Education Commons^™

Design And Validation Of A Scale For Preschoolers: Measuring Nutrition Knowledge, Beliefs, And Behaviors, Michelle E. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The literature indicates a lack of validated scales to measure nutrition knowledge, attitudes and behaviors in preschool-aged children. Reliable and valid assessment tools are critical in the development of nutritional interventions for young children; careful design, including psychometric evaluation of reliability and validity, is the best approach to scale development. Best practice points to an efficient, yet comprehensive look at the constructs of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. This multi-phase study included 298 preschool children ages 2-6 years (151 girls, 147 boys; mean age 3.936). A 45-item scale was created, with 4 subscales to measure the nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors …

Per Pupil Expenditure, Graduation Rates, And Act Scores In Tennessee School Districts, Jay Irvin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate and identify possible relationships between academic achievement, as measured by high school graduation rate and ACT composite scores of individual school districts within the state of Tennessee, and the per-pupil expenditure of each district. Research was conducted to determine whether a significant difference existed in academic achievement measures (high school graduation rate, ACT composite score) among school districts in the state of Tennessee that were classified as above average, average, and below average in relation to their per-pupil expenditure (PPE) in the 2013-2014, 2014-2015, and 2015-16 school years.

Ex post facto data …

Computer Ratio And Student Achievement In Reading And Math In A North Carolina School District, Erica Preswood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This longitudinal research project explored the relationship between a 1:1 computing initiative and student achievement on the North Carolina End of Grade Reading Comprehension and Math tests in the study school district. The purpose of this research study was to determine if the implementation of a 1:1 computing initiative impacted student performance on standardized tests. This study used secondary, longitudinal data to follow a sample of the district’s 2012-2013 3rd grade students through the 2015-2016 school year. The study used student grade level proficiency on the North Carolina End of Grade Reading Comprehension and Math tests for both the district …

Pre-Licensure Nursing Students’ Perceptions Of Safety Culture In Schools Of Nursing, Kristen Hershey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Safety culture has been demonstrated to be a key factor in high-reliability organizations (HROs), yet healthcare has not achieved a safety culture as seen in HROs despite decades of effort. Student nurses are enculturated into their profession during their pre-licensure education. This period offers an excellent opportunity to teach students the values, norms, and practices of safety culture. However, little is known about the state of safety culture in schools of nursing.

The purpose of this study was to examine the state of patient safety culture as perceived by students in pre-licensure nursing programs in the US using a modified …

Women In Recovery: Perceptions In Transition To Community College, Mandi Walker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Substance abuse is an area of concern for college administrators, and they have implemented campus programming in an attempt to address it. Additionally, prior researchers have studied substance abuse on college campuses in order to better understand how substance abuse affects student success. However, limited research exist that addresses the unique perspective of college students who are in recovery from substance abuse, and most studies were conducted in 4-year institutions rather than community colleges. This qualitative case study explored the transition experiences of female students in recovery who attend community college or have recently graduated. The sample included students from …

Teacher Perceptions Of Using Positive Behavior Interventions And Supports As Behavioral Interventions In A Pre-K-5 Elementary School: A Phenomenological Study, Meghann Roberts-Clawson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers’ Perceptions of Using Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports as Behavioral Interventions in a Pre-K-5 Elementary School: A Phenomenological Study by Meghann E. Roberts-Clawson This qualitative study addresses teacher perceptions of using positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) as positive behavioral interventions. This phenomenological study was conducted within a Pre-K-5 elementary school in northwestern North Carolina. In order to collect qualitative data, personal individualized interviews were conducted from a purposeful sample of teachers in the school who have experience implementing more intensive positive behavioral interventions. By analyzing data derived from the interviews and classroom and individualized documentation, the researcher was …

Preschool Enrollment And Elementary School Achievement In An East Tennessee School District, Derek Voiles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if a significant difference in achievement scores exists among students based on whether or not they attended preschool as measured by standardized achievement reading-language arts and math scores on the Tennessee Comprehensive Achievement Program assessment for fourth grade students in a single East Tennessee school district. The variables of grade level and preschool attendance were considered. The population consisted of fourth grade students during the 2014-2015 school year. Data were gathered from the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program achievement test scores obtained from the 2014-2015 school year and from the school district’s preschool …

