Education Commons^™

The Consequential Effects Of High-Stakes Testing On Teacher Pedagogy, Practice And Identity: Teacher Voices Disrupt The A Priori, Janice Ellen Blake

Doctoral Dissertations

Today, under the federal mandates of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), test scores are being used for ways and means in which they were never designed, normed or intended (Linn, 2003). As a result, the purposes and uses of high-stakes tests have become a source of concerned debate among stakeholders, who see the consequences of high-stakes testing as having significant effects within the larger educational reform known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) (Amrein & Berliner, 2002b). Allington (2002) has stated that NCLB has dramatically changed the testing story, making high-stakes tests one of the leading and central characters of …

A Comparative Philosophical Feminist Identity Study Of Chinese Women Intellectuals And The Educational Implications, Yan Cao

Doctoral Dissertations

As a female cross-cultural educator and scholar in the third space, I am deeply concerned about issues related to Asian Americans and especially Chinese women intellectuals. Problematic misinterpretations of Chinese women from Euro-western perspective center on Orentalism and newly arising problems during the post-Mao era in China such as problems with rising gender consciousness, invisibility issues of homosexuality, ethnic minorities, rethinking of class, and added social contexts in Chinese indigenous works. These problems demonstrate the need to pay attention to Chinese feminist scholarship and Chinese women’s academic contributions. A better way to theoretically understand Chinese women and their scholarship from …

A Comparative Study Of Faculty Expectations Of New Hires In Mathematics Education And Qualifications Of Doctoral Students In Mathematics Education, Randy L. Collins

Doctoral Dissertations

There is a critical need to attract more students into doctoral programs in mathematics education. Those in the doctoral programs in mathematics education have many career options outside of academics and research shows that 20% of those seeking the doctorate in mathematics education go into other areas besides higher education (Glasgow, 2001). Thus, there has been a shortage of qualified applicants for academic positions (Reys, 2000; Glasgow, 2000; Reys & Kilpatrick, 2001; Reys, 2002). Complicating matters is the fact that 80% of faculty in mathematics education are eligible to retire in 2008 (Reys, Glasgow, Ragan, & Simms, 2001; Reys, 2006). …

Art Therapy With An Adolescent: A Case Study, Cynthia S. Crawford

Doctoral Dissertations

Due to the paucity of formal research in the use of art therapy with adolescent populations, the purported effectiveness of art as an assessment instrument in screening for emotional disturbance, and the widespread application of art and other expressive modalities with children, the purpose of this single subject qualitative case study was to describe the experience of an adolescent, diagnosed with a mood disorder, either singly or in combination with other psychiatric disorders, and enrolled full-time in a residential treatment center, while participating in weekly person-centered art therapy sessions. The participant for this study was a 16-year old adolescent female, …

Linguistic And Cultural Competence In The Global Business Arena: A Study Of A Japanese Company In Tennessee, Asami Segi

Doctoral Dissertations

According to a survey by the State of Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Division of Research and Planning, the number one country in terms of investment in Tennessee is Japan, which currently has 160 companies in Tennessee that employ 40,450 people (Tennessee Total Foreign Direct Investment and Employment by Country Current Through April 2008, p.1).

Whereby there are a number of research studies examining the importance of Japanese language competence in American companies, there is a paucity of research that addresses Americans with Japanese language competency who work in Japanese companies located in the U.S. This study therefore …

Composition Classroom Narratives Of Teaching And Learning, Annie J. O'Dowd

Doctoral Dissertations

This was an action research study examining 1) narratives community college writing students had about themselves as writers in a college-level writing course and 2) the connection between those narratives and student experience of collaborative learning activities. The study of narrative is particularly useful in determining how people make meaning of experiences in their lives.

The class utilized three types of teaching and learning to explore the writing process, including lecture, discussion groups and collaborative learning activities. Students and teacher used a social-constructionist approach to conversation that implemented a process of reflective dialogue about writing and writers' strategies.

