Education Commons^™

An Investigation Of Teachers' Beliefs Concerning Evaluation Procedures And Criteria And Their Willingness To Assume An Active Role In The Process, Terina Walker-Harvey

Dissertations

Teacher evaluation has received less than favorable reviews over the decades. Reports comment on the unsound practices, inappropriate assessment methods, and inadequate performance criteria. As a result, teachers in some cases come to view the process as ineffective and inadequate. This study hypothesized that (a) teachers who believe in evaluation hold different beliefs regarding evaluation specifics compared to those who disbelieve, (b) teachers who believe in evaluation and view professional development as the purpose for conducting evaluation hold different views regarding evaluation specifics compared to those who disbelieve and view personnel decisions as the purpose for evaluation, and (c) those …

A Study Of Active Participation Instructional Strategies Increasing Student's Higher Order Thinking Skills, Scottie J. Griffin

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Attitudes Of Black Secondary School Teachers Toward School Guidance In The Potchefstroom Area, South Africa, Elias H. Masibi

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Special Service Needs Of Adult Students Attending Weekend College At Western Michigan University, Patricia A. Dolly

Dissertations

This dissertation examines the needs of the adult learner and how or if these needs are being met in the Campus Ill/Weekend College program at Western Michigan University. Specifically, factors that explain the rise of adult learners on college campuses and demographic information on this rising student population are presented. In addition, the reasons for returning to school and differences between traditional and nontraditional students are examined. Institutional, situational, and dispositional barriers confronting adult students are discussed; a model is put forth along with strategies to overcome barriers offered.

Current services for adult learners attending Weekend College at Western Michigan …

Intrinsic Motivation For Learning Of The Adult Graduate Student At Western Michigan University, Phyllis Crandall

Dissertations

The perceptions of adult graduate students concerning barriers to the educational process and their levels of motivation for pursuing a graduate degree were investigated. The established motivational theory first expressed by Abram Maslow in 1954 was used in defining the first variable of motivation to learning when pertaining to the healthy self-actualized individual. The second variable chosen was a listing of student perceived barriers to the educational process as defined by H. G. Schulze in 1987. It was hypothesized that the higher the level of the barriers overcome per Schutze's scale, the higher the level of intrinsic motivation in the …

A Study To Determine The Relationship Between Perceived Communication Practices Of Leaders And Subordinate Response To Change, Catherine L. Chevalier

Dissertations

Organizational change continues to challenge leaders as they are charged with transforming their followers from a present state to a future state. This research examined the relationship between perceived communication practices of leaders and employee response to change in a natural setting. Randomly selected employees from the research and development division of a mid-size Fortune 500 company located in the Midwest comprised the sample (N. = 110). The study was executed upon completion of a large-scale change in policy which was formally communicated according to a protocol established by senior management. The participants completed three survey instruments: (1) Communication Environment …

Effect Of Participation In Design On Trainee Satisfaction, Abdullatif S. Al-Abdullatif

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of Saudi Arabian Employee Performance In Selected Public Sector Service Organizations, Yousif Mohamad Saad Al-Hendy

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Acceptance Of Computers By Administrative Leadership At Baker College, William Mccormick Luczyk

Dissertations

Procedures for recording information, capturing data for distribution to faculty, students, and other campuses was often being done manually by administrators at Baker College. Because of either a lack of access, or a lack of knowledge and training, simple computer data searches, spreadsheets, and telecommunications were difficult to accomplish and in some cases could not be done by Baker College administrators.

The sample population for this research consisted of forty-six males and forty-seven females for a total of ninety-three existing Baker College administrators, from nine campuses of varying size, throughout the State of Michigan. Data in the areas of computer …

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Critical Thinking Skills And Preferred Learning Styles Of First Year Nursing Students, Gloria J. Clocklin

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between the manner in which nursing students preferred to learn and their ability to think critically. First year nursing students (N = 197) from four colleges in a rural Midwestern geographic region were the subjects for the study. Students represented practical nursing, associate degree nursing, and baccalaureate degree nursing programs and were all in their first nursing course. Entire cohort groups from each college were included in the study.