Young Adult Literature And Empathy In Appalachian Adolescents, Kelsey R. Kiser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Based on recent research concluding that fiction can increase empathy, this project examines how multicultural young adult literature may encourage empathy in Appalachian adolescents. Empathy encourages prosocial behaviors, but evidence suggests that young adults’ ability to empathize has declined in recent decades. In addition, Appalachia in particular is still a relatively homogenous region as it is majority white, protestant Christian, and heteronormative. Because of this, young adults in Appalachia may encounter few diverse perspectives in real life; multicultural young adult literature can provide diverse perspectives with which teenagers can empathize in a region where they might not have similar opportunities …

Continuing Professional Education For Licensed Accountants In Tennessee, Brian J. Lucas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Accounting is a professional occupation that is continually evolving and requires a dedication to continuing education to meet the legal demands of new regulations and to maintain professional competency. Continuing Professional Education (CPE) is required by state boards for certified public accountants (CPA) to meet these requirements and to maintain professional competence. CPAs are responsible for complying with all applicable CPE requirements, rules, and regulations of state boards of accountancy, as well as those of other professional organizations.

The purpose of this study was to determine the opinions of CPAs about the current requirements for CPE and to determine their …

A Qualitative Case Study Of Coteaching Relationships, Matthew Case

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Co-teaching is defined as a general education teacher and special education teacher, who may or may not have the same area of expertise, jointly delivering instruction to a group of students with special needs in a special education classroom. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the perceptions of general and special education teachers in regard to forming coteaching relationships in a school setting organized to serve special education students through coteaching models. Participants were purposefully sampled following the typical case sampling strategy and included two public schools. Of the two schools, there were five special education …

Examining The Understanding Of Inquiry-Based Learning And Teaching Among Undergraduate Teachers And Students, Maren Hudson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the main aims of inquiry is to engage students as active, not passive, participants in science. The purpose of this study is to describe science educators’ and students’ views about inquiry-based instruction in order to better understand and improve implementation of evidence-based teaching strategies. Inquiry-based techniques have been shown to improve student understanding of scientific concepts, yet, there continue to be challenges in implementing these techniques. This research project utilizes Q Methodology, a research method that captures both common and disparate measures of subjectivity, to identify commonalities and defining viewpoints about inquiry-based teaching and learning. Three significantly different …

Modeling Student Enrollment At Etsu Using A Discrete-Time Markov Chain Model, Lohuwa Mamudu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Discrete-time Markov chain models can be used to make future predictions in many important fields including education. Government and educational institutions today are concerned about college enrollment and what impacts the number of students enrolling. One challenge is how to make an accurate prediction about student enrollment so institutions can plan appropriately. In this thesis, we model student enrollment at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) with a discrete-time Markov chain model developed using ETSU student data from Fall 2008 to Spring 2017. In this thesis, we focus on the progression from one level to another within the university system including …

Online Learning In Biology: An Investigation Into Designing Online Learning Resources, William Ford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As technology continues to advance, many instructors are incorporating online activities into their courses. While online learning has several benefits, there is still debate on how instructors can best develop and utilize these resources in their classroom. This study is split into two smaller projects that both aim to provide further insights on how to develop online activities that target undergraduate biology students. The first project revealed that elaborative feedback in a phylogenetic activity was more useful for students who had some exposure to phylogenetics prior to completing the activity. The results of the second project revealed that the appearance …

Levels Of Feedback Observed In Kindergarten Classrooms: Perceptions And Reality, Jacqueline Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The most powerful influence on student achievement is the classroom teacher and the most effective instructional strategy teachers can use to increase student learning and achievement is effective feedback (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). The research on teacher feedback in kindergarten classrooms is scarce therefore this study helps reduce the void in the literature on the importance of teacher feedback in kindergarten classrooms.

The purpose of this study was to examine effective teachers’ perceptions of the amount and kind of feedback they provide to their students and to determine if their perceptions match the feedback they actually provide. The participants in …

Parental Perceptions Of Preschool-Age Children’S Literacy Development In A Rural Appalachian Community, Kimberly Austin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Early Childhood educators agree on the significant influence of a parent on a child’s literacy development. The environment a parent provides, in addition to the opportunities a child has in the early years, have a major influence on a child’s literacy development. This study sought to determine how parents in a low-income socioeconomic group perceived literacy development and how their preschool-age children performed on an emergent literacy assessment. The 64 study participants were recruited from a Head Start program in the central Appalachian Mountains. An overwhelming majority of participants were mother/child dyads, every participant spoke English as a primary language, …

Effects Of The Motivaider And Self-Monitoring To Increase On-Task Behavior For Students With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Naif Almutairi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The following study compared the use of the MotivAider as a self-monitoring tactile device between an elementary age student with ADHD and his teacher to increase ontask behavior. The design of this study was an alternating treatments design, which helped to determine the more effective condition. The results of this study indicated that the use of the MotivAider by the student was more effective than the use of the device by the teacher.

