Education Commons^™

Impact Of Family Involvement On Student Academic Achievement, Jennifer L. Meyer

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to investigate beliefs, barriers, and current levels of parental involvement in the education of their child. There were three research questions: 1. Is there a relationship between differing parenting styles, social economic status, and family configurations and beliefs about parental involvement in the education of their child? 2. What prevents parents of differing parenting styles, social economic status, and family configurations from being involved in their child's education? 3. Is there a relationship between differing parenting styles, social economic status, and family configurations and current involvement in their child's education? Seventy-five parents of sixth …

A Case Study Of A Child Presenting Academic And On Task Difficulties, Eric Stephen Weichers

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The current study examines a 4th grade, African-American male referred for special education eligibility evaluation. Specific academic difficulties cited on the referred included reading, writing, spelling, and math. A behavioral concern included the student's off task behavior and how it might contribute to his academic difficulties. A special education evaluation was conducted that included the procedures of reviewing the student's records, interviewing those of consequence to the evaluation, classroom observations of the student's behavior, and testing of skills. The testing procedures included nationally normed standardized tests, curriculum based assessment, permanent product review, informal reading inventory scores, and an intelligence test. …

Web-Based Distance Instructional Partnership For Maritime Technology Of Pacific Rim Countries, Chun-Mei Shieh

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The prime purpose of this study was to identify and determine the attitudes and intentions of the faculty members in the field of marine technology education in Taiwan and Australia regarding adopting Web-based distance education. A secondary purpose was to develop guidelines for a program in preparation for implementing Web-based distance education for faculty members in Taiwan.

Five groups in the field of marine technology composed the research population for this study. They are the faculty members in Taiwan in nine vocational high schools, two junior colleges, the National Kaohsiung Institute Marine Technology (NKIMT), and the National Taiwan Ocean University …

Integrating New Technologies Into The Methods Of Education (Intime): Its Impact On The Professional Practice Of Participating Teacher Educators, Marius Boboc

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this qualitative study is to determine those factors that influenced the implementation of a technology-based project (Integrating New Technologies Into Methods of Education [INTIME]) as well as its overall impact on the professional practice of participating methods professors who used it in their classroom over a number o f semesters.

Recent research findings reveal the fact that teacher preparation programs lack the proper use of computer technology (CT). In this light, it would be expected that in- service teachers who have recently graduated college do not master the necessary technological skills to educate their own students for …

Acculturative Stress Experienced By International Students At The University Of Northern Iowa And Their Coping Options, Mmamiki Gaolatlhe Kamanakao

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the acculturative stressors of international students at the University of Northern Iowa and determine what services or programs they access or use as their coping options. Also included in the study was a description of differences in the extracted factors of acculturative stress by gender, age, marital status, residence type, place of origin, length of study at UN[, length of stay in the US, and number of working hours per week. A random sample of 98 international students (45% female, and 54% male) responded to a 50-item acculturative stress and coping …

The Effects Of The Comprehensive School Improvement Process On Gifted And Talented Programming In Iowa As Perceived By Middle Level Principals And Teachers, Jean Suchsland Schneider

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This descriptive study examined the perceived effects of the Iowa state-mandate, the Comprehensive School Improvement (CSI) Process, for Gifted and Talented (GT) Programming in Iowa. The study examined the assumption that mandates lead to internal changes in schools, increased collaboration among various groups, and improved school programs. Based on the mandated provisions of the Iowa Administrative Code, this study compared the perceptions of middle level teachers of gifted and talented students with middle level principals and investigated two areas: (a) the perceived changes in GT Programming in Iowa from the time the CSI Process was implemented to the present time …

Perceptions Of High School Principals On Instructional Leadership And Implications For Practice And Professional Development, Dianna K. Engelbrecht

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was: (a) to determine how Iowa high school principals perceive their instructional leadership practice as defined by ISSL/ISLLC Standard 2 and the knowledge, dispositions, and performance descriptors; (b) to determine which Standard 2 indicators are most essential for the high school principal's instructional leadership practice; (c) to determine if the practices of high school principals as instructional leaders align with the identified essential indicators of Standard 2; (d) to define and describe how Iowa high school principals define instructional leadership; (e) to determine if demographics impact the instructional leadership practices of Iowa's high school principals; …

Student Perceptions Of Satisfaction With School Climate In Relationship To Their Involvement In An Extracurricular Activity Program For The Promotion Of Intercultural Harmony, Dana Charles Deines

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of conducting this study was to examine the relationship between students' involvement in extracurricular activities and their perceptions of satisfaction with the components of school climate. Central to this study was the examination of the relationship between students' involvement in an extracurricular activity program developed for the promotion of intercultural harmony and their perceptions of satisfaction with school climate.

