Education Commons^™

A Study Linking Title 1 Strategic Resource Allocation To Student Academic Success In South Carolina Public Schools, Brenton Jerrod Coe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Strategic instructional resourcing has become an important topic in public education, the most lucrative and expensive business in the United States. It is estimated which the United States spends about $612.7 billion annually on public education. This study will analyze and synthesize data from Title I schools in South Carolina, specifically in the area of resource allocation and its relationship to student academic success. Historically, public education has provided all citizens with an equal and equitable opportunity to receive an adequate education. Over time, access to strong public education can impact the lives of students with regard to social mobility. …

Perception Of Social Media As Seen By Educational Leadership Online Graduate Students, Todd Emma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand student perceptions of social media as they relate to the programs of study for online graduate students participating in an educational leadership department (hereafter referred to as EDLR) in Tennessee. As institutions of higher education are being affected by declining enrollments, increasing tuition, rising numbers of nontraditional students, global events, and continuing budget cuts, understanding student perception of the educational experience is a fundamental element for understanding ways to address the uncertain future of higher education. Through a series of in-depth interviews, data were collected and analyzed to provide a framework …

Examination Of Formal Instructional Design Processes At Traditional Institutions Of Higher Education In The United States Post-Pandemic Onset, Heather L. D. Tobin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify the motivational elements of formal online instructional design processes that are being implemented at traditional institutions of higher education (IHEs) in the United States (U.S.). For this study, I conducted a comprehensive literature review identifying emerging issues of practice for instructional design partnerships between the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic during the spring of 2022 and the spring of 2023. This study was developed through the lens of Keller’s (2010) attention, relevance, confidence, satisfaction, and volition (ARCS-V) model of motivation. An understanding of the elements of current processes that present as benefits …

Implications Of Individuals With Music Learning Experience Using A Segmented Multimedia Lesson In A Non-Music Discipline, Cheryl Farren Tkacs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate how prior music learning experience relates to learning with multimedia resources in non-music disciplines. Specifically, whether years of music learning experience, type of music learning experience, or type of multimedia were associated with task scores and task duration in a non-music discipline. The study revealed the transferable benefits of music learning experience to learning outcomes in other disciplines. Encouraging music studies as part of the base curriculum is thus strongly encouraged. However, as years of music learning and the presence or absence of segmenting in multimedia learning resources were not found to …

Synchronous Virtual K-12 Teachers' Use Of Multimedia Principles In Electronic Slide Design, Lisa Beaulieu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hundreds of thousands of K-12 children in the United States are enrolled in online K-12 virtual schools that consistently report poor academic outcomes. There is a need to assess how well instructors in a synchronous online environment present new material to learners in a way that best aligns with how the brain manages and integrates new information into long-term memory. Online K-12 teachers use PowerPoint to design Electronic Slide Presentation (ESP) decks, which are used as their main form of instruction with their students during synchronous classes. The Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML) provides a set of principles which …

A Program Evaluation Of Teacher And Administrator Perceptions Of Technology Integration At The K-6 Level In The Seneca Valley School District And The Impact Of Covid-19, Bria Koch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Education and learning were upended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately 1.6 billion learners in more than 190 countries were impacted by the pandemic with 90 percent of countries adopting digital or remote learning policies (United States Department of Education, 2021). This program evaluation of teachers’ and administrators’ perspectives examined how well technology integration was taking place in K-6 grade classrooms in the Seneca Valley School District. Due to the interruption of traditional learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was an opportune time to examine both teachers’ and administrators’ perceptions about the district’s level of success at …

Teacher Perceptions Of Blended Learning To Support 21st Century Learners, Nikki Hensley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand teacher perceptions of blended learning as an instructional methodology for addressing the needs of diverse learners. The researcher explored the perceptions of teachers who were participating in an ongoing professional development program within their school district. This program focused on improving teaching and learning through the implementation of a blended learning approach. The researcher examined the experiences of teachers as they learned to adapt pedagogical practices to address the learning needs of 21st century students through blended learning. The researcher sought to gain a better understanding of how teachers perceived that …

Student's Perceptions Of Smartphone Use At Home And At A High School Regarding A New Smartphone Policy: A Case Study, Ana Zurita

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The new generation raised in the digital era continues to present unresolved challenges for both parents and teachers. The purpose of this case study is to analyze students' usage of their smartphones in their lives, and understand the success of a new school policy on smartphone use at an arts school in the U.S. For this qualitative research, I interviewed ten participants from the high school. The literary review informs us that smartphones are potentially addictive, with negative effects for healthy mental, emotional and social child development, as well as a source of misleading information. As a consequence, smartphones in …

Perceptions Of Blended Learning In The High School Classroom, Kelli Murphy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As innovative technologies and accessibility increase in the K12 environment, teachers are offered opportunities to rethink the paradigm of the instructional and learning process. They are at the forefront of instructional change. One type of change is the use of technology as an instructional strategy. Blended learning is a type of instructional strategy which incorporates both online and face-to-face instruction.

