Education Commons^™

Learner Agency And Responsibility In Educational Technology, Michael Thomas Matthews

Theses and Dissertations

Though the topic of learner agency has received relatively little discussion in the literature of educational technology, it is nevertheless a significant and actually omnipresent concern of both scholars and practitioners. Through the journal-ready articles contained herein, I show how theories of learning and certain practices of instructional designers reflect implicit positions on the agency of learners. I also discuss agency in more concrete terms as the responsibility for learning that is shared with learners in instructional design contexts. In addition, I provide practical suggestions to help designers keep the learner at the forefront of their design thinking. Through this …

Integral Theory, Positive Psychology, And Sacred Texts Of The World: A New Philosophy Of Education For The 21st Century, Muhammad Naeem

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis puts into sharp focus the nature of war, violence, and conflict in contemporary societies through interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, contextual, textual, political and historical prisms. Echoing my existential angst, as a meaning-seeking student of life, the thesis also examines the predicaments, quandaries and the resultant miasma in order to understand the fundamental causes behind violence in the human condition. The thesis also attempts to demonstrate the paradoxical and deeply humane scope for peace along with the pursuit of what is true, good, and beautiful, and a realization of a higher order consciousness, knowing and being, and moral thinking, with an …

A Collaborative Approach To Address Student Behavior And Academic Achievement Across Systems, Beverly Ngozi Okereke

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Academic achievement and in-classroom behaviors are two significant child outcomes that affect student success in school. According to Systems Theory, in order to truly understand the factors that affect these outcomes for children, one must look to the major systems that encapsulate the child (including their school and home environments). This project is a meta-analytic review that examined the effectiveness of measures representing each system in predicting child achievement and behavior: School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports (SWPBS) for the school as a system, level of parent involvement (high versus low) for the home system, and student motivation (intrinsic versus extrinsic) for …

A Mixed-Method Case Study Of Growth Mindset, Grit, And Reading Scores In A Midwest Public Elementary School, Christina Wilson

Dissertations

This study examined a possible relationship between grit, growth mindset, and reading scores. The study also examined the influence of grit and growth mindset on closing the achievement gap. Reading was an essential skill all students needed to achieve in order to be successful in school and life. Historically, schools implemented numerous academic interventions to ensure all students were proficient readers and to close achievement gaps in reading, yet the gaps continued to exist. The literature on noncognitive skills such as grit and growth mindset indicated teaching students these skills would increase academic achievement. The study collected teacher frequency of …

Indicators Of Future Mathematics Proficiency: Literature Review & Synthesis, Claudia Preciado

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The beauty of mathematics can arguably be found in the way in which all concepts are interrelated and interwoven to create a massive web of knowledge and in the ways this can be applied to all aspects of life and technology. Given this inextricable interrelationship amongst several mathematical topics, many students encounter issues in learning mathematics due to gaps in their understanding of previously taught material. As a result, mathematics education in the K-12 setting has emphasized the need for interventions in order to help students grasp the progressively complex concepts that are required by our current society and education …

Solving Absolute Value Equations And Inequalities On A Number Line, Melinda A. Curtis

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Absolute value has often been taught procedurally. Many students struggle with solving absolute value equations and inequalities because they do not have an understanding of the underlying concepts. This study was designed to determine to what extent solving absolute value equations and inequalities by using the concept of distance on a number line is an effective method. The claim is that if students use the distance concept on a number line, they will develop the necessary conceptual understanding in addition to just a procedural knowledge that will lead to the success with and flexibility in the use of strategies for …

School Connectedness, Language Acquisition And Academic Success: A Study Of English Language Learners' Experiences At A Comprehensive High School, Philip M. Alfano

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore differences in perceptions of school connectedness among Long Term English Learner (LTEL) students and Redesignated Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) students in a comprehensive high school setting. The study also seeks to determine whether or not there is a relationship between English language acquisition and perceptions of school connectedness among these two groups.

The target population was LTEL and RFEP students enrolled in grades 6-12 in public schools in Stanislaus County. Delimiting characteristics were applied to both the target population and the population sample to reduce variability. Quantitative data including artifacts and scaled …

Operation Transition: Post-9/11 Combat Marines Transitioning To Civilian Life And The Role Of Higher Education In Their Identity Formation, Jamie M. Fenton

Education (PhD) Dissertations

Operation Transition is an excavation of the experiences of Post-9/11 combat Marines, who have been Honorably Discharged, as their transition to civilian and student life. The work of Operation Transition was conducted with a group of Marines, called The Unit, and presents the variety of stories that exist among Veterans, beyond the highly publicized and limiting narratives of Hero, Wounded Warrior, or Killer. The fictive piece represents the experiences of transition that illuminate a civilian privileged higher education system and society-at-large. Operation Transition exemplifies and acknowledges that value of stories for understanding and community building. As such, Operation Transition, which …

