associated with their professional practice (Donohoo, 2018), what influences group efficacy belief formation remains an underdeveloped area of academic and practical understanding (Tschannen-Moran et al., 2014). To better understand the influences that shape CTE beliefs, and how those influences contribute to the known sources of CTE, a multiple–case study design was …

The Lack Of Representation In Leadership At Predominantly White Institutions In The United States: A Qualitative Analysis On The Executive Leadership Pathway For African American Males, Eric Pulley

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This qualitative phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of Black men in the United States who have overcome barriers to advance to leadership positions at predominantly White institutions (PWI). The qualitative phenomenological approach was used to examine three research questions that addressed the factors that encouraged Black men on their paths to pursue executive leadership positions, the obstacles they encountered, and how identifying as a Black male at a PWI affected their career pursuits. Social support theory (SST) guided the theorical framework and critical race theory (CRT) guided the conceptional framework. Interviews from six participants were used. During the interviews, …

The Perceptions Of School Psychologists Regarding The Disproportionality In Special Education For Students Of Color: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Jessica Ann Marshall

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Racial disproportionality in special education has been a problem of practice since Dunn called attention to it in 1968. Research has demonstrated the adverse effects on students including stigma, labeling, reduced access to high-quality educational opportunities, restrictive settings, and lower expectations and educational outcomes. Little research on disproportionality has examined how individual characteristics and societal factors intersect with specific school variables and contexts. Using disability critical race theory as a lens for exploration, this qualitative phenomenological study examined the phenomenon of disproportionality situated within a specific context to uncover how local factors may contribute to the incidence of disproportionality. Seven …

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Public High School Teachers And Instructional Coaches Participating In Virtual Instructional Coaching During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Alyson J. Manion

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The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of public high school teachers (grades 9-12) and instructional coaches who have participated in virtual instructional coaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three research questions guided this study: (1) How do public high school teachers and instructional coaches describe their experience with virtual instructional coaching during the COVID-19 pandemic?, (2) How do public high school teachers and instructional coaches describe the changes in instructional coaching experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic?, and (3) How do public high school teachers and instructional coaches describe their relationships with their instructional coaching …

How Canadian School Leaders Perceive Their Capacity To Foster Culturally Responsive School Practices To Influence Student Outcomes, Heather Saunders

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Despite numerous studies on race relations and racism in Canada, there is a relative paucity of research on school leaders’ perceptions of cultural responsiveness in the Canadian educational system. Racial diversity among students enrolled in Canadian schools has increased dramatically over the last few decades. The diversity gap between a racialized student population and White school leaders continues to widen, with more than 95% of Canadian school leaders being White (Turner, 2015). The primary objective of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore school leaders’ perceptions of how culturally responsive practices improve student outcomes. This study was guided by the …

Educators’ Perceptions Of The Universal Design For Learning Framework In Support Of Economically Disadvantaged Third And Fourth Grade Students, Luke Callahan

All Theses And Dissertations

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a set of principles that provides an innovative curriculum and instructional design framework. By eliminating learning barriers across a wide range of learner variations, UDL implementation can enhance teaching and learning. This study explored the perceptions of a sample of third and fourth-grade school teachers in a suburban school district outside of Boston, Massachusetts, implementing the principles of UDL to support the achievement of economically disadvantaged students. The constructivist theories of Vygotsky and Piaget guided the study's conceptual framework. The five prominent themes that emerged from the semi-structured interviews were (1) classroom learning environment, …

A Qualitative Phenomenological Study Of Public School Teachers’ Experiences While Teaching During A Pandemic, Andrew M. Bard

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The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of K-12 public school teachers related to stress and burnout while teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three research questions guided this study: (1) How do K-12 public school teachers describe their lived experiences while teaching during a pandemic?, (2) How do K-12 public school teachers describe their perceptions of stressors related to teaching during a pandemic?, and (3) How do K-12 public school teachers describe their experience as learners while adapting to teaching during a pandemic? Constructivism and social constructivism were applied as the conceptual and theoretical …

Factors That Correlate With Student Engagement And Success In Honors Student Theses At A New England Public Institution, Megan Williams

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The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the factors that correlate to successful outcomes on honors theses at an undergraduate public institution compared to findings collected from several private liberal arts colleges. Utilizing Kuh’s (2008) theory of engagement and success as a theoretical framework, this study sought to understand how participation in a single high-impact practice – a culminating senior experience – impacted sense of belonging, engagement and success in an honors senior thesis. An anonymous online survey (Trosset & Weisler, 2018) was deployed to answer two research questions: does a positive student-faculty relationship correlate to engagement and …

