Education Commons^™

Resident Assistants' Self- Efficacy For Participation In Counseling Activities, Miranda Johnson Parries

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Based on the changes in mental health needs on college campuses, this study examines Resident Assistants' self-efficacy to participate in counseling activities with the residents whom they are assigned to assist. The literature review discusses recent efforts introduced by residence life departments to respond to the increase in mental health and behavioral issues that college students are now facing, the barriers that prevent Resident Assistants, who function as paraprofessionals within their on-campus communities, from taking action, and recommended training components and parameters. The increase of serious mental health issues calls for the reimagining of the training provided to Resident Assistants …

Leadership Preparation: A Phenomenological Study Of A District–University Partnership, Raymond Lamont Haynes

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The aim of this study was to ascertain principals' preparedness as implemented by a Peninsula City Schools-Madison University partnership under the design constructs of planning, collaboration, internship, and mentorship. The study was framed upon research asserting that district—university partnerships are cultivating instructional leaders who can promote achievement. In this design, districts and universities partner to implement theory-based instruction and authentic practical training to expose aspiring leaders to the specific issues and challenges within the schools they will eventually lead. Using a phenomenological case study design, the researcher extracted the perceptions of Peninsula City Schools-Madison University Division Leadership Team members who …

Helicopter Parents Of Community College Students: How Community College Professionals Operationally Define And Address This Phenomenon, Helen C. Hightower

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

This study examined whether the phenomenon of parental over-involvement occurred in the Virginia Community College System. Concern has been expressed in the popular and academic literature in recent years over the increased level of parental involvement at four year institutions whose student bodies consist almost exclusively of traditional-aged students. With a mix of traditional-aged and non-traditional students at community colleges, this study investigated whether or not community college employees expressed similar concerns as their counterparts at senior institutions.

The study was designed using a mixed methods approach and utilized a triangulation of results in order to answer four research questions. …

Relationship Between Virginia's Fiscal Effort And Public School Graduation Rates, Bryce Ryan Johnson

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Prior education finance studies have measured the effect of funding on various student achievement variables. These studies demonstrate the need for resources in education, but this need requires further exploration. Previous literature shows several limitations regarding study length, scope and fiscal resources analyzed. This study further investigates school funding by analyzing the relationship between school funding and high school graduation rates over a nine-year time frame.

This research examines what role Virginia's school districts' division fiscal effort (the proportion of its wealth invested in K-12 public education) plays in determining several identified measurable student outcomes from 2003 to 2012. The …

Role Ambiguity Of Counseling Supervisors, Aaron Gabriel Shames

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Supervisors often find themselves in the midst of ambiguity seeking clarity of their role and professional identity within the counseling field. Supervisors wear many hats, the most prominent ones being educator, counselor, and gatekeeper for the profession. Counseling supervisors are expected to establish and maintain a complex blend of professional, educational, and therapeutic relationships with their supervisees. This process involving multiple roles often presents conflicts. One such conflict experienced by supervisors has been termed role ambiguity. The purpose of this phenomenological inquiry was to explore what experiences counseling supervisors have with role ambiguity and how they experience role ambiguity. Themes …

Academic Or Functional Life Skills? Using Behaviors Associated With Happiness To Guide Instruction For Students With Profound/Multiple Disabilities, Jonna L. Bobzien

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

The field of special education has begun to concentrate its efforts on developing objectives and procedural strategies that promote a positive quality of life for students with profound multiple disabilities, while determining which educational strategies are the most appropriate. A multielement design was used to compare the effects of two educational conditions, academic skills instruction and functional life skills instruction, on the quality of life indicators of four students with profound multiple disabilities. Results indicated that all four students demonstrated a greater number of behaviors associated with happiness while receiving academic skills instruction. Implications for current educational practices are addressed …

Curation In Translation: Promoting Global Citizenship Through Literature, Kasey L. Garrison, Danielle E. Forest, Sue C. Kimmel

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

As curators of the school library collection, librarians ensure the resources they select are of high quality and that they meet students' social needs, including diverse perspectives representative of our world and supportive of global citizenship skills and dispositions. The Mildred L. Batchelder Award given to English translations published in the United States is an option for librarians seeking such cultural diversity for their collections. Using the United Nations' Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959), the research identifies the strong potential these titles hold for engaging youth and promoting global citizenship.

