Education Commons^™

Stakeholders' Perception Of A Successful Campus For Former Foster Care Children Attending Post Secondary Education Programs, Jeffrey Lee Shrewsbury

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This qualitative research study examined the supports children with a history of foster care need to be successful in post-secondary education. The study asked ten foster care alumni students receiving services from programs in Virginia, Florida, and Washington State about the level of support they receive and how successful that support is. The study also asked ten case managers that work in these programs their thoughts on the level of supports students with a history of foster care need in post-secondary education; the results of the case managers and students were then compared for agreement. The study also asked the …

Teacher Unrest In West Virginia, 2018-2019, Lindsey D. Reed

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In 2018, the United States saw an influx of teacher strikes which were largely propagated by red-state legislation. Then and now, teachers are trying to gain a voice in educational legislation despite corporate and political strongholds on legislators. As a last measure to gain access to the policymaking process, teachers strike. When teachers strike, it becomes a social issue which puts pressure on families, the economy, and legislation. The purpose of this non-experimental, descriptive study was to examine the perceptions of teachers who participated in the 2018 and 2019 West Virginia teachers’ strikes as they relate to their interactions with …

Consequences For Public School Truancy And Whether They Affect Student Attendance In West Virginia Counties: A Comprehensive Study, Matthew Jacob Messer

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Compulsory attendance for school-aged children began in Massachusetts in 1852 and spread to every state in America by 1918. More than 100 years later, educators and other stakeholders continue to struggle to get many students to attend school on a consistent basis and at the desired rate. Failure to do so has significant short- and long-term effects for those students, their schools, their communities, and their future families. There are two types of problematic student attendance: truancy and chronic absenteeism. Truancy counts only unexcused absences and focuses on judicial implications; chronic absenteeism, on the other hand, counts all absences and …

Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports In A West Virginia Juvenile Justice School: A Case Study, Johnathan Matthew Baldwin

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study investigated the differences in student behavior, participation, and achievement after the implementation of a PBIS at one juvenile justice facility in West Virginia. Teacher and correctional officer perceptions of PBIS were also examined. Data were collected from student refusal reports, report cards, incident reports, and teacher and correctional officer interviews. Student achievement in math and English language arts, following the implementation of PBIS, improved as the percentage of D and F grades decreased while the numbers of A and B grades increased between 2016-17 and 2018-19. One-sample t-Test results for first semester and second semester math and ELA …

Reflections Of Hope: The History, Development, And Growth Of Service Learning At An Urban Catholic High School In West Virginia, Susan Divita Malinoski

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to capture the history, atmosphere, and experience of HOPE (Housing Outreach Project Express). Charleston Catholic High School’s HOPE is a story of service and learning put into action. For 25 years, Charleston Catholic students, teachers, administrators, and alumni have been involved in home renovation projects for fellow West Virginians in need. Since 2005, this service has been focused on the families of Clay County, and during the past 12 years, 124 families in Clay County have warmer, safer, and drier homes as a result of HOPE. HOPE is the call to build a just …

Perceptions Of Student Organization Advisors Regarding Hazing And Antihazing Law, Paul Andrew Hermansdorfer

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Despite persistent and documented issues regarding hazing, scholarly attention remains limited. A review of the literature revealed the majority of studies focused on student perceptions and behavior. Faculty and staff, specifically student club and organization advisors, should be involved with the prevention of hazing, too, but first there must be an understanding of the perceptions and issues that challenge them. The purpose of this descriptive, cross-sectional, nonexperimental study was to examine student organization advisors’ awareness and perceptions of West Virginia Antihazing Law, awareness of hazing on their campuses, and responses if hazing were to occur. The study was administered to …

The Perceptions And Effects Of Schools' Names On Black Professional Educators And Their Students, Gregg Suzanne Ferguson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

It is obvious that there is a variety of perspectives that the educational environment needs to sensitively reflect to serve a diverse society equitably. In Southern communities, in particular, distortions of heritage are conflated with local governance that control public money, public memory, public value, public health, and public landscape, including the public school environment and marginalizes further historically marginalized groups. This qualitative study was grounded in critical race and cultural geography theories that examined dominant paradigms in the educational environment which shape identity. This dissertation explored the effect(s) of race and racism in the educational environment from the perspective …

I Wish School Was Like This: One Teacher's Journey Towards Creating A Student-Led Learning Space, Angela Dawn Abbott

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to use the principles of the Reggio Emilia Approach to change how children in a high poverty school in West Virginia are educated. Specifically, this study was an exploration of the learning space as a third teacher, teachers as researchers, and giving students agency in their learning. A philosophy supporting emergent and participatory inquiry was developed and carried out for this project. Data were collected using several qualitative methods such as participant observation, discussion, interviews, photo elicitation, and student work. Conclusions from this project include: that there is potential of using space as a …

"The Whole Building Is A Classroom": An Oral History Of A School's Role In The Culture Of The Community, Valerie Free Jones

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Edward Lee and Lulu McClain gave the gift of a new high school to the rural Appalachian community of Greenfield, Ohio, in 1915. Inspired in part by John Dewey’s Progressive theories of education, the school became the center of the community, both literally and figuratively, providing the best, most modern education for its students. The school was particularly unique in its focus on the arts, with its spaces carefully crafted and developed; its halls and classrooms filled with over 200 pieces of classic and original art, including murals, sculpture, and other works; and its curriculum inspired by art-based ideas of …

A Study Of The Wv Judges' Truancy Program Used In Eight Wv Counties From 2012-2015, Lori Gibson Comer

