Education Commons^™

The Positive Alternative Credit Experience (Pace) Program A Quantitative Comparative Study, Rebecca Anne Warren

Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to evaluate the Positive Alternative Credit Experience (PACE) Program using an objectives-oriented approach to a formative program evaluation. The PACE Program was a semester-long high school alternative education program designed to serve students at-risk for academic failure or dropping out and was operated by a large suburban school district located in St. Louis, Missouri. The outcome objectives of the program were to improve student success as measured by (a) an increase in grade point average (GPA), (b) an increase in attendance rate, (c) a decrease, or elimination of out-of-school suspension (OSS) rate, …

Elementary Students’ Perceptions Of Teachers: Factors That Influence Achievement, Susan Hladky

Dissertations

This quantitative study a) examined third grade students’ perceptions of teachers in relation to care, respect, help, and motivation to succeed; b) examined relationships among achievement, gender, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity and students’ perceptions of their teachers, and c) identified the relationship of students’ perceptions as they relate to higher levels of achievement. The research question that formed the basis of this study was: What is the relationship among student achievement, gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and third grade students’ perceptions of their teachers? A correlational research design was used to identify relationships among students’ perceptions of teachers, gender, socioeconomic status, …

The Reality Of The Greene County School System Preschool Program., Kathryn E. Crumm

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

State funded preschool programs are recent phenomena in the United States and the state of Tennessee. The intent of the researcher was to explore the implementation of the preschool program in the Greene County Schools system and to develop a better understanding of the effects of this process at the classroom level. This study may provide significant information for other pre-k programs in the state of Tennessee or nationwide programs in partnership with Head Start.

The preschool program in the Greene County Schools system consisted of 16 classes with nine of the classes in partnership with Head Start and one …

Career And Technical Education (Cte) Graduation Rates In Tennessee: A Comparative Study., Melissa Ann Loveless

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if the number of Career and Technical Education (CTE) graduates who go on to postsecondary education or some other training program, to the military, or to employment upon high school graduation was significant in comparison to the state baseline for secondary placement. This study further compared CTE graduation rates to overall graduation rates. The graduation rates were compared based on gender as well. School systems that provided CTE courses and that had CTE concentrators for the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 school years were used for this study. Eight school districts were chosen …

Teachers Perceptions Of The Impact Of Online Grading Systems., Brenda Gail Mize

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of the communication aspect of using an online grading program. This study explored teachers' perceptions of the implications of allowing the grading process to become transparent to parents. The purpose of this study was to assist teachers in searching for ways to create a positive parent-teacher relationship. A positive and constructive parent-teacher relationship is helpful to the student. If grades are made available to parents on a daily basis, they will have access to specifics about the academic performance of their child. Parents and teachers will be able to communicate with each other on a …

Validation Of The Monitoring Academic Progress: Reading (Map: R): Development And Investigation Of A Group-Administered Comprehension-Based Tool For Rti, Angela Nicole Hilton-Prillhart

Doctoral Dissertations

Monitoring Academic Progress: Reading (MAP: R), a silent, group-administered screener was piloted as part of a comprehensive Response to Intervention program. MAP: R along with AIMSweb© Maze and STAR reading were administered to 1,688 students in Grades 1-3. Overall alternate-form reliabilities for MAP: R resulted in moderately high stability (Grade 1 = .79, Grade 2 = .78, and Grade 3 = .75). Test-retest reliability was .90 for Grade1, .84 for Grade 2, and .89 for Grade 3. Concurrent validity, correlations for MAP: R and AIMSweb© Maze ranged from .43 to .69, with correlations for MAP: R and STAR ranging from …

A Validation Of The Monitoring Academic Progress Mathematics: An Experimental Multidimensional Group Administered Curriculum-Based Measure Of Mathematics Fluency And Problem Solving, Michael Brandon Hopkins

Doctoral Dissertations

The study investigated the psychometric properties of a newly developed math curriculum-based measure, the Monitoring Academic Progress: Mathematics (MAP:M), through examination of its internal consistency, alternate-form, slope, and test-retest reliability and validity. Participants included 1688 first through third-grade students from a school district in Northeast Tennessee. Application of Generalizability Theory produced reliability coefficients, score variances, and standard-error-of-measures (SEM) for both absolute and relative decisions based on a particular number of probes. MAP:M reliability coefficients for relative decisions ranged from .67 to .97 across eleven probes. The highest percentage of score variance at all three grades was attributed to the Person …

Is There A Relationship Between Positive Behavior Supports And Student Achievement?, Todd Edward Boucher

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists between a school’s behavior program and student achievement. This study explored the many facets of school behavior plans from across the state of Mississippi and compared the responses of high school principals to the schools’ U.S. history standardized test scores.