Technology And Engineering Education Doctoral Students' Perceptions Of Their Profession, Gene Martin, John Ritz, Michael Kosloski

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The growth and vitality of both technology and engineering education professions rely on the quality of contributions of its new and emerging leaders. Many of these leaders are currently enrolled students in doctoral programs. These students will be challenged to assume leadership roles in which they are not currently engaged (Ehrenberg, Jakubson, Groen, So, & Price, 2007). Some students may choose to focus their careers in developing new curricula; some will become active in grant writing and grant procurement some will choose to serve as officers in their professional organizations; and others will contribute to the body of literature in …

Technological Literacy Courses In Pre-Service Teacher Education, Roger Skophammer, Philip A. Reed

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The goal of this study was to determine to what extent technological literacy courses were required in K-12 teacher education. A documents review of the appropriate course catalogs for initial teacher preparation was conducted. The documents review identified general education requirements and options for technological literacy courses, as well as requirements and options for these courses for English, social studies, mathematics, and science education majors. For this study, technological literacy was defined as "the ability to use, manage, assess, and understand technology" (ITEA, 2000/2002/2007, p. 9). This definition of literacy is broader than technology literacy associated with computer use and …

Educational Policy Decisions Effect Upon Same-Gender Public Education, Richard Gerard Catoire

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, with emphasis on greater choice and flexibility for parents and students in public education, to include the provision for same-gender public schools and classrooms, led to a resurgence in same-gender public education in the United States. With the results of the research on same-gender education presenting conflicting evidence and mixed-perspectives on the outcomes of same-gender education in improving academic achievement or attainment, there are still questions to be answered, not only to the effectiveness of same-gender education, but also to policy decisions to establish same-gender public education programs. While proponents of …

Preparing School Leaders To Advocate For Social Justice: A Case Analysis Of Social Justice Tenets In A Leadership Preparation Program, Jessica Costa

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

School leadership preparation for social justice is a pressing concern in an era of achievement gaps and a rapidly increasing population of largely marginalized students: English learners. This case study explored how one university leadership preparation program infused social justice tenets into the training. Following a qualitative methodology, data collection focused on documents, interviews, and class observations. In recent years, critical race theory (CRT) has garnered much attention in education scholarship as a way to examine racialized practices and social injustices that persist in U.S. schooling. This study used CRT as a basis for the theoretical framework and interpretive lens …

Impediments To Serving Students With Learning Disabilities In A Rural Community College Setting: The Administrative Perspective, Seth Gent

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study examined the challenges rural southern Appalachian community colleges officials face when serving students with learning disabilities. Upon entering community college, learning disabled students are often unfamiliar with many of the expectations that may be necessary to ensure their academic success such as self-disclosing to ensure they are provided adequate services, becoming self-advocates, and navigating requirements of post-secondary education. This study consisted of 15 interviews from five different community colleges across the rural southern Appalachian region in which senior level, mid-level, and front line community college officials dealing with students with learning disabilities were interviewed. A document review …

Community College Vice Presidents' Perceptions Of Academic Partnerships, Gloria Jean Savage-Early

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Partnerships have a very important place among two- and four-year institutions as they allocate limited resources to continue to give higher education students a quality education. Community college vice presidents desire to give students options of completing degrees while maintaining jobs and supporting families along with options of pursuing advanced degrees. This qualitative study, which uses a phenomenological approach, will explore the perceptions of higher education community college vice presidents regarding the factors that affect partnerships between two- and four-year institutions of higher education. The main research question and sub-questions, to be explored are as follow: How do vice presidents …