Education Commons^™

Hybridization Of Lythrurus Fasciolaris (Cope) And Lythrurus Umbratilis (Girard) (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) In The Ohio River Basin, Robert L. Hopkins Ii

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science by Robert L. Hopkins, II on November 14, 2005.

Teaching Pronunciation In High School Spanish Classes: A Focus On Vowels, Ellen Waisanen

Honors Theses

With the growing use of Spanish in the United States, it is increasingly valuable to have a knowledge of the language. Accurate pronunciation is an integral component of effectively speaking Spanish and attaining native-like mastery of the language, yet it is neglected by many high school teachers. For this reason, I chose to use my honors thesis project to emphasize accurate pronunciation and create a resource for teaching it more thoroughly. With this collection of notes and exercises, I hope to provide a foundation for high school Spanish teachers to highlight pronunciation in their classes. More specifically, I have focused …

Female Inmates Perspectives On Incarceration And Correctional Education At Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, Clara Guadalupe Ellis

Dissertations and Theses

Prisons provide us with a place to segregate criminals from the population at large, but the ongoing question is what to do with them once we have incarcerated them? On one side there is the idea that prisons should be used to punish those who have broken the law. On the other is the idea that prisons should help to rehabilitate prisoners so that they may be reintegrated into society upon their release.

The purpose of this study was to examine the role correctional education programs played in the life of female offenders in light of the debate mentioned above. …

Facilitating Communication About Death Between Mothers And Adolescent Sons Using Fictional Children's Literature, Deon G. Leavy

Theses and Dissertations

Most children will experience the death of a loved one in their lifetime and will need to develop healthy grieving patterns. Communication between parents and children is a key ingredient in facilitating this development. Current opinions about bibliotherapy, using a book to assist in healing, suggest that books provide understanding about grief and death and open channels of communication. Although the use of bibliotherapy is gaining popularity, little research exists about its efficacy. Utilizing the book The Bridge to Terabithia, this study evaluated the facilitation of communication about death between 19 dyads of mother and adolescent sons. Their answers and …

The Frequency And Severity Of Problem Behaviors Among Individuals With Autism, Traumatic Brain Injury, And Mental Retardation From The Utah Dspd Dataset, Melanie Kay Arp

Theses and Dissertations

The study reports on analyses of data collected from the Inventory for Client and Agency Planning (ICAP) for 5,859 children with Autism (n = 511), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI, n = 522), or Mental Retardation (MR, n = 4826) whose legal guardians applied for support services through the Utah Department of Services for People with Disabilities (DSPD). Results indicate that the least to most frequent problem behaviors were (a) destructive to property, (b) hurtful to self, (c) hurtful to others, (d) socially offensive, (e) unusual habits, (f) withdrawal, (g) uncooperative, and (h) disruptive behaviors. The degree of severity varied from …

Exploring Teachers' Perceptions Of Their Preparedness For Culturally Responsive Teaching, Mary T. Brauch Petersen

Student Work

This study sought to examine how teachers perceived they were prepared for culturally responsive teaching (CRT). CRT refers to the ability of a teacher to use prior knowledge or experience to either teach children of diversity certain content topics or to teach all children in the classroom cultural topics. Culturally responsive teaching is demonstrated by teachers' possessing" (a) knowledge and sensitivity about cultural influences, (b) ability to provide a supportive learning context, (c) appropriate instruction and assessment, and (d) facilitation of parental involvement" (Daunic, Correa, & Reyes-Blanes, 2004, p. 106).

The Importance Of Fathers In The Promotion Of Children's Literacy, Michael D. Barbera

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

The purpose of this research project is to provide absentee fathers of prekindergarten and first grade children with a familiar reading and writing tool, the postcard, to stay connected with one another regardless of the physical distance between them. This project's collection of postcards featuring authentic children's artwork and research based information for fathers, has been inspired by the research-based principles of Best Practice (Zemelman, S., Daniels, H., & Hyde, A., 1998). Each postcard includes valuable information for fathers, written in English and Spanish in order to address a demographically wide group (Green, 2002). Because gender bias, divorce, poverty, and …

Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Resource Guide For Teachers, John S. Brockway

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Resource Guide for Teachers The purpose of this project was to bring to the attention of educators the need to become culturally responsive in their teaching practices. Given the changing demographics within schools in the United States, educators must improve and enhance the learning conditions for their students by understanding the ethnic and cultural backgrounds of all students. A one-day teacher in-service was developed to address the need for educators to develop the practices of culturally responsive teaching while providing this audience with practical examples, information, and strategies to help them more successfully engage their diverse …

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 …

Relationship Between Traditional Grammar Terminology And Metacognitive Application Of Grammar Concepts, Annalisa M. Buerke

