Education Commons^™

Perceptions Of Online Distance Education Within The North Carolina Community College System By Chief Academic Officers And Chief Distance Education Officers., James A. Benton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of chief academic officers (CAOs) and chief distance education officers (CDOs) regarding faculty satisfaction in areas of released time for training and course development, workload, overall support of distance education, and extra compensation.

One-hundred-sixteen surveys were sent out by e-mail to all 58 community colleges in North Carolina. The data for this study came from the returned surveys. The combined return rate of surveys was 78%. The SAS Institute program procedures were used for the analysis of the data. An alpha level of .05 was used for all statistical analyses. …

Stakeholder Beliefs, Satisfaction And Assessments Of School Climate After Implementation Of A Year-Round Calendar., Robin Lee Adams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Year-Round Schooling (YRS), a calendar or scheduling concept, has become quite common in this country over the past thirty years. Generally schools have adopted YRS scheduling in an effort to: (1) increase efficiency in the operation of the schools and (2) enhance student development and learning.

The University School at East Tennessee State University (ETSU), a public K-12 school located on the ETSU campus, implemented a YRS calendar in the Summer of 1996. Over a period of six years data were collected to assess the effectiveness of YRS at University School. Study participants (students, parents and teachers) were surveyed initially …

An Analysis Of The Academic Success Achieved By Five Freshman Cohorts Through A Community College Developmental Education Program., Nancy K. Gray-Barnett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The challenge of underprepared students' entering America's colleges and universities is not new. Because of their "open door" policies, community colleges are more likely to enroll students who are not college prepared. This retrospective study focused on the performance of students who had completed required developmental education courses compared to the performance of students without developmental requirements. The study examined developmental education success measures for five cohorts of first-time degree-seeking freshmen each tracked for a six-year period enrolled at Walters State Community College located in Tennessee.

The success measures compared included grade point averages earned in college-level mathematics and English …

The Impact Of Dismissal Of Non-Tenured Teachers On Principals In Tennessee., David W. Messer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the issues that principals face in making the decision or recommendation to bring about the involuntary separation of non-tenured teachers. I was concerned with identifying the emotions, feelings, conflicts, and misgivings that principals experience during this process. Related concerns were identified. They included the issues of principals using professionally ethical ways to encourage or coach teachers to resign prior to dismissal, dealing with "lame duck" teachers between notification and the end of the school year, and writing positive letters of recommendation for teachers they have decided not to renew. These questions were …

The Factors Associated With The Use Of Computers In The K-4 Classrooms Of The Maryville City School System., Jesse A. Robinette

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of computers for instruction in the K-4 elementary schools of the Maryville City School System. A survey was distributed to every regular education classroom teacher in each of the four elementary schools of the system. Respondents were asked to provide: (a) demographic data in regard to age, gender, years of teaching experience, grade level taught, level of education, home computer ownership, and technology committee membership; (b) an implementation score based on teacher response to grade-level student performance indicators provided by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE); and (c) …

Comparison Of The Academic Achievement Of Primary School Students In Multiage And Traditional Classrooms., Mary Frances Harmon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether students in a kindergarten/first-grade multiage class achieve at a different level than students enrolled in a traditional kindergarten or first-grade class in a selected primary school in East Tennessee. The question of the interaction between gender and type of instruction was also analyzed.

The causal comparative quantitative research method was used to analyze data differentiating between students enrolled in multiage and traditional classes, retrospectively. A t-test was used to determine the level of performance the students demonstrated on the BRIGANCE K Screen at the beginning of the study. The number of …

The Accidental Experts: A Demonstration Of The Existence, Utility, And Emergence Of Implicitly Learned Tacit Knowledge In Assistive-Augmentative Technology Users., Douglas Eugene Masini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I investigated the presence, utility, and emergence of tacit knowledge in 9 study participants who used assistive-augmentative technology. I conducted phenomenologic interviews, audio-taping, and transcribed the interview with the written consent of the participants. Sixteen highly trained experts critiqued the final product of the interviews and answered a 25-question survey instrument. Non-parametric statistical processes were chosen to conduct inferential hypotheses testing. Wilcoxon - Mann Whitney U tests and Kruskal - Wallis One-Way ANOVA (alpha level of 0.05) were used for questions 1-10, and a 2 x R (R = 3 or 4) contingency table and Fisher's Exact Chi-Square were used …

Principal Selection And The Stories Superintendents Tell., Linda L. Baker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In addition to licensure and certification, there are particular qualities and personal characteristics superintendents look for when hiring a principal. With fewer principal applicants and increased projected needs for principals, it was important to explore the superintendent's reasoning when hiring a principal.

A qualitative research method employing elite interviews was used to explore the criteria that superintendents employ in their process of selecting a principal. When talking about the hiring of principals, superintendents invariably began with the selection process. Teachers, community members, parents, former employers, and college professors gave input in formal or informal ways. Superintendents looked for experience both …

Socioeconomic, Demographic, Attitudinal And Involvement Factors Associated With Math Achievement In Elementary School., Jennifer N. White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which socioeconomic factors, demographic factors, parent and student attitudes, and parent involvement were associated with math achievement. Students in Grade 5 were selected as the population for this study. Random sampling procedures were used to select the sample. Students in the sample completed a modified version of the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitudes Scales. Normal Curve Equivalent Scores (NCEs) from the math scales on the TerraNova Standardized Achievement Test were obtained for all students from the individual school records. Parents of the students also participated by answering questions pertaining to …

Strategies To Ease The Negative Effects Of Mobility On Academic Achievement., D.Kaye Reed Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mobility, the movement of students from school to school, affects students, classrooms, schools, and systems. Extensive research has been conducted on the relationship between mobility and student academics. Although the research has not determined mobility is the cause of lower academic scores, it is certainly a contributing factor. Most students with high mobility rates also have difficulty in math, reading, or language. Teachers of classrooms with these students tend to "flatten" the curriculum by reviewing more than usual. Long-range planning for these students can be difficult. Schools and systems may plan programs for students who have moved on by the …

Examining At-Risk Students Based On Their Attitudes Toward Educational Factors: Is There A Gender Difference In Identification Of At-Risk Students?, Cynthia Mae Tilson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among four specific typologies of environmental factors and at-risk teenagers. The four typologies explored were influences by parents and peers, teachers, educational setting, and factors relating to school behavior.

