Education Commons^™

Academic Engagement: The Impact Of Personal, Cultural, And School Factors On African American Student Academic Effort, Ruth Alisha Jenkins Hill

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Using the cultural-ecological and the personal perspective theory, this study examined the relationship of sociological and psychological factors on academic effort. This research used multiple linear regression analyses and data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 to examine the extent to which personal, cultural, and school structural variables predict academic effort among a sample of 10th grade African American students.

African American students' personal perceptions characterizing their belief in the importance of education, their value of schooling, and their desire for higher learning were strongly correlated with academic effort. The results also indicated parental involvement and parental aspirations played …

Determining The Utility Of Technology For Education, Brian Spencer Dillon

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

There is a substantial debate concerning the place of technology in education. This debate has been going on over every technology introduced through at least three millennia although the modern version takes place in journal articles. Technology, in the general sense, is already in the educational arena 1n ways which have become so commonplace that we hardly question them today. More modern technologies, however, meet perpetual resistance in achieving their potential. This paper calls into question the most recent trend in research and suggests a new research paradigm which focuses not only on student achievement, but on a variety of …

Understanding The Relationship Between Peer Mentoring And Undergraduate Capitalization, Jonathan M. Holland

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Research has demonstrated the importance of various forms of mentoring across multiple contexts. However, the topic of informal peer mentors has not been sufficiently explored. This study investigated the role of peer mentors in encouraging participation in voluntary development activities (i.e., capitalization). An online survey was completed by 288 undergraduate students. As hypothesized, mentoring was positively related to high levels of participation in capitalization activities and intentions to mentor in the future, and capitalization participation was positively related to higher levels of student satisfaction, continuance commitment, and career involvement. Contrary to expectations, capitalization participation was not significantly related to affective …

Exploring Entrepreneurialism In Community Colleges In The Appalachian Region, Sharon Lynn Hatfield

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The combination of a weak economy with a corresponding decline in tax revenue has created deficits in state and local budgets which adversely affect the financial stability of community colleges. This leaves community colleges struggling to continue to provide education in support of their missions. To provide a source of alternative revenue, community colleges are embracing the spirit of entrepreneurialism and transforming themselves into profit-seeking businesses.

This quantitative study, using a web-based survey and descriptive and inferential statistics, focuses on factors perceived by college presidents and workforce development officers to affect the practice of entrepreneurialism in 71 community colleges in …

Noncognitive Predictors Of Academic Performance And Persistence In Horizontal And Vertical Transfer Students By Academic Level, Christopher A. Davis

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

College students increasingly are transferring among institutions of higher education in pursuit of their educational goals. The existing research on transfer students, however, does not adequately explore the unique characteristics of this heterogeneous population. The literature on transfer students suggests that transfer students are at-risk for experiencing academic difficulty and attrition. Research indicates that degree attainment is associated with the success of the student and their parents. Furthermore, attrition negatively impacts higher education finances, so colleges and universities that focus on helping students be successful and persist to graduation maintain revenue streams.

Many studies have focused on cognitive measures of …

The Effect Of Individual Or Group Guidelines On The Calibration Accuracy Of High School Biology Students, Camilla C. Walck

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

The effect of individual or group guidelines on the calibration accuracy of high school biology students was investigated. The study was conducted with 102 International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program biology students in a public school setting. The study was carried out over three testing occasions. Students worked in group or individual settings with and without calibration guidelines. Four intact classes were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: groups calibrating without guidelines; groups calibrating with guidelines; individuals calibrating without guidelines; individuals calibrating with guidelines. The students participated in the calibration activities one block before they actually took each of the …

The Effects Of Cooperative And Collaborative Strategies On Student Achievement And Satisfaction In Blended And Online Learning Environments, Christine E. Nickel

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine whether cooperative versus collaborative strategies used for a group project had differential effects on students' achievement, process and solution satisfaction, value and preference for collaboration, and perceptions of community of inquiry in online and blended environments. The study sample consisted of teacher education students enrolled in a technology integration course. Students' age, academic level, online experience, and teaching experience were used as covariates in an effort to identify differential effects associated with student characteristics. Cooperative and collaborative strategies were differentiated by the amount of structure imposed by the instructor as well as …

A Hierarchical Examination Of The Immigrant Achievement Gap: The Additional Explanatory Power Of Nationality And Educational Selectivity Over Traditional Explorations Of Race And Socioeconomic Status, Kathryn A. Simms