Master of Education Program Theses

This literature review revisits the debate of whether grammar instruction can improve adherence to written English conventions. However, the paper focuses on the role of traditional definitions rather than on delivery methods. Two questions guide this paper: I. Do traditional terms and definitions hinder students' understanding of grammar concepts? 2. How can teachers define grammar terms in a clearer, more accurate manner? The paper uses prominent grammarians such as C. Weaver, R. Noguchi and M. Kolin and provides a history of methodology, noting researchers' observations of traditional terms and definitions. The paper concludes that secondary teachers can supplement traditional definitions …

Gender Differences In Motivation For Learning English As A Foreign Language Among University Students, Noha Mohamed Ghaly

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Community Coalitions: Implications For Educational Policy And Administrators, A Study Of Anderson Elementary In The Anderson Weed And Seed Neighborhood., Mary A. Rausch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2001, the Anderson Neighborhood of Bristol, Tennessee, received official recognition as a Weed and Seed site by the United States Department of Justice. This designation is provided to a local coalition of committed community members organized to “weed” out the elements that contribute to crime and delinquency in a targeted neighborhood and “seed” in strategies to build strong neighborhoods. Anderson Elementary School is a key partner in the effort and the conduit for a variety of coalition initiatives.

Through investigation of measures and surveys administered at Anderson Elementary School, the study was designed to ascertain if there were improvements …

A Study To Determine The Relationship Of The Direct Instruction Program Corrective Reading On Terra Nova Tests Scores In One School System In East Tennessee, Dawn Heterick Werner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of the Direct Instruction program Corrective Reading on standardized achievement test scores specifically of reading scaled score gains in grade levels three through six in a selected school system in East Tennessee.

The causal-comparative quantitative approach was the foundation for this study. Reading scaled score gains from the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) achievement test Terra Nova given in the years 2001-2002 and 2003-2004 were analyzed by grade level using ANOVA and t tests to determine if the implementation of Corrective Reading had an impact on students' achievement.

No statistically …

The Perception Of The Value Of The Use Of Primary Source Documents Among East Tennessee Lakeway Area History Teachers In Grades 5-12., Matthew Elliott Drinnon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the perceptions of history and social studies teachers in the Lakeway Area of East Tennessee concerning the use of primary source materials in classroom instruction. The purpose of this study was to determine what value the educators in the intact group held for the use of primary source documents, how much time was devoted to the analysis of primary source documents by students in those classes, and potential barriers to the implementation of the use of primary source materials.

The research design was descriptive and used data gathered from a survey instrument constructed by the researcher. A …

To See Her Face, To Hear Her Voice: Profiling The Place Of Women In Early Upper East Tennessee, 1773-1810., Sσndra Lee Allen Henson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Following the Proclamation Act of 1763 growing numbers of colonists arrived in upper East Tennessee to settle and build wherever they could make arrangements with local groups of Cherokee. While these first families were occupied with survival, the British colonies continued to thrive. Concurrent with growing prosperity was the increasing determination of colonists to exercise control over their property and economic interests. Frontier exigencies affected family strategies for dividing labor and creating economic endeavors. A commonly held view asserts that where women were scarce and needed, rigid sex-role distinctions could not prevail. This thesis will present research of the earliest …

A Study Of Persistence In The Walters State Community College Associate-Degree Nursing Program., Jeffrey Tom Horner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The WSCC ADN program had 66.57% persistence rate between the years 2000-2004. This retrospective study analyzed 28 demographic, pre-clinical, and clinical variables to identify correlates for persistence within the WSCC ADN program. The population size was 730 first-time candidates or the entire population of five consecutive clinical classes graduating between the years of 2000-2004. The candidates were identified and the variables tabulated using the WSCC student information system. SPSS 13.0 software was employed to conduct descriptive, frequency, multiple regression, multivariate analysis of variance, and univariate analysis of variance tests. The criterion variables included persistence within the entire population, gender-specific persistence …

The Association Between The Use Of Accelerated Math And Students' Math Achievement., James Atkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between time spent on a computer managed integrated learning system entitled Accelerated Math and traditional mathematics instruction on achievement as measured by standardized achievement tests of elementary school students. The variables of ability level, special education, grade, socioeconomic status, gender, classroom teacher, school attended, and degree of implementation were also considered. The population consisted of 542 students who were sixth, seventh, and eighth graders during the 2003-2004 school year and took the TerraNova each year. Data were gathered that covered the three-year period beginning in 2001 and ending in 2004. …

Associations Involving Open Court Reading In Kindergarten And Student Performance On Standardized Assessments In Reading In A Tennessee School System., Rachel Suzanne Walk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine what, if any, associations existed between the implementation of the Open Court Reading^® program in kindergarten and students’ reading achievement on the Terra Nova standardized achievement test in the first grade. The study involved first-grade students who attended kindergarten in one school system in East Tennessee. Using a quantitative design, this study included the first-grade Terra Nova scores from 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004. Scores obtained by first-grade students who did not receive Open Court Reading^® in kindergarten (2001 and 2002) were compared with first-grade scores obtained by students who …

