Education Commons^™

Customer Acquisition Training For Acn Independent Representatives, Kaly Gillette Shippen

Theses and Dissertations

The following report discusses the design, development, and evaluation of an online training on customer acquisition of telephone customers for a telecommunications company called ACN. The report includes a description of the following elements of the project: (a) the need and purpose for the instruction, (b) the target audience of the instruction, (c) the methodology and rationale for the design of the instruction based on relevant literature, (d) an existing materials search, (e) the instructional materials, (f) the evaluation, (g) the critique, (h) the schedule, and (i) the final budget report. The instruction was found to effectively teach learners the …

Delayed Versus Immediate Feedback In An Independent Study High School Setting, Duane C. Lemley

Theses and Dissertations

Although there is general agreement that feedback plays an important role in student performance, the majority of the studies found in the research literature explore the impact of different types of feedback in a traditional and university-level setting. In order to explore the impact of different feedback types in a non-traditional distance learning setting, 352 high school students enrolled in courses offered through BYU's Independent Study (IS) department received either delayed feedback or immediate feedback generated by Speedback™, BYU's automated grading and feedback program, depending on whether they had opted to submit end of unit assignments by mail or …

Toward A Domain Theory Of Fluent Oral Reading With Expression, Reo H. Mcbride

Theses and Dissertations

Today's educators are in need of tests or rating systems that provide specific and valid feedback to parents, students and programs. This need includes the area of expressive fluent oral reading. One way to address this need is to provide a rating system based on theoretical models that explore how fluency develops. This study explores the dimensions, constructs, or aspects that make up fluency. It also explores whether there is a sequence or order in how fluent oral reading with expression develops and the theoretical reasons for that ordering. This study further addresses whether word recognition or accuracy confounds the …

A Metaevaluation Of An Evaluation Of A Second Language Course, Edmilson Bezerra Torres

Theses and Dissertations

This project is a metaevaluation or critique of an evaluation of an intermediate course in a second language curriculum. In this report, the intermediate course evaluation is described to provide a basis for understanding the metaevaluation. Then the metaevaluation is presented. The evaluation was the first stage of a department-approved and college-supported curriculum redesign project to improve the quality of a second language curriculum in terms of instructional materials, methodological approaches, and pedagogical practices to promote optimal second language learning gains. Through the evaluation, strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum were identified so that these issues could be addressed during …

The Stress Management Self-Efficacy Inventory (Smsei): Development And Initial Psychometrics, Kristin Higgins

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of the current study was to develop, pilot, and establish the initial psychometrics of the Stress Management Self-Efficacy Inventory (SMSEI). Once developed and positive psychometrics established, middle school counselors and other mental health professionals can use the SMSEI to identify children who lack self-efficacy in the area of stress management. Once adolescents are identified as having low stress management self-efficacy, this measure can also aid professionals in creating programs and interventions. The SMSEI measures how well adolescents believe they can manage their stress as well as measures specific areas or management techniques that a child believes they …

Advanced Structured Query Language Instruction For Engineers Of The Office Of Information Technology At Brigham Young University, Vincent Brian Rackliffe

Theses and Dissertations

This report describes the purpose, design, development and analysis of SQLTips, an online instructional delivery framework and set of instructional modules relating to advanced features and performance tuning of Oracle's Structured Query Language (SQL). SQLTips was developed using Wiki, server-side software that allows users to edit web pages with almost any browser. The report includes a literature review of existing SQL instructional materials and a review of instructional theory. The report also includes a description of the formative evaluation process and results. These results show that SQLTips is easy and enjoyable to use. Based on a scale of 1 to …

Teacher Evaluation In Chinese Elementary Schools: An Historical Account, Ping Zeng

Theses and Dissertations

This research is an historical account of the development of teacher evaluation in Chinese elementary schools. Descriptive by nature, it reviews the historical origins that have shaped the teaching profession and evaluation practice. It also describes the effort made by the government and educators in the reform to improve the elementary school teacher evaluation system in China. The findings of this research focus on the complexity and problems in the teacher evaluation system and painful struggles teachers have experienced. Suggestions are provided in terms of possible improvement of the teacher evaluation system and establishment of national evaluation standards to facilitate …

The Effects Of Reading & Reading Strategy Training On Lower Proficiency Level Second Language Learning, Lane O. Steinagel

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate what effect reading in a second language has on the knowledge and language performance of young adult missionaries studying to learn a foreign language. It was hypothesized that reading would improve vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension, and it was further hypothesized that reading aloud would improve language speaking performance. The subjects of the study were 214 missionaries learning Spanish as a second language at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. The missionaries were all beginner level students of Spanish, and they were randomly assigned to reading aloud and silent reading groups, …

International Students: Culture Shock And Adaptation To The U.S. Culture, Stefanie Theresia Baier

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Annually thousands of international students attend US colleges and universities which requires them to adjust to a new environment, often accompanied by a culture shock experience.