Theses and Dissertations in Early Childhood Education

This study compared immigrant and nonimmigrant educational achievement (i.e., the immigrant gap) in math and reading by reexamining the explanatory power of race and socio-economic status (SES)—two variables, perhaps, most commonly considered in educational research and policy formation. Four research questions were explored through growth curve modeling, factor analysis, and regression analysis based on a sample of participants in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort of 1998 (ECLS-K) from kindergarten to eighth grade (N = 6,861). Findings indicated that immigrant students who had been in the United States since at least their preschool years had lower math and reading …

Tobacco Indemnification Money And Its Impact On Education In Southwest Virginia, Mark Miller

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine the educational impact of tobacco settlement funds on quota holders and growers in Southwest Virginia.

Standardization Of Learning Management Systems, Deborah J. B. Richard

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine if sharable content object model, the aviation industry CBT committee, and extensible markup language standards are compatible as they pertain to the effective and productive use of a standards management systems for e-learning courses among systems.

Effectiveness Of Group Instructional Technology Staff Development Versus Individualized Training Among Middle And High School Teachers, Tina Evans

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine whether instructional technology training in Isle of Wight County met the needs of the professional staff.

Predictors Of Developmental Screenings For Young Children, Janice Chandler Ranne

Health Services Research Dissertations

This study examines the usefulness of the New Model of Children's Health and its Influences for the identification of predictors for health service effectiveness. Health service effectiveness is measured by probability estimations of whether young children receive formal or informal developmental screenings. Screenings lead to prevention of communication delays in later childhood. Formal screenings with standardized questions are preferred over informal screenings, which are knowledgeable observations. The theoretical framework is a child-centered socio-ecological theory that is untested for use in health service effectiveness studies until the present one. Four developmental concepts of the theoretical framework, social environment, physical environment, biological …

Relationship Between Membership In Deca, An Association Of Marketing Students, And Grade Point Average As An Indicator Of Academic Success, Michael Frederick Kosloski Jr.

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Stakeholders in career and technical education, and more specifically marketing education, tout member benefits of applied learning through career and technical student organizations. However, there is little empirical evidence to support the notion that such student organizations help students to achieve academic gains. As a result, the purpose of this study was to collect and analyze empirical data to determine whether there is a relationship between DECA, An Association of Marketing Students, and academic gains as indicated by grade point average.

The study examined three relationships. The first was the relationship between DECA membership and grade point average movement, the …

Adjustment Experiences And Ethnic Identity Attitudes Among High School Students In Advanced Academic Programs, Tiffany Michelle Hall

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

African American high school students have been historically underrepresented in advanced placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and dual enrollment (DE) programs. The adoption of more equitable admissions practices has helped many school divisions develop a more ethnically diverse AP, IB, and DE student body. Despite increased African American student enrollment, retaining these students remains an ongoing problem. Equally troubling is the persistent achievement gap that exists between African American and White students in AP, IB, and DE programs African American students do not perform as well as Whites on program exit exams nor do they complete these programs at a …

Secondary English Teachers' Attitudes Toward Disciplinary And Literacy Learning Implications For Pedagogical Praxis And Reform, Stephanie Kay Sugioka

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was threefold: (1) to examine the epistemological stances of the two teacher participants, that is, to determine their attitudes toward student literacy and their beliefs about the purposes of English as a discipline; (2) to describe the interplay between their epistemological stances and their pedagogical practices, in particular with respect to their use of research-based literacy strategies; and (3) to arrive at a means of supporting them in their use of more effective pedagogical strategies, in this case including more in-depth discussion in their classes for the purpose of furthering their students' critical literacy. The …

An Examination Of The Reading First Program At A Southeastern Virginia Elementary School And The Impact On K–2 Student Reading Achievement, Leslie Ford Lippard

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Reading First was a federal initiative aimed at improving reading instruction and implementing programs and strategies grounded in scientifically-based reading research. The legislation was predicated on research findings that high-quality reading instruction and intervention in the primary grades significantly reduces the numbers of students who experience difficulties in later grades. This study examined the Reading First program at an elementary school in southeastern Virginia from 2006-2008. Specifically, the researcher investigated the impact of the independent variable, the tier three model of intervention on K-2 student reading achievement. Quantitative data was garnered from 792 K-2 student participants attending the research site. …