At the …

Does The Grade Level At Which Algebra I Is Completed Affect Future Mathematics Performance, Jamie Kay Fugitt

Doctoral Dissertations

According to analysis of 2003 NAEP data, the percentage of students enrolling in Algebra I prior to ninth grade continues to increase, up to 42% in 2003. This current study is designed to examine the benefits of acceleration into algebra by exploring four major questions regarding timing of algebra. The first question examines relationships between student characteristics and timing of algebra. Relationships between school characteristics and timing of algebra are examined by the second question. Questions three and four explore relationships between timing of algebra and mathematics achievement and course taking, respectively.

Information was gathered on 449 students matriculating at …

Levelising: A Collaborative Learning Practice For Strength-Based Organizations, Cheri B. Torres

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the experience of Appreciative Inquiry practitioners participating in collaborative learning. Participants engaged in a process of action and reflection called levelising, designed to surface assumptions and hidden frames of reference (Peters, 1999). Although the focus of their eight-month dialogue was on understanding post-modern organizational design and strength-based organization practices, the researcher was interested in the impact of levelising on the participants' practices, including the researcher's own.

Data sources consisted of phenomenological interviews with eight participants, email posts, and field notes. Analysis data revealed six themes, four of which addressed group dynamics and forums for engagement. Two addressed …

Identities In Practice: Relating Identity And Instructional Practices Among Middle Grades Mathematics Teachers, Thomas Edward Hodges

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative case study documents the identities of four middle grades mathematics teachers and the influences of those identities on their instructional practices. Three sources of data were collected: interviews, observations, and the Scoop Notebook (Borko et al., 2005). Wenger's (1998) characteristics of identity provided the framework for data analysis. This view of identity aligns with situative views of learning and provided an analytic lens that allowed a focus on the development of a mathematics teaching identity in relation to the communities in which teachers participate. Both within-case analyses and a comparative analysis across contexts were conducted. The within-case analyses …

Faculty Perspectives On The Importance And Place Of Nontechnical Competencies In Veterinary Medical Education At Five North American Colleges Of Veterinary Medicine, India F. Lane

Doctoral Dissertations

Successful veterinary practice requires a unique combination of medical competence and other professional skills that include empathy, communication skills, business and management skills. Results of two recent national studies have indicated that many veterinarians possess the medical knowledge, but not the ancillary skills, that can determine their economic success. Furthermore, growth in non-practice veterinary careers and changes in food animal production medicine have accentuated the need for veterinarians with exceptional teamwork, management and leadership skills. These nontechnical competencies pose a challenge to veterinary educators, who have traditionally focused on transfer of biomedical knowledge and have had limited involvement in these …

Teacher Attitudes Toward English Language Learners, Rich W. Mckinney

Doctoral Dissertations

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has created a situation in which teachers are required to educate English Language Learners (ELLs) at the same level of proficiency as native speakers. However, there is a paucity of research concerning teacher attitudes regarding ELLs, and thus, little is known about how these attitudes will impact instruction. The purpose of this study was to examine regular education teachers’ attitudes toward the inclusion of ELLs in the regular education classroom. More specifically this study sought to understand whether teacher attitudes were influenced by the specific instructional factors of support, expertise, and time.

The study was …

Terrorism Incident Response Education For Public-Safety Personnel In North Carolina And Tennessee: An Evaluation By Emergency Managers, John Eric Powell

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the appropriateness and sufficiency of an existing course jointly created by the United States Department of Justice, the National Fire Academy, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency entitled Emergency Response to Terrorism: Basic Concepts. The survey groups chosen for this evaluation included the 194 emergency managers for the two states of North Carolina and Tennessee.

The return rate for the descriptive survey study was 53.6 percent (n=104). This return rate was accomplished via two mailings and telephone interviews.

