Education Commons^™

Serving Youth Who Are Serving Time: A Study Of The Special Education Services For Incarcerated Youth In A Short-Term Care Facility, Sachiko Hoshide

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the communication between sending court and community schools of a County Office of Education’s (COE) Alternative Education program and the receiving juvenile detention facility of a county in a Western state and how the communication between the two facilities affected the level of special education services provided to incarcerated youth, specifically the occurrence of 30-day placement IEPs. The juvenile detention facility was selected as a site because it was a lighthouse program, one of the few chosen to pilot the juvenile detention alternatives initiative (JDAI). JDAI sought to lower the number of incarcerated youth through viable alternatives …

Latino Immigrant Parents Of English Language Learner Students, School Involvement And The Participation Breach, Jose Vicente Gonzalez

Doctoral Dissertations

The problem addressed in this study was the minimal school involvement by Latino immigrant parents due to the hegemonic practices, cultural misunderstandings and deficit-thinking models adopted by school personnel. The purpose of this Participatory Action Research (PAR) was to investigate the perceptions and benefits of participant and co-researcher parents who collaborated in the creation of an anti-hegemonic culturally sensitive advocacy-training program. The theoretical framework employed was Critical Race Theory because it addressed the issues of institutional racism, challenge to the status quo, social justice leadership and allowed for an interdisciplinary approach in order to utilize the parents' experiential knowledge to …

An Investigation Of The Influence Of Fixed-Do And Movable-Do Solfège Systems On Sight-Singing Pitch Accuracy For Various Levels Of Diatonic And Chromatic Complexity, Jou-Lu Hung

Doctoral Dissertations

Sight-singing, recognized as an essential music skill, remains one of the weakest components in music education. Past studies investigating the most effective of the two most common sight-singing systems--the fixed-do and movable-do solfège systems--provide inconclusive results for music with medium to high levels of diatonic and chromatic complexity.

The purpose of this quantitative, ex post facto study was to investigate the influence of diatonic and chromatic complexity on sight-singing pitch accuracy for college music major students in a Northern California urban area who have trained in either the fixed-do or movable-do solfège systems, and who had piano experience before or …

The Experience Of Lasallian Association On The Part Of Lay “Associates In Fact” In The District Of San Francisco, Gregory T. Kopra

Doctoral Dissertations

The staffs of Catholic schools have undergone a wholesale change in the past 50 years. Whereas the great majority of Catholic schools in the 1950s were staffed by priests and /or religious sisters or brothers, Catholic schools in the 21st century are almost entirely staffed by lay men and women. By sheer numbers, sustaining the charism of congregation-sponsored Catholic schools has increasingly become the responsibility of the lay men and women who minister in them.

The De La Salle Christian Brothers, who have sponsored Catholic schools and other educational ministries for more than 330 years, take a vow of association …

Sustainability With An Ethical Aim: Lessons From An American Nun In Amazonia, Stephanie Denise Demaree

Doctoral Dissertations

Research Topic

Human imagination, an ethical aim and action are the progenitors for reconciliation between humans and their environment. Two examples of such reconciliation are found in Brazil and are the result of the tireless work of an American Nun, Sister Dorothy Stang and the staff of the Iracambi Atlantic Rainforest Research and Conservation Center. The present inquiry portrays the history, current programs, and the potential for the findings to shape the lives of those committed to work toward creating a balance between human endeavors and sustainable environments.

Theory and Protocol

This research is grounded in critical hermeneutics and follows …

The Effects Of Using Multimedia Presentations And Modular Worked-Out Examples As Instructional Methodologies To Manage The Cognitive Processing Associated With Information Literacy Instruction At The Graduate And Undergraduate Levels Of Nursing Education, Shawn P. Calhoun

Doctoral Dissertations

Information literacy is a complex knowledge domain. Cognitive processing theory describes the effects an instructional subject and the learning environment have on working memory. Essential processing is one component of cognitive processing theory that explains the inherent complexity of knowledge domains such as information literacy. Prior research involving cognitive processing relied heavily on instructional subjects from the areas of math, science and technology. For this study, the instructional subject of information literacy was situated within the literature describing ill-defined problems using modular worked-out examples instructional design techniques. The purpose of this study was to build on the limited research into …

Post-Dollarization Narratives Of Economic Literacy In Ecuador, Luis A. Reynoso

Doctoral Dissertations

Research Topic

This study addresses how the economic narratives of conversation participants in Ecuador after dollarization permeates the concepts of self, and quality of life, binding both into a personal economic story that describes a person's economic narrative towards a definition of economic literacy.

