Education Commons^™

The Influence Of Parent Portal Access On Student Efficacy And Parental Involvement, Shannon D. Dries

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study examined the influence of Parent Portal access on student achievement and parental involvement defined as home-to-school communication. The population was students in sixth grade in a suburban district in New Jersey. Academic achievement was defined through GPA at the end of sixth grade and performance on the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJ ASK) in both Math and Language Arts Literacy in Grade 6. Attendance was measured using attendance rates. Parental involvement was measured by the number of parent logins to Parent Portal. Multiple regression analyses, backward entry method, were used to determine the influence of …

The Teacher Pay For Performance Phenomenon, Deborah Viscardi

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The purpose of this dissertation research was to explore the link between teacher motivation and performance-based compensation. This topic has been a controversial issue over the last decade across the country. There is a critical need for more research on teacher pay-for- performance systems, especially as it relates to motivation, student achievement, and the profession of teaching. Qualitative in design, the intent of this research study was to make meaning of teachers’ perceptions about the influence of performance-based compensation on the profession and practice of teaching. This study extends the current understanding and adds to the discussion of compensation policy …

The Inclusion Of Cognitive Complexity: A Content Analysis Of New Jersey's Current And Past Intended Curriculum, Dario Sforza

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Policy makers and educators have stated that the internationally benchmarked standards will place greater emphasis on 21^st century skills including creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, presentation and demonstration, problem solving, research and inquiry, and career readiness. Many educators believe that if schools are “injected” with creativity, students will have a better chance at a prosperous and productive future. Are the current reform movements thwarting the opportunity for students to “find their own niche” and perhaps turning “them into disciples of ‘intellectual clones’ who will do ‘our thing’ rather their own?” (Sternberg, 2003, p. 335). In response to inquiry, this dissertation …

The Influence Of Community Demographics On Student Achievement On The Connecticut Mastery Test In Mathematics And English Language Arts In Grade 3 Through 8, Albert Nii Lartey Sackey Jr.

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Student achievement has been measured in the United States for decades through the use of standardized state assessments. The purpose of this study was to examine which combination of 15 out-of-school community demographic variables best predicted and accounted for the most variance in a Connecticut school district’s percentages of students scoring goal or above on the 2010 Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) for the third through eighth grade in Mathematics (Math) and English Language Arts (ELA). Analyses were conducted using both a simultaneous regression model and a hierarchical regression model. This study looked at the entire population of districts that were …

School Type And Structure As Predictors Of Perceived School Climate And Student Academic Achievement Among Middle School Students In Baltimore City Public Schools, Rhonda L. Richetta

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study examined the impact of school type and school structure on perceived school climate and student achievement, for middle grades students in a large urban school district. The specific school types examined were charter schools, transformational schools, and traditional schools. For school structure, the grade configurations of K-8, 6-8, and 6-12 were examined. The total sample number for the first data set, the climate survey, was 12,258 students, and for the second data set, test scores, it was 17,472, and a total of 103 schools.

Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to measure the association among school types, school …

An Historical Perspective To Examine How Federal Policy Influenced The Definition And Evaluation Of Teacher Effectiveness Since 1950, Janine M. Mathesz

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Increased public demand to hold teachers accountable for student learning and to remove ineffective teachers has challenged state department of education officials to develop teacher evaluation systems that include student assessment data. Many educational researchers theorize teacher effectiveness is the variable under the control of the school with the most influence on student success.

This study examines the influence of federal government education policies on state teacher evaluation systems and how this influence has shaped the definition and evaluation of an effective teacher over the past 62 years. Teacher evaluations, when used as a proper tool, assist administrators in providing …

Meaning-Making Among Medical Students: Development Of A Quantitative Measure Of Self-Authorship, Robert Fallar

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Preparation for and application to medical school, as well as the subsequent medical training of matriculating students, can have an important impact on psychosocial development. The premedical baccalaureate is the traditional preparation for medical school, although many medical schools also offer a separate entry path through early assurance programs that provide conditional acceptance in the sophomore year of college. These programs may provide freedom in the remainder of the baccalaureate program to explore the liberal arts, which could be a source of differential development of non-cognitive skills among medical students. Self-authorship is defined as the ability to define one’s beliefs, …

A Study Of U.S. Education Outcomes For Female Students From The Republic Of Georgia, Nino Bitsadze

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This qualitative study sought to understand how living and studying in the United States affected the personalities, beliefs, attitudes, and careers of a group of female students from the Republic of Georgia. The researcher traveled to Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, to interview twenty alumni of U.S. study programs (on undergraduate and graduate study levels) individually. Jack Mezirow’s Transformational Learning Theory and David Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory provide the theoretical framework for the study.

The findings revealed that living and studying in the U.S. matured the participants personally as they got to experience the challenges that accompany living independently in an unfamiliar …

“What The Hell Is Revise?”: Student Approaches To Coursework In Developmental English At One Urban-Serving Community College, Stefan A. Perun

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The primary objective of this dissertation was to help illuminate why most students who enroll in developmental English at community colleges never make it to a college-level course. The extant literature suggests that students’ learning experiences in a course largely account for success or failure, yet few studies have uncovered how students experience content and pedagogy in developmental English at community colleges, and how these experiences shape students’ success or failure in their course. To remedy this gap, I conducted a semester-long, classroom level, qualitative study of three sections of developmental English at one community college. I primarily relied upon …

The Relationship Between Teacher Candidates' Performance On Praxis I And Praxis Ii In New Jersey, Cathy R. Owens-Oliver

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between teacher candidate performance on the Praxis I: Pre-Professional Skills test and select Praxis II: Subject-Area Assessments. Praxis I is a set of three basic skills tests in reading, writing, and mathematics most often used as an admissions tests for teacher education programs. Praxis II is a battery of tests used to assess adequate content knowledge for program exit and for obtaining a license for beginning practice. This research focuses on teacher supply and quality in New Jersey, as demonstrated by teacher candidate performance on Praxis I and Praxis II …

The Student Augustinian Values Institute: Assessing Its Impact Of Enhancing The Understanding And Experience Of The Augustinian Core Values Of Veritas, Unitas, And Caritas Upon Students In Augustinian Secondary Schools, Stephen M. Curry

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Educational leadership understands the importance of teaching values in its schools and incorporates this philosophy into the school’s symbolic and structural systems. Roman Catholic Church leaders have always endorsed the teaching of values in its schools and this position was sanctioned at its Second Vatican Council (Vatican Council II, 1962-65). One aspect of the Council emphasized the importance of Catholic education as an essential vehicle for proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. Catholic schools founded and sponsored by religious communities were challenged to reappropriate their founders’ charisms in their educational ministries. The Order of St. Augustine is an example …

A Comparative Analysis Of The Singapore Math Curriculum And The Everyday Mathematics Curriculum On Fifth Grade Achievement In A Large Northeastern Urban Public School District, Tina L. Powell

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study examined the differences between the achievement effects of one proposed Common Core State Standards-aligned mathematics program, Math in Focus: Singapore Math, and one NCTM-aligned mathematics program, Everyday Mathematics, on Grade 5 mathematics performance. An explanatory non-experimental research design was employed using post hoc pre- and post-treatment data from 2010 NJ ASK3 and 2012 NJ ASK5 administrations, respectively. The study examined the achievement outcomes of 205 Grade 5 general education students across several independent variables (race/ethnicity, gender, SES, attendance). Statistical analyses revealed fairly consistent results regarding differences in student performance on the 2012 NJ ASK5 in schools implementing Singapore …