Overall, the respondents felt that the five main course topics (Understanding and Recognizing …

Development Of A Standardized Nursing Curriculum For The Alabama Community College System: A Critical Case Study, Alice G. Raymond

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to describe how the Alabama Community College System (ACCS) standardized their nursing curriculum. A single research question was the focus of the study: “How did the ACCS develop its standardized nursing curriculum?” The sub questions were, “who were the key players in the process?”, “Who had the positions of power and dominance, and who did not?”, “Who were included and who were excluded in the process?”, “What were the reasons for inclusion and exclusion?”, and “What were the contextual elements that influenced the development of the curriculum?”

Data from multiple sources were gathered. …

The Experience Of Teachers Who Have Moved From Childhood Poverty To Middle Class, John Steven Dunkin

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to research the phenomenon of an individual who has moved from long term poverty into middle class. Phenomenological interviews were conducted with six participants who had experienced poverty in their childhood, attended and graduated college and obtained professional licenses to teach public school; these licenses gave them access to a teaching position with its commensurate middle class status and salary. Interviews began with the question, "Tell me about your childhood and how you became a teacher." Data analysis revealed four themes (and subthemes) in the narratives of these six participants: (1) durable family relationships …

New Teacher Identity And The Edublogosphere: A Multi-Case Study Of First Year Teacher Bloggers, Rebecca L. Payne

Doctoral Dissertations

New Internet and communication technologies (ICTs) facilitate collaboration and interaction among teachers. The increased presence of web-based tools in education settings prompted this qualitative inquiry. Widely available and inexpensive, these webbased tools (e.g., blogs, wikis, podcasts) provide opportunities for publishing content online. This multiple case study explores the sociocultural construct of identity formation (Holland & Lachicotte, 2007) of four first-year teachers who voluntarily blogged about their experiences. Data sources include the blog posts written by participants during the 2006-07 school year and responses to an electronic questionnaire emailed to participants at the end of the year. A qualitative content analysis …

Concurrent And Predictive Validity Of The Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test-Group Ability Test, Stacy L. Bliss

Doctoral Dissertations

In order to determine the concurrent and predictive validity of the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test- Group Ability Test (UNIT-GAT; McCallum & Bracken, in press), the UNIT-GAT and the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT; Naglieri, 1997a) were administered in counter-balanced order to 93 students. In addition, 40 students were rated on the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence – Gifted Screening Scales (UNIT-GSS; McCallum & Bracken, in press). The correlation coefficient of r = .36 between the UNITGAT total raw score and the NNAT was statistically significant at the p < .01 level. The UNIT-GAT scale score correlations with the NNAT total ranged from r = .18 for the Symbolic Scale to r= .53 (p< .01) for the Nonsymbolic Scale. The UNIT-GAT total raw score correlations with the UNIT-GSS composite and scales ranged from r = -.06 between both the Emotional and Science scales to r = .19 on the Creative Scale. None of the correlations were statistically significant. The correlations between the scales of the UNIT-GAT and composites of the UNIT-GSS ranged between r= -.05 (UNIT-GAT Memory Scale and UNIT-GSS General Aptitudes Composite) to r = .20 (UNIT-GAT Reasoning Scale and UNIT-GSS General Aptitudes Composite). Correlations between the scales of the UNIT-GAT and the scales of the UNIT-GSS ranged from r = -.30 between the UNIT-GAT Memory Scale and UNIT-GSS Emotional Scale to r = .25 between the UNIT-GAT Nonsymbolic Scale and UNIT-GSS Creative Scale.

Stepwise multiple regression analysis did not reveal any significant utility by the UNIT-GAT total …

Gender Differences In Reading Performance On Dibels Reading Probes, Kindergarten Through Fifth Grade In A Rural School District, Jaime Lynn Below

Doctoral Dissertations

In order to determine when and where reading skill differences between males and females emerge, the performance of 1,332 students from a rural school district in East Tennessee was evaluated on five reading measures from the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) across kindergarten through fifth grade. Students were administered Initial Sound Fluency (ISF), Letter Naming Fluency (LNF), Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (PSF), Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF), and Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) measures based on the DIBELS administration schedule.