Research Theory and Protocol

Through critical hermeneutic theory formulated by Paul Ricoeur (1992) and the inquiry protocol developed by Ellen Herda (1999), the interpretive categories of narrative identi-ty, text, and imagination were applied to this study.

Research Categories

The narratives describe the stories of the people of Ecuador pursuing daily tasks in their economy. The text …

Empowering Equity In Postsecondary Transition For Marginalized Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students With Disabilities By Implementing A Culturally Responsive Summary Of Performance Teacher Training And Support Program, Rebekka Joanne Jez

Doctoral Dissertations

Marginalized culturally and linguistically diverse students with special needs often struggle after high school. Many special educators are unaware of legal mandates and best practice in postsecondary transition, especially the intricate needs when working this group. The culturally responsive Summary of Performance (CRSOP) training and support program was designed to inform and support teachers in self-determination and culturally responsive practices while transitioning students from high school. Five teachers and seven students in a large urban district were interviewed and surveyed before and after the CRSOP training and support program to evaluate the effectiveness of the CRSOP teacher training. Teachers reported …

Implementation Of The Core Components Of Response To Intervention Models: A Study Of Two Schools, Dawn Witt

Doctoral Dissertations

This mixed-method study investigated how two schools implemented RtI² and what core components of RtI² the faculty and staff perceived as priorities for implementation. Participants included teachers, school psychologists, and administrators at two schools with similar demographics. The study included a self-assessment survey, document analysis, the observation of staff development and classroom and grade-level team meetings, followed by focus-group interviews. Rankings of the core components of RtI² varied for each school based on the school culture, resources, and needs. The two schools in this study experienced very different issues, concerns, and strengths; all of which may inform other schools anticipating …

African American Entrepreneurship: Narratives Of Fresno County, California, African American Entrepreneurs, Felix Shielim-Nwaeke Enunwa

Doctoral Dissertations

The entrepreneurial spirit of African American has been misunderstood. This dissertation used the voices of 15 African American entrepreneurs in Fresno County to reconstruct the historical development and performance of African American entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship developed from the necessity to survive; it was the outcome of deprivation, exclusion, and legal and political alienation. For African Americans, historical development and experience in entrepreneurship has been turbulent; understanding of African American entrepreneurship has been distorted with flawed theoretical constructs based on false premises of a lack of a tradition of business establishment and inadequate support for capitalism in African American communities.

Despite many …

Perceptions Of Bilingualism And Home Language Maintenance And Loss: A Study Of Latino Parents At A San Francisco Bay Area Elementary Charter School, Emily Mccormick Enstice

Doctoral Dissertations

There is limited research that investigates parent perceptions with respect to their early elementary school children's home language use. To fill the gap in research, this study explores the relationship between first generation Latino parent perspectives of bilingualism, home language maintenance and loss, and the intersection of culture and identity in an elementary school community. It also investigates how parents create an additive bilingual environment in the home.

This participatory action research (PAR) study involved group dialogue sessions and individual interviews in order to engage co-researchers and participants. PAR provided this study with the structure and tools to change and …

Emerging 21st-Century Educational Challenges And Opportunities: An Appreciative Inquiry Of Public Education In The U.S. Virgin Islands, Sheree Necole Bryant

Doctoral Dissertations

This study explored the critical challenges and opportunities in K–12 public education in the U.S. Virgins Islands (USVI). Specifically, this study sought to understand the USVI education leaders’ experiences in their public education system as a whole, the challenges and opportunities they faced, their perceptions of the institution’s greatest strengths, and their perceptions on the future of education in the territory. This research also explored which factors influence educational-leadership success in the USVI.

