Education Commons^™

Absenteeism And Presenteeism As Related To Self-Reported Health Status And Health Beliefs Of Tennessee Safety And Health Professionals, William Tunstall Rogerson Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the health conditions, health status, and health beliefs of Tennessee safety and health professionals using self-reported absenteeism and presenteeism. The study collected self-reported absenteeism, which is missed work due to health conditions, and, presenteeism, which is the decrement in performance due to remaining at work while impaired by health problems. The Health Belief Model was used as the theoretical framework for the study.

Two valid and reliable instruments were adapted for this study. "The Wellness Inventory," by Dr. Ron Goetzel and associates at Cornell University, and "The Health Beliefs Questionnaire," by Dr. …

College Choice Decisions Of Student Athletes, John Patrick Teeples

Doctoral Dissertations

This study is a population study of college choice criteria among student athletes at the University of Tennessee. This study surveyed 408 student athletes from an NCAA division 1A institution during their team meetings, spring semester of 2004. These participants competed in 16 sports: baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s track and field (both indoor, outdoor, and cross-country), women’s soccer, women’s softball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s volleyball and women’s rowing.

The 408 student athletes were categorized by gender, race, socio-economic status, scholarship level, and sport played. …

'Phenomenal Woman': A Phenomenological Exploration Of The 'Voices' And Experiences Of My Sistas', Eva Yoshan Wiggins Young

Doctoral Dissertations

This research study provided a descriptive picture of educational experiences of three sets of Black sisters, including the researcher, who grew up in inner-city Knoxville. This study was not designed to be the “voice” of all Black women. It was designed to show the universal essence of the experience of Black inner-city women living in a similar socioeconomic and cultural context.

A qualitative existential-phenomenological research study design was used to derive common themes that represented the universal essence of the participants’ experiences. Individual interviews were conducted for all participants and an existential-phenomenological analysis provided the common meaning underlying the stories …

Accumulation And Food Retailer Store Type: Determining Hispanic Consumers' Attitude Toward Store Attributes In The San Antonio Market, Carol Lynn Nute

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to add to the body of knowledge by determining Hispanic consumers’ food retailer store choice. This study tested: (1) how Hispanic consumers’ attitudes towards store environmental attributes of the primary food retail store type shopped will differ by variety of acculturation (as measured by the attributes’ importance and likelihood the preferred food retailer contains these attributes); (2) how Hispanic consumers’ primary food retail store type choice is dependent upon variety of acculturation; and (3) how Hispanic consumers’ attitudes towards store environmental attributes will differ by the type of primary food retail store shopped.

The …

A Qualitative Study Of Teachers' Perceptions Of Integrated Kindergarten Programs In Hong Kong, Wai Yung Cheuk

Doctoral Dissertations

Since 1985, the Hong Kong government has been collaborating with the selected non-profit private service providers to implement integrated kindergarten education in mainstream kindergarten programs initially designed for typically developing children. The term "integrated" is roughly equivalent to "inclusive" in the United States. This study's purpose is to describe kindergarten teachers' perspectives on the provision of quality integrated education for children with disabilities in Hong Kong contexts. The findings of this study offer empirical data that suggest ways to improve the quality of integrated kindergarten programs so that young children with disabilities can attain a high-quality early childhood education experience …

The Performance Predictive Effectiveness Of Two Personnel Assessment Profiles For Tennessee Extension County Directors, Wm. Herbert Byrd, Iii

Doctoral Dissertations

Leadership effectiveness is a complex phenomenon involving personality traits, learned and natural skills and abilities, and the resulting behaviors as leadership is performed within context. Because of leadership influences upon organizational outcomes, it is critical for an organization to identify job-specific leadership indicators, to recognize potential leaders, and to recognize the absence of desirable traits in existing leadership. This descriptive study explored the relationships between performance and leadership traits for county directors, the first-line administrative personnel in the University of Tennessee Extension. Performance appraisal scores were compared to items measured in a Managerial Assessment of Proficiency (MAP^TM) and …

Relationships Between Operationalizations Of Dyslexia And Attitudes And Perceptions Of Learning A Foreign Language, Katrinda Wills Scott

Doctoral Dissertations

Relationships among foreign language attitudes and perceptions and reading skills were investigated for 278 English-speaking college students enrolled in 100 and 200 level foreign language classes using the Foreign Language Attitudes and Perceptions Survey (FLAPS; Sparks and Ganschow, 1993), a 35 item questionnaire, the Test of Dyslexia, Rapid Assessment Profile (TOD-RAP; Bell, McCallum, & Cox, 2003), and the Woodcock Johnson III (WJIII; McGrew & Woodcock, 2001). Correlational analyses indicated that spelling, silent reading fluency, orthography and listening vocabulary were correlated modestly but significantly with foreign language attitudes and perceptions, i.e., those with weaker reading and reading-related scores exhibited more negative …

Predicting Success Of Developmental And Core Mathematics Students At East Tennessee State University, Daryl Lynn Stephens

Doctoral Dissertations

Current regulations in the Tennessee Board of Regents system place students into developmental or regular classes based solely on scores on either the ACT or COMPASS. This study examined whether a combination of other readily available factors might better predict a student’s success.

