Education Commons^™

An Analysis Of Preschool Enrollment And Student Progress Measures Among Primary And Elementary Students., Charles David Freeman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if a difference in Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) scores exists between students who attended Tennessee's Voluntary Preschool for All program, Head Start, private preschool, or daycare and those who did not attend any type of preschool program for students in grades kindergarten through fifth. The sample consisted of students who attended kindergarten through fifth grade during the 2009-2010 school year in one east Tennessee school system. Data gathered were from Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) scores obtained during the 2009-2010 school year and a survey. …

The Relationship Among Mathematics Anxiety, Mathematical Self-Efficacy, Mathematical Teaching Self-Efficacy, And The Instructional Practices Of Elementary School Teachers, Lydia Joan Smith

Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to explore the relationships among the variables of mathematics anxiety, mathematical self-efficacy, mathematical teaching self-efficacy, and the instructional practice of elementary school teachers. The study included 320 practicing elementary teachers who teach mathematics to students in kindergarten through eighth grade. These teachers completed the Abbreviated Mathematics Anxiety Scale, the Mathematics Teaching and Mathematics Self-Efficacy survey, and the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Survey. Quantitative data analysis methods included descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. Results indicated a statistically significant relationship between mathematical teaching self-efficacy (efficacy) and mastery approaches to instruction, as well as …

Interorganizational Dynamics And The Development And Implementation Of An Innovative, Stem High School Program, John Wilson Campbell Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations

Improving systems of public education through the development and implementation of innovative reforms is a socially and politically complex process, particularly when systems of public education merge with external agencies that enter the process with unique resources and with perspectives and intents derived from experiences unlike those found in traditional public school cultures. Pursuing a better understanding of this process, this qualitative case study examines the interorganizational partnership that developed Metro High School, an innovative, STEM high school program in Columbus, Ohio.

With this single, public/private partnership as a case, this study examined the school reform context within which the …

The Impact Of Self-Efficacy And Motivation Characteristics On The Academic Achievement Of Upward Bound Participants, Brenda Leigh Brown

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of self-efficacy and motivation characteristics on the achievement of at-risk students. Seventy-nine Upward Bound program participants completed self-efficacy, motivation, and demographic questionnaires. The relationship between GPA and self-efficacy was significant, negative, and low in strength. High GPA was associated with high self-efficacy (as shown by lower numbers on the survey). Gender, length of time in the Upward Bound (UB) program, length of participation in the UB summer program, college sponsor (community or four-year college), self-efficacy characteristics, and motivation characteristics significantly predicted academic achievement as measured by GPA. The relationship between …

Developing, Refining, And Validating A Survey To Measure Adolescent Food Safety Self-Efficacy, Monica K Brandon

Masters Theses

Self-efficacy is a proven indicator of predicting risky behaviors, but without a baseline level of adolescent food safety self-efficacy to develop targeted interventions it is difficult to produce meaningful behavior change. The research question around which this study was designed is: To what extent can a validated instrument accurately capture adolescent beliefs of food safety self-efficacy. Through rigorous field testing and statistical analysis we hypothesize a valid and reliable instrument can be created for measuring adolescents’ food safety self-efficacy. The purposes of this study included: (a) development of a high quality, food safety self-efficacy instrument, (b) validation of the instrument …

Environmental And Developmental Indicators In Early Childhood: Relations To Second-Grade Reading Comprehension, Gina A. Cook

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Reading success has been linked to high school completion, future job success, and future generations of children who can read. Unfortunately, children who are unable to read on grade level by the end of first grade are at a great disadvantage and unlikely to catch up later. Without the ability to read and comprehend text, all aspects of schooling become progressively more difficult and the challenge of poor reading ability can be so difficult to overcome that many poor readers will not complete high school. For these reasons, it is important to identify early experiences in a child's family environment …

Application Of A Judgment Model Toward Measurement Of Clinical Judgment In Senior Nursing Students, Tiwaporn Pongmarutai

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Clinical judgment, defined as “the application of the nurse’s knowledge and experience in making decisions about client care” (The National Council of State Boards of Nursing, 2005, p. 2), has been recognized as a vital and essential skill for healthcare providers when caring for clients. Undisputedly, nurses represent the largest component of the healthcare profession and, therefore, play a major role in ensuring quality patient care in the United States. Although the concept of clinical judgment in nursing has been discussed for more than three decades, and in spite of numerous efforts to improve student clinical judgment, the recent literature …

Psychometric Properties Of Postsecondary Students' Course Evaluations, Michael J. Drysdale