Urban School-Based Behavioral Health Providers' Attitudes Towards Evidence Based Practices, Erik D. Maki

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Evidence Based Practices (EBPs) in schools show promise in meeting the behavioral health needs of urban students, however there are multiple barriers to implementation. Providers’ attitudes towards EBPs may be one of these barriers. Through a cross sectional survey design, this dissertation answers four major research questions: 1) Is the EBPAS-50 an appropriate tool to use with school based behavioral health providers, 2) Do attitudes vary depending on level of experience (student vs. professional), 3) Do attitudes vary depending on a practitioners’ hire status (school-hired vs. non-school hired), and 4) Do EBPAS-50 scores predict implementation of EBPs? Participants were 160 …

Supervisory Dyads In School Psychology Internships: Does Personality Difference Affect Ratings Of Supervisory Working Alliance, Supervision Satisfaction, And Work Readiness?, Sheila P. Desai

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The internship is a critical part of graduate training and often the only opportunity to receive on-site clinical supervision during school psychology practice. Nonetheless, the process of pairing interns with field supervisors is not standardized and sometimes relies on factors such as logistics and supervisor credentials rather than a consideration of interpersonal variables that could optimize the internship experience. Related fields have found mixed evidence for a relationship between personality similarity within a supervisory dyad and outcomes such as a strong supervisory relationship, satisfaction with supervision, and supervisee effectiveness. This study examined the influence of personality similarity on ratings of …

A Case Study Of The Impact Of Peer-To-Peer Mentoring On Mentors In A Rural High School Setting, Darlene M. Geddes

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Existing research on peer-to-peer mentoring has focused mainly on cross-age peer mentoring with several years’ difference between mentor and mentees (Karcher, 2005, 2007; Lawon, 2014; Willis, Bland, Manka, & Craft, 2012) and the impact of peer mentoring on the mentee. The researcher aimed to examine the relationship of participating in a high school based peer-to-peer mentoring program and the impact on the high school upperclassmen mentors in this study. School is a social organization where peers can develop school connectedness and expand their prosocial skills and through their social networks increase social capital. The impact of peer mentoring programs on …

An Exploration Of The Experiences Of Black High School Students In The Mathematics Classroom: A Qualitative Study, Jennifer Banks

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

For the past 30 years, there has been a significant “achievement gap” between the mathematics academic performance of Black and White students. This “achievement gap,” has been used to validate deficit thinking frameworks and portray Black students as unmotivated and deviant. This study suggests that it is necessary to change the national conversation of the achievement gap to one that Milner (2012) refers to as the opportunity gap.

Using the stories of Black high school students’ experiences in the mathematics classroom, this dissertation displays the various opportunity gaps that Black students experience within the classroom. This study utilizes qualitative research …

Involvement Patterns Of International Students And Their Overall College Experience, Kesiane C. Costa-String

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this mix method study was to examine the involvement patterns of Rowan University international undergraduate students and their overall college experience and satisfaction. The study further explored what services are most used from international students at Rowan University. The survey sample included the available population of all international undergraduate students from Rowan University, Glassboro main campus, during spring 2015. Of the 59 international undergraduate students who received the survey, 33 students responded yielding a 56% response rate. The purposive sample included four undergraduate international students from Rowan University, Glassboro, main campus, enrolled during the 2014-2015 academic year, …

A Delphi Study Of The Understanding Of The Definition Of Student Success In California Community Colleges And Its Impact On Practice, Susan Topham

Dissertations

With the signing of Senate Bill 1456, the Student Success Act of 2012, California state legislation has mandated that California Community Colleges deliver services that will increase the probability of student persistence and completion. There is a need for the Instruction and Student Services sides of the house to come together in a collaborative manner to address and resolve this challenge and therefore bridge the gap between these two divisions.

Research has demonstrated that Instructional Services and Student Services in California Community Colleges work in silos when it comes to addressing the challenge of student success. The purpose of this …

¿Dónde Pertenecemos? Narrative Analysis Of Afro-Boricua Women’S Experiences Of Belonging Within And Beyond College, Marie Nubia-Feliciano

Educational Studies Dissertations

Afro-Latinas, Latinas of African descent, exist at the intersections of culture, race, gender, and class, and this position informs how we experience our world. This unique experiential perspective is present when we decide to attend college. It was the goal of this research project to explore the post-secondary educational experiences of Afro-Latinas. One particular group of Afro-Latinas was the subject of the research project: Afro-Boricua women.