How High School Science-Related Experiences Influenced Career Persistence, Andrew Dwight Shaw

Dissertations

The events of 9/11 brought into focus two ongoing trends that were present before this tragedy and have continued since: 1) The United States needs more scientists if it is to ensure its freedoms and maintain its economy. 2) The number of scientists in the ¿pipeline¿ is declining because of the diminished presence of foreign scientists (they are wanted in their own countries), the under-representation of minorities and women, and the reduced numbers of students able and willing to take on the scholastic rigors necessary for a science or engineering degree. Though much has been written about improving science education, …

Navigating Cultures And Epistemologies In Science And Technology Education, Kathleen Theresa Kurzk

Dissertations

This investigation focuses on the nexus of science and culture in the lives of marginalized youth in the United States and South Africa. The epistemologies and contextual realities of cross-cultural learner cohorts and their understandings of scientific phenomena are examined. The researcher was a participant observer within the context of the Science, Technology & Culture: Empowering Learners (STC) program, an after-school and school-based collaboration focused upon integrating science, technology and culture. Electronic communication provided a vehicle for dialogue between youth in St. Louis, Missouri, USA and a South African Township. Study findings include documentation of the marginalizing effects of poverty …

Formative Assessment: The Effect On Academic Achievement And Attitudes Toward Science, Susanne Casey

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to (a) determine if the use of formative assessment in the science classroom improved academic achievement in a group of ninth grade honors level students; and (b) determine the effect of formative assessment on the attitudes these students have toward science. Data was collected from two control groups (N=24 and N=26) and the experimental, comparison group (N=28). Students were administered two Likert-type surveys, an attitude survey and a causal attribution survey. Each survey was given at the start of the experiment and again at the end of the experiment. Summative test scores were also …

Storyteller, Story-Teacher: A Portrait Of Three Teachers? Use Of Story In Elementary Classes, James Michael Shirley

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the use of storytelling as a teaching strategy in the classrooms of three experienced elementary school teachers. Storytelling is defined in this study as the use of a narrative, spoken or written, in prose or in verse, true or fictitious, related so as to inform, entertain, or instruct the listener or reader. This research answers questions concerning; (a) what constitutes storytelling in these teachers’ classrooms, (b) teachers’ purposes for using storytelling, and (c) factors that have encouraged these teachers to employ storytelling in their teaching practices. Framed within constructivist theory, the …

Classroom Management In Music Ensembles: Exploring The Relationship Between Perceived Classroom Management Skills And Performance Achievement, Jeffrey David Costello

Masters Theses

As literature repeatedly has stated that classroom management is a great area of concern for teachers, the present study was conducted in an attempt to determine whether a relationship exists between classroom management skills and performance achievement among directors of music ensembles in western Michigan. Subjects (n=28), selected from Michigan School Vocal Music Association’s District Ten, responded to a mail survey providing answers to various questions pertaining to their classroom management skills and education experience. Also volunteered by the participants were the District Festival ratings received by their ensembles during the past three years. These ratings served as the measure …

The Classroom Management Strategies For Addressing Discipline Problems From Expert Junior High School Teachers In Taiwan, Meng-Ling Tsou

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

This study explores effective classroom management strategies in Taiwan for decreasing problem behaviors of junior high school students, an area of frustration for most junior high school teachers in that country (Chiou, 2002). Poulou and Norwich (2000) found that poor classroom management is one of the primary causes of student behavior problems. Several other studies indicate there is a strong relationship between student behavior and academic achievement (Hester, Gable & Manning, 2003). Successful classroom management can improve student behavior and enhance effective learning.

This study gathered many effective classroom management strategies from the U.S. literature and from expert homeroom teachers …

Exploring Faculty Perceptions Of A Case Library As An Online Teaching Resource, Yuxin Ma

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Professors need alternative programs to support their online teaching. This dissertation reports an initial study in a long-term research agenda for developing a faculty online teaching solution.

The primary purpose of the study is to explore faculty perceptions of a case library to help decision makers and researchers determine whether they would pursue the use of such a tool to support faculty online teaching. The secondary purpose of the study is to generate design knowledge to inform future development of and research on this or similar case libraries.

The methodology of this study includes three components: development research, rapid prototyping, …

Teachers As Advocates For Student: Why Some Choose To Go The Extra Mile, Linda Cohen

Theses and Graduate Projects

Teachers have the opportunity to become leaders who shape, alter and foster their students' social and academic life. The student population of late has emerged as diverse in culture, needs and learning ability. It has become increasingly more important for a teacher to understand the student as "a whole," since it often pertains to the student's learning capability and growth as a person. Identifying the factors that encourage student advocacy could be a huge step in continuing progress or a positive change toward establishing advocacy environments. This qualitative action research study investigates the factors that formulate a teacher as an …

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 …