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Several experts in the area of postsecondary student evaluations of courses have concluded that they are stable or reliable measures as well as being measures that provide ways of making valid inferences regarding teacher effectiveness. Often these experts have offered these conclusions without supporting evidence. Surprisingly, a thorough review of the literature revealed very few reported test-retest reliability studies of course evaluations and the results from these studies are contradictory. In the area of validity, the conclusions offered by scholars who conducted meta-analyses of mutlisection course studies are inconsistent. This leads to the following two research questions:

1. What is …

Using Formative Student Feedback: A Continuous Quality Improvement Approach For Online Course Development, Kristy T. Bloxham

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objective of this study was to examine the use of frequent, anonymous student course surveys as a tool in supporting continuous quality improvement (CQI) principles in online instruction. The study used a qualitative, multiple-case design involving four separate online courses. Analysis methods included pattern matching/explanation building, time series analysis, and thematic analysis. Findings suggested that instructors used student feedback to make course changes that alleviated technical difficulties, added and clarified content, and contributed to future course changes. Students and instructors responded positively to the opportunity to give and receive anonymous feedback and felt that it helped improve the course. …

A Pilot Study Examining High School Physical Education Teachers' Understanding And Use Of Mosston's Style(S) Of Teaching, Greg L. Pierce

Master's Theses

The purpose of this project was to develop a questionnaire that could lend insight to physical educations teachers’ perceptions and use of Mosston's Teaching Styles. The researcher designed a pilot study in which he distributed the questionnaire to six teachers from three Santa Barbara District High Schools. Results show that the six teachers were familiar with all Mosston’s Styles. However, citing circumstances such as class time and class sizes, the participants in this study did not use all of Mosston’s Styles. These results may be useful for physical education teacher educators to help them understand teachers’ knowledge of Mosston’s Styles, …

Learning With Animation And The Illusion Of Understanding, Eugene Sam Paik

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A controlled experiment was conducted on the effects of two types of animation - motion and highlighting - on learning. The treatment consisted of a 3.5 minute multimedia presentation that described the workings of a flushing toilet tank. A 2x2 factorial design ({motion, no-motion} x {highlight, no-highlight}) was employed with two dependent measures of learning (retention and transfer). Participants consisted of 65 undergraduates. Highlighting animation had a positive effect on both retention and transfer while motion animation had a negative effect on transfer. No significant interaction was detected between motion and highlighting.

In addition, the experiment tested the illusion of …

The Multiple-Choice Concept Map (Mccm): An Interactive Computer-Based Assessment Method, Ioan C. Sas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This research attempted to bridge the gap between cognitive psychology and educational measurement (Mislevy, 2008; Leighton & Gierl, 2007; Nichols, 1994; Messick, 1989; Snow & Lohman, 1989) by using cognitive theories from working memory (Baddeley, 1986; Miyake & Shah, 1999; Grimley & Banner, 2008), multimedia learning (Mayer, 2001), and cognitive load (Chandler and Sweller, 1991, 1992; Cerpa, Chandler, & Sweller., 1996) to identify potential design weaknesses of traditional select-and-fill-in (SAFI) concept map assessment and then to guide the design of the new and improved multiple-choice concept map (MCCM) assessment method. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the …

Beginning Teachers' Job Satisfaction And Intention To Remain In Teaching: A Comparison Of Traditionally Prepared Teachers And Teachers Prepared By Alternative Methods, Jerome Romell Boyd

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The teaching profession has been concerned within the past several years, with the preparation of traditional and alternative route teachers. Urban districts have been trying to address how effective teachers are in regards to their training and educational preparation.

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in beginning teachers (those who have taught between one and three years) who chose the traditional route of teacher education and teachers who pursued an alternative route of teacher preparation in terms of educational background. personal characteristics, school characteristics, mentoring experience, and career adaptability and the relationship to job satisfaction and …

Educational Assessment: Exploring The Relationship Between Computer Adaptive Testing, Data Analysis, And Student Achievement, Michael Donhost

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The research on the potential relationship of the Northwest Evaluation Association's Measures of Academic Progress (NWEA MAP) and the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) was conducted in two phases and focused on middle schools with a grade configuration of 6-8 in the state of Illinois. The first phase of the research examined whether or not a significant relationship existed between NWEA MAP test participation by middle schools in Illinois, and ISAT growth over time. A total of 86 schools were involved in the research associated with Phase 1. The second phase of the study aimed to find out if the …

The Effect Of Enrollment In Middle School Challenge Courses On Advanced Placement Exams In Social Studies And Science, Katherine Glaude-Bolte

