Education Commons^™

Women's Pathways To The University Presidency: A Qualitative Inquiry Into University Women Leaders' Career Paths And Presidential Aspirations, Celeste Andria Wheat

Dissertations

Although from 2006 to 2011 the percentage of women college and university presidents increased from 23% to 26%, the critical problem remains that women continue to be disproportionately under-represented at the highest levels of university leadership, especially the presidency. Also problematical to women’s advancement, women are less likely to hold the key-line administrative positions (e.g., academic dean, vice president, chief academic officer/provost) that serve as pathways to the presidency.

In response to the dearth of empirical data on the career paths of university women leaders, the purpose of this research, grounded in a postmodern feminist theoretical framework, was to qualitatively …

Analysis Of The Effectiveness Of A Preseason Strength And Conditioning Program For Collegiate Men's And Women's Lacrosse, Aaron Michael Randolph

Dissertations

Lacrosse participation in recent years has experienced tremendous growth. Though lacrosse has been documented as the oldest team sport in North America, lack of research exists regarding appropriate strength and conditioning systems for the sport. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of two lacrosse-specific preseason strength and conditioning programs offered to NCAA DII men's and women's lacrosse players. This synthesizes literature covering lacrosse's past; lacrosse's current status; differences in play between men's and women's lacrosse; physiological profiles of male and female lacrosse athletes; injury prevalence in both genders; and the various strength training and conditioning …

Key Factors And Stages Of Collaboration Within Community College/Automotive Industry Sector Partnerships, Annette Parker

Dissertations

As corporations compete they recognize the need to reengineer operations to reflect the impact of a globalized market and attract, retain, and grow the skill sets of employees as strategic assets. To meet the need for employee continuous learning, financial turbulence, and rapid technological advancements, corporations have accelerated the formation of collaborative partnerships with higher education. At the same time, higher education institutions have a growing number of working adult students in attendance and view collaboration with corporations as a means to increase enrollment and revenue streams. These factors have created an opportunity to explore the dynamics of key factors …

An Analysis Of The Factors That Influence Global Mindedness In First-Year College Students, Kristie Broadbent Guffey

Dissertations

This non-experimental, quantitative descriptive study was designed to determine what factors influence a first-year college students’ global mindedness and if any of those factors were predictors of the five subscales of global mindedness. Surveys were used to measure students’ global mindedness and their type of personality (N=424). Demographic questions were administered that included gender, county population, Pell grant eligibility, and first generation college student. Results indicated that first-year college students at a four-year public Master’s Large institution were moderately global minded. To predict global mindedness and its subscales, a regression model was developed using the Myers Briggs scores for extravert, …

Examining The Role Of Research Mentoring In Predicting Research Self-Efficacy Among Minority Professional Psychology Doctoral Students, Donald Edward Knight

Dissertations

The involvement of racial/ethnic minority doctoral students in the conduct of psychological research is of significance in meeting the mental health challenges of an increasingly diverse US population. However, scant empirical evidence exists regarding the mentored research experiences and resulting increases or decreases in confidence these students encounter in conducting research. The purpose of this study is to examine predictors [i.e., Research Mentoring Experiences (RME), perceptions of the Research Training Environment (RTE), and Interest in Research (IRQ)] of research self-efficacy among a sample of racial/ethnic minority PhD students in APA-accredited clinical and counseling psychology programs. The study is guided by …

Characteristics Of Public Alternative High Schools Specifically For Students Placed At-Risk: A National Study Using The 2003-04 And 2007-08 Schools And Staffing Survey, Masashi Izumi

Dissertations

In this study I investigated determinants of the average daily attendance (ADA) and graduation rate of public alternative high schools specifically for students placed at-risk by analyzing the nationally representative data from Schools and Staffing Surveys of 2003-04 and 2007-08. I built three models via successive block entry, predicting the ADA and graduation rate by (a) student demographics, (b) staffing characteristics, and (c) school processes. Through multiple regression analyses on ADA, I found (a) a positive relationship between career technical education and ADA; and (b) a negative relationship between teacher-student ratio and ADA. Through the set of multiple regression analyses …

