Education Commons^™

The Education Pathway Through Social And Economic Integration Of Highly Educated Immigrants: The Case Of Colombians In The United States Of America, Olga Bedoya Arturo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Developed countries have promoted immigration of educated people as a strategy to satisfy the demand for educated labor. Highly educated immigrants' poor language skills, absence of cultural networks, and lack of credentials and recognized professional experience gained in the country of origin are barriers to their social and economic integration (Ferrer & Riddell, 2008; Mattoo, Neagu, & ?zden, 2008; Miranda & Umhoefer, 1998; Zikic, Bonache, & Cerdin, 2010). The purpose of this study was to explore how college experiences in an American college or university facilitate or hinder the transfer and gain of different forms of capital among highly educated …

Community College Adjuncts: From Information Seeking To Identity Formation, Jennifer Hirsch-Keefe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study addressed the transitions of biology and chemistry adjunct faculty, with full or part-time positions outside of academia, as they navigate the transition between their workplaces and the academic environment and also transition toward becoming confident and competent educators. Using the final two stages of Schoening's (2013) Nurse Educator Transition (NET) Model as a framework, this qualitative study examines the transitions of nine biology and chemistry adjuncts at College Alpha, which is a community college located in a southern state. Study findings indicated both degrees of transition, the day-to-day and the overall transition into teaching, impact the overall …

An Analysis Of Faculty Collaboration On Student Transfer Through Articulation Agreements, Nichole Shorter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explored the ways faculty at two- and four-year institutions with articulation agreements collaborate to improve the retention rates of transfer students, using the Wilder Collaboration Factors (WCF) as a theoretical lens. This research was conducted to analyze the level of collaboration, and differentiate among the perceptions of collaboration among university and community college faculty. The purpose of the study was to build upon the limited amount of research on postsecondary collaboration. Nonparametric statistical analyses were performed to provide answers to the research questions. Analysis of the data revealed that the participants demonstrated strength in 18 of the 20 …

African American Head Football Coaches At Division 1 Fbs Schools: A Qualitative Study On Turning Points, Thaddeus Rivers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation was centered on how the theory 'turning points' explained African American coaches ascension to Head Football Coach at a NCAA Division I FBS school. This work (1) identified traits and characteristics coaches felt they needed in order to become a head coach and (2) described the significant events and people (turning points) in their lives that have influenced their career. This study employed a Constant Comparative method in which participants answered interview questions designed for them to elaborate on their educational and athletic careers, and those events and people who were major influences in their careers. Commonalities and …

How Global Education Is Understood And To What Extent It Is Implemented In One Educator Preparation Program, Lydia Valentina Amewu-Sirleaf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This mixed method study investigated the overarching question "how global education is understood and implemented in an educator preparation program in a Colorado university". The sub-questions used to answer the research question are:

* How is global education/perspective understood and implemented by the faculty?

* How do students perceive global education/perspective to be implemented in the program?

* How are the faculty and student's perspective similar and how are they different?

* How do the documents and artifacts support this?

The faculty members and pre-service teachers in this program were the research participants in the study. This area of research …

Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students' Standardized English Literacy Achievement And Language Redesignation Status: A Multiple Regression Analysis, Matthew R. Weyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The initial No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation stated that by 2014 all students would reach proficiency in all subjects. However, this has not been the case as NCLB has had mixed effects for culturally and linguistically diverse students (CLDs) (Hopkins, Thompson, Linquanti, Hakuta, & August, 2013). Language redesignation policies, often termed reclassification, can be considered a significant contributor as the variation in policies and practices alone has led to significantly different achievement for CLDs across the country (Hill, Weston, & Hayes, 2014; Mahoney & MacSwan, 2005) and has created an expansive achievement gap with their non-CLD White counterparts (Reardon, …

Principal Preparation Effectiveness: A Program Evaluation Of The University Of Mississippi's Principal Preparation Programs, Summer Pannell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the creation of the principal's position, the role of principal has evolved from building manager and disciplinarian to a multi-faceted role responsible for strategic planning, managing funds, ensuring legislative compliance, implementing reforms, and increasing student achievement. Past research contends principal leadership may be the second most influential factor in student achievement, surpassed only by the effect of the classroom teacher (Marzano, Waters, & McNulty, 2005; Joyce & Showers, 2002). The role of the university Principal Preparation Program (PPP) is to equip participants with effective leadership practices to face the demands of school leadership roles (Duncan et al., 2011; Hernandez …