From the approximately 1,200 students of a Midwestern high school, more than 400 students were surveyed using the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Student Satisfaction Survey to determine students' satisfaction with the components of their school climate. …

Job Satisfaction Among Nurse Educators Of Private Colleges And Universities, Jacqueline Kay Kuennen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

It is widely known that a nursing shortage exists in the health care field today. Less well known is the existence of a nurse educator shortage. Most research has been directed toward investigating the nursing shortage in general rather than the nurse educator shortage in particular. Research on job satisfaction among nurse educators has received recent attention and has been regarded as the most urgent and immediate step in ameliorating the nurse educator shortage.

The purpose of this study was to investigate job satisfaction among nurse educators in private colleges and universities in a midwestern state. In addition to investigating …

General Educator Training For The Instruction Of English Language Learners : Is It Sufficient?, Jane E. Zirkelbach

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The present study examined perceptions from a small sample of teachers from two small Midwestern districts. Teachers were interviewed to collect information regarding the teachers' training for the general education instruction and the identification process for special education for English Language Learners (ELLs ). In addition, teachers were asked to suggest future methods of training and identify alternatives to special education referrals for ELLs. The results indicated that teachers are not adequately trained to instruct nor identify ELLs for special education and that future teachers should be trained to educate and communicate with ELLs. Recommendations include more comprehensive

A Descriptive Analysis Of Sexuality Education In The State Of Iowa : What Content Is Being Delivered To Secondary Students?, Brian Poncy

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The present study investigated what content in the area of human sexuality was being delivered to secondary students in the state of Iowa. The study was a descriptive study, which investigated the lesson plans used by the teacher(s) who delivered the participating school's sexuality education component. Specifically, the study compared what information schools cited that they were delivering to secondary students with a preset coding system developed by Ogletree, Rienzo, Drolet & Fetro (1995) to evaluate sexuality education curricula. Three areas were looked at which included sexually related content, skill building strategies, and teaching strategies. Results indicated that the participating …

Parental Perceptions On Maintaining Heritage Languages Of Cld Students, Ruth Lingxin Yan

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The rapid growth of the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) students in public schools of the United States has been steady in the past decades. Issues concerning CLD students such as their school failures, high dropout rates, the limited English proficiency, family poverty, and their unequal job opportunities, have caused increasing concerns from policy makers, school administrators and educators at all school levels. Various efforts to modify CLD students' social and academic disadvantages have been attempted through educational approaches, especially in the form of heritage language support in bilingual education programs initiated at the local school levels and funded by …

The Educational Thought And Practices Of Padre Luís Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga S. J., Justo Gallardo

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The memory of the Jesuit Luís Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga S.J. is deeply held by the people of Chile. Most are aware of his main activities in favor of the poor. More than 50 years after his death, he is undeniably remembered for his main social work, El Hogar de Cristo, the largest welfare institution in Latin America. His importance for education in Chile, however, is less well-recognized. This historical case study is intended to address this less well-known aspect of his life.

As such, the purpose of this study is to examine Padre Hurtado's influence on Chilean education in the …

In Their Footsteps: Women Faculty Of Wartburg College 1914–1945, Susan Kosche Vallem

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to investigate the hiring and inclusion of women faculty members in private higher education, using Wartburg College as a case study. This study identified and described the educational policies and procedures at Wartburg from 1914 to 1945 related to the hiring of women faculty at Wartburg College.

While the history of women in higher education is well-chronicled, much less is written on the impetus and motivation for hiring women faculty and their impact on the institutions themselves. This dissertation adds to that specific body of knowledge.