This study analyzes to what degree cultural background, gender differences, language proficiency, self-confidence/self-efficacy, and social support networks impact the adjustment process of international students to the US culture.

Forty-five international students attending a Michigan community college were surveyed and interviewed to assess the relationship among self-confidence/self-efficacy, cultural background, gender and social support networks. Western students reported more positive cultural adjustment (M=29.0) than non-western students (M=29.0). Males adjusted better (M …

On-Demand Tutoring In Distance Education: Intrinsically-Motivated, Scalable Interpersonal Interaction To Improve Achievement, Completion, And Satisfaction, Peter B. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to test an intrinsically-motivated interaction approach, designed to increase distance education support, for both content and motivation, in a cost-effective manner. The literature summarized shows that distance education students desire content and motivational support beyond course materials and are limited in their success without it. Further, while researchers explore increased interaction as a solution, professors usually do not have time for it and attempts to provide it are often restricted by institutions' limited resources. Very little has been published on the effects of distance education tutors and the need for more research in this …

Scale Construction And Halo Effect In Secondary Student Ratings Of Teacher Performance, Eric Paul Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

The use of rating scales in the evaluation of secondary teacher performance has been called into question and widely criticized. Of particular concern has been the use of student ratings of teacher performance. A review of instruments and practices used in the rating process reveals serious design flaws that account for the criticisms leveled against the use of rating scales. This study sought to address the limitations evident in previous rating efforts by utilizing a combination of design methodologies and measurement models including elements of Classical Test Theory (CTT), factor analysis, and Item Response Theory (IRT). The IRT model employed …

Using A Diglot Reader To Teach Kanji: The Effects Of Audio And Romaji On The Acquisition Of Kanji Vocabulary, Kazumasa Aoyama

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a computer-based Japanese/English diglot reader on the breadth and depth of the acquisition of kanji-words. On a diglot reader, L2 text is embedded in L1 text, thus allowing L2 learners to receive enough context to understand the L2 text and learn vocabulary in it. This study was also conducted to determine the effects of two methods of presenting pronunciation of kanji-words, audio recording and romaji, on the acquisition of the meaning and pronunciation of kanji-words as well as the overall effect of learning of pronunciation on the learning and …

Safer Schools: Promoting Safe Play On School Playground Equipment, Kimberly Elaine Seckinger

Masters Theses

Each year, over 200,000 people receive emergency room care for injuries sustained on recreational equipment, and a vast majority of these injuries involve children under the age of 15 who have been hurt on school playground equipment. To date, a single empirical study has been conducted applying behavioral technology to decrease children's risky behavior on playground equipment (Heck, Collins, & Peterson, 2001 ), and showed reductions in risk-taking behavior when programmed consequences were in place. The purposes of the current investigation were to replicate and extend previous research though a component analysis of an injury prevention package designed to decrease …

Design, Development And Evaluation Of Chinese Radical And Character Tutorial By Hypermedia, Su-Ling Hsueh

Theses and Dissertations

This project report describes the instructional design, development and evaluation of the Chinese Radical and Character Tutorial (CRCT) project. The web-based CRCT project integrated hypermedia resources (audio, video, graphics, animation and hyperlinks) to teach undergraduate and graduate students basic Chinese radical and character recognition and writing. One-to-one test, expert review and small-group test were utilized in the formative evaluation. Statistical significance was found in the small-group test, which suggests that supplemental hypermedia material can effectively facilitate student learning of Chinese reading and writing outside of the classroom. Moreover, the qualitative data indicated that students enjoyed using CRCT's drills, feedback features …

Transactive Discourse During Assessment Conversations On Science Learning, Homer Arthur Russell Iii

Communication Sciences and Disorders Dissertations

Transactive Discourse During Assessment Conversations on Science Learning by Homer A. Russell III It has been argued that development of science knowledge is the result of social interaction and adoption of shared understandings between teachers and students. A part of understanding that process is determining how student reasoning develops in groups. Transactive discussion is a form of negotiation between group members as they interpret the meaning of their logical statements about a topic. More importantly, it is a form of discourse that often leads to cognitive change as a result of the interaction between group participants as they wrestle with …