Dissertations

Educators seek to guide students through appropriate programs and courses that prepare them for future success, in more advanced coursework and in other challenges of life. Some middle schools offer Challenge, or honors, courses for students who have demonstrated high ability. High schools often offer Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which are taught at the college level. This study examined the correlation between enrollment in middle school Challenge courses and subsequent AP exam category scores in social studies and science in a suburban school district. The independent variables were the number of years of enrollment in middle school social studies or …

Factors Influencing Teacher Job Satisfaction And Their Alignment With Current District Practices In A Rural School District, Taneal Marie Wallace

Dissertations

School districts’ decisions across the country are influencing the satisfaction level of teachers, in both positive and negative ways. With statistics reporting as high as fifty percent of teachers leaving the profession in the first five years of experience (Ingersoll, 2003), determining the reasons for teacher dissatisfaction are important in correcting district practices to be more supportive and satisfying to teachers. The purpose of this research study was to (a) determine the satisfaction level of teachers in a specific school district, (b) determine the practices building-level administrators have put into place and how they relate to the factors identified in …

Evaluating Summer School Programs And The Effect On Student Achievement: The Correlation Between Stanford-10 Standardized Test Scores And Two Different Summer Programs, Brian J. Koop

Dissertations

School districts looking for ways to minimize summer learning loss have implemented a variety of programs to combat this problem. Since No Child Left Behind and the need for school districts to meet the goals of Adequate Yearly Progress, it is no longer enough to limit summer learning loss. Now school leaders find it necessary to use the summer months to increase student achievement and prepare students for rigorous learning in the coming school year. This collaborative, quantitative study is an examination of one district’s attempt to improve summer programming in order to meet the need for increased student achievement. …

Factors Influencing Teacher Job Satisfaction And Their Alignment With Current District Practices In A Suburban School District, Kimberly Rae Dickens

Dissertations

School districts across the country make many decisions that impact teachers’ satisfaction both positively and negatively. With statistics reporting a significant number of teachers leaving the profession in the first 5 years of experience, determining the reasons for teacher dissatisfaction are important in shaping district practices to be more supportive and satisfying to teachers. The purpose of this research study was to (a) determine the satisfaction level of teachers in a specific school district, (b) determine the practices school principals have put into place and how they relate to the factors identified in the research as being contributive to teacher …

Student And Teacher Perspectives Of Technology Usage, Lori L. Elliott

Dissertations

This study examined the use of technology by eighth grade students and teachers and perceptions of students and teachers toward technology use in the classroom and home. A mixed design method was selected to collect and analyze the data. Face-to-face interviews, field notes, and national survey results were used to triangulate the data. Three themes emerged from the study in response to the research questions: communication is the focus of technology use, students consider themselves more knowledgeable about technology than teachers, and technology use in the classroom is primarily a visual tool, rather than an interactive resource. Implications for educators …

School Resource Officers In Missouri Public Schools: School Safety And Academic Success, John W. Link

Dissertations

This study was designed to explore the relationship between the presence of a school resource officer and a safe school climate, as well as, increased student achievement. Additionally, the perceptions of public school superintendents regarding the impact of school resource officers on safe school climate and academic success were investigated using the Correlates of Effective Schools as a framework. The research was divided into sections to observe two sets of data. Section I included an examination of Missouri school districts with a student population of 2,000 or less, comparing 20 schools with school resource officers to 20 schools without school …

Causes Of Nonattendance And Its Effect On Student Achievement At The High School Level, Kelly D. Bracht

Dissertations

Many high schools in America have issues with student nonattendance. The researcher designed this mixed methods study to determine the affect of nonattendance on student achievement and to ascertain whether home-related factors or school-related factors were more significant causes of nonattendance. Both the high school in this study and other similar schools may use the results to develop effective nonattendance intervention programs. The researcher used cluster sampling to determine the sample population. She then collected attendance data (the number of absences each student had during one semester) and achievement data (each student’s Grade Point Average during that same semester) about …

The Effect Of Self-Recording And Contingent Credit On The Quantity And Relevance Of College Student Participation In Class Discussion, Katherine Rae Krohn

Doctoral Dissertations

In sizeable discussion-based college classrooms, achieving any approximation of balanced student participation is difficult. More common is a pattern that develops wherein a small percentage of the class dominates discussion and a larger percentage rarely or never participates. Thus, the purpose of this study was to find ways to balance the amount of discussion across students without diminishing the relevance of discussion. Consequently, this study evaluated the efficacy of crediting participation and requiring students to self-record their daily participation. Students (N = 160) in three sections of an undergraduate educational psychology course self-recorded their comments on specially designed record cards …

Green Schools: Constructing And Renovating School Facilities With The Concept Of Sustainability, Jonathan W. Oetinger