The unique relationship that Puerto Rico has with the United States provided a backdrop for these women’s college going experiences. It provided a historical framework of colonialism and racialization that occurred both on the …

Examining The Impact Of Community Factors On Student Truancy, Juan Jose Lorenzo

Theses and Dissertations

Truancy has been an ongoing issue in the lives of many urban and low-income students. Poor school attendance has been one of the earliest indicators of academic failure, delinquency, crime, poverty and etc. Although there have been a number of different definitions for truancy, the law has consistently stated that underage students must attend school. It has been clear that addressing and combating truancy has been an issue in many cities. Research has identified many truancy risk indicators and various community factors have appeared to impact truancy rates. Additionally, within an urban setting, the availability of public transportation to and …

Leadership Development And Ethnic Identity Of Latina/O Students At Rowan University, Andrew Montanez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influences of leadership and ethnic identity among selected Rowan University Latina/o undergraduate students. More specifically, the study replicated Oldham’s (2008) research, which was based on Erikson's Identity Development Theory (1980) and the Leadership Identity Model of Komives, Owen, Longerbeam, and Mainella (2005). In addition, the study probed how Latina/o Rowan University undergraduate students viewed their ethnicity using Phinney’s (1992) Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM).

Students were surveyed randomly via an electronic version of the instrument on Rowan’s Volvici survey software, and by convenience sampling through paper formatted surveys gathered at the …

An Investigation On The Value Of Integrating Mental Health Supports In Education To Build Capacity For Change, Erin Keith

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Current statistics in Ontario show that one in five students suffer from mental health issues (Canada, 2012). Mental health disorders cause significant distress, impairing students’ functioning at school, at home, and in the community (Children’s Mental Health Ontario, 2014). Research has shown that prevention and early intervention strategies targeting students at risk for mental health challenges are beneficial, cost-effective, and reduce the need for more costly, intensive interventions. (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013). In response to recent Ontario Ministry mental health initiatives (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2006; 2011; 2013), the Peel District School Board, in Ontario, Canada, launched an interprofessional, …

Student Programming And Identity In French Language Studies At An Ontario College, Crystal Brown

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This research set out to investigate the following questions: Why do students enroll in French, and in what ways do the students position themselves to learning French? What kinds of social issues do they confront when coming back? How do such issues impact their identities? Using the frameworks developed within sociocultural second language acquisition, identity, and motivational theories, this exploratory study includes semi-structured interviews and an online survey. Some of the reasons why students come back to the college system to study French include family background, political decisions, patriotism, gainful employment, cosmopolitanism, globalization and travel and retirement. Studying languages seems …

Understanding The Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Preservice Learning And Behavioral Specialists During Their Practicum, Field-Based, And Student Teaching Semesters, Alice S. Cahill

Theses and Dissertations

The study of self-efficacy has become a dominant topic in psychological and educational research over the last 50 years. However, little information is known about preservice teachers and even less about preservice special education teachers’ beliefs. This study was designed to survey preservice special educators’ self-efficacy beliefs placed outside of the college classroom in the education field.

The participants (n = 74) were special education preservice teachers in the state

of Illinois in their practicum, field-based, or student teaching semesters. The participants completed a 24-question online survey designed by Tschannen-Moran and Hoy (2001) on their self-efficacy beliefs in the areas …

Understanding And Negotiating The Secondary Vice-Principal Role: Perspectives Of Secondary Principals, Louis Lim

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation explores how secondary principals understand and negotiate the secondary vice-principal role. The principal assigns vice-principal duties so there is no standard description for the vice-principal role (Ontario Ministry of Education, 1990). My conceptual framework, based on the notions of role and work, informed the study.

Using an interpretive basic, generic qualitative study approach, I conducted single 60 to 90 minute semi-structured interviews with 13 secondary principals from four Ontario district school boards. Data analysis was on-going and used a modified version of the constant comparative method for themes to emerge.