Where Is The Learning In Smaller Learning Communities? Academic Press, Social Support For Learning, And Academic Engagement In Smaller Learning Community Classrooms, Christopher Michael Fischer

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

The extent to which Academic Press and strong social relationships impact Academic Engagement in smaller learning communities (SLCs) situated in large comprehensive urban high schools was investigated. Data were collected through classroom observations, student questionnaires and focus groups with teachers and analyzed using descriptive statistics, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), and content analysis of focus interview transcripts. Findings from the survey data confirm those found in much of the existing literature, namely that students experiencing high levels of Academic Press were more often the most academically engaged. This finding was also confirmed for African American students in high Academic Press …

The Effects Of Expressive Writing On Stress, Mood, And Perception Of Self-Efficacy And Of Instructor, Sophia S. Tailor

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if emotional disclosure through expressive writing would have an effect on stress, mood, self-efficacy, and perception of instructor in a population of undergraduate human services students. This study used a randomized control-group pretest-posttest design with three experimental conditions. There were 32 participants with (N = 10) emotional disclosure group, (N = 11) factual disclosure group, and (N = 11) the control group. The study was conducted over three consecutive days following a variation of Pennebaker's (1986) expressive writing protocol. Study measures and writing samples were collected via a web-based interface. The data …

College Student Adjustment And Health Behaviors, Lisa Anne Hall

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the relationship between student adjustment theory and college student health behaviors. Specifically, this research examined first-year freshmen college student physical activity and nutrition behaviors and impact on adjustment to college (N = 37,564). The design for this study was a non-experimental ex post facto examination of archival data provided by the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment II survey, spanning academic years 2008 through 2009. The main variables in this study included student physical activity and nutrition behaviors. Baker and Siryk's student adjustment theory was used as a theoretical framework to identify survey questions related …

The Administration Of Community College Blogs: Considering Control And Adaptability In Loosely Coupled Systems, Troy A. Swanson

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study using a multiple case study method is (1) to further the understanding of how community college administrators and blog authors strike a balance between organizational control and adaptability when implementing and using blog technologies and (2) to create a model that will help administrators better strike this balance within a loosely coupled system of college units and individuals. The rise of Web 2.0 technologies, which allows for direct publication to the Internet, presents two conundrums for community colleges: the conundrum of control and the conundrum of adaptability. As the oldest implementation of Web 2.0 technologies, …

Questions Of Transfer: Writers' Perspective On Familiar/Unfamiliar Writing Tasks In A Capstone Writing Course, Heather G. Lettner-Rust

English Theses & Dissertations

Understanding what students bring from one writing context to another may the central concern for teachers of writing from elementary school to adult learning. Research from the field of composition studies offers knowledge about writing as process(es) (Emig, 1971; Shaughnessy, 1979; Russell, 1999), as socially constructed performances (Flower & Hayes, 1980; Bartholomae, 1985; Bloom, 1985), and as part of a larger activity system (Russell, 1997). This dissertation ties together theories of writing as an activity in a broader system of tools and outcomes and current research on transfer in writing in order to illustrate writers' perspectives on particular writing tasks. …

Establishing A Connection Between Quality Of Life And Pre-Academic Instruction For Students With Profound Multiple Disabilities, Jonna L. Bobzien

Communication Disorders & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The field of special education has begun to concentrate its efforts on developing objectives and procedural strategies that promote a positive quality of life for students with profound multiple disabilities, while determining which educational strategies are the most appropriate. A multi-element design was used to compare the effects of two educational conditions, pre-academic skills instruction and functional life skills instruction, on the quality of life indicators of four students with profound multiple disabilities. Results indicated that all four students demonstrated a greater number of happiness indicators while receiving pre-academic instruction. Implications for current educational practices are addressed and directions for …

The Philanthropic Motivations Of Community College Donors: A Study Of The Educational Foundation Of A Mid-Sized, Multi-Campus Community College In Virginia, Linnie Smith Carter

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the philanthropic motivations of the donors of a mid-sized, multi-campus community college in Virginia as part of a plan to enhance relationships with donors and increase the amount of private funds raised. Dependence on dwindling, traditional and limited funding sources leaves community colleges vulnerable and constantly struggling to fund the ever-increasing needs of their internal and external stakeholders (Sheldon, 2003). Community colleges are attempting to address the problem by enhancing their fundraising efforts and strengthening relationships with donors.