The study employed appreciative inquiry as a theoretical framework. Application of the core principles of appreciative inquiry laid the foundation for a narrative-based qualitative inquiry into educational …

Coping Behaviors Of Day Laborers In San Mateo, California, Antonio Gallardo

Doctoral Dissertations

Before this study, little research existed on the coping behaviors of day laborers. To bolster the research in this area, my study explored the coping behaviors of day laborers. My participants were 12 Latin American day laborers from Guatemala and Mexico who, at the time of the study, lived in San Mateo, California. I used a qualitative approach for my study and gathered information on how my participants coped with the day-to-day experiences of day labor life. This involved background interviews, stressor questionnaire, group interview, in-depth individual interviews, and a follow-up to the stressor questionnaire. This study revealed that participants …

The Separate And Collective Effects Of Personalization, Personification, And Gender On Learning With Multimedia Chemistry Instructional Materials, Shannon James Halkyard

Doctoral Dissertations

Chemistry is a difficult subject to learn and teach for students in general. Additionally, female students are under-represented in chemistry and the physical sciences. Within chemistry, atomic and electronic structure is a key concept and several recommendations in the literature describe how this topic can be taught better.

These recommendations can be employed in multimedia instructional materials designed following principles understood through the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning. Additionally, these materials can expand the known use of principles like personalization (addressing the learner as "you") and test prospective design principles like personification (referring to abstract objects like atoms as "she" …

Exploring The Leadership Practices Of Social Justice Leaders At Urban Charter Schools, Kandle Fraser

Doctoral Dissertations

While by and large urban public schools continue to not serve the needs of all of the students in their communities, there are some school principals who are creating educational equity for all of their students and deserve to be called social justice leaders. This study aimed to expand the field of school leadership studies and focus on social justice leaders in charter schools using a phenomenological interview methodology. Each of four participants was interviewed in three 90-minute sessions. The first interview focused on the person's life history before becoming school leaders, the second was on their leadership practices, and …

The Comparative Effects Of Visual-Only Instruction Versus Modality Principle Instruction On Algebraic Problem Accuracy And Perceived Mental Effort At Varying Levels Of Task Complexity For Undergraduate Nursing Students, Kristina V. Mattis

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two instructional formats on math accuracy and perceived mental effort during a series of math problems that varied in levels of complexity. The multimedia instruction results were compared against a traditional form of instruction using visual-only teaching materials.

Few studies examine the impact of instructional design on learning outcomes math instruction within nursing with a lack of research describing how math is taught to nursing students other than traditional lecture or textbook. Nursing students demonstrate low performance rates on math problems that involve mixed numbers that also tend to …

Investigation Of The Misconceptions Related To The Concepts Of Equivalence And Literal Symbols Held By Underprepared Community College Students, Terrence Joseph Maguire

Doctoral Dissertations

Many students struggle to learn mathematics in K-8 grades. Research has shown that lower grade students often misconceive equivalence as an operation rather than a relation, and that students also form various misconceptions of literal symbols. Many students arrive at college seriously underprepared in mathematics, but there is scant research on the difficulties and misconceptions of these college students. The purpose of this research was to learn if underprepared community college students harbor misconceptions of equivalence and of literal symbols similar to K-8 students.

For this study, 191 underprepared college students were surveyed for misconceptions by a questionnaire of 43 …

"This Is A Public Record": Teaching Human Rights Through The Performing Arts, Andrea Mcevoy Spero

Doctoral Dissertations

Urban youth in the United States often experience daily human rights violations such as racism and violence. Therefore, Human Rights Education (HRE) can strengthen their understanding of these issues and unleash their power to act toward positive change. This qualitative study attempted to gain a deeper understanding of the use of performance arts to teach human rights in an urban high school setting.