Students at East Tennessee State University taking elementary algebra, intermediate algebra, and probability and statistics (the core math class at the university) were surveyed in Fall, 2004, to find out when they took their last mathematics class in high school and what mathematics courses they took in high school. Other variables were obtained from the student information …

An Assessment Of Influences Which Affect Teachers’ Use Of Technology, Bryan K. Stewart

Doctoral Dissertations

Current literature is plentiful on computer-based technology’s positive influence on students. There are only a few studies that have considered the influence that technology has on teachers. This is a study about influences, which affect teachers’ use of technology. It is based on inconsistencies in previous studies, areas not addressed in previous surveys, and the dramatic changes in technology and Internet access using Web browsers since the previous surveys on technology were conducted.

As new technologies make their way into instructional settings, effects of teachers’ use of technology can be dynamic. This study examined particular areas of teachers’ use of …

Children’S Books And The Nature Of Science: A Multisite Naturalistic Case Study Of Three Elementary Teachers In The Rural Southeast, Patricia Lynn Bricker

Doctoral Dissertations

This naturalistic case study describes the efforts of three elementary teachers in a rural southeastern school to use children’s books in support of inquiry-based science and specifically addresses issues related to the nature of science. Data were collected through 26 classroom and meeting observations, 16 semi-structured and informal interviews, 35 documents and 76 children’s books used by the teachers. Three themes were identified related to the nature of science and the selection and use of children’s books in the teachers’ second, fourth, and fifth grade classrooms.

1. Science was portrayed as a human endeavor that connects to the lives of people …

Student Success: A Study Of Computer-Based Instruction Versus Lecture-Based Instruction In Developmental Mathematics At A Tennessee Community College, Tina Renee Cannon

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of incorporating computerized instruction into developmental mathematics courses. The study examined achievement, retention, persistence, and success of students who began in Elementary Algebra, progressed into Intermediate Algebra and subsequently obtained their goal of completing an initial college-level mathematics course. The college-level courses consist of College Algebra, Introductory Statistics, or Contemporary Mathematics.

Two groups of elementary algebra students from Chattanooga State Technical Community College were used in this study. One group was taught using a lecture based approach and one group was taught using a computerized instructional approach. The lecture group …

Achievement Of Eighth Grade Students In Mathematics After, Megan Shanette Bray

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the three- year effect of the Connected Mathematics Project (CMP) on the mathematics achievement of middle school students in a southeastern Tennessee public school district. This was accomplished by (1) comparing the mathematics achievement of eighth graders who have completed three years of CMP with their mathematics achievement after completing one and two years of CMP; (2) comparing the achievement of male and female students during the same period of time; and (3) comparing the mathematics achievement of historically underrepresented students after completing one, two, and three years of CMP.

In …

Principals' Implementation Of Exclusion Policy In Tennessee Public High Schools, Clarence Steve Moser

Doctoral Dissertations

The exclusion of students from school has been a last-resort response that principals have chosen to correct inappropriate student behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine student exclusion policies and principal policy implementation practices in Tennessee’s public high schools. The students considered were not suspected for any disability that would require consideration under IDEA or Section 504.

A questionnaire containing nineteen disciplinary scenarios of inappropriate student behaviors was completed by one hundred and ninety-two of Tennessee’s public high school principals. The disciplinary scenarios represented exclusion policies that would warrant the student being suspended from school.

The findings revealed …

An Evaluation Of The Psychometric Properties Of The Universal Nonverbal Inventory Of Personality, Holly Michelle Hutchins

Doctoral Dissertations

The Universal Nonverbal Inventory of Personality (UNIP; McCallum, in preparation), which is designed to measure psychopathological maladjustment of children and adolescents who have limited or no English language proficiency, and the Behavior Assessment System for Children-Second Edition Self-Report (BASC-II; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004) were administered to 100 participants to establish reliability and concurrent validity. Some of the UNIP scales yielded adequate reliability: Anxiety (.85), Depression (.84), Atypicality (.78), Academic Problems (.77), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (.75), and Conduct Problems (.73); others possess only marginal reliability: Social Maladjustment (.64) and Consistency (.54) scales. Correlation coefficients between the UNIP and the BASC-II …

Measurement Of Energy Expenditure During Laboratory And Field Activities, Scott E. Crouter