The Kolb (1985) Learning Style Inventory and the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA, Watson & Glaser, 1980) were administered …

The Level Of Management Support Behaviors And The Effect On Participation Rates In Corporate Fitness Programs, Diane Braatz

Dissertations

Survey methods were used to evaluate the relationship between the nature and degree of management support provided to corporate fitness programs and employees' participation rates in those programs. A questionnaire requesting information about demographics, participation rates, and supportive management practices in the areas of coaching, modeling, and reinforcing, was sent to representatives of 400 companies. Completed questionnaires representing 157 organizations were returned. Across all respondents, the mean reported level of employee participation in fitness programs was 20.7%; the range was 2 to 67%. The level of employee participation was positively related to the total level of management support (i.e., combined …

A Grounded Theory In The Development Of The Tantric Proposition In Leadership Education, Marsha Wislocki Goin

Dissertations

The advancement of a new theory in the field of leadership education directed the focus of this study. A new paradigm directed toward an inclusive leadership model was advanced and the findings integrated, resulting in the development of a model reflecting four dimensions of leadership theory: (1) transformational, (2) transactional, (3) charismatic, and (4) intuitional.

These four dimensions, supported within a quadrilateral design and incorporating an Eastern philosophical motif represented as a mandala, were then interfaced with the four dimensions of tantric philosophy: (1) spiritual, (2) emotional, (3) intellectual, and (4) sensing, resulting in a tantric mandala of leadership design. …

Women And The Public School Superintendency: An Integrative Review Of The Dissertation Research, Carol A. Swingle

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to prepare a comprehensive summary, evaluation, and synthesis of the dissertation research conducted from 1970 to 1994 regarding women public school superintendents.

The units of study for this research synthesis were the 79 criterion-selected doctoral dissertations completed at colleges and universities in the United States between 1 970 and 1994 that utilized women public school superintendents as their sole, or primary, data set.

Data were collected relative to both the content and the quality of the selected dissertations. Data analysis was completed using the integrative research review techniques of listing factors, taking a vote, …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Transformational Leadership And School Climate, Christine L. Jensen

Dissertations

The study investigated the relationship between transformational leadership and school climate in elementary schools in w est Michigan with enrollments of 200-800 students. Eighteen school districts with 294 participating teachers completed two questionnaires.

The independent variable of transformational leadership was investigated by using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire to measure teachers' perceptions of leadership factors. The dependent variable of school climate was investigated by using the Organizational Climate Descriptor Questionnaire-Revised Elementary. The questionnaire was used to determine teachers' perceptions of principal openness, teacher openness, and overall school climate.

As a result of the data analysis, the investigation supported that there was …

Citizens' Attitudes Toward Baraga And L'Anse Schools Sharing Resources And Consolidation In Two Community Attitude Surveys: A Five-Year Comparison, Anni C. Gregor

Dissertations

The focus of this study was to determine the relationship between respondents' data to six replicated education questions embedded in two community attitude surveys conducted in 1988 and 1993 in Baraga County, Michigan. The six questions were proposed to determine respondents' attitudes toward Baraga and L'Anse schools' sharing of educational curriculum, extracurricular activities, school calendars, staff, transportation, and consolidation of the two school districts. Demographic data in the two studies were cited to compare respondents' personal history and other demographic data between 1988 and 1993.

In the two studies, a total of 845 randomly selected subjects responded to six questions …

The Teachers' And Principals' Perceptions Of The Impact Of Operation Physics On The Teaching Of Elementary Science In Michigan Schools, Brenda Prater Earhart

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of Michigan Operation Physics (MOP) on the teaching and learning of basic physics concepts in the elementary classroom as perceived by both the teachers and principals of those teachers. In addition, the study sought to identify the teachers' and principals' perceptions of the principal's role in promoting science at the elementary level.

The method used for this study was survey research. Questionnaires were mailed to Michigan Operation Physics participants, non- Michigan Operation Physics participants, and the principals of those teachers in southwestern Michigan.