An Evaluation Of Physician-To-Patient Communication Training In Medical Schools Across The United States: A Status Report On The Nation’S Efforts To Promote Health Literacy By Adding Health Literacy Courses To Medical School Curriculum, Andrea P. Frazier

Dissertations

This research study employed a mixed method sequential approach and investigated the number of Schools of Medicine within the United States that offer health literacy as a component of their curriculum and a course of study within the academic setting. Data were gathered from medical school surveys and personal interviews. Curriculum content, learning objective, subject matter sequence, assessment, course schedule, and other relevant elements were evaluated as comparison components of the data collected from these two methods. This study focused solely on 71 of the 154 Schools of Medicine in the United States, inclusive of 126 of those awarding a …

Best Practice In Early Reading Intervention: Implementing A Reading Intervention Program To Reach Below Level Readers, Bridgett Niedringhaus

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a reading intervention program used with second and third grade students identified as not meeting grade level expectancy. Studies have indicated students who are not reading at grade level by the end of the third grade have an increasingly difficult time achieving at the rate of their same-age peers. In this mixed-methods case study, the researcher analyzed end of the year report card data for 30 students who received reading intervention using the Rigby Intervention By Design Program, conducted a Content Knowledge Survey with teachers, and performed Literacy Walkthroughs …

Teacher Training For "Response To Intervention" At A Midwest University, Ladonna Jean Barnett

Dissertations

The compelling force behind education is improving teacher quality. This research study was designed to find out how improving teacher quality in terms of RTI knowledge occurred at differing levels of instruction and how faculty perceived the changing role of general education teachers and administrators with regard to RTI. Participants in the study included 13 faculty instructors and 196 of their students. Instructors had experience ranging from three to 14 years and experience in public school settings varied from eight to 17 years teaching K-12 and from four to 20 years as administrators. The instrumentation and data collection consisted of …

A Study Of The Effects Of Charter Schools On Achievement, Attendance And Selected Mitigating Factors In A Midwestern State’S Small Urban School Districts, Frederick C. Clarke

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether students attending urban charter schools did better, or worse, than students attending traditional public schools, over a five-year time period, in a Midwestern state. Thirty-one urban school districts affiliated with a Midwestern Urban Education Association, and corresponding charter schools, located within these Midwestern school districts, were selected to participate in this study.

This study utilized a quasi-experimental research design and was supported by the earlier research of Dr. Gary Miron and Dr. Jerry Horn from Western Michigan University (Miron & Horn, 2000; Miron & Horn, 2002; Miron, 2005) and Dr. Scott …

A Quantitative Content Analysis Of The Common Core State Standards Compared To Missouri’S Grade-Level Expectations Using The Revised Bloom’S Taxonomy Framework, Toni Gallia

Dissertations

With the pressure in education to develop a 21st century learner with higher-level thinking skills, many educators connected previous state curriculum to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Missouri’s Department of Education experts paired the previous state’s curriculum known as the Missouri Grade Level Expectations (MO GLEs) with a corresponding CCSS based on Webb’s depth-of-knowledge model in a document commonly referred to as the Missouri Crosswalk. This quantitative content analysis study compared the MO GLEs and CCSS by quantifying the language using an adapted and revised Bloom’s taxonomy framework. This study tested for a cognitive difference in means and for …

Evaluating The Critical Thinking Skills And Academic Characteristics Of Undergraduate Students At Two Post-Secondary Institutions Utilizing Two Different Curriculum Models, Michael Robert Hepner