School discipline has become an issue that schools find themselves dealing with on a daily basis. While school discipline issues are not new to the educational arena, the way in which some schools are handling them is changing. Some of the changes are as a result of changes …

The Development And Validation Of A Tool To Measure Self-Confidence And Anxiety In Nursing Students While Making Clinical Decisions, Krista Alaine White

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Clinical decision making (CDM) is a cornerstone skill for nurses. Self-confidence and anxiety are two affective influences that impact the learning and adeptness of CDM. Currently, no instruments exist that measure perceived self-confidence and anxiety level of undergraduate nursing students related to CDM. The purpose of this research was to develop, test, and establish psychometric properties for a quantitative instrument that measures the levels of self-confidence and anxiety experienced by undergraduate nursing students while making clinical decisions. The new tool is entitled the Nursing Anxiety and Self-Confidence with Clinical Decision Making (NASC-CDM) scale. The tool is a self-report, Likert-type instrument …

The Effects Of Backward-Designed Curriculum And Instruction On Classroom Management, Tyrone Burson

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the link between interesting, purposeful work and positive classroom behavior. The backward design model proposed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe was the foundation for establishing interesting, purposeful work. Their curriculum and instruction model termed Backward Design is a three-stage approach to curriculum design consisting of determining the desired results, acceptable evidence, and the instruction to bring about the desired results. In the review of literature, the researcher was unable to find a study specifically investigating the relationship between classroom behavior, classroom management, and the employment of backward-designed curriculum and instruction. However, …

A Descriptive Study Of The Relationship Between Teacher Mentoring Programs And Retention Rates, Lisa D. Anderson

Dissertations

The design of this descriptive study is to identify those factors contributing to the high rate of early career teacher attrition and to identify a means for its reduction. The subjects for this study were limited to teachers from the southwest section of a Midwestern state. Five school districts were randomly selected based upon the researcher having previously met school district personnel in various professional settings and request letters were sent to superintendents and building principals. Voluntary teacher participation in completing a short, internet-based survey served as the basis with five districts responding. These districts, while confined to a southwest …

Enhancing The Cultural Competence Of Women’S Health Nurses Via Online Continuing Education, Ella T. Heitzler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

By 2050, current minority groups will comprise almost half of the US population further challenging healthcare providers and nurses to deliver culturally competent care. Numerous organizations have published documents supporting cultural competence and its incorporation into nursing curricula has been encouraged since 1986. However, practicing nurses, specifically those providing care to childbearing women and families, continue to acknowledge their lack of cultural competence. This is concerning as large health disparities exist between culturally diverse women and cultural competence can lead to greater health equality and better client care. Studies have shown face-to-face education increases the cultural competence of healthcare providers; …

In Quest Of A Dropout Theory: Examining The Utility Of An Ecological Approach Through Survey Research, Tiffany G. Tyler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examined the utility of Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory as a metatheory of dropout. Using the NELS: 1988 dataset, the present study examined the relationship between dropout attributions and Bronfenbrenner's construct, the microsystem. Attention was given to accounting for students' attributions regarding their identity (e.g., demographic and profile characteristics) with environmental and regional contexts as possible moderators. In particular, the present study examined the responses given as reasons for dropout in view of how those responses could be categorized with Bronfenbrenner's theoretical structure and the extent to which the resulting categorization could predict dropout, considering related demographic variable.

This study …

Knowledge And Perceptions Of Agriculture In Tennessee Through Fall Agritourism Experiences, Jessica Jarrell Poore

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify the key educational components of agritourism in Tennessee. The study strived to identify if knowledge of the agricultural industry increased due to agritourism experiences and if perception of the agriculture industry changed due to the experience. Additionally, the research sought to describe visitor demographics and characteristics.Following a pilot study in 2009, three agritourism venues throughout the state of Tennessee were used to collect surveys to create a pool of respondents and to identify their original knowledge of perceptions of the agriculture industry for the 2010 study. Additional data was gathered through an …

Preservice Special Education Teachers' Beliefs About Effective Reading Instruction For Students With Mild/Moderate Disabilities, Nari Carter