A two-way repeated measures ANOVA with time of year (fall, winter, spring) serving as the within-subjects variable and gender (male, …

The Effects Of Choice And Reward Conditions On Math Performance And Voluntary Engagement In Math Activity, Briana Hautau Von Mizener

Doctoral Dissertations

The study examined the effects of two conditions—task choice and reward—on 1) performance during a treatment phase and 2) performance and voluntary engagement after treatment conditions were removed. Voluntary engagement was measured during a continuous-choice activity during which students chose between math tasks and distractor tasks for 10 min. During the treatment phase, students assigned to the Choice conditions were given a choice of math worksheet types, whereas students in the No-Choice conditions were assigned a math worksheet type. Additionally, students worked under either a performance-contingent bonus point condition or a no bonus condition. During treatment, students completed one of …

Additive Effects Of Contingent Rewards And Performance Feedback On Reading Performance Under Intensive Reading Instruction, Erin E. Carroll

Doctoral Dissertations

Two different interventions were implemented with 22 students receiving intensive reading instruction. A repeated-measures ANOVA, graphic analysis, effect sizes, and raw score gains were used to examine the effects of 1) performance feedback only and 2) performance feedback plus contingent rewards on several reading variables: fluency, comprehension, self-reported interest in reading, and voluntary engagement in reading. Four 3rd-grade classrooms were assigned to treatment conditions. Students in both conditions received 2-2.5 hours of reading instruction per day.

All students completed assessments of fluency and comprehension twice per week during the treatment phase of the study. Students in the performance feedback only …

Characteristics Of High-Performing, High-Poverty Elementary Schools In East Tennessee, John Edward Dalton

Doctoral Dissertations

High academic achievement by students in high-poverty schools is unusual throughout the United States. East Tennessee is no exception. However, there are some schools with high percentages of low socioeconomic student populations, which do excel in helping students reach high academic performance. This study looks at four high-performing, high-poverty elementary schools in East Tennessee to determine how they have overcome the tendency to accept low student achievement as inevitable.

By studying the high-achieving, high-poverty schools that exist in East Tennessee to find not only the characteristics that are associated with these effective schools, but also, more importantly, the practices used …

Learning Confirmatory Patterns In Exploratory Factor Analysis Using Icomp And Genetic Algorithm, Hongwei Yang

Doctoral Dissertations

The dissertation intends to develop a new approach to the identification of the best factor pattern structure. This new approach is a multivariate regression analysis where factor scores are regressed on original variables. The dissertation shows the versatility of information model selection criteria, Bozdogan's ICOMP- type criteria in particular, in two types of modeling problems: determining the number of factors in factor analysis and working as the fitness function for Genetic Algorithm.

Annenberg Rural Challenge Ten Years Later: Looking For A Place For Mathematics In A Rural Appalachia Place-Based Curriculum, Craig Alan Green

Doctoral Dissertations

This quantitative study explored whether or not the mathematics curriculum and instruction of the schools in the TennGaLina cluster were impacted by the place-based educational reform promoted by the Annenberg Rural Challenge. The study focused on the programs of five small rural Southern Appalachian schools. Qualitative methods of grounded theory were used to analyze data from interviews, surveys, and school artifacts.

The Question Of Learning Equity Between Online And Onsite Undergraduate Mathematics Courses In Rural Appalachia, Sherry J. Jones

Doctoral Dissertations

This mixed-methods study focused on equity in learning as reflected in the final grades of online and onsite students from the same mathematics course. Onsite students were defined as students who attended regular class sessions. The onsite class did not consist of the professor solely transmitting information. Onsite students were expected to work and discuss problems in the class. Online students only attended an orientation session and a final exam.

Simonson‘s Equivalency Theory (2000) served as the theoretical framework for this study as it promotes an equivalent sum of learning experiences for all students even though their learning environments and …

Technology-Training For Preservice Teachers In Schools, Colleges, And Departments Of Education Affiliated With Selected Teacher Education Professional Organizations: The State Of Practice In 2008, Shelley A. Mccoy

Doctoral Dissertations

By means of a researcher-created survey instrument, this study sought to determine: 1) whether teacher education programs differ in the ways in which they deliver technology training for preservice teachers; 2) to what degree technology training for preservice teachers is offered partially online or completely online and/or as distance learning; and, 3) whether schools, colleges, or departments of education (SCDEs) make provisions for preparing preservice teachers to be online teachers in a virtual classroom or school.