Dissertations

This mixed methods study compared the critical thinking skills of students at two post-secondary education institutions that utilize two different curriculum models. A contemporary institution that offers a core curriculum and degree specialization (majors) was contrasted with a Great Books school that utilizes a canon of primary sources and relies on Socratic dialogue in the classroom. All students who complete the four-year Great Books program are awarded a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts as opposed to a specialized degree. The two sample populations (N=25) had similar demographic profiles, high school experiences, and college entrance exam scores, as well as similar …

Selected Practices And Characteristics Of Highly Effective Elementary Schools, George Allen Lauritson

Dissertations

The federal government, through NCLB legislation, has provided target proficiency goals schools will be accountable to meet. Missouri public elementary schools use these target goals to determine their success. The focus of this study was to examine the highly effective public elementary schools in Missouri that met or exceeded the 2011 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) targets and determine the practices that contributed to their success. The overarching questions were: Can the actions, performance, and knowledge of schools achieving AYP assist other schools to improve their performance on AYP targets? Do Lezotte's correlates of effective schools provide a framework to view …

The Effects Of Implementing Change On A Middle School Culture A First Year Principal's Journey, Edward Robert Gettemeier

Dissertations

This study is a first year principal's quest to transform the culture of Midwest Middle School (MMS). The study covers the 2009-2010 school year. The data from the 2008-2009 school year provided the baseline data for this study. Alarming results of a state survey regarding the culture of the medium sized suburban middle school caused concern. The survey included responses from students, parents, and teachers specifically addressing building climate, safety, and efficacy. In four different categories, MMS finished in the first percentile response section. This translated to 99% of the students attending schools in the state responded more favorably to …

An Evaluation Of The School-Wide Positive Behavior Intervention And Support Check In/Check Out Behavior Education Program, Barbara M. Zaegel

Dissertations

One of the many concerns of parents, teachers, and school administration is the lack of student discipline and its effect on academic achievement. Many schools have adopted different models of prevention to support positive behaviors and increase academic achievement. For those schools that adopt and implement the School-wide Positive Behavior Intervention and Support Program (SWPBIS), there is a need for secondary and tertiary programs to support those students who do not respond positively to the universal framework. This study, which took place during the 2010-2011 school year, evaluated one secondary intervention, the Check In/Check Out (CICO) behavior education program at …

Exploring Congruency Between John A. Henschke‘S Practice And Scholarship, Lori Risley

Dissertations

The study aimed to explore how John A. Henschke‘s practice mirrors the andragogical theory espoused in his scholarship. This study offered interpretations held by three groups of individuals: colleagues, students, and John, utilizing 10 data sets. Data sets include: a) Focus group-current students, b) Modified Instructors Perspectives Inventory for Students pre/ post course surveys, c) Section of the Instructors Perspectives Inventory, d) Course evaluations, e) Video recordings of John facilitating , f) Interviews; colleagues, students, and John, g) Observations, and h) Selection of scholarship. Each contained interpretations and perceptions that, when held up to the mirror of John‘s scholarship, reflected …

Graduates‟ Perceived And Measurable Changes In Writing Through One Ed. D. Program, Yvonne Duncan Gibbs

Dissertations

Research on writing proficiency from elementary students through undergraduates is prevalent; however, few focused on students in graduate school. Few teacher education programs require specific coursework in writing for teacher certification. Yet, teacher educators express concern about teacher candidates‟ writing proficiencies. Writing may not be explicitly taught, such as in graduate school or doctoral coursework, because professors assume students already have these skills. Writing is something writers are always learning to do, yet scholarly writing is not included as a learning objective throughout the doctoral coursework at Sibley University, at the time of this study. Sibley University is the pseudonym …

Quality Induction: The Effects Of Comprehensive Induction On New Teacher Retention And Job Satisfaction, Mary Therese Hendricks-Harris

Dissertations

This investigation examined the effect of a comprehensive new teacher induction program on teacher retention and job satisfaction in one suburban school district. New teachers are retained at low rates, and districts are spending resources in an attempt to decrease this number. New teacher induction includes supports for new teachers in their first years that may include orientation, professional development, and formal mentoring, and often has retention as a goal. The researcher collected retention data and compared it to the different induction components provided in various years throughout the study. In addition, six retained teachers were interviewed in order to …

