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2010

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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Full-Text Articles in Education

An Exploration Of Factors Influencing Effective Teachers' Decisions To Remain In Urban School Settings, Alison L. Grizzle Jan 2010

An Exploration Of Factors Influencing Effective Teachers' Decisions To Remain In Urban School Settings, Alison L. Grizzle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Existing problems identified in the literature on teacher retention and resilience include (a) a gap in understanding factors influencing urban teacher retention; (b) lack of clarity on multiple factors swaying teachers' decisions to remain despite challenges; (c) overlapping definitions of teacher retention, attrition, and resilience; and (d) absence of a theoretical framework for a potential relationship between retention and resilience. This embedded-case study sought to identify factors influencing effective teachers' decisions to remain in an urban setting and to examine the role of teachers' resilience, retention, and effectiveness with respect to this decision. Fourteen core-area secondary teachers, identified through criterion …

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The Experience Of Adjunct And Full-Time Faculty Participation In A Public University Teacher Education Department, Crystal Marie Aker Jan 2010

The Experience Of Adjunct And Full-Time Faculty Participation In A Public University Teacher Education Department, Crystal Marie Aker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Higher education has recently experienced a shift from an input-based accountability system (curriculum and instruction) to one that is now output-based (assessment). Faculty members are the intermediaries who prepare curriculum and instruction to meet the requirements of teacher education departments and to demonstrate results through the achievement of students. The purpose of this study was to understand how adjunct and full-time faculty members experience participation in a public university teacher education department and if faculty members' experience of participation influences instruction. Theories of systems, teacher education, faculty work, and communities of practice formed the study's conceptual framework. Data for the …

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The Use Of Human Patient Simulators To Enhance The Clinical Decision Making Of Nursing Students, Sharon Kay Powell-Laney Jan 2010

The Use Of Human Patient Simulators To Enhance The Clinical Decision Making Of Nursing Students, Sharon Kay Powell-Laney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

One of the newest teaching modalities in nursing education is the use of human patient simulators (HPS). An HPS simulation scenario creates a software program vignette in which students interact with a manikin to practice caring for critical patients in a risk-free environment. Although used extensively in schools of nursing, there is little research that examines if these expensive simulators improve the clinical decision-making ability of nursing students. The purpose of this experimental differentiated treatment study was to assess if HPS technology leads to increased clinical decision-making ability and clinical performance more than the teaching modality of a paper and …

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A Q-Methodology Study Of Adult English Language Learners' Perceptions Of Audience Response Systems (Clickers) As Communication Aides, Lisa Ann Rodriguez Jan 2010

A Q-Methodology Study Of Adult English Language Learners' Perceptions Of Audience Response Systems (Clickers) As Communication Aides, Lisa Ann Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study explored the perceptions of adult English language learners about the use of audience response systems (clickers) to facilitate communication in a classroom environment. In the early stages of second language acquisition, learners' receptive capabilities surpass expressive capabilities, often rendering them silent in their second language. Educational strategies and tools may be available to help English language learners communicate more effectively by enabling them to demonstrate their knowledge and express their opinions nonverbally. Many studies have been conducted with clickers, but none were found pertaining to adult English language learners. Second language acquisition theory provided the theoretical base for …

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The Experiences Of Parents With Adolescents Identified As Having A Specific Learning Disability, Linda J. Seals Jan 2010

The Experiences Of Parents With Adolescents Identified As Having A Specific Learning Disability, Linda J. Seals

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Of the 6.6 million children in the United States who were deemed in 2008 to have a disability that required special instruction, over 39% were classified as specific learning disabled (SLD). This figure translates into a high number of people who are parenting a child identified as having a SLD. Bronfenbrenner's theory of the ecology of human development indicated the importance of interconnections between school, home, and community settings. Collaboration between teachers and families may be strengthened by utilizing knowledge gained from parents' lived experiences of parenting an adolescent identified as having a SLD. The primary research question guiding this …

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Staff Development And Leadership Roles Related To Response To Intervention Levels Of Implementation In Rural Schools, Karin A. Strohmyer Jan 2010

Staff Development And Leadership Roles Related To Response To Intervention Levels Of Implementation In Rural Schools, Karin A. Strohmyer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The concepts of professional learning communities and organizational disciplines support staff development and leadership that lead to sustainable systems. Little research has examined the ability of rural schools to achieve sustainable systems. This quantitative design study considered the relationships between predictor variables of administrative roles and staff development and the criterion variable of Response to Intervention (RtI) implementation level. Administrator roles included planning and scheduling training, participating in training, planning implementation, building knowledge and commitment, selecting RtI teams, participating on teams, promoting parental involvement, evaluating RtI, and implementing follow-up and targeted training. Staff development practices addressed commitment and support, team …