Findings of this study were that teachers' …

Leadership Practices And Job Satisfaction: An Examination Of The Relationship Between Academic Deans And Department Chairpersons, Vera Kay Dauffenbach

Dissertations

The focus of this study was an examination of the relationship between academic deans and department chairpersons with respect to leadership practices and job satisfaction. In particular, the purpose was to study the impact of academic deans' leadership practices on the job satisfaction of department chairpersons.

The study involved a random sample of 300 academic deans and 300 department chairpersons from colleges and universities in four upper Midwest states. Testing of seven null hypotheses was based on the responses of 170 deans (57%) and 140 chairpersons (47% ). The instruments used were the Leadership Practices Inventory (Kouzes & Posner, 1987), …

Classroom Personalities Of Effective Teachers Within A Technical College Setting, Fred Manley

Dissertations

This study used student ratings to examine relationships between instructor personality and teaching effectiveness for technical college faculty. Research was specifically conducted to address three questions: (1) what personality traits are associated with effective teaching, (2) do the personality profiles of effective teachers differ by academic area, and (3) are there personality dimensions that distinguish above average from below-average instructors.

Students enrolled in classes taught by instructors randomly selected from the accounting, computer information systems, marketing, and office occupations departments at five Wisconsin technical colleges rated their instructors on 29 personality traits and 18 teaching behaviors. Pearson product-moment correlations were …

A Descriptive Study Of The Implementation Process For All-Day Alternate Day Kindergarten Schedules In Michigan Public Schools, Kenneth G. Drenth

Dissertations

This research project was initiated and designed to gather data on the decision making, implementation, and evaluative processes being used in Michigan schools implementing all-day alternate day kindergarten schedules.

The major issues of concern w ere an assessment of preplanning activities transpiring prior to implementation, staff development preparations, parental involvement in the decision-making process, and evaluative data collected.

Data were collected during the fall of 1994 via a questionnaire sent to 68 Michigan school districts that had implemented an all-day alternate day kindergarten. The same questionnaire was also sent to five Michigan school districts that had implemented the all-day alternate …

Teachers' Perception Of Instructional Leadership And Student Achievement, David Anspaugh

Dissertations

The focus of this study was to investigate the teachers' perceptions of the principal's leadership behaviors and how the achievement level of the students was affected. Three middle schools representing the Prairie View Public Schools were used in the study. These middle schools were Sparta Middle School, High Plain Middle School, and Middleville Middle School.

A staff survey was given to the 33 teachers in each of the buildings. The survey dealt with 18 leadership behaviors of the principal. The teachers were asked to rate the behaviors as to their importance to them and if the behaviors existed. The survey …

A Study Of Teachers’ Perceptions Of Principal Effectiveness Among Secondary School Teachers In Malaysia, Ariff B. Kasim

Dissertations

The focus of this study is to find out the difference in perceptions of teachers on principal effectiveness among two groups of secondary school teachers in Malaysia, namely: (1) graduate and non-graduate teachers, and (2) junior and senior teachers, in seven dimensions of principal effectiveness: (1) leadership, (2) school rules and procedures, (3) school learning climate, (4) teacher/staff relations and development, (5) student relations and development, (6) school-community relations, and (7) instructional supervision and development.

The sample of this study consisted of all teachers who had been teaching more than one year and had a formal teacher training from 15 …

Participative Management And Productivity: Partners Or Adversaries?, Michael Heenan Swearingen

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine what style of management was used by different office furniture manufacturers and whether or not a participative style of management affected organizational productivity. Organizational productivity was defined by factoring together the yearly sales and the financial stability for the organization, as defined by Dun & Bradstreet.

The five hypotheses studied were:

1. The higher the educational level of the organization's management is, the more likely they are to use a participative style of management.

2. The older an organization is, the less likely they are to use a participative style of management. …

The Role Of Transformational Leadership In The Collaborative Development Of A Full Inclusion Program: An Action Research Study, Paul R. Hain

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This dissertation is a critical action research study on full inclusion for students with learning disabilities. The study describes how full inclusion for 16 students with learning disabilities in three regular classes was implemented in an Illinois elementary school over a one year period. The purpose of this study is to describe how transformational leadership, collaborative decision-making and action research helped in the development of full inclusion.