Homosexual Prejudice: Comparing Self-Report To Perceived Interaction, Megan C. Kleefeld

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine the level of homosexual prejudice that existed in the sample population and to determine if there were differences in the way that high versus low prejudice individuals reacted to a situation in which they believed they would be working with an individual who was a homosexual. A questionnaire completed by 254 college students (69 male, 185 female) was used to determine their level of prejudice. At a later time, 53 students (25 males, 28 females) participated in a second phase where they believed that they would be interacting with a partner who …

Does Birth Order Affect Intelligence?, Carolyn M. Lambert

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this exploratory investigation was to determine whether birth order has an effect on intelligence. Seventy-four undergraduate students from Rowan University participated in my study. During class-time, I handed out a questionnaire with questions pertaining to the student's birth order within their family and SAT scores. The SAT scores served as a measure of intelligence. The SAT scores were broken into seven different ranges, between 800 - 1400 & above. The birth order variable was broken down into four levels; firstborn, middle child, youngest and only child. The different levels of birth order and SAT scores were compared …

An Exploration Of The Impact Of Working Individually Versus Working Collectively On Stress And Performance, Shari L. Satow

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of working alone versus working with others on stress and performance. Gender was also looked at as a variable affecting stress and performance as well. The Block by Block design, a building game consisting of seven different shaped blocks, was used in order to assess the ninety-five participants (23 male & 72 female) recruited from a medium sized university in southern New Jersey. Subjects were assigned to work either alone or with others in recreating specific images using the blocks, and were then asked to report their performance and …

Visual Motor Coordination And Reading: A Correlational Analysis Part Ii, Marita C. Marcionese

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a correlation between reading rate and visual-motor coordination. This study was a replication of the researcher's prior study. The population of interest was the only differing aspect. This study used 32 high school 9^th and 10^th grade students from an all boys college prep school. Reading rate was measured by two tests: the Nelson-Denny Reading Test and a 40-letter test. The game Perfection and a bead stringing task were the measures used to determine visual-motor coordination. Aggregated scores combined the z-scores to create a total score for …

Do We Really See The World In Black And White?, Christine Deriso

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine whether or not there is a double standard of punishment between Black and White Americans and to evaluate the social perceptions of Black Americans in our society. Seventy-two teachers were given surveys concerning an eleven-year-old boy with aggression. On half of the surveys, the boy's name was Tommy and on the other half of the surveys, the boy's name was Tyrone to allude to differences in race. The teachers were asked to determine the punishment for the boy's latest outburst and to answer questions concerning how they perceived the story. This allowed …

Applying The Social Norms Approach At Rowan University And Its Effectiveness On Correcting Misperceptions And Changing Drinking Behaviors: A Seven Year Trend, Dawn Mcginty

Theses and Dissertations

The social norms approach, being noted for its effectiveness in reducing misperceptions and changing drinking behaviors, has been implemented in college campuses across the United States. This approach was implemented at Rowan University, a public institution located in southern New Jersey, in 1999. The purpose of the current study was to assess the effectiveness of the implementation of the social norms campaign at Rowan University in correcting misperceptions and reducing actual drinking norms on campus. The Core Campus Survey of Alcohol and Other Drug Norms was the survey used to measure the perceived and actual use of alcohol and other …

Impact Of The Lack Of Sleep On Academic Performance In College Students, Tammy L. Hampton

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to research the effects that sleep has on a college student's academic performance, measured by the student's self-reported grade point average (GPA), and to examine whether there is a difference between graduate students' and undergraduate students' results. 136 students at Rowan University in southern New Jersey, 61 graduate students and 75 undergraduate students, were asked to complete a short survey on their sleep habits, demographic information, self-reported GPA, and average number of hours of sleep per night that they received. An independent Two-Way ANOVA was then performed to analyze the information indicating the following …

Communication Responses To Positive Or Neutral Facial Expressions Between The Genders, Kimberly R. Hollingsworth

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to determine whether or not college students would respond with any communication to a stimulus of nonverbal communication of either eye contact alone or paired with smiling to the same or opposite gender. The characteristics of this study may have implications on how successful nonverbal communication can be.