The instructional choices a K12 teacher makes under their own volition to present new content in a technology-rich school is the focus of this study. A quantitative research study was performed in a high school with high technology accessibility. Teachers’ …

Factors Influencing Faculty Use Of Screencasting For Feedback, Berlin Fang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored faculty concerns in using screencasting to give feedback, why they choose to adopt it, and what training and support would benefit them in the adoption of such a method. This is a single embedded case study using a stages of concern questionnaire, semistructured and open-ended interviews, as well as media comment reviews as data collection methods. Some 21 professors from a southwestern private university participated in the research, representing 51 potential participants who have been exposed to screencasting for feedback through software ownership, training, or coaching. After the completion of this questionnaire, 16 participants were interviewed in …

Faculty Perceptions And Use Of Web 2.0 Tools In Saudi Arabian Higher Education, May Alashwal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated factors that predict Saudi Arabian faculty members' intentions to adopt and use Web 2.0 tools and to assess faculty's awareness of the educational benefits of Web 2.0 tools to supplement classroom instructions in higher education. One hundred and three faculty members (34 male and 69 female) from a large university in the Western region of Saudi Arabia participated in the web survey. The framework and model for explaining and predicting the contributing factors towards the decision to adopt and use of Web 2.0 tools was the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behavior (DTPB). The partial least squares structural …

The Organizational Structures Of Instructional Design Teams In Higher Education: A Multiple Case Study, Jason Drysdale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated how organizational structures influence leadership over online learning initiatives for dedicated instructional designers in higher education. A qualitative research method was used for within-case analyses for 3 individual universities and a comparative case analysis of all 3 studied institutions. Purposive sampling was used to identify each university that participated and operated within 1 of 3 organizational structure profiles. Data were collected through document analysis and semistructured interviews with participants in 3 key roles at each institution: dedicated instructional designer, online faculty member, and online learning administrator. The organizational structure that most positively influenced the ability for dedicated …

Warrior Women: A Phenomenological Study Of Female Veterans Transitioning Into And Through College, Alma Sorensen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Current research and theory primarily focuses on identifying holistic challenges of the veteran student demographic and does not focus on challenges specific to female veterans when transitioning into and through college. Additionally, current research and theory does not focus on positive and negative experiences of female veterans within four key areas of academia: courseware, faculty, staff/administration, and student services. As a result, current research and theory do not adequately explain why female veterans may or may not successfully transition into and through college, resulting in a lack of resources available for female veterans, and Higher Education Institutes (HEIs). This phenomenological …

A Study Of Confidence In Individuals Who Actively Work With Returning Military Personnel, Ladonna Slayter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to explore if training significantly increased community workers' perceived level of confidence and their ability to provide services to returning military personnel in two locations. To measure community workers' perceived level of confidence, participants N = 143 (n = 63 Norfolk, VA) and (n= 80 Fayetteville, NC) responded to an instrument containing 40 items. Inferential and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the study variables. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to compare the reliability of means between the groups from 2011 to 2012 (i.e., pre-intervention to post-intervention). A Bonferroni Correction was applied to control the familywise …

The Effects Of Regulatory Orientation On Subjective Task Values, Ability Beliefs, And Gameplay In A Grammar Editing Computer Game, Stephen Strnad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated mean group differences in composite subjective task values, ability beliefs, and gameplay behaviors between low promotion and high promotion English as a Second Language (ESL) postsecondary students while playing two versions of a grammar-editing computer game. First, students were categorized according to their scores on the General Regulatory Focus Measure. Next, students played two identical versions of the grammar-editing game; in the second game version, an independent variable was added in the form of an in-game punishment. In the middle of each game version, students completed a modified version of the Expectancy-value Questionnaire. Independent samples t-tests were …

Designing A Virtual Embedded Scenario-Based Military Simulation Training Program Using Educational And Design Instructional Strategies, Christina Cook