Action research was the method used to 1) observe and collect data about the project, 2) to analyze what was happening, and 3) help guide the inclusion teaching team in taking actions …

An Analysis Of Local Response To State Initiated School Reform Legislation: Michigan Public Act 25, A. Bruce Watson

Dissertations

Educational reform has been a topic of interest to educators, politicians and tax payers for over a century. Michigan’s educational reform legislation, Public Act 25. enacted in 1990, is a shared-responsibility model where the state and local school district share responsibility for implementing four major educational reform components. These components are, core curriculum, annual educational report, school improvement planning and accreditation.

The study was designed to answer the following two research questions. Initially, do elementary principals in Michigan public elementary schools perceive educational reform indicators and conditions to be in enough strength to allow educational reform to continue under Public …

A Study Of The Effectiveness Of The Michigan Certified Boardmember Award (Cba) Program, Henry Bothwell Iii

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine, among Michigan certified school board members, the perceived effectiveness of the Certified Boardmember Award (CBA) program.

Four specific research questions were investigated:

1. What topics do CBA certified school board members believe to be the most important within the CBA program?

2. How do CBA certified school board members rate the quality of the CBA courses?

3. How often do CBA certified school board members use the knowledge gained from CBA courses in making decisions as members of the board of education? 4. How valuable do CBA certified school board members believe …

Learning Expectations And Learning From Problem Situations In Occupational Education, Michael Alexander Krischer

Dissertations

Employers have shown a growing interest in problem solving skill in addition to specific occupational skills (Carnevale, Gainer, and Meltzer, 1990). Learning expectations are defined as attitudes involving the self-conception of one's ability to respond to difficult situations, and learning from problem situations is defined as the ability to organize specialized knowledge so that it can be applied to a new situation. The purpose of the study was to examine relationships among these two variables and performance in a situation requiring the application of occupational knowledge under a novel set of conditions. The study was carried out at the Industrial …

Beliefs And Perceptions Of Michigan Superintendents Toward Females Advancing In The Ranks: Perspectives To Increase The Minority Pool, Dennis J. Stanek

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine potential factors which affect the advancement of females in the role of superintendent. With the research pointing to a variety of causes for the low percentage of female superintendents, the reason for this study was to make various groups in leadership positions aware of such factors.

Three research questions were studied:

1. Do practicing K-12 male superintendents in Michigan possess significantly different beliefs and perceptions toward female superintendents than do practicing female superintendents?

2. What experiences did the respondent have in working with a female superintendent?

3. What perceptions do K-12 superintendents …

A Study Of The Correlation Between Per Pupil Funding And Student Achievement In The State Of Michigan, Douglas Harold Snyder

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate if a relationship existed between per pupil funding levels and achievement levels of students in the state of Michigan. The study sought to apply objective, systematic research techniques to a question which receives much emotional, unscientific discussion. To that end, the study asked the question whether a connection existed between student achievement as measured by Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) tests and the amount of per pupil funding in the student’s school district.

In an attempt to address these concerns this study examined two sets of variables. One set represented educational effectiveness …

A Study Of Support For Transfer And The Alignment Of The Training With The Strategic Direction Of The Organization, Max U. Montesino T.

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the presence of practices to support transfer of training and the perception of trainees and managers of the alignment of training with the strategic direction of the organization in a targeted training program of a Fortune 200 company, in Michigan. A secondary purpose was to investigate the relationship between awareness of and commitment to the strategic direction of the organization among trainees and their managers. The subjects of the study were 147 sale representatives (96% of the targeted sample size) and 36 field managers. The study consisted of a …

A Study Of The Awareness And Understanding Of Distance Education By Leadership Roles At Community Colleges In Michigan, Douglas H. Lape

Dissertations

Community colleges are faced with the challenge of providing educational opportunities to an increasing and diverse population at a time of educational reform and decreasing financial resources. The colleges are expected to meet the changing needs of the communities they serve through open access, a diversity of high quality courses, and with schedules that accommodate the life styles of their students.

The study was designed to answer the following research question: Are there differences between the five leadership role groups, at Michigan’s 29 community colleges, regarding levels of awareness and understanding about distance education as a means of providing courses …