Understanding The Perceived Impact Of Social And Emotional Learning Interventions On High School Student Success, Michelle Wright

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Integrating social and emotional learning (SEL) skills into instructional practices and academic content has become a priority in many school districts (CASEL, 2018). While educators and clinical professionals alike have made strides in recognizing the importance of SEL, the level of implementation across districts varies greatly (CASEL, 2018). This qualitative program evaluation explored whether school staff at a public suburban high school in the Northeastern United States perceived the implementation of various interventions aimed at increasing SEL skills of students to be successful. This study utilized semi-structured interviews to identify which interventions had been implemented by a group of school …

Examining Middle School Core Teacher Knowledge And Practices In Stem Education, Rachel Brill-Lee

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Many educational institutions reported challenges with achieving student success in STEM disciplines and attribute these challenges to the lack of knowledge and education among educators on how and what to teach regarding STEM education (Stehle & Peters-Burton, 2019). This qualitative case study explored how core subject teachers outside STEM/CTE education in one middle school in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States view, understand, and integrate STEM education and skills into their curriculum. The study used a combination of Likert surveys and semi-structured interviews to identify themes that may contribute to challenges many educational institutions are experiencing in regard to …

Lived Experiences Of Adults Formally Raised By Grandparents On Their Connection To The School Community While In High School, Karen M. Maguire

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This qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis sought to understand the lived experiences of connectedness to the secondary school community of children raised by grandparents, told from the reflective viewpoint of the grandchildren now as adults. Although the relationship between grandparents and the grandchildren they raise has been studied, how those grandchildren connect to the school community has yet to be explored and was the focus of this study. Research on grandchildren raised by grandparents and student connection to the school community provided valuable insight, highlighting the need for additional exploration in this area. Education researchers have studied student engagement quite thoroughly, …

Perceptions Of Higher Education Learners And Educators Regarding The Learner-Centered Strategy Implementation: A Qualitative Single Case Study, Ngo T. Tran

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The problem in this study was the lack of an effective strategy implementation of learner-centered education in higher education institutions (Hoidn, 2017; Lee & Hannafin, 2016; Sabah & Du, 2018; Starkey, 2019; Sweetman, 2017). The purpose of this study was to investigate perceptions of higher education learners and educators on LCE strategy implementation. The study’s conceptual framework was rooted in personalized learning, and the theoretical framework employed the educational theory from Dewey (1897). Study findings included: 1. LCE is a philosophy of education that places learners and their needs at the center of the educational process. The LCE concept in …

Andragogy In Continuing Medical Education Development: A Case Study On The Perception Of Its Worth, Elizabeth H. Bennert

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Continuing medical education (CME) curriculum development is often staffed and developed with little exposure to teaching skill expertise and andragogy. This qualitative case study examined the perceptions of the skills needed for successful development of CME, learning from the experience of an international nongovernmental organization (NGO)’s first time developing an online CME course. The questions that guided this study were “What were the team’s perceptions of the skills and roles needed when first designing and developing a CME curriculum? and “How did the experiences of the team, when developing, delivering, and evaluating the program, determine their perceptions of the skills …

Perceptions Of Secondary Teachers And Post-Secondary Faculty On The Influence Of Dual Enrollment Participation And College Readiness: A Qualitative Single Case Study, Tanya Berfield

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Dual enrollment (DE) is the opportunity for high school students to participate in college coursework while high school. DE includes two overarching characteristics, student access and course integrity. Literature boasts of the benefits related to participation such as career exploration and college transition. Roadblocks may include cost, course eligibility, and lack of qualified teachers. Proponents of DE claim that a benefit of DE participation is increased student college readiness. State regulations are inconsistent regarding, development, implementation, and delivery of DE programming resulting in inconsistencies of student access and course integrity. ACT released a report in 2018 that states 38% of …

Undergraduate College Student Perceptions Of Empathy Cultivation In The Humanities Classroom: A Qualitative Narrative Inquiry, D. E. Fulford

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Empathy—the human attribute of possessing concern for other humans in a way that others’ emotions are mirrored—is both an inborn characteristic, and one that can be taught in various settings throughout one’s life. This qualitative narrative inquiry study explored perceptions from undergraduate college students regarding empathy cultivation in the college humanities classroom setting using the theory of mind—the perspective-taking ability to infer other people’s intentions. Through Zoom-based, semi-structured interviews, data was collected from five undergraduate students at the university research site. Using thematic analysis to examine the data, four prominent themes emerged: (a) empathy cultivation in the classroom, (b) empathy …

Exploring The Perceptions Of Faculty And Staff Regarding The Impact A Facility Dog Has On Elementary Students’ Learning Environment, Katherine T. Race

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Over the past decade there has been a drastic increase in students’ reporting and exhibiting feelings of overwhelming anxiety, depression, anger, and disengagement in the school setting (Relevette, 2020). To better appreciate these increases, one must first grasp the notion that two-thirds of school-aged students are experiencing toxic-stress, also known as long-term stress, on a daily basis. Toxic stress has been directly related to the halting of brain development in children (Rossen, 2020).