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation in practice was to develop and implement a new training program for designers of military intelligence simulation scenarios used to train soldiers. The use of education and design instructional strategies assisted in the ability for designers to gain mastery skills in creating realistic, high-fidelity scenarios that are applied in the training process. The use of simulation scenarios to train adult learners has increased significantly with improvements in technology and its fidelity to engage learners in a realistic way. Despite these advances, the lack of effective design, implementation and analysis of military simulation training programs in …

Effects Of Metacognitive Monitoring On Academic Achievement In An Ill-Structured Problem-Solving Environment, Naomi Malone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Higher education courses are increasingly moving online while educational approaches are concurrently shifting their focus toward student-centered approaches to learning. These approaches promote critical thinking by asking students to solve a range of ill-structured problems that exist in the real world. Researchers have found that student-centered online learning environments require students to have self-regulated learning skills, including metacognitive skills to regulate their own learning processes. Much of the research suggests that externally supporting students while they are learning online, either directly or indirectly, helps them to succeed academically. However, few empirical studies have investigated what levels of support are most …

Relevant Versus Extraneous Music In Multimedia Instruction: A Study Of The Coherence Principle, Jonathan Gunnell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the inclusion of nonessential music in an instructional multimedia presentation affected learners’ ability to recall information in retention, cued-retention, and transfer cognitive measures. This study tested the coherence principle of multimedia learning which holds that the addition of nonessential content that is not relevant to the instruction is detrimental to learning. This study tested this principle by analyzing differences across three groups; a control group which included no additional music, a group including bland music selected at random, and a group including music that has been intentionally designed to align with …

School Has A Bad Storyline: Gamification In Educational Environments, Irene L. Pynn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School often has low engagement and frustrating or absent options for the kind of agency the Federal Government's 2016 National Education Technology Plan now recommends educators include in their curriculum. Video games offer opportunities for people to participate in critical problem solving through creative projects. From balancing character statistics, to collaborating with other players, to making ethical and tactical decisions that can change the outcome of the story, successful games draw on the player's interest in learning and analyzing numbers, locations, visual clues, narrative elements, people, and more. One useful example may be found in visual novels (VNs), a medium …

Ireach Blended Learning Model And Reading Lexile Growth Of Freshmen In Maryville City Schools, Whitney Ann Schmidt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Maryville City School system has implemented the first year of the iReach blended learning model for which all students in the school district have access to either a laptop or an iPad to support their learning every day. The availability of research on the impact of iReach is limited because the blended learning instructional model is relatively new and has not yet been subjected to numerous research studies. The purpose of this ex post facto quasi-experimental quantitative study was to compare student reading Lexile growth data collected through the use of the Reading Comprehension Assessment before and after iReach …

Adair Instrumental Genesis Inventory: Measuring Instrumental Genesis For Interactive Whiteboard Technology—An Exploratory Sequential Mixed Methods Design, Mindy H. Adair

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The adoption of interactive whiteboard technology in the mathematics classroom has been reasonably explored in terms of effective use (Glover & Miller, 2009), student engagement (Morgan, 2008) and achievement (Lutz, 2010), pedagogy (G. Beauchamp & Kennewell, 2013), and learning environments (Yang, Wang, & Kao, 2012). However, there has been little research performed regarding how teachers actually become effective at orchestrating and managing the technology in the classroom in terms of their level of instrumental genesis attainment. In this study, I examined how a teacher develops instrumental genesis, the two-fold process involving instrumentation and instrumentalisation, with interactive whiteboard technology through an …

Ar Physics: Transforming Physics Diagrammatic Representations On Paper Into Interactive Simulations., Yao Zhou

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A problem representation is a cognitive structure created by the solver in correspondence to the problem. Sketching representative diagrams in the domain of physics encourages a problem solving strategy that starts from 'envisionment' by which one internally simulates the physical events and predicts outcomes. Research studies also show that sketching representative diagrams improves learner's performance in solving physics problems. The pedagogic benefits of sketching representations on paper make this traditional learning strategy remain pivotal and worthwhile to be preserved and integrated into the current digital learning landscape. In this paper, I describe AR Physics, an Augmented Reality based application that …

Digital Interactive Games For Assessment: A Study Of The Effectiveness Of A Digital Game As A Measure Of Students' Understanding Of Boolean Logic, Mohammad Ali Haji

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Digital games have been used mostly for entertainment but recently researchers have started to use digital games in other areas such as education and training. Researchers have shown that digital games can provide a compelling, creative, and collaborative environment for learning. However, the popularity of computers and the Internet brings this question to mind: Are the assessment methods falling behind and remaining traditional? Will the traditional methods of learning and knowledge assessment be sufficient for this new generation who are starving for new technology? This study investigates the effectiveness of using a digital interactive game as an assessments method - …