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation was designed to examine the validity of heart rate (HR) and motion sensors for estimating energy expenditure (EE) during activities ranging from sedentary behaviors to vigorous exercise. A secondary purpose was to devise new ways to improve on current methods of estimating EE. Specific aims of the dissertation were: (1) to examine the use of pedometers to measure steps taken, distance traveled, and EE during treadmill walking at various speeds; (2) Examine the use of a Polar HR monitor to estimate EE during treadmill running, stationary cycling, and rowing; (3) compare the current Actigraph regression equations (relating counts·min …

A Reliability And Validation Study Of An Administrative Effectiveness Survey For Deans At Institutions Of Higher Education, Kristi Jolena Nelms

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to revise and to establish the reliability and validity of the Administrative Effectiveness Survey and to field test the survey on the performance of academic deans at selected institution of higher education. Content validity for the instrument was, in part, established by asking two expert panels to review the instrument and make comments. Revisions to the initial instrument were made based on the suggestions by those experts. As a further test of content validity, factor analysis was performed on the data from the national study.

The instrument was administered to 677 faculty members at …

Predicting The Academic Achievement Of African American Women At Two Predominantly White Women's Colleges, Tammalyn Michele Thomas-Golden

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the Non-Cognitive Questionnaire (NCQ) could more accurately predict the academic achievement of first-year, African American women at two predominantly white women’s colleges than could the SAT. The participants’ first semester grade point averages were used as the dependent variable. The eight sub-scales of the NCQ, SAT-Verbal score and SAT-Math score were the independent variables. Study participants were 31 first-year, first-time students at two predominantly white women’s colleges located in the southeastern United States.

There were three findings of this study. First, “Demonstrated Community Service” was the only NCQ sub-scale to emerge …

Female Head Coaches Of Men's Collegiate Teams: A Critical Feminist Analysis, Colin Fisher Young

Doctoral Dissertations

Women hold less than 2% of NCAA men’s head coaching positions (Acosta & Carpenter, 2004). Although there is extensive research that explores the experience and lack of female head coaches of women’s teams, little research investigates the experience and lack of female head coaches of men’s teams, particularly at the collegiate level. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the experience of female head coaches of men’s collegiate teams. Issues these coached faced because of their gender, the impact they had on their male athletes, and their male athletes’ impact on them were investigated.

A critical feminist ontology …

Examining The Experiences Of Students Engaged In Online Study, Michael North

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to compare the experiences of ten community college students enrolled in either the online version or traditional lecture-discussion version of a mathematics course taught by the same teacher. Six participants were enrolled in the online section and four participants were enrolled in the traditional, lecture-discussion section.

A qualitative approach relying heavily on phenomenology served as the primary focus for data collection and analysis. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted with each participant at different points in the semester. Additionally, journals were maintained by each participant about their experience in the course. The data were analyzed …

Effects Of Power Generation And Two Different Landing Protocols On Evaluating Impact Attenuation In Landing, Kurt Gavin Clowers

Doctoral Dissertations

The purposes ofthe dissertation were: 1) to examine the effects ofpower generation and two different landing protocols on the lower extremity during a landing activity, and 2) to examine the effects ofpower generation and gender on impact attenuation during a landing activity.

During the first study, eight elite male recreational athletes and eight non-elite male recreational athletes, selected based upon their maxinlunl jump heights, preformed drop landings in one of six conditions for two different protocols. Each subject landed from a height of40 cm, 60 cm and 80 cm in the first protocol (PT1) and from a height of 70%, …

An Investigation Of Institutional Research In Tennessee Community Colleges: Functions, Technology Use, And Impact On Decision-Making By College Presidents, Randolph C. Schulte

Doctoral Dissertations

For over a decade, three issues – institutional effectiveness, competitive market forces, and demand for accountability – have indelibly impacted the governance of all institutions of higher education, not in the least the community college. In the state of Tennessee, the Tennessee Board of Regents’ Defining Our Future plan, which was developed in response to state legislation requiring higher education systems to operate more efficiently and with more limited resources, positioned the office of Institutional Research as vital with regards to information processing, effective technology application, and decision-support by Tennessee community college presidents.

The main purpose of this study was …

Applied Sport Psychology: Unearthing And Contextualizing A Dual Genealogy, Tatjana V. Riba

Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, I trace the historical development of sport psychology and draw on multiple fields to rethink its taken-for-granted practices and future trajectories. Influenced by Foucault’s (1977) genealogical approach to historical analysis, I challenge the conventions of linear chronology and provide competing narratives that highlight a set of discursive possibilities for the emergence of the psychology of sport. Though my focus is on a dual genealogy of applied sport psychology (i.e., American and Soviet discourses), I do not offer a new hegemonic discourse or origin story. Rather I attempt to provide a genealogical analysis of the (sub)discipline to show …

An Empirical Model For Assessing Academic Research Levels And Capacities Of Colleges And Universities, Fred Donald Shults

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to develop an empirical model for assessing research levels and estimating research capacities of institutions of higher education.