These experiences, often referred to as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), are various traumatic events children have been victims of, or directly exposed to, during their first seventeen …

How Female Stem Undergraduate Students Form Their Science Identity, Todd Martin Medovich

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This qualitative case study describes how female science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students choose their undergraduate major, the obstacles they faced when making that choice, and how they overcome gender-based obstacles. These descriptions illuminate the manner in which they form their science identity.

There is a gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines (Viadero, 2009). This has been attributed to both biological and sociocultural causes. The biological basis for this disparity includes evidence of physiological differences between females and males, as well as the microaggressions and sexual harassment stemming from these differences (Bottia et al., 2015). …

Exploring Factors Influencing First Generation Undergraduate College Students’ Perceived Social-Self Efficacy (Psse) And Ability To Socially Integrate With Academic Advisors, Kaycee Leigh Gnatowski

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Academic advisors are an integral part of the undergraduate college student experience. Primarily recognized as one of the first connections to an institution that a college student encounters, academic advisors provide students with guidance, support, resources, and mentorship throughout a student’s academic journey at the institution. Although academic advisors are found to have a profound impact on a college student’s academic and social development, persistence to degree completion, and retention rates at the institution, many undergraduate college students are unable to socially integrate with academic advisors, primarily during a student’s sophomore year of college. A student’s sophomore year of college …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Professional Learning Experiences Intended To Promote Growth In Their Discipline And Pedagogy, Karl O'Leary

All Theses And Dissertations

Professional learning is an essential tool for teachers to effectively learn and grow in their discipline. The professional learning model has not developed in tandem with the teacher certification requirements, as well as the changing dynamics in education. With the increase in mandated requirements, teachers have not witnessed an enhanced professional learning model that can align with their adult needs and guide them along the path to accomplish the goal of learning.

Preliminary research identified a gap in relationships from professional learning to the implementation in the classroom (Fulmer, 2016). The study’s research problem was that while professional learning experiences …

Chronic Absenteeism: Exploring Challenges And Obstacles That Impact Students’ Attendance In Northern Maine Rural Schools, Leland Caron

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Educational success relies heavily upon consistent school attendance (Rogers & Feller, 2018). In Maine, a student is identified as chronically absent when 10% or more of the days enrolled in school are missed due to excused or unexcused absences (Maine Department of Education, 2019). Chronic absenteeism impacts millions of students across America each year. National data identified that approximately five to seven and a half million school-aged students miss a month or more of school each year (Chang & Davis, 2015). This qualitative interpretative phenological study (IPA) was designed to fill some of the gaps in the literature on chronic …

Perceptions Of Experienced Secondary School Counselors From Competency-Based Education Schools Regarding Competitive College Admissions Practices, Robert Carlough Dawson

All Theses And Dissertations

Competency-based education (CBE) is a movement gaining momentum nationwide. CBE is built upon development of curricula, instructional methods, and assessment of certain skills and abilities, not purely knowledge. These skills and abilities are called competencies. Grading in a CBE-method school is often non-traditional. Rather than traditional A-F grades that appear on non-CBE transcripts, students in some CBE schools receive numeric course grades such as a 2.8 or 3.2. Educational leaders and parents have raised concerns regarding the impact these nontraditional grades may have on students during the college admissions process, particularly when applying to competitive schools.