The findings, based on the responses of 41 participants, showed that most schools, colleges, and departments of education in the study rely primarily on …

Tricksters From Three Folklore Traditions, Daniel S. Qualls

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to see how folktale tricksters are portrayed in children’s literature and to see if the portrayals are culturally authentic. The study was limited to three specific tricksters from three different non-western cultures. In the cross case analysis, the following five themes emerged: 1) authors who do prior research about the cultures of origin produce more culturally authentic children’s books; 2) the occurrence of overlapping story devices; 3) a moral thread of misbehavior being punished and intelligence being rewarded; 4) the stories set in Africa often perpetuate African stereotypes; 5) and the spiritual and supernatural …

A Taped-Words Reading Intervention For Non-Native English Speakers, Kai A. Richards

Doctoral Dissertations

The number of students in the United States for whom English is not their first language is increasing. As reading is integral to most classes taught in school, limited English reading proficiency can hinder students from succeeding academically. It is important to identify effective methods for quickly improving these students’ English reading skills.

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether a taped-words intervention using Dolch words would improve the reading skills of young, non-native English-speakers. Specifically, the goal was to discover whether the intervention would help to increase the students’ word list reading fluency and accuracy. A …

Validation Of The Modern Language Aptitude Test, Stephani C. Sawyer

Doctoral Dissertations

To determine the utility of the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT; Carroll & Sapon, 1959, 2002) to predict foreign (FL) and native language (NL) learning for foreign language students, it was administered to 347 college students in introductory (100- level) foreign language courses along with measures of reading and reading-related skills (e.g., ND; Nelson-Denny Reading Test; Brown, Fishco, & Hanna, 1993). All correlation coefficients between MLAT and ND scores and FL exam grades are significant at the .001 level except for the MLAT Spelling Clues subtest, which is significant at the .05 level. These correlation coefficients range from .13 to …

Searching For A Caregiver: The Middle School Principal, William L. Stein

Doctoral Dissertations

The time is well past for the American people—especially those that deal with our school aged children on a day-to-day basis—to see what is happening to our children and by extension to our society. If public education is to become truly effective in this time of alienation—both of race and class—then a more caring, nurturing, and trusting approach to the profession of educational administration must be encouraged and engendered. The purpose of this study is to examine the middle school administrator as a caregiver by examining the perceptions of the role by teachers and the principal.

This study focused on …

Assessment Of Cognitive Abilities In Children With A Pervasive Developmental Disorder Using The Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test, Bobbie Ann Burton

Doctoral Dissertations

This study was designed to examine the utility of the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT; Bracken & McCallum, 1998) for use with children who have been diagnosed with a pervasive developmental disorder (e.g., autistic disorder, asperger’s disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified). The goal was to determine whether distinct cognitive profiles on the UNIT exist within this population and between those with and without a pervasive developmental disorder: a) Do children with a pervasive developmental disorder earn significantly lower mean scores than a demographically matched control group on the UNIT Full Scale Intelligence quotient? b) Do children with a pervasive …

Escuela Nueva: New Possibilities For Primary Schooling In Rural Uganda, Yvette Prinsloo Franklin

Masters Theses

This text explored the educational possibilities of the implementation of Escuela Nueva, a contemporary progressive educational school model developed in Latin America. The proposed primary school in rural Uganda creates a situation to evaluate the need for theoretical change, from traditional to progressive pedagogy; to assess power issues, such as role of the teacher; to assess the issues of social justice and promotion of social justice, such as access to quality education; and finally critical reflection on identity. This evaluation has attempted to express the need for a primary school that empowers its students with knowledge, develops a community …