Using data obtained from the U.S. Department of Education, separate research assessment models were developed for public and private colleges and universities. These empirical models were used to investigate two aspects of academic research levels: (1) the effects of institution group size (very large, moderately large, high medium, low medium, small, and very small) on the amount of educational and general (E&G) funds allocated to research, and (2) the effects of institution group size on research …

The Effects Of Known Versus Unknown Criteria On Journal Writing Performance Of Elementary Students Using An Independent Group Contingency, Janet Beth Winn

Doctoral Dissertations

An independent group contingency was implemented in order to investigate the effects of known and unknown criteria on journal writing performance. Students from two fourth-grade classrooms participated in the study. Each day, participants were provided a story starter and asked to write for 5 minutes. Participants were informed that they would be rewarded if they met a daily criterion for number of words written. During the known criterion condition, participants knew the reward criterion prior to the assignment. During the unknown criterion condition, participants were not allowed to know the criterion until after the journal writing activity was completed. Results …

Readiness Factors Contributing To Participant Satisfaction In Online Higher Education Courses, Dewey L. Fogerson

Doctoral Dissertations

The main purpose of the study was to determine if selected participant readiness variables correlated with selected satisfaction variables in an online higher education course and to examine the correlations between the readiness variables. Also of interest was the combination of readiness factors that could significantly predict learner satisfaction in the online environment.

A total of 317 individuals who had participated in online courses at The University of Tennessee responded to a “Readiness and Satisfaction Questionnaire.” The survey consisted of five readiness and five satisfaction items developed by the researcher, the PRO-SDLS developed by Stockdale (2003), and 11 demographic questions. …

A Comparative Philosophical Study Of Care Theory In Western And Korean Cultures And Their Educational Implications, So Young Kang

Doctoral Dissertations

Care theory plays an essential role in school settings in relation with epistemology due to the intimate relationship between how caring the teacher is and the knowledge that students gain. However, caring has been devalued by many philosophers in the past for its feminine quality. One of the aims of this dissertation is to try to theorize caring and bring out the importance of valuing people’s various identities in developing caring relationships. In this philosophical dissertation, care theory is analyzed, compared, and evaluated from White and Black feminist perspectives, and Korean perspectives. The types of philosophical methods that the researcher …

International Graduate Students In U.S.-Based Tesol Discourse Communities: Finding And Creating A Space, Seonhee Cho

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation study reports the findings of a qualitative interview study examining the issues of international graduate students who pursue their graduate degrees in U.S.-based TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) discourse communities. Through in-depth interviews with nine international graduate students, in four different U.S. institutions, this study explored international graduate students’ perceptions of their respective TESOL graduate programs, and, their academic discourse socialization processes. Based on the notion of situated learning and critical discourse perspectives in TESOL education, the interview data were analyzed through inductive and interpretive analysis.

The findings of this study reveal that the international …

The Effects Of Vicarious Rewards And Vicarious Response-Cost On Incidental Learning, Jessica L. Allin

Doctoral Dissertations

Educators often use modeling as part of instructional interventions when teaching basic academic and social skills. During these interventions, small groups are frequently used to instruct students. One phenomenon that takes place during group settings is incidental learning. Incidental learning occurs when a student is placed in an environment in which they can observe others receiving instruction (McCurdy, Cundari, & Lentz, 1990; Skinner, Logan, Robinson, & Robinson, 1997). Through incidental learning, observing students display skills and knowledge gains about a task that was not explicitly demanded of them (Orlove, 1982).
During group work, teachers often convey either positive or negative …

Curriculum-Based Measurement: Investigating The Relationship Between Oral And Silent Reading Comprehension And Words Correct Per Minute, Andrea Dawn Hale

Doctoral Dissertations

Students referred for school psychology services often have reading skills deficits and experience difficulty in other academic areas. There are no procedures, strategies, or programs that can be used to remedy reading skills deficits across all children. Therefore, the effects of remediation procedures must be assessed. For this assessment to be useful (e.g., allow educators to alter ineffective programs quickly) these assessment procedures must be efficient and allow for multiple forms. This assessment must also be reliable and sensitive enough to detect small changes in behavior over a brief period of time. Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) procedures were designed to allow …

The Relationship Of Parental Involvement And Home Culture Factors To Student Achievement, Leonard J. Clark

Doctoral Dissertations

A study was conducted to examine the relationship among student achievement, responsive parent involvement, and home culture factors such as reading aloud, shared reading, oral language, monitored television viewing, and library/bookstore visits. The study focused on two research questions: (1) Which home culture factors facilitated student achievement? and (2) What did parents do at home to facilitate student achievement? A sample of 240 parents of third graders who took the Iowa Test of Basic Skills in northwestern and northeastern Louisiana schools completed a survey to determine factors of parent involvement and home culture. An exploratory factor analysis was performed on …