Theses and Dissertations

No Child Left Behind (NCLB, 2002) mandated that all students learn to read and specified that instructional practice in schools be informed by scientifically-based research. NCLB specifically aimed to improve reading achievement among struggling readers, students with disabilities, and other marginalized students. The National Reading Panel and reading experts have identified instructional practices for teaching reading to struggling readers; and yet, teachers do not always implement effective practices in their classrooms. To identify factors that influence teachers’ practice, I conducted a literature review of teachers’ beliefs about reading instruction. The results of the review were mixed in terms of whether …

A Study Of The Effect Of Positive Behavior Interventions And Support On Student Behaviors And Academic Achievement In High-Poverty Schools, Daniel Joseph Tripp

Dissertations

Closing the academic achievement gap is a national epidemic. Schools across the world struggle to meet the needs of all students, especially students in poverty. Educators look for many solutions to close the gap, but student behaviors are often overlooked. Research has shown that implementing a Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) system can decrease office disciplinary referrals and increase academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to add to the body of literature on PBIS, poverty, and academic achievement. This study was relevant because high-poverty schools across the world struggle to increase student academic achievement. This study analyzed …

The Impact Of Community College Developmental Education Programs On Student Success, Melissa A. Batchelor

Dissertations

With more people enrolling in college today, community colleges face a higher percentage of students who do not have college-level skills. To meet the needs of the underprepared student, colleges established developmental education programs. This study examined the success of developmental programs through examination of secondary data using a z-Test for difference in means, Chi-Square test for Independence, Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, and ANOVA. Through use of these statistical tests, the researcher analyzed the differences between the data and compared the variables from each institution to determine areas of strength and weakness in student outcomes to link with use …

Normative Comparative Analysis Of Missouri School District‘S Technology Plans Using Ict180 Evaluation Tool, Norris Lee Roberts Jr.

Dissertations

This research study explored written plans for effective technology integration. The research study included a normative and comparative analysis of school technology plans using a researcher-developed, evaluation tool named Information Communication Technology (ICT) ICT180. The sample of 30 included Missouri public school districts that had plans reviewed and approved by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in June of 2009. ICT180 was an evaluation tool, which was used to critically review the objectives, strategies, and action steps in the school district technology plans. The tool provided an in-depth assessment of the five Technology Focus Areas of the Missouri …

The Education Reform Of Tap And Value-Added Assessment: Teacher Merit Pay That Reinvigorates Standardized Testing And Detracts From 21st Century Learning Skills, Shawn Scharer Greenelsh

Master's Theses

In the last two decades, ignoring the bulk of educational research findings, policymakers shaped educational policy into a standardized testing movement that now dominates education. Now, to comply with No Child Left Behind, teachers and administrators shape curriculum in a way that maximizes student achievement measured by these tests. Recently, business and educational leaders initiated a reform movement to broaden curriculum, narrowed by this inadequate standardized testing movement, so that necessary 21st century learning skills can be practiced through project-based learning. The Federal Government’s enforcement of power over education created the climate that defined the current educational policy that gave …

The Green Movement In Hotels: Are College Students On Board?, Amy Walker

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose:

The purpose of this study is to see if environmentally friendly practices are a factor for college students when selecting a hotel. Another purpose of this study is to see if students would be willing to spend more for hotels who offer these environmentally friendly practices.

Rfid Classroom Management System, Andrew W. Wright

Master's Theses

Professors who manage large classes are unrealistically expected to grade each student fairly and accurately. Even with all of the technological advancements that have occurred in the past thirty years, very little progress has been made in classroom management, and as a result, professors are not equipped with enough tools to successfully manage large class sizes. Because radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is making its way into student issued identification cards, there is an opportunity to use it as a tool to aid professors in the classroom. The focus of this paper is to discover the most effective system that …

An Exploratory Survey Of The Enrollment Decisions Of Parents And Guardians In Four Catholic Urban Elementary Schools, Sheila Lombard Kukstis

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

As competition from tuition-less local charter and public schools increases, urban parents and guardians have more options for educating their children. Many struggle financially yet still choose to pay tuition for their children to attend an urban Catholic school. This exploratory study looks at the reasons why these parents and guardians choose a Catholic education for their children.