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The Relationship Between Perceived Preparedness, Effiacy And Special Education Training, Leslie Haley Wasserman Jan 2010

The Relationship Between Perceived Preparedness, Effiacy And Special Education Training, Leslie Haley Wasserman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Limited information exists on early childhood first year teachers' training for accommodations for diverse student abilities in classrooms. This mixed methods sequential explanatory study examined the self-efficacy of 28 first year early childhood teachers from Midwest urban schools. Vygotsky's social learning theory and Gardner's multiple intelligences were used as the conceptual framework. Email survey data were collected and analyzed using a t-test to answer the quantitative questions on the relationship between perceived efficacy and type of and amount of special education training provided in preservice programs. Qualitative questions on self-efficacy to instruct diverse students within the regular classroom were examined …

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The Relationship Between Campus Climate And The Teaching Of Critical Thinking Skills In Community College Classrooms, Thomas C. Simon Jan 2010

The Relationship Between Campus Climate And The Teaching Of Critical Thinking Skills In Community College Classrooms, Thomas C. Simon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although critical thinking skills are important for all citizens participating in a democratic society, many community college students appear to lack these skills. This study addressed the apparent lack of research relating critical thinking instruction to campus climate. Critical thinking theory and Moos's organizational climate theory served as the theoretical foundation. The relationship between faculty's perceptions of three campus climate factors and their use of five critical thinking instructional techniques in the classroom was analyzed in this quantitative study. An online instrument based on the School-Level Environment Questionnaire (SLEQ) to measure campus climate and a researcher-designed measure of critical thinking …

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A Phenomenological Study Of Leader Experiences And Reactions To Transformational Change In A Multicampus System, John E. Cech Jan 2010

A Phenomenological Study Of Leader Experiences And Reactions To Transformational Change In A Multicampus System, John E. Cech

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research on organizational change theory confirms the importance of leaders' ability to establish a sense of urgency, create institutional support for change, develop a vision, communicate the vision, empower others toward action, generate results, and ultimately create change in the organizational culture. Organizational change in nested systems, in which CEOs of individual units report upward through a state, regional, or corporate hierarchy, has not been extensively studied. To address this gap in the literature, this phenomenological study explored perceptions of college leaders who in 2002-2003 participated in the transformation of seven 2-year technical colleges into a community college system. The …

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Professional Development In Elementary School Mathematics, C Scoggins Jan 2010

Professional Development In Elementary School Mathematics, C Scoggins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study was an investigation of mathematics instruction and professional development at a rural elementary school. The Department of Education in a southern U.S. state implemented a new curriculum in 2007 that required major changes in mathematics instruction. The problems were that teachers engaged in different levels of training and many students experienced a decline in mathematics scores on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). The historical learning theories of Piaget and Vygotsky framed the study. The guiding questions focused on how to improve mathematics instruction through professional development for teachers. Nine elementary school educators served as purposefully selected participants. The …

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The Experiences Of Alternately Certified Teachers With Teacher Mentoring, Teacher Effectiveness, And Student Achievement, Charyl L. Pace Jan 2010

The Experiences Of Alternately Certified Teachers With Teacher Mentoring, Teacher Effectiveness, And Student Achievement, Charyl L. Pace

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Alternately certified teachers (ACTs) are teachers who receive teacher training in an accelerated program provided by alternate certification programs (ACPs). Induction/mentoring programs are provided to ACTs as a source of additional training. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine ACTs' perceptions of their effectiveness as teachers in relation to their students' achievement and the support provided to them as new teachers by their induction/mentoring training. The research question explored if there was a relationship between the amount of support provided to the ACTs from their induction/mentoring programs and the ACTs' perception of their effectiveness in relation to …

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The Effects Of Oral Reading Fluency On Reading Comprehension For Students With Reading Disabilities And Specific Learning Disabilities, Renee C. Nouvelle Jan 2010

The Effects Of Oral Reading Fluency On Reading Comprehension For Students With Reading Disabilities And Specific Learning Disabilities, Renee C. Nouvelle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The gap in reading achievement continues to be consistent, despite No Child Left Behind goals to narrow these gaps among minority and other subgroup populations. This gap is especially profound for students with disabilities, and any evidence to support progress monitoring of oral reading fluency (ORF) and comprehension will inform educational policy and practice. The theory of automaticity explains that a reader can focus more attention on the meaning of a reading passage when less attention is needed for word and sound recognition. The literature has suggested that reading comprehension can be improved through efforts to improve ORF. The central …