The purpose of this …

The Perceptions Of Instructional Coaches Regarding Relational Trust With Teachers: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Kathleen A. Provost

All Theses And Dissertations

Instructional coaching continues to be a professional development model that many districts utilize to foster professional growth among their teaching staff. Although instructional coaches are usually content area and pedagogical specialists hired as experts, there is a high level of teacher resistance to instructional coaching due to lack of trust reported between coaches and teachers in the kindergarten through 12th grade setting. Although previous research has signified the need for instructional coaches to build trust with their teaching colleagues, few studies captured the lived experiences of instructional coaches in how they build relational trust. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological …

Examining The Delivery Methods Of Current Content And Curriculum For Recruit Police Officers, Daniel Barrancotta

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This qualitative-interpretive, phenomenological analysis study describes the lived experiences of police officers, their training programs and their educational relationships with academy instructors and field training officers. The focus was not on content material, but rather the delivery methods of the curriculum, in an attempt to provide training programs that improve transference of knowledge for increased learning and job preparedness. This research study showed that a lack of knowledge and understanding of andragogy for police academy instructors and field training officers is creating a limited learning environment for recruit police officers. Without the knowledge and ability to use better forms of …

The Lived Experience Of Rural Cte Teachers As Members Of The Secondary Education Teaching Corps, Matthew E. Speno

All Theses And Dissertations

The secondary education system in the United States provides the opportunity for students to earn a high school diploma in preparation for post-secondary college and career. These students are taught by certified high school teachers with similar pedagogy but deliver instruction in different content areas. This qualitative study was conducted to understand how rural CTE high school teachers describe their lived experience of being a member of the secondary education teaching corps. Guided by two research questions that ask (1) how rural CTE teachers describe their teacher professional identity and (2) how rural CTE teachers characterize the role of vocational …

Massachusetts High School Teachers’ Perceptions Of Transitions In Teaching And Assessment Related To The Next Generation Science Standards, Alyssa Mocharnuk

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The experiences and perceptions of high school science teachers with the transitions in teaching and assessment related to the adoption of the 2016 Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Framework based on the Next Generation Science Standards were studied in this interpretative phenomenological analysis. The Next Generation Science Standards incorporated both traditional disciplinary content ideas and the new science and engineering practices (NGSS Lead States, 2013). Teachers were required to develop new materials, and difficulty in developing new ways of teaching and assessing science (Friedrichsen and Barnett, 2018; Kawasaki and Sandoval, 2020; Wilde, 2018) was exacerbated by the delay in high-stakes testing …

Self-Perceived Leadership Behaviors Of Collegiate Athletic Trainers And Strength And Conditioning Coaches: A Case Study, James Thomas Daley

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The purpose of the case study was to examine the self-perceived leadership characteristics, behaviors, and communication styles of professionals within the pillars of the high-performance sport model, specifically athletic trainers, and strength and conditioning coaches, to gain perspective on their ability to influence student-athletes and colleagues at the NCAA DIII level. A qualitative case study format allowed the researcher to engage with a small sample of participants and explore the differences and similarities between the participant groups. Participants were selected based on their primary job title and setting at over 80 institutions of higher education that participate in NCAA Division …

The Perceived Impacts Of Therapy Dogs On Students As Viewed Through The Human-Animal Interaction Framework, Timothy Smolen

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This study employed a qualitative case study approach to explore the perceptions of teachers/staff members directly associated with the therapy dog (TD) program in their school. These perceptions were regarding the TD program’s effectiveness in (a) student social interaction, (b) stress coping and self-regulation, (c) engagement and/or attention, and (d) motivation and/or self-efficacy. The human-animal interaction (HAI) theoretical framework (Gee et al., 2017) served as a focal lens in this study. Data was collected from a middle school in the midwestern United States and through social media. Thirteen participants were from middle school and eight were obtained via social media. …

Understanding First-Generation Hispanic Student Experiences With Community College Campus Resources, Monica Medina

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Community colleges serve as an essential gateway to higher education for Hispanics. Although first-generation Hispanic (FGHC) students continue to enroll in community colleges, there is limited research to explain their experiences using campus resources. This study’s purpose was to contribute to the existing literature on FGHC students and determine if their use of campus resources helped them succeed. This study used the conceptual framework of academic engagement (Tinto, 1996). Nora’s (2003) and Nora et al’s (2006) student engagement theory as lenses to explain how FGHC students can have pre-college characteristics that can affect their social, academic, and overall goals for …

Lived Leadership Experiences Of Nursing Clinical Instructors In A Prelicensure Nursing Program: A Phenomenological Study, Catherine Marin

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The role of the nursing clinical instructor has evolved alongside the nursing profession. Nursing clinical instructors are expected to teach, coach, empower, and lead future registered nurses throughout their academic prelicensure journey. Although nursing clinical instructors possess at least the minimum required educational and clinical experience for their role as instructors, it is unclear how they obtain their leadership skills. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand how nursing clinical instructors attain self-empowerment and develop leadership skills. The theoretical framework was the integrated model of leader traits, behaviors, and effectiveness (IMoLB) developed by Derue et al. (2011). …