The following meta-question guided this research: "Is it possible for HRE which integrates the performing arts as a pedagogical tool to provide a transformative educational experience for students?" To address this question, the study explored: 1) how …

De La Salle Christian Brothers' Experiences Of Catholic Identity In Higher Education In The United States, Scott Anthony Kier

Doctoral Dissertations

Catholic identity is considered to be the single most important issue facing Catholic higher education in the United States. Scholars (Burtchaell, 1998; Gallin, 1999; Gleason, 1995; Heft, 2003; Marsden, 1994; O'Brien, 1994) have suggested that sustaining Catholic identity and preventing secularization depends on the integration of the Catholic intellectual tradition with the sponsoring religious congregation. The Catholic identity often has been discussed in terms of the decreasing presence of various signs and symbols of Catholicity. Additionally, the number of Catholics among the student body, the number of required theology courses, and the role of the curriculum and faculty, have been …

Presence In Nursing Practice: A Critical Hermeneutic Analysis, Alicia Laurel Bright

Doctoral Dissertations

Research Topic

Presence, although it involves action at times, is a humanitarian quality of relating that is ethically generated and has real-world implications for both patient and nurse. It is an interpersonal process characterized by sensitivity, holism, intimacy, vulnerability, and adaptation to unique circumstances that results in enhanced mental wellbeing for nurses and patients, and improved physical wellbeing for patients. Knowing and being with are foundational to being present.

Theory and Protocol

This research is grounded in critical hermeneutics and follows an interpretive approach to field research and data analysis (Herda 1999). This orientation places the researcher and participants in …

The Image Of The Artist: A Content Analysis Of Authenticity, Ethnicity, And Quality In Young Adult Novels, Jeannine L. Jeffries

Doctoral Dissertations

There is little research on the image of the artist in general and no research was found incorporating the multicultural image of the artist in children's or YA books. Knowing that artists can be as culturally diverse as their artistic medium of choice raised the initial questions about the multicultural image of the artist. Even though there have been numerous novels published over the last 40 years with an artist character as part of the story, there was a lack of empirical research on how the image of the artist may be stereotyped and if these novels reflect today's contemporary …

Imagication = Imagination + Education: What Fifth Graders Think About Arts Integration In Public Elementary Schools, Lisa Edsall Giglio

Doctoral Dissertations

During the 2011-12 school year, a fifth grade class in a diverse San Francisco public elementary school collaborated with the Arts Resources In Action (ARIA) program of the San Francisco Opera's Education Department to create a teacher-guided opera. The students wrote the story, music and lyrics as well as designed and built the sets, props and costumes based on the American Revolution. The classroom teacher chose the topic of the American Revolution, and the students researched this historic event using literary, historical, visual, musical and theatrical methods of exploration and data gathering. Through the medium of opera, the program connected …

A Participatory Action Research Study With Bi-Ethnic Children In South Korea On Bi-Ethnic Identity Development, Jeong Min Lee

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore how bi-ethnic children in South Korea understand their identity using a participatory action research (PAR) method. The number of bi-ethnic/multicultural families and children is increasing in South Korea, matched with a rising xenophobia towards these groups. Thus, the need for research that captured the inner thoughts and feelings of children, through their own voices, seems of paramount importance for a more secure and authentic identity development. The findings from this research provided evidence through their own storybooks that bi-ethnic Korean children had individual identity experiences in different contexts through diverse development processes. …

Supporting Teachers As Transformative Intellectuals: Participatory Action Research In Human Rights Education, Page Hersey

Doctoral Dissertations

Human rights education (HRE) holds the potential for educators to begin an honest dialogue with students and to connect local issues with international struggles for human rights. However, HRE and other teaching approaches that build understanding of systems of power and oppression that lead to human rights violations are not widely embraced in U.S. schools. In this participatory action research (PAR) study, a group of five educators in the San Francisco Bay Area examined the development and implementation of HRE and social justice education.

Broad research questions guided the group process, asking how educators engaged with youth about human rights …

Sealing The Cracks Of The Educational Pipeline: Counterstories That Reveal Cultural Resiliency And Collective Responsibility In Latinas’ K-16 Success, Angela Shaw

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research is to discover and describe the successes and institutional barriers along the educational pipeline for Latinas who are the first in their families to have successfully completed their undergraduate degrees. This research explores the unique elements of gender such as gender role socialization and stereotyping under the context of student retention and successful completion of a baccalaureate degree. This research includes nine counterstories of Latinas who were the first in their families to have successfully completed their undergraduate degrees. The results of this study find that throughout childhood, many participants' parents taught their children …