Education Commons^™

Examining Three Approaches To Supporting English Learners By Leveraging Technology, Jillian Conry

Teaching and Learning Theses and Dissertations

This three-article dissertation examines three distinct approaches to supporting English learners (ELs) by leveraging technology. Framed by the third generation of cultural-historical activity theory (Engeström, 1987; 2001), this research illuminates ways different stakeholder groups within varying activity systems support ELs, by examining technology as 1) an instructional tool in the classroom, 2) a mechanism for family engagement, and 3) a means for preparing teachers to serve ELs. Types of technologies implemented in these studies include various online multimodal tools (e.g., VoiceThread, Zaption), learning management systems (e.g., EdModo, Canvas), social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Twitter), and mixed-reality simulation (MRS; e.g., Mursion). …

Bilingualism: Visualizing The Outcomes For Latinx Students In The United States, Paul Polanco

Teaching and Learning Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I analyzed the outcomes of bilingualism for the growing Latinx community living in the United States. Outcomes were quantitatively analyzed from four different perspectives: educational outcomes, job market participation, income, and social capital engagement. Chapters 1 and 2 cover previous studies about bilingualism, the importance of including outcomes that are not purely related to income, and general characteristics of the Latinx community. To perform the analyses, I used the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002/2012 (ELS:2002) dataset, a nationally representative dataset administered by the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) of the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department …

Examining The Consequential Validity Of Using An English Language Proficiency Assessment For Reclassification Decisions, Anthony Sparks

Teaching and Learning Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study is to develop a better understanding of reclassification decisions for English learners. Previous research has primarily viewed reclassification strictly through a policy lens without providing a framework for understanding these high-stakes decisions. However, I adopt a validity framework for reclassification decisions, specifically as a consequence of testing. The framework specifies that assessment uses, such as reclassification decisions, have consequences that need to be understood. Furthermore, I conduct analyses of both achievement data and data related to graduation and college readiness to fully understand the impact of reclassification decisions. The Duke Center for Child and …

The Impact Of The Discrepancies Between Student And Parent Expectations On Academic Achievement: An Ecological Approach, Thom Suhy

Teaching and Learning Theses and Dissertations

Policy-makers, educators, and parents have long viewed effective parent involvement practices as a way to help close the education gap that exists within high minority public schools. The creation of No Child Left Behind (2002) has transformed parent involvement programs, which were once a luxury, into a requirement for those schools receiving Title I funding. The problem, however, is the difficulty in agreeing on what defines high-quality parent involvement practices. Through the examination of parent involvement research, such as Fan and Chen (2001), this paper reveals that parent expectations have the strongest relationship, of all parent involvement practices examined, in …

Core Tensions: An Exploratory Case Study Of Faculty Work At A Striving Institution, Molly Ellis