One-hundred-sixty students, 8 groups within, were randomly stimulated by either a female or male with either a positive or neutral facial expression and their natural responses were recorded. The responses were coded on a Likert scale and analyzed with a 3 way ANOVA.

The data presented …

Occupational Stress In Child Protection Social Workers, Kristina M. Narcum

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine if social workers in a child protection agency report greater levels of stress than individuals working in other professions. Paper-and-pencil versions of the Pressure Management Indicator (PMI) questionnaire were distributed to all participants as a measure of occupational stress. Participants' responses were analyzed using an independent samples t-test to examine whether there was a statistically significant difference between the responses of the two groups. There were significant findings in nine out of twenty-four subscales of the PMI. The results from these areas show that the social workers feel more insecure about …

The Effects Of School Uniforms On Self Esteem, Jennifer Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine whether school uniforms have an effect on self esteem. The hypothesis was that school uniforms would increase self esteem. There were 87 total participants in this study; 41 students had uniforms and 46 did not. The Rosenberg Self Esteem scale was used to measure self esteem. The questionnaire was given to teachers to administer to the children in their classroom. An independent samples t test was performed to analyze the data. Results were not significant showing that school uniforms did not have an effect on self esteem.

The Effects Of Subliminal Weapons Effect On Aggressive Behavior In College Level Students, Gary A. Roskoski

Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the difference in displayed aggression in subjects randomly assigned to either a subliminal weapons effect condition or to a controlled condition. 30 students from a small public University in New Jersey signed up for the study to receive credit for their introductory psychology course. The subjects were then randomly assigned to one of the two conditions; the subliminal weapons effect conditioned consisted of a poster of "Scarface" holding a gun pointed toward the subject on the blackboard (the poster had a sign asking that it not be removed by a professor). The controlled condition had no stimuli …

Teacher Directed Collaboration: Effects On Referrals To Special Education, Lindsey Harbert

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this experimental study were to (a) determine if teacher directed collaboration significantly reduced the number of students who were referred for special education placement and (b) if using a pre-referral process, such as consultation, increased the accuracy of teachers identifying children with a qualifying disability. One school that used teacher directed collaboration was compared to two schools that were not in a suburban Maryland community. Data was reviewed from each school on the number of children who were referred, assessed, and qualified for special educational services. Significant results were found using a Pearson Chi-Square (p<.01) for the amount of referrals made at each school, with the school using teacher directed collaboration having a fewer amount. The results of this study support the use of teacher directed collaboration. Further research should include a larger sample size and comparisons to referral rates prior to the introduction of teacher directed collaboration.

Razor Wire Cuts Both Ways: Teaching Inside A Juvenile Institution, Betty B. Ragland

Doctoral Dissertations

The researcher is an educator working in a juvenile correctional facility. In this study she invited 12 of her colleagues as co-researchers to explore their shared practice and to foster change in the workplace culture. Each participant engaged in a phenomenological interview designed to elicit perceptions of teaching in a correctional institution. The researcher then facilitated group sessions in a collaborative learning effort to construct shared meaning of their joint practice. Follow-up interviews, as well as thematic and language analysis of data obtained from audiotaping and transcribing interviews and group sessions, suggest changes in participants' perceptions of their practice and …

Mapping A Journey To Change: Teachers And Facilitator Learning Together, Lorna B. Williams

Doctoral Dissertations

This study describes the perceptions of workshop participants’ experience and their perceptions of their facilitator in four workshops held in three separate settings where we worked together to collaboratively construct knowledge. The purpose of the study was to learn about my practice through critically reflecting on how my personal history, experiences, practical theory and assumptions influenced my role as facilitator and to learn about my practice through the reflected gaze of workshop participants. Data were derived from three sets of daily journals from three workshops and from one focus group interview. I separated the quotes from each workshop into two …

The Experience Of Participants In An Online Collaborative Learning Environment, Gina Phipps Roberts

Doctoral Dissertations

This study explored the experience of participants in an online collaborative learning environment, including the experience of the technical facilitator. The study was conducted from an action research perspective using Peters' (1997, 2002) DATA-DATA model and a qualitative case study methodology.

Data were collected through participant interviews, document analysis, and participant observation. The inductive analysis model of Hatch (2002) was employed to reveal five themes that describe participants' experience of the online collaborative learning environment: establishing a comfortable environment, perceptions of other participants, participating in collaborative learning, making sense of the experience, and learning outcomes.

The experience of the participants …