Dissertations

The focus of this study was to examine the benefits of constructing and renovating school facilities with the concept of sustainability. The overarching questions were: What impact does the environment have on constructing and operating school facilities? What relationship exists between the learning environment and constructing and operating school facilities? The purpose of this study was to determine the value and benefits of implementing energy efficient and sustainable design features in constructing new and renovating existing school facilities. When viewed through the lens of global warming, or the increase of greenhouse gases through the increase in the temperature of the …

Exploring The Use Of Video-Teleconferencing For On-Duty Training In The St. Charles Fire Department And St. Louis Metropolitan Emergency Response Community, Robb F. Watkins

Dissertations

This study was conducted because the St. Charles Fire Department needed to identify a way to change its training delivery system to accommodate training in quarters for on-duty companies. St. Charles was experiencing: budget reductions, staffing shortages, delayed responses due to training, and increasing response times. The department identified video teleconferencing (VTC) as a possible solution to their training delivery dilemma. This study was a qualitative study including surveys and interviews that evaluated the VTC implementation process. The research question was, “How can fire department training be constructed to enhance the frequency and adequacy of training and reduce the need …

Urban Middle School Instructional Special Education: Tenured Versus Non-Tenured Teachers And The Impact On Academic Achievement, Sheryl Marie Wilson

Dissertations

The Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) is used in the Cahokia Unit School District No. 187 to give insight on student academic skill level in terms of years and months. Teacher strategies and expertise in the area of education are an integral part of the educational process. Tenure status, or the years of teaching experience, is plagued with the idea that it promotes or has an impact on student achievement. The purpose of this study was to examine if students receiving instruction from non-tenured special education teachers demonstrate the same gains in the areas of reading and math as …

Design Of Computer-Based Assessment Secondary Education For Understanding Of Mathematics, Mark Damian Lewis

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a computer-based assessment to reveal mathematical understanding. Relevant literature suggested that developments in cognitive science and computer-based assessments could allow the outcomes of cognitively guided instruction to be made explicit. An assessment instrument designed to make mathematical thinking explicit was developed and administered, consisting of 15 animations showing the solutions of one and two digit multiplication problems. A consistent set of five questions followed each animation. The assessment was administered to four classes of fourth grade students in two elementary schools participating in cognitively guided instruction professional development programs. …

Utilization Of An Adaptable Wellness Program Model To Create A Stress Management Initiative Based Upon Action Research Methodology For Freshman Students, Danielle Leigh Dimond

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of two models, namely an adaptable wellness programming model and an action research model, when creating and administering a stress management initiative for campus recreation settings that will have a positive effect on freshmen participants at the University of Tennessee. Eight freshmen from the University of Tennessee (6 females, 2 males) volunteered to complete a five week stress management initiative entitled the FROSH! (FResh Out of Stress, & Healthy!) Program which was based upon action research methodology. Program participants completed an exit interview and exit interview questionnaire after the program …

Quality Assurance In Engineering Education: A Systems Perspective, Mildred Genevieve Louidor

Masters Theses

Engineering education reform has been a topic of discussion for the last twenty years. The concern has only intensified in recent years as stakeholders strive to improve quality in engineering education. Today, stakeholders are recognizing that one of the keys to successful engineering education reform is in taking a systems view of higher education. Academic departments within the higher education system are organized around academic disciplines for the purpose of creating, transferring, and applying knowledge in three principal areas: teaching, research and service. This study addresses the need for quality improvement in the engineering higher education system by first completing …

Urban Middle School General Education: Tenured Versus Non-Tenured Teachers And The Impact On Academic Achievement, Trenese Nicole Dancy

Dissertations

The Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) is used in the Cahokia Unit School District No. 187 to give insight on student academic skill level in terms of years and months. Teacher strategies and expertise in the area of education is an integral part of the educational process. Tenure status, or the years of experience, is plagued with the idea that it promotes or has an impact on student achievement. In this study the researchers wanted to determine if there was a significant relationship between teacher tenure status (independent variable) and student academic achievement (dependent variable). Preand post-ITBS reading and …

Urban Middle School Teachers: Tenured Versus Non-Tenured Teachers And The Impact They Have On Academic Achievement, Rochelle Harris-Clark

Dissertations

The Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) is used in the district of Study School No. 1 to give insight on student academic skill level in terms of years and months. Teacher strategies and expertise in the area of education is an integral part of the educational process. Tenure status, or the years of experience, is plagued with the idea that it promotes or has an impact on student achievement. Although there were a significant number of tenured special education and general education teachers at the study school during the 2005–2006, 2006–2007, and 2007–2008 school years, the school did not …