Impact Of A Technology Based Intervention Package On The Inappropriate Behavior Of A Child With Severe Disability, Amani Alshehri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One useful strategy to support students with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) to promote appropriate behaviors across environments and gain the social skills is using social stories. In addition, experts have recognized iPads and apps were associated with less challenging behavior and more academic engagement over traditional materials (Lee, Lang, Davenport, Moore, Rispoli, Meer, & Chung, 2013). The focus this study was to examine the effectiveness of an intervention package featuring social stories delivered via an iPad and simultaneous prompting on frequency of targeted challenging behavior and comprehension of the social story of a student with IDD. A single-subject multiple …

Language Proficiency Attainment And Mobility Among Ell Students, Elizabeth Ayers Neill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The impact student mobility has on academic achievement has been researched in the United States since the early 20^th century (Goebel, 1978). Mobility for students is a risk factor often compounded by poverty, ELL students are at a higher risk of lower achievement. Educators face challenges in tracking records, monitoring, remediating, gap closing, and assisting students in transition periods. The data collected in this quantitative study was analyzed to determine the impact mobility has on English language learners and their attainment of a second language. This quantitative study examined the relationship between non-mobile and highly mobile ELL students in …

At The Intersection Of Politics And Higher Education: Policy, Power, And Governing Boards In Oklahoma, Kirk Rodden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study examined the perceptions of members of Oklahoma public higher education governing boards and legislators concerning higher education governance. The purpose of this study was to gain a greater understanding among the participants as to the role governing boards should play in the system. The population for the study comprised 142 members of the Oklahoma Legislature and 107 members of 15 Oklahoma public higher education governing boards. The principal investigator used a web-based survey development company to design, collect, and store survey responses.

Results from the study were examined using independent samples t tests and one-way ANOVAs. From …

Native And Community College Transfer Students In Biological Sciences At A Four-Year Institution: A Comparative Study, Nathanial Weber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences between native and community college transfer students and identify factors that predicted upper-level biology course grade-point average and final overall grade-point average at a four-year institution in biological sciences. The results of this study indicated four-year institution persistence was not significantly related to gender, high school grade-point average, or ACT composite score. Persistence was significantly related to transfer status; whether the student was a native or community college transfer student with native students persisting at a higher rate at the four-year institution than community college transfer students. Furthermore, ACT composite score, …

The Relationship Of School-Community Partnerships With Act Benchmark Scores In Rural Tennessee Schools, Kari Eubanks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if a relationship existed between the quality of school-community partnerships and the average score of each ACT subtest for rural Tennessee high school students. Specifically, the researcher examined the following school-community partnerships: business partnerships, university partnerships, service learning partnerships, school-linked service integration, and faith-based partnerships (Sanders, 2006). Administrators from 62 rural Tennessee high schools rated the partnerships present in their schools using the Improving Community Partnership Quality rating scale developed by Sanders (2006). Each of these ratings was compared to the participating school’s mean score for each ACT benchmark to determine …

How The Collective Impact Model Can Help Hispanic Students In East Tennessee Excel In Higher Education, Edwin Soto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research project focuses on helping Hispanic students in the East Tennessee region excel in higher education with existing resources from various organizations. Hispanic high school students were identified to complete a survey. Findings showed that these students are facing legal, financial and social challenges when thinking about higher education. Even though these students are facing these challenges, they still want to pursue higher education in order to make a positive impact in their communities. The collective impact idea is proposed as part of the solution for this social complex problem. Since it is impossible for an individual to solve …

Perceived Value Of Higher Education Among Police Officers, Bradley D. Edwards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine whether police officers perceive higher education to be important in improving their job performance and promotional opportunities, whether the perception of higher education varied by several independent variables, and the types of suggestions that officers might have for improving the college curriculum. Independent variables included gender, age, level of education, type of police agency, academic major, years of service as a police officer, and job duty. The dependent variable was scores on 3 dimensions: general attitude toward higher education, perceived utility of a criminal justice related degree, and career-related competencies.