A mixed-method, multi-step approach was used for this research study. The approach in this study involved five steps. The …

Exploration Of Barriers And Solutions For Women In The Pathway To The High School Principalship, Tracy Shook Skinner

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate barriers women face when entering school administration as well as perceptions of the high school principalship held by female high school principals and assistant principals aspiring to the principalship. Work conflicts and job demands for women were explored as well as the significance of mentoring and networking along the pathway to the principalship. The information gathered through a critical feminist approach was used to assess women's barriers to the principalship and describe methods employed to overcome those barriers.

Exploratory Study Of The Relationship Between State Fiscal Effort And Academic Achievement, Timothy A. Goodale

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Prior empirical research has taken many varying approaches to determine if differences in funding significantly impacts student academic achievement. However, much of these studies exhibit weak generalizability due to their limited scope, timeframe and dissimilar achievement measures. To expand upon the already robust literature in education finance this study measures interstate funding disparities via state fiscal effort and determines its impact on several measures of student academic achievement. To control for threats to external validity the research investigates the variables over ten years to determine if the relationships hold over time. Statistical measures employed within the research include bivariate correlation, …

Changing Diversity In U.S. Schools: The Impact On Elementary Student Performance And Achievement, Jennifer Karyn Clayton

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Schools in the United States have experienced changes in their demographic profile during the last half century. During this changing time, schools have experienced court involved desegregation and have experienced fluctuations in their populations with regard to both race and socioeconomic status. Existing studies on segregation have focused primarily on Black and White students, neglecting the increasing Hispanic population of U.S. schools. This study provides more data to the expanding research on the impact of diversity on student performance. The study examined whether diversity and teacher quality of a school can predict academic performance on state-mandated tests, while controlling for …

Test Anxiety And Other Factors As Predictors Of Outcome For An Undergraduate University's Examination Of Writing Competency, Carrie D. Smith

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Testing in American schools has increased dramatically in recent years (Cizek & Burg, 2006), increasing the need for research in test anxiety (TA). Writing apprehension, a subcategory of TA, may be of particular concern among students at all levels of education given the recent addition of writing assessments on the SAT and GRE tests.

Very few recent studies have examined demographic correlates of TA and the demographics of students in higher education have been changing for some time. These changes include an increase in all categories of nontraditional students. Nontraditional students, by definition, face a particular set of challenges in …

Examining Re-Entry Challenges And Needs Of Trinidad And Tobago Offenders, Kamhya M. Milan

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This research examines the challenges and needs that Trinidad and Tobago offenders face upon release from prison. The purpose of this research is to provide a foundation for policy recommendations to improve successful reintegration for prisoners corning home. Although there is a lack of re-entry literature based on Trinidad and Tobago offenders, the findings in this study show that Trinidad and Tobago offenders experience the same challenges and needs revealed by America research on offender re-entry. Study results show that policy intervention should be designed to ensure offenders returning home receive assistance with finding shelter, employment, educational resources, counseling and …

A School Leadership Perspective On Cultural Competencies And Self-Regulation In A Government-Funded Preschool Setting, Anita B. James

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

At four years of age, young children in government-funded preschool programs are suspended or expelled from school more frequently than their school-aged counterparts. These students comprise a largely minority enrollment that does not reflect the demographic of the teachers and administrators implementing the preschool program. The purpose of this case study research was to investigate the trend of behavior-related expulsions in a government-funded preschool program and to examine the impact of culture on this phenomenon. The study examined the lack of cultural responsiveness as a potential barrier to student success. Research literature provides common strategies to address the dual concepts …

The Impact Of Participation Or Non-Participation In The Academic Excellence Commitment Area Of The Ncaa Champs/Life Skills Program On The Academic Progress And Graduation Success Rates Of Division I Football Teams, Melanie Miller

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the difference that participation or nonparticipation in the academic excellence commitment area of the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills program had on the academic progress and graduation success of Division I-FBS football teams.

A quantitative non-experimental study was conducted on a primary population of 116 Division I-FBS football teams and a secondary population of all athletes at these institutions. The football teams were examined by conference participation and nonparticipation subgroups from 11 of the 12 Division I-FBS conferences, by football teams, and by African-American and Caucasian football player ethnic groups. GSR data for the football teams and all athletes …