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The Effect Of Cooperative Groups On Math Anxiety, Melissa Batton Jan 2010

The Effect Of Cooperative Groups On Math Anxiety, Melissa Batton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research indicates that many students have difficulty with mathematics, which can be attributed to many factors including math anxiety. Students who experience math anxiety have poor attitudes towards mathematics and perform below grade level based on class and statewide assessments. The purpose of this quasi-experimental quantitative study was to investigate the effectiveness of cooperative groups on the math anxiety levels of Grade 5 male and female students. The theoretical foundation of the study included Vygotsky's social learning and Piaget's concept of knowledge. Thirty-two students from 2 Grade 5 classrooms were administered the pre and post MASC inventory. A repeated-measure ANOVA …

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Making Sense Of Exit Exam Policies: A Phenomenological Study Of English Language Development Teachers, Scott N. Forrest Jan 2010

Making Sense Of Exit Exam Policies: A Phenomenological Study Of English Language Development Teachers, Scott N. Forrest

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a lack of understanding regarding how sensemaking could be incorporated into a professional development program to improve teacher quality and student achievement. The lived experiences of high school English language development teachers as they interpret English language development and one state's high school exit exam instructional policies were explored in this phenomenological study. The conceptual framework that supported this study is based on the theory of sensemaking, the processes by which educators interpret and implement policies. The participants were English language development teachers of English learners who have not yet passed the exit exam. Data were collected through …

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Grounded Theory Approach To Understanding Student Perceptions Of Asynchronous High School Learning Environments, Paige N. Morabito Jan 2010

Grounded Theory Approach To Understanding Student Perceptions Of Asynchronous High School Learning Environments, Paige N. Morabito

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although the development of cyber high schools over the last 10 years has increased, no data are reported in the literature regarding the factors that have contributed to the increased enrollment or student perceptions of success. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to develop a theory describing why students currently enrolled in an online high school program chose an asynchronous setting and their subsequent perceptions of success. Critical pedagogy, as a basis of transformational experiences through education, served as the conceptual framework. An attitudinal survey, provided as a limited data set by the high school, was used to …

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Project Study: An Action Plan For Implementing Response To Intervention, Leah W. Hamilton Jan 2010

Project Study: An Action Plan For Implementing Response To Intervention, Leah W. Hamilton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 allows schools to utilize response to intervention (RtI) as early intervention to prevent at-risk students from becoming labeled as learning disabled. Using action research methodology and school change theory, the purpose of this project study was to determine the RtI implementation needs of a rural elementary school (LE). The guiding research question was to identify the components of an RtI framework currently being utilized during the pre-referral process at LE. This study employed a qualitative method triangulation design to analyze data from key stakeholders including questionnaires; individual interviews from six reading …

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A Phenomenological Examination Of The Influence Of Culture On Treating And Caring For Hispanic Children With Autism, Lynette Estrada Jan 2010

A Phenomenological Examination Of The Influence Of Culture On Treating And Caring For Hispanic Children With Autism, Lynette Estrada

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and describe the influence culture has on the decisions Hispanic parents make to aid their children with autism. The research problems addressed are the influences culture may have on how professionals and external family members affect the choices parents make. Cultural and family systems theories formed the conceptual framework for the study. Researchers have found that cultural factors may lead to lower rates of diagnosis in Hispanic children with autism and parents' lack of knowledge of therapies and practices used to treat autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Five research questions guided this …

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Preschool Environments, Relationships And Creative Skills: A Case Study, Petronella Anita Cameron Jan 2010

Preschool Environments, Relationships And Creative Skills: A Case Study, Petronella Anita Cameron

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Studies indicate the importance of supporting children's creative and social skills during the early years of their development, in part because children can develop low self-esteem when these skills are left unattended in preschool environments. However, as of yet research has not identified strategies preschool instructors used to prepare preschool environments to nurture the development of these skills. This qualitative case study examined how preschool environments nurture the development of preschool children's creative skills and relationships. Grounded in Vygotsky's sociocultural theory and Torrance's theory of guiding creative talent, the study used a purposeful sample of 9 prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers …

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Integrating Equine-Assisted Activities And Therapy (Eaat) Into A Higher Learning Institution, Gary Mullen Jan 2010

Integrating Equine-Assisted Activities And Therapy (Eaat) Into A Higher Learning Institution, Gary Mullen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Collegiate equestrian programs are costly to operate, and cost often exceeds revenue from tuition. The local problem in this project study was the need for supplemental revenue to support a cost-intensive equestrian program, without cutbacks or raising student fees. The study examined the integration of an equine-assisted activities and therapy (EAAT) program for additional income, while capitalizing on existing institutional resources at a Midwestern university in the United States. Research questions explored how to implement an EAAT program to close the budgetary gap at the project site. Systems theory formed the conceptual framework for analyzing the relationship between program characteristics …