Learner Satisfaction In Online Learning: An Analysis Of The Perceived Impact Of Learner-Social Media And Learner-Instructor Interaction, Jeffery C. Andersen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between general course satisfaction, learner-instructor interaction, and the learner-social media interaction scores of participants. This study used an online survey with 60 questions to gather the participants’ demographic data, learner-instructor interaction data, learner-social media interaction data, and general course satisfaction data. Data from the survey were examined through the use of independent sample ttests, one-way ANOVAs, and Pearson Correlations based on 10 participant demographic variables. Of the 10 demographic variables, age, GPA, athletic team participation, and work status were found to have a statically significant relationship with the three constructs. …

Moments When The Weak Gained Ground: Viral Video As A Curriculum Of People, Michael J. Ryan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Author's abstract: The public school curriculum has devolved into merely being a political football for the forces of the dominant culture, no longer even attempting to serve the People of the community or the students that the school ostensibly should serve. In the absence of a curriculum that is meaningful to People, another curriculum has spontaneously appeared outside of school via shared online media between social networks. This new curriculum, identified by a relatively wide viewership and its challenge to social injustice, oppressive conventions or hegemonic forces, is a curriculum of viral videos shared because of their meaning and cogence …

Analysis Of The Relationship Between The Level Of Educational Computer Game Use And Milken Exemplar Teacher Instructional Strategies, Yaela Dahan Marks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research examines the nature and level of educational computer-based game techniques adoption by Milken Educator Award winning teachers in achieving success in their classrooms. The focus of the research is on their level of acceptance of educational computer-based games and the nature of game usage to increase student performance in the classroom. With Davis' (1985) Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1985) as the conceptual framework, the research also examines how teachers' perceptions of educational computer-based games influence their willingness to incorporate these teaching methods in their classroom. The approach utilizes a descriptive survey to develop and evaluate responses from exemplar …

Learning To Discuss Literature Online: Where Technology Design And Instruction Intersect, Kenneth H. Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While agreement exists that computer-mediated communication (CMC) should support rich discussion, research has not yet established how or if such discussion can be realized. The problem is that users often do not attend effectively to others’ entries. The main question guiding this case study was the following: How does an introduction to the design elements of Moodle Forum in a twelfth-grade English classroom influence participants’ threaded discussion? Drawing upon CMC research, this investigation documented the impact of a 15-week instructional intervention designed to increase users’ explicit reference to peers’ entries in Moodle Forum discussion. Participants included twenty students in two …

The Relationship Of Teachers' Motivational Perceptions And Instructional Integration Of The Internet: An Inquiry Of Elementary Teachers In One Georgia School District, Starla Stone Barker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Author's abstract: Schools have spent much time and money providing teachers and students access to the Internet. As access has become commonplace in schools, teachers are increasingly encouraged to incorporate Internet resources in their classroom. Teachers' use of the Internet has increased in recent years; however, their use remains limited. This mixed methods study sought to understand why some teachers eagerly integrated the Internet in the classroom while others were hesitant to use the Internet with their students. More specifically, this mixed methods study explored how elementary teachers' perceptions of the extent of Internet usefulness/importance, enjoyment/liking, confidence, and anxiety may …

Integrating Key Elements In An E-Learning Curriculum For An Optimum Educational And Interactive User Experience, Heather Stearns

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study determines the particular components that are considered the best practices to use when implementing an e-Learning curriculum. Technical communicators and instructional designers have numerous development options to choose from. However, practices that work in academe do not always integrate well in a corporate setting, and what works for one corporation may not work for another. There is no singular methodology for developers to apply that enables e-Learning to fit every organization's needs. Research shows that to ensure a successful online learning implementation, a sound project management team must be in place at the beginning of the project planning. …

Use Of Web-Based Technology To Enhance Instruction Of Virginia's Seventh And Eighth Grade Geometry Standards Of Learning., Lisa Ann Fields

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to develop web-based modules for enhancing instruction of the geometry sections of the Virginia Standards of Learning in the seventh and eighth grades. While all of Virginia's seventh and eighth grade Standards of Learning strands are certainly worthy of these types of modules, geometry appeals to me most because of the vast amount of web-based resources that will be valuable when organized into modules. It is my hope that teachers of these grades will find this useful in their instruction of geometry.