A 34- …

Teacher Passion As A Teaching Tool, Brent L. Palmer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to understand how passion is used by participating teachers at Hugo High School and if its use is intentional in the classroom. A qualitative research design was used for this study. The case study was determined to be the most appropriate method for this research because it provided an opportunity to get a deeper understanding of the research topic. This study used Fried’s definition of passion as one who is “in love with a field of knowledge, deeply stirred by issues and ideas that challenge our world, drawn to the dilemmas and …

The Tennessee Educator Acceleration Model And The Teacher Instructional Growth For Effectiveness And Results Model On Measures Of Teacher Effectiveness: A Comparative Study, Nichole R. Morris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to compare measures of teacher effectiveness between two different Tennessee teacher evaluation models. The two teacher evaluation models compared were the Tennessee Educator Acceleration Model (TEAM) and the Teacher Instructional Growth for Effectiveness and Results Model (TIGER). The measures of teacher effectiveness used were final observation scores and individual value-added growth (TVAAS) scores. The relationship between observation scores and growth scores were also compared for the two different evaluation models. There were four guiding research questions and corresponding null hypotheses. Data were provided from participating school systems. The sample for this study included …

Cyberbullying Incidents Among African American Female Middle School Students, Yvette Pennington

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent research has shown an increase in cyber bullying acts against middle and high school students. The National Center of Education Statistics (2010) reported that cyberbullying incidents increased 73% between the years of 2007 and 2009. In 2011, 75% of cyberbullying victims were adolescents (National Center of Education Statistics, 2013). Using data collected from the Pew Research and American Life Project, the study examined the prevalence of cyber bullying acts against African American female adolescents compared to Caucasian male and female adolescents and African American male adolescents. Additionally, the study reported the cyber bullying incident that occurred most frequently as …

Putnam County, Tennessee’S Prekindergarten Program As Measured By Test Scores, Gpa, Attendance, And Discipline Reports In 3rd, 7th, And 9th Grade, Christopher J. Winningham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there is a significant difference in the academic and behavioral performance of students who had attended Putnam County’s prekindergarten program and students who qualified for, but had not attended Putnam County’s prekindergarten program. The researcher examined individual student data of specific students in three grade bands (elementary, middle, and high school). The grade levels included 3rd grade, 7th grade, and 9th grade. The data analyzed were students’ individual GPA, ACT Explore scores, MAP Universal Screener scores, number of days absent, and number of discipline referrals of students who had attended …

New Faculty Mentoring In Respiratory Care Programs, Kristen L. Mchenry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Because of the potential age-related mass departure of seasoned educators in respiratory care programs, higher education institutions should develop strategies for attracting practitioners who hold or are pursuing graduate degrees to transition to academia. The purpose of this study was to identify current mentoring practices of new faculty members in Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) accredited respiratory care programs in the U.S. and to identify the perceptions of program directors regarding the observed impact of program mentoring practices.

The methodology for the study was quantitative nonexperimental survey research. The survey instrument was an electronic questionnaire. The survey consisted …

Academic Dishonesty In Higher Education: Perceptions And Opinions Of Undergraduates, Stanley K. Hodges

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if statistically significant differences existed between identified student demographic characteristics (gender and age), academic variables (classification, GPA, and major), and students’ perceptions of academic dishonesty, as measured by the Attitudes and Perceptions of Academic Dishonesty survey.

A pen-and-paper survey was used to gather the data at the 3 participating universities and college (a 4-year public university, a 4-year private university, and a 2-year public community college). There were 22 items on the survey. There were 328 surveys distributed by the investigator to participating classes at the 3 institutions of higher education. All …

The Effects Of Employment On Recidivism Among Delinquent Juveniles, Leigh Kassem

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Current research indicates an association between intense adolescent work (twenty hours or more per week) and delinquent behavior. It has been widely speculated that this relationship is spurious, occurring only as a result of other factors which are common to both offending and intense employment. The current study attempts to fill a gap in the literature by utilizing the Pathways to Desistance dataset to examine the evolution of the relationship between work and self-reported offending in a longitudinal sample of juvenile offenders. Work intensity and consistency, social capital, and expectations for success were analyzed as potential predictors of recidivism or …