Six research questions guided the study and six null hypotheses were formulated and tested at the .05 level of significance. The degree of relationship between the independent variables and the environmental factors was analyzed by using the Independent samples t-test and One Way ANOVA. The study sample consisted of 195 middle school students in three counties in Northwestern North Carolina and …

How Is A Child's Perception Of Self Affected By Retention?, Brenda S. Tweed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to inform educators of the impact of grade retention on a child's perception of self, and to provide recommendations and practical applications for educators in the future.

Although the long-term effects of grade retention are still unclear, the number of students being retained annually is steadily on the rise. Conflicting beliefs about the advantages and disadvantages of the retention experience make it difficult to clearly predict which students will benefit from being retained.

A large body of research reports the impact of grade retention on scholastic achievement. As retention has usually been considered to …

Why Volunteer And Is Volunteering Worth The Effort?, Patricia Avery Bellamy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes why people volunteer in two counties of East Tennessee. The study describes the concept of volunteering and its positive impact upon society on a regional and national level. The characteristics of people who volunteer, why people choose to volunteer, and the significance of their volunteering were assessed through a survey questionnaire. The survey questionnaire was administered in Carter County (Elizabethton) and Washington County (Johnson City) Tennessee to 13 charitable and non-charitable agencies that utilize volunteers aged 18 years and over. Out of 243 survey questionnaires distributed in Elizabethton and Johnson City, Tennessee, 124 individuals responded. Data collected …

The Assessment Of Tennessee Community College Roles In Business Incubator Development As Perceived By Administrators And Tenants., Garry Grau

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As accountability pressures have increased on community colleges, they have been challenged to demonstrate their value to the communities they serve. One role commonly included in community colleges' mission statements in Tennessee and nationally is support of local economic development. The purpose of the study was to assess the importance and accomplishment of 17 activities and 3 roles of Tennessee community colleges regarding their support of business incubators that provide resource-sharing networks to entrepreneurs in their critical startup phases.

To conduct this study, a questionnaire was developed and provided to administrators associated with incubators and incubator tenants to ascertain their …

Mathematics Achievement In Tennessee Schools In The Context Of Opportunity To Learn., Richard Lee Kitzmiller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship of student achievement in mathematics and factors purported to influence such achievement. The factors utilized in the study were selected from those contained in accountability reports issued by the state of Tennessee in 1995-96. The student achievement measures were based on four high school end-of-course mathematics tests. Student performance on these tests is examined both in terms of actual scores and value-added measures. This study organizes the available accountability measures in an Opportunity-to-Learn (OTL) framework for the purpose of determining relationships that can inform practice and give policy guidance.

The study examined 65 (of 139) …

An Analysis Of Configurations In A Nongraded Elementary School In Northeast Tennessee., Pamela Ann Evanshen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare reading and math academic achievement scores of a cohort of students who had experienced mixed-age (two-grade span) and multiage (three-grade span) configurations, in a selected nongraded elementary school located in East Tennessee. Student attitude toward school, gender and socioeconomic status were also analyzed.

The causal-comparative quantitative approach, along with convenience sampling, was the foundation for this study. Academic achievement normal curve equivalency (NCE) scores from the TerraNova Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills for the 1997-2000 academic years and survey results from the Attitude Toward School Inventory (Meier, 1973) given in the concluding …

Playboys, Single Girls, And Sexual Rebels: Sexual Politics 1950-1965: A Trilogy Of Significant Developments., Amy Denise Dolinger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the years between 1950 and 1965, three significant developments in American culture left women struggling to merge the housewife archetype of the Cold War era with changing attitudes toward sexuality. Because of these cultural shifts, the developments that dominate the research presented here are; first, the changing elements in the lives of the women who pass through the halls of academia during this time of societal flux; second, the impact of the development of the birth control pill; and third, the impact of the publications of Playboy magazine and Sex and the Single Girl. These developments mark a …

Parental Involvement Typologies As Related To Student Achievement., Stacia Maria Derrick-Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine specific parenting practices in four East Tennessee counties to determine their relationships, if any, to student achievement among various demographic groups. The investigation included status variables, such as parents' educational level, annual income level, and family structure. Students' Normal Curve Equivalent scores on the Terra Nova Standardized Test were used to measure student achievement. The Epstein (1987) typologies were used to classify parent involvement modalities.

The analysis consisted of four research questions and were tested at the .05 level of significance. Pearson's product-moment, Spearman's rho, and Kendall's Tau B correlation coefficients were …

The Cyclical Nature Of Moral Entrepreneurship., Yvonne L. Wolf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary focus of this study was to determine how "moral entrepreneurs" were able to convince the American public to support their anti-drug crusades.

The methodology section consisted of information gathered from primary and secondary sources, and described why these sources were used.

Harry Anslinger and Richard Nixon were used as models to demonstrate how a cycle of moral entrepreneurship existed throughout the twentieth century.

By testing for a cycle of moral entrepreneurship through content analysis of various sources, including descriptive statistics, the same pattern was identified as dominating Reagan's and Bush's anti-drug rhetoric.

Lastly, possible limitations of the study …