Computer-Based Versus Paper-Pencil Modes Of Administration United States Government End Of Course Exams: Student Cumulative Grade Point Averages As Predictors Of Success, Barbara A. Ryan

Dissertations

Beginning with the No Child Left Behind federal legislation, states were required to use data to monitor and improve student achievement. For high schools, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education chose End of Course Exams (EOC) to demonstrate levels of student achievement. The policy changed from school choice of paper-pencil or computer-based testing to mandated computer-based testing. This study examined whether this decision best demonstrates the level of student mastery. Using high school EOC test scores for United States Government exams as the independent variable and high school cumulative grade point average (CGPA) as the dependent variable, the …

Exploring The Experiences Of Former Alternative Education Participants: Case Studies, Shirley L. Washington-Cobb

Dissertations

Alternative education has become an integral program, in one form or another throughout most school districts in the United States. Alternative education is a very complex and controversial issue that is best understood through the stories of former alternative education students looking back on their lived experiences. Children in the alternative education program studied here were generally those who did not fit into a general education program due to behavior problems or lack of academic success. The purpose of the study was to investigate alternative education primarily through in-depth interviews and case studies of 18 previous alternative education students who …

Applying Positive Leadership Principles To An Investigation Of Organizational Stress In Military Units And The Benefits Associated With Providing Leaders With Emotional Intelligence Social Awareness, Darcy L. Lilley

Dissertations

This interpretive inquiry investigated, using a mixed method approach, organizational stress levels in military units and outcomes associated with heightening leaders’ emotional intelligence social awareness in a positive leadership framework. The researcher designed an understandable, easily implemented leadership tool to guide skill building with actions a leader should take to implement positive leadership principles and display high emotional intelligence skills. This tool can be used for self-development, hiring for leadership positions, leaders’ performance evaluations, and leadership development training. A Military Organizational Stress Reduction Pilot Project involving five military police units from around the U.S. served as the study’s basis. The …

Implications Of The No Child Left Behind Legislation On Career And Technical Education, Thomas Kyle Wallace

Dissertations

The passage of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation in 2001 brought about a multitude of education reform policies for education institutions that made the future of Career and Technical Education’s (CTE) role in secondary educations unclear. These mandates forced educational leaders to emphasize student enrollment in tracks that prepare them for post-secondary educational opportunities that require a stronger background in academic courses. The standards-based mandates required by NCLB legislation make promotion of CTE courses more difficult because these courses are primarily elective courses and have caused educational agencies to look at what CTE programs provide in terms of meeting …

Strategies And Factors Influencing Public School District Referendums, Alan N. Stauffacher

Dissertations

Many school districts are in need of a successful plan of action for school district referendums. The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine the perceived effectiveness between factors and strategies surrounding referendums and the passage of those measures meant to improve school funding and facilities. The findings from Johnson and Ingle (2008) and Holt et al. (2006) were used to guide this study. Three questions were posed: What do superintendents identify as strategies to use as prescriptive plans for successful school referendums? What existing factors do superintendents identify that lead to success of school referendums? What existing factors …

Investigating An Afterschool Program For Black Teenage Males Designed To Increase Self-Efficacy, Marvin Lee Byrd

Dissertations

This is a study of the experiences of Black male teenagers in an after-school program designed to increase self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is the measure of one‘s confidence in their capacity to achieve an ultimate goal. Inequality has proven to be a cyclical state-of-being that plagues families from one generation to another. In many instances, Black families find themselves in this cycle of inequality. Education seems to be a factor in breaking the cycle. This study was developed under the belief that there are also qualitative components that must be considered when it comes to erasing the gap between minority and white …