Findings indicated that secondary principals expect their vice-principals …

Math Stories In Elementary Mathematics Education In China And North America, Bingqing Xu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In our information- and technology-based society, mathematics education plays an increasingly important role in current world economic development. As the world biggest economies,ChinaandNorth Americahave accelerated the reform of mathematics education in recent years. One of the phenomena is that children’s literature has attracted great attention in the improvement of mathematics instruction and students’ learning for early childhood education. However, research conducted on math literature and the comparison of math literature inChinaand North America is limited, which points the necessity to consider the similarities and differences of math literature inChinaandNorth America. By comparing and contrasting the math stories in China and …

Leadership, Nursing, And Patient Safety Within A Hospital-Based Learning Organization, Lara Murphy

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Within the complex and often changing Canadian landscape of healthcare, patient safety remains at the forefront of hospital corporate priorities and strategic plans. Drawing data from an emergency department in one Ontario-based hospital that was supported by 180 nursing staff and a three-member front-line leadership team (two coordinators and a manager), this study provides further insight into aspects of how safe patient care can be provided. An exploratory mixed-methods case study was used to understand how and why leadership attributes impact a patient safety culture and patient safety outcomes in a learning organization. It was hypothesized that nursing staff who …

More Than Meets The Eye: Latino Students In A Two-Way Immersion Program And Stereotype Threat, Edgar Ubaldino Solares Vega

Dissertations and Theses

Figures from the 2010 Census indicate that there are 50.5 million Latinos (16% of the total population) living in the United States (US) today. From 2000 to 2010, the Latino population experienced a very rapid growth rate of 43%, which accounted for over half the total population growth. More and more Latino students are entering our public schools and face the reality that 62 years after the Brown V. Board of Education ruling to integrate schools and equalize educational opportunities, schools are more racially and economically segregated and more unequal than they were more than half a century ago. As …

Effectiveness Of 1:1 Technology In The Science Classroom, Courtney Tara Weiss

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were: (a) to determine if using e-text technology in a middle school resource science classroom increases student academic performance, (b) to determine if using e-text technology in a middle school science resource classroom increases student engagement/on-task behavior, and (c) to evaluate student comfort and satisfaction in using an electronic textbook or print textbook in a middle school resource science classroom. Ten middle school students, four in grade 7 and six in grade 8 participated in the study using the Discovery Education Science Techbook and the AGS General Science series. A single subject design with ABABA …

The American Revolutionary War Through Differentiated Instruction: A Series Of 8th Grade Lesson Plans, Danya Crow

Honors Projects

Just like no two people are exactly alike, no two students learn in the same ways. While using traditional teaching strategies seems to have worked well through the years in today’s society, where children are surrounded by distractions, teachers are faced with the challenge of keeping their students’ attention. Making class interesting and different is a way to not only keep the students engaged with the material they are being taught, but can also be used as an effective tool to tailor lessons to the ways the students learn best. While one lesson structure could work very well for one …

Influence Of Mentors Of Female Development Among Higher Education Administrative Professionals, Courtney Van Leuvan

Theses and Dissertations

Leadership is a socially constructed concept that has been seen as a masculine quality; because of this women struggle reaching leadership positions and face many challenges when holding leadership positions. This study investigated the development of leadership styles and qualities of selected female administrative leaders at Rowan University through survey and interview data. The study specifically looked at the influence of these women’s mentors on their leadership development. The findings of the study showed that the women reported no negative experiences with male mentors, however several with female mentors. The interviews also revealed that there were differences among qualities and …

Testing Tensions: The Use Of English Language Proficiency Tests For The Admission Of Ontario High School Applicants To One Ontario University, Samia Lahib

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In today’s globalized world, students have the opportunity to apply to universities around the world. At most universities where the dominant language of instruction is English, applicants whose first language is not English have to prove their English language proficiency by submitting test scores such as the internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as part of the application process. This study investigated the ability of TOEFL iBT and IELTS to identify applicants with sufficient English language proficiency to succeed academically during undergraduate study at one Ontario university between …

The Effectiveness Of Listening While Reading With Story Mapping On The Reading Comprehension Of Students With Emotional Disorders, Suzanne C. Sedarat

Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized a single-subject ABA design to examine the effectiveness of listening while reading using audiobooks combined with the evidence-based strategy, story mapping, on the reading comprehension of narrative text for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Four high-school students in a ninth grade self-contained classroom in a private, special education setting participated in the study. During the intervention, students listened to a novel on the computer program Learning Ally (TM) while reading along with a copy of the text and competing a related story map. Reading comprehension was measured via student responses to comprehension questions and the number …

A Quantitative And Qualitative Investigation Of Content-Area Literacy Instruction Integrated Into Social Studies Content For Kindergarten - 4th Grade Students, Jennifer E. Lee

Master of Education Research Theses

The objective of this study was to research the impact of short term intensive instruction of content-area literacy strategies on students’ academic success, students’ reading attitudes, and teachers’ perceptions of literacy integration into content-area learning of social studies with Kindergarten through 4th grade students at a private, Christian school. The experimental group of students did not show any statistically significant improvement over the control group of students. However, there was a trend in the experimental Kindergarten and 1st grade groups in which their content-area knowledge post-test scores slightly increased (5% and 10% increase in post-test scores, respectively) with additional literacy …