Over the course of six months in 2010, 850 surveys were sent to four Catholic urban elementary schools. One hundred and ninety-six parents and guardians in four urban Boston Catholic elementary schools completed surveys and participated in two focus groups. Two of …

Beyond School Inputs And Resources: An Assessment Of The Effects Of Program Intervention On Learning Achievement In Rebep Schools In Sierra Leone, Aiah As Mbayo

Open Access Dissertations

The EFA conference in Dakar 2000 ushered in new momentum for ensuring universal access to education and advocacy for improved educational quality in all aspects (UNESCO, 2000). While significant progress has been made in expanding access in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly for girls, efforts to ensure improved educational quality in terms of learning, have not matched the drive for universal educational access. Rather, educational quality in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa has been seriously compromised by rapid expansion given the limited resources.

In many attempts to ensure the delivery of quality education in developing countries, the thrust of delivery strategies has …

Determination Of Selected Course Management Systems Advantages And Challenges: A Case Study, Dolruedee Suppacheewa

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 Dolruedee Suppacheewa on May 12, 2011

Teacher Self-Efficacy And Student Achievement As Measured By North Carolina Reading And Math End-Of-Grade Tests., Wayne M. Eberle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers continue to experience an increased sense of responsibility as it relates to job performance while still being required to produce at the same level with relation to student performance. This can cause an increase in personal stress and result in lowered feelings of self- worth, having a negative impact on service delivery to children and overall job performance.

Bandura (1997) defined self-efficacy as a judgment of one's ability to organize and execute given types of performances. Furthermore, he suggests that the outcomes people anticipate depend largely upon their judgments of how well they will be able to perform in …

Comparative Study Of Reading First Schools Reading Achievement To Non-Reading First Schools., Wandaleen Adams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was any significant increase in the reading achievement of Reading First third grade students compared to the reading achievement of the third grade reading students in Non-Reading First schools located in southwest Virginia for 2004-2009. The Standards of Learning (SOLs) reading test scores were compiled from the Virginia Standards of Learning test scores that are available to the public from the Virginia Department of Education website. The elementary schools chosen for this study have a similar number of disadvantaged students and similar demographics. The reading achievement was being examined after …

The Graduation Rates Of Career And Technical Education (Cte) Concentrators In Tennessee., Richard Ernest Shadden Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to compare high school graduation rates between Career and Technical Education (CTE) concentrators and non-CTE concentrators. School systems in the state of Tennessee that offered CTE courses for the 2007-2008 (120 systems) or 2008-2009 (118 systems) school years were used in this study. Fifteen northeast Tennessee systems were also examined to compare the graduation rates of CTE concentrators and non-CTE concentrators. The graduation rates of male and female CTE concentrators was also compared.

Research supported the notion that CTE concentrators could improve overall graduation rates for school systems, and female CTE concentrators on …

A Comparison Between Read 180 Students And Non-Read 180 Students Reading And Math Scores By Classroom Structure., Amanda C. Cannon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the achievement of students in reading-language arts and math, who participated in the Scholastic READ 180 program within self-contained classroom organizations with the achievement of READ 180 students within departmentalized classrooms and with students not enrolled in READ 180. Classroom organizational structure at the intermediate grade is a highly debated issue. The READ 180 program is a highly structured model of the reading-language arts block. However, past research has provided few recommendations on how to schedule classes for at-risk students. Teachers and administrators of intermediate school students will benefit from a quantitative …

Teachers Perception Of Elementary School Principals Leadership Characteristics In Elementary Schools In Rural Southwest Virginia., Lynn B. Metcalfe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The characteristics of servant leaders as perceived by teachers who evaluated the leadership excellence of principals were the focus of this study. The essential ingredient of a leader was examined in all participating schools; the role of the principal was crucial to a school's effectiveness and was widely acknowledged.

Ten characteristics were discussed in the literature review. This dissertation was a quantitative study of teachers' perceptions, as well as principals' self-perceptions, of principals in rural Title I Schools located in southwest Virginia.

The exploratory question that originated from this study was: Was there a significant difference between the mean score …

Relationships Between Teacher Attendance And Student Scores On The Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program Achievement Test In East Tennessee., Melissa Miniard Hensley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods study examined relationships between third, fourth, and fifth grade teacher attendance as well as teacher and administrator perceptions of teacher attendance during the 2005-06, 2006-07, and 2007-08 school years. Third, fourth, and fifth grade student test scores on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) Achievement test given in the spring of 2006, 2007, and 2008 were also examined. TCAP score data for this study were gathered electronically, with published data from the Tennessee Department of Education. Teacher attendance records were collected using Siesta, a teacher attendance tracking program. Teacher and administrator perceptions were gathered through surveys, interviews, …