Analysis Of The Impact Of Implementing Interdisciplinary Pods On Student Achievement In Georgia Middle Schools, Andrew Lynn Bristow

Dissertations

With the increasing demands for middle schools to meet Annual Yearly Progress and the Annual Measurable Objective levels of the No Child Left Behind Act (2002) middle school principals are faced with decisions to incorporate the appropriate middle school instructional model. This study examined the longitudinal achievement data of sixth and seventh grade reading, English language arts, and math on the Georgia Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT) in 20 middle schools from 2008 – 2011 in a large suburban school district in Georgia. Of the schools, two implemented a junior high model, six implemented an interdisciplinary pod model, and twelve …

Freshman Academy: Transitioning Ninth Grade Students Through The Academic And Social Rigors Of The High School Experience And The Students’, Parents’ And Teachers’ Perceptions, Yulanda West Clinton

Dissertations

Freshman Academy in Mobile County is an ever growing concept. Although the school in this study no longer houses a freshman Academy, the research reveals valuable information that is very useful in assisting schools and school systems in deciding whether or not to implement this type of transitioning program. In addition to the data, the students’, parents’, and teachers’ perceptions of the program are invaluable. This study revealed that students, parents, and teachers have positive perceptions about the academic and social interest areas of freshman students and negative perceptions about the structural interest area. This study also revealed, there is …

Best Practices For Student Success On The Act, Grant Coday Boyer

Dissertations

Large achievement gaps have been found in ACT scores between high schools throughout the same state and in comparisons between states. In Missouri, four public high schools have consistently scored four points higher than the Missouri average for years 2007-2011. States, such as Nebraska, Minnesota, and Iowa, have shown consistent above average scores as compared to states with similar participation numbers throughout the nation. Schmoker (2006) believed that due to the existing culture of schools and school leadership, learning from others’ successes is often discouraged; therefore, this study was conducted in an attempt to discover the best practices used in …

An Evaluation Of The Student Service Expectations Of Freshmen At A Small, Midwestern Liberal Arts University, Jerry Michael Bladdick

Dissertations

Increasing freshmen student retention and ultimately increasing their graduation rates continues to be a critical matter for institutions of higher education. Therefore, colleges and universities are attempting to understand the student service expectations of freshmen students as a primary mechanism to enhance matriculation rates. University administrators must identify what students expect from their college experience if they are to positively affect institutional policy. Previous investigations have observed the relationship between student expectations and experiences, but limited data exist on the student service expectations of college freshmen. The purpose of this mixed method study is to determine the student service expectations …

The Effects Of Positive Behavioral Interventions And Support On Student Discipline Referrals And Attendance, Gregory E. Ross

Dissertations

As school districts work to utilize instructional time, student behavior is often a huge hindrance to maximizing instruction. In 2001 while at the University of Oregon, Horner and Sugai created Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS), now utilized in over 7,000 schools throughout the country (Sugai & Horner, 2002). This program is provided to schools throughout Kentucky through a federal grant extended to the Kentucky Center for Instructional Discipline (KYCID).

This study analyzed PBIS in an elementary school in southwest Kentucky, McNabb Elementary, to measure the effect of PBIS on student discipline referrals and attendance. Referrals were evaluated from 2006-2012, …

Characterizing And Supporting Change In Algebra Students' Representational Fluency In A Cas/Paper-And-Pencil Environment, Nicole L. Fonger

Dissertations

Representational fluency (RF) includes an ability to interpret, create, move within and among, and connect tool-based representations of mathematical objects. Taken as an indicator of conceptual understanding, there is a need to better support school algebra students’ RF in learning environments that utilize both computer algebra systems (CAS) and paper-and-pencil. The purpose of this research was to: (a) characterize change in ninth-grade algebra students’ RF in solving problems involving linear equations, and (b) determine conditions of a CAS and paper-and-pencil learning environment in which those students changed their RF.

Change in RF was measured by comparing results from initial to …