Mississippi Statewide Accountability System: A Measure Of Academic Attainment Or Other Factors, Eddie De Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study analyzed the construct validity of the Mississippi Statewide Accountability System through an analysis of the relationship between teacher, financial, socio-economic, and social characteristics and the Quality of distribution index of public school districts in Mississippi. This study sought to determine if there were constructs outside the control of schools and districts that significantly correlated to outcomes of the Mississippi Statewide Accountability System that were not accounted for in the calculations. Educational leaders, communities, and other educational stakeholders have paid close attention to the Mississippi Statewide Accountability System as legislators have chosen to use it to rank schools …

Principals' Perceptions And Self-Efficacy In Relation To School Security, Julian Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Principals in the nation's schools have been tasked with managing crisis incidents that may occur with students and others on their campuses on a daily basis. The purposes of this study were to determine the differences, if any, that existed in Central Florida public school principals' perceptions regarding school security, their perceived confidence to address critical crisis incidents on their campuses, their perceptions of the likelihood critical incidents would occur, their perceptions of interaction with law enforcement, the critical incidents they fear the most, and their perceptions of factors impacting the incidents they fear the most. Principal subgroup mean responses …

Development Of The Readiness To Teach Online Scale, Angel Chi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite the growing importance of online education, faculty acceptance has remained unchanged. Training programs developed for faculty to teach online have often focused on assessing their cognitive rather than affective and behavioral outcomes. The Readiness To Teach Online scale was developed as part of a multiphase mixed method research project to measure faculty perceptions and motivations toward teaching online. Items in the subcategory Teaching and Learning measured perceptions of technology and online teaching, and motivations regarding resources and other external factors. Items in the subcategories Social and Student Engagement, Faculty and Technology Support, Course Development and Instructional Design, and Evaluation …

Principal Instructional Leadership In Ga High Poverty Elementary Schools, Ginger W. Spires

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate teachers’ perceptions of principal instructional leadership practices in Georgia Reward Highest Performing and Georgia Reward Highest Progress elementary schools. As such, this causal-comparative study identified the frequency of principal instructional leadership practices and attempted to determine if these practices can be related to school effectiveness in high poverty schools. The sample of this study consisted of Georgia classroom teachers in high poverty elementary schools, specifically in the categories of Georgia Reward Highest Performing and Georgia Reward Highest Progress elementary schools. Hallinger’s (1983) Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) was utilized to …

Fighting On The Frontline: An Examination Of Teacher Retention Practices In Urban Elementary Schools, Kelley J. Young

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For many teachers employed in schools in metro Atlanta, meeting the demands of No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top is complicated by social realities characterized by the urban environment. Teachers’ beliefs about learning, operationalized at either the individual or the collective level, are influenced by the context of the schools in which they teach, and when teaching in the urban context, it is critical that teachers believe students can learn despite their circumstances (Halvorsen, Lee, & Andrade, 2009). The purpose of schools is to ensure academic achievement for children despite age, creed, color, race, or religion; however, …

African-American Males, African-American Female Principals, & The Opportunity Gap, Jennifer N. Dunbar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decade, research has been devoted to bridging the gap in academics and opportunity among African-American males. Missing from the dialogue however, are the voices of African-American female leaders. This voice will not only play an instrumental part in mediating cultural misunderstandings that occur in the classroom, but it will also facilitate a much needed conversation in understanding gender and race by displaying different views on educational leadership. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of the opportunity gap among African-American female principals in Title I schools to raise the presence of their voice …

The Road Less Traveled: Alumni Perceptions Of The Georgia Early College High School Experience, Tequila Tranise Morgan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite the efforts of traditional high schools to educate all students, at-risk populations tend to lag behind their White and more affluent counterparts in educational achievement, high school graduation rates, and college attendance rates. Early College High Schools (ECHSs) were designed to attract and retain at-risk students through rigorous academic practices, strong support systems, and by providing free access to college credits while students are still in high school.

With the case study approach as a guide, this research used an open-ended interview protocol to collect data from a sample of 16 students who attended one ECHS in Georgia between …