Three research questions were investigated in this study: …

Student Perceptions Of A Peer Mediation Program In A Middle School Setting, Amy Junkermeier

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to provide basic descriptive information regarding a peer mediation program at a rural middle school in Iowa. Students' familiarity and perceptions of the peer mediation program were assessed. The findings indicated that students were aware of the Peacemaking program. However, students also suggested that the school could do a better job providing information about the program. The data also indicated that the majority of students believed that peacemaking was effective and reported that the peacemakers were neutral and confidential. Most students also indicated that they would ask for help from a peacemaker if they …

Academic Attribution Style Of Tenth Grade Students With Attachment Problems, Kimberly Conrad

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a relationship between attachment and attribution in adolescents. The question that will be answered in this study is is there a relationship between attachment (as measured by the Adolescent Attachment Questionnaire) and attribution ( as measured by the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire). There is not enough data in the literature at the present time to clearly support that there is a relationship. Data were collected by using two instruments, Adolescent Attachment Questionnaire (AAQ), (West, Rose, Spreng, Sheldon-Keller, & Adam, 1998), and Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire (Crandall, Katkovosky, & Crandall, …

Forgiveness Intervention For An Incest Survivor : A Case Study, Joyce Skinner

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study examined the effectiveness of a 20 week, individual forgiveness intervention for a late adolescent female incest survivor. The forgiveness intervention was taken from Enright's (1991) Process Model of Forgiveness. This intervention has been shown to be effective in at least four scientific studies to date (Al-Mabuk, Enright, & Cardis, 1995; Coyle & Enright, 1997; Freedman & Enright, 1996; Hehl & Enright, 1993). The participant of this study was recruited form a Midwestern community human service organization as a self-referral for counseling service. Treatment variables were measured utilizing a single-subject design that compared the subject's feelings of hope, anxiety, …

Inspire And Equip: The Needs And Wants Of Students In A High School English Curriculum, Jocelyn Hays

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

A student walks into the classroom on the first day of school. He glances around to see if he knows anyone. Two of his friends wave him over, and he slides into a desk in close proximity to theirs. The bell rings and everyone turns to the front where the teacher starts talking about what you will be covering that semester. She points to a row of outdated anthologies full of short stories, poems, plays and mini-lessons designed to teach the intricacies of the English language. On the shelf below the anthologies is a class set of several different novels …

An Investigation Of The Types Of Support Identified As Necessary By Secondary Classroom Teachers In Iowa School Districts For The Inclusion Of Students Identified As Behaviorally Disabled, Rick Alan Ironside

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study investigated the type of supports secondary general educators in Iowa school districts identified as minimal to include children with behavioral disabilities. It also analyzed the differences in the types of support secondary general educators identified to include children with behavioral disabilities into the general education classroom.

A total of 251 teachers from 147 school districts reacted to an assigned scenario that described a student with a behavioral disability by completing a self-reporting survey on the actual supports they received and minimal support needs preferred to include the student described in the assigned scenario into their classroom. General education …

A Study Of The Multiple Perspective Approach To Leadership Used By Elementary And Secondary Public School Principals In Urban Iowa, Tracy E. Johns

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Based on the writings and research of Dr. L. G. Bolman and Dr. T. E. Deal, this study sought to assess the leadership practices, preferences, preparedness, and performance of public school principals in urban Iowa. Specifically, were the principals in Iowa's eight largest districts making use of a multiple perspective approach to leadership? In what areas did they appear to feel most competent? And, in what areas did the principals in this study appear to feel most inadequate?

Bolman and Deal's Leadership Orientations ( Self ) Survey (1990) was distributed to 240 elementary and secondary principals working within the Urban …

A Qualitative Inquiry Into Why And How Special Educators Leave The Field, Jane E. Caraway

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this inquiry was to take an in-depth look at special educators’ decisions to leave the field of special education through their personal reflective stories. The study examined factors that influenced why these teachers made their decision to leave their chosen field. It also ventured into how those decisions were made in terms of the complex and personal events preceding their final departures. Throughout the inquiry the phenomena of special education teacher attrition was held up to a work adjustment framework. The framework explored the job satisfaction of these teachers during their experiences in special education and documented …

A National Survey Of Elementary Principals' Response To The Events Of September 11, 2001, Diane Mary Mccarty

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The events of September 11, 2001, will be forever etched in the minds of citizens of the United States. Because students enrolled in the nation's elementary schools compose a significant segment of the population affected by these watershed events, this study investigated the responses of elementary school principals to the terrorist events of September 11. Specifically, this study sought to determine the degree to which elementary principals perceived their school's crisis management plan supported their leadership on September 11, 2001, and in the days and weeks that followed, and the degree to which elementary principals perceived these actions were connected …