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Teacher Workload: A Formula For Maximizing Teacher Performance And Well-Being, Norma A. Sugden Jan 2010

Teacher Workload: A Formula For Maximizing Teacher Performance And Well-Being, Norma A. Sugden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has shown that teacher workload is intensifying and teachers are increasingly leaving the profession prior to having taught for 35 years. The purpose of this mixed method, sequential, phenomenological study was to determine (a) how workload intensification impacts teacher performance and well-being, (b) whether or not workload intensification was a primary factor in teachers’ choosing to leave the profession early, and (c) a formula for maximizing teacher performance and well-being. Apple’s workload intensification thesis was the theoretical framework for this study. Quantitative data obtained via a survey (N=484), together with qualitative data collected via four focus group sessions and …

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Perceived Attributes And Organizational Support Influencing Course Management System Adopter Status In Historically Black Colleges And Universities, Gayla Spooner Keesee Jan 2010

Perceived Attributes And Organizational Support Influencing Course Management System Adopter Status In Historically Black Colleges And Universities, Gayla Spooner Keesee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The rapid growth of online learning fueled by technologies including course management systems (CMS) has transformed the traditional educational landscape. Little research shows why faculty members at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been slow to adopt this new teaching paradigm. This quantitative, nonexperimental study utilized Rogers's diffusion of innovation theory as the theoretical base. Research questions explored faculty perceptions of the CMS's attributes (relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, observability) and organizational support (policies, procedures, and norms) in order to predict adopter status. The study used a convenience sample of 137 full-time faculty from 3 public and 2 private …

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High School Teachers' Perspectives On Effective Approaches For Teaching Biology To Students With Special Needs, Agnieszka Kos Jan 2010

High School Teachers' Perspectives On Effective Approaches For Teaching Biology To Students With Special Needs, Agnieszka Kos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The demands of national educational reforms require high school biology teachers to provide high quality instruction to students with and without special needs. The reforms, however, do not provide teachers with adequate teaching strategies to meet the needs of all students in the same context. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to understand high school biology teachers' perspectives, practices, and challenges in relation to teaching students with special needs. This approach was used to develop a substantive model for high school biology teachers who are challenged with teaching students with and without special needs. Data were collected via …

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A Phenomenological Examination Of Antisocial Behaviors In The Elementary School Workplace, Cynthia Morton Jan 2010

A Phenomenological Examination Of Antisocial Behaviors In The Elementary School Workplace, Cynthia Morton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Antisocial behavior has a direct impact on the public elementary school setting. While considerable research has been conducted on collegiality in postsecondary schools, this study addressed the gap in practice concerning the lack of attention in regard to the impact of antisocial behavior on collegial relationships in the elementary school workplace. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the perceptions of elementary faculty members regarding the effect of antisocial behavior on collegial relationships using the conceptual framework of systems theory which focuses on relationships in organizations. The central research question asked participants about experiences and perceptions of antisocial …

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The Impact Of Coteaching On Regular Education Eighth Grade Student Achievement On A Basic Skills Algebra Assessment, Misty B. Rigdon Jan 2010

The Impact Of Coteaching On Regular Education Eighth Grade Student Achievement On A Basic Skills Algebra Assessment, Misty B. Rigdon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Coteaching strategies have been implemented in many of the inclusion math classrooms in an attempt to improve the achievement of students. Math achievement continues to be a concern as reported by the National Mathematics Advisory Council in 2007. Educators and previous research reported that coteaching does not improve student achievement. The purpose of this study and the research question was designed to investigate, determine, and examine if coteaching has an impact on regular education students' achievement on an algebra assessment in the eighth grade. This concurrent mixed methods design used test data from a convenience sample of 70 eighth grade …

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The Effects Of A High Quality Teaching Professional Development Program On Fourth Grade Student Achievement, Ethel J. Hasty Jan 2010

The Effects Of A High Quality Teaching Professional Development Program On Fourth Grade Student Achievement, Ethel J. Hasty

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In many states, local school systems are under pressure to implement educational programs to help students pass the statewide Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (ASK) in science, mathematics, and language arts literacy. The school district in which this study was conducted implemented a high quality teaching professional development (HQTPD) program for grade four teachers in 2008. The research problem was that, at the data site, fourth grade students were not making academic progress, and elementary schools were failing to make adequate yearly progress (AYP). The HQTPD program intervention was grounded in social learning theory. The main research question that guided …

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