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the West Virginia Judges’ Truancy Program used in eight counties from 2012-2015. The study compared attendance rates, dropout rates and graduation rates prior to the implementation of the program and the three years of program implementation, as well as perceptions of those using the program. While much research can be found concerning the topic of truancy and some research on different types of truancy diversion programs, no research has been found on this particular program used in West Virginia. In this study data were collected from the West Virginia Department of Education …

Bullying Perceptions: Understanding Students With And Without Disabilities, Shellie B. Simpson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The study investigates perceptions about bullying for intermediate students with and without disabilities. A survey administered to each student assessed perceptions related to bullying and friendship. Interview questions related to specific instances of bullying encountered were also administered. The results indicate perception variations between students with and without disabilities. Students with disabilities reported victimization at a higher rate than students without disabilities, except for verbal bullying and relational bullying which were reported at an equal rate. Students without disabilities reported a higher rate of bullying instances by friends, while students with disabilities report a desire to have more friends. Since …

A Case Study Of First-Year Persistence Of Marshall University Freshmen, Beth Anne Pauley

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

College enrollment is rising but there has not been a corresponding increase in graduation rates. Nationwide, 30% of students who enter college do not return for their sophomore year. This case-study was conducted to determine what factors influenced the first-year persistence of the 2009 Marshall University freshmen cohort. This research used extant data from two MAP-Works surveys and Marshall University’s student academic management system. Data from a cohort of 467 students were analyzed using logistical regression to determine which factors, if any, were statistically significant predictors of persistence. Logistic regression analysis produced statistically significant relationships with 27 pre-entry characteristics, 12 …

A Comparison Of The Effect Of Single-Sex Versus Mixed-Sex Classes On Middle School Student Achievement, Carol E. Thom

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of single-sex versus mixedsex classes on middle school student achievement. It was a case study of Stonewall Jackson Middle School in Charleston, West Virginia, an inner-city school with approximately 600 students, of which 30% were minority (mostly black), 30% were special needs, and 70% were classified low socio-economic status (SES). Student WESTEST (West Virginia Educational Standards Test) scores in reading/language arts and math were collected and compared from the school years 2003-2004 and 2004-2005. Each student’s scores from the first year were compared to that same student’s scores from the …

The Relationship Between Levels Of Moral Reasoning And Transformational Leadership Behaviors Of West Virginia Public School Administrators, Cynthia L. Daniel

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between levels of moral reasoning and the use of transformational leadership behaviors of public school administrators in West Virginia. The Defining Issues Test-2 was used to measure levels of moral reasoning. Transformational leadership behaviors were measured by the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire 5x. The population for the study consisted of 55 superintendents; 62 deputy, assistant, or associate superintendents and 250 randomly selected principals. A total of 103 administrators participated in the study. A one-shot case study design was used. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation, T-Test for independent samples, and one-way analysis …

A Study Of The Importance And Implementation Of National Pre-Kindergarten Standards For Language And Literacy As Perceived By West Virginia Directors Of Early Childhood Centers, Judaea Hodge

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study examined the difference between levels of importance and implementation for the National Pre-Kindergarten Standards for Language and Literacy (NPKSLL) in four-year-old programs as perceived by West Virginia licensed pre- kindergarten programs directors and the differences based on director’s education level, years of experience, years in present position, program type and size, and the number of four year olds in the program. To examine this relationship, The Early Childhood Language and Literacy Survey (ECELLS) was designed based on the NPKSLL five goals: listening (Goal 1), complex speech (Goal 2), print awareness (Goal 3), story structure (Goal 4) and beginning …

The Relationship Between Student-Teacher Ratio And Academic Readiness In West Virginia Preschool Programs, Michael A. Smith

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The current study investigated the relationship between student-teacher ratio and academic readiness in West Virginia preschool programs. Data from 47 preschoolers enrolled in 14 Educare programs in West Virginia was examined. Scores from the School Readiness Composite (SRC) of the Bracken Basic Concepts Scale-Revised (BBCS-R) were compared with observed student-teacher ratios. Data analysis yielded a statistically insignificant correlation coefficient of -.061. However, due to limitations inherent in the data set and the abundance of research contradicting these findings, it is unlikely that the data presented here offers an accurate picture of the general relationship between academic readiness and student-teacher ratio.

An Analysis Of The Characteristics Of Alumni Donors And Non-Donors At Butler University, Freddie Duke Haddad Jr.

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The primary purpose of the study was to generate predictive data to be used by fund raisers at Butler University, specifically, and similar institutions, generally, as attempts are made to focus alumni fund raising programs. To accomplish this, relationships were investigated between selected characteristics of Butler University alumni annual fund donors and non-donors.

The study attempted to examine a category of hypotheses that certain demographic characteristics of Butler University alumni are not significant with respect to those who donate and those who do not donate to the University. A category of null hypotheses—that there are no significant demographic differences among …

The Effect Of Social Class, Marital Status, And Education Of Parents On The Educational Performance Of Participants And Non-Participants In The Home-Oriented, Pre-School Educational Program, W. Richard Goe

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Our educational system has been a very important institution within our society during the twentieth century. This educational institution is viewed as being a primary agent of socialization during an individual’s childhood years through adolescence. Education is, for the most part, a necessity to become a successful and productive member of our American society. In the past, our educational system served as a model for other countries to copy in developing their own educational systems. However, recent trends in our educational system appear to indicate public education on the decline. In many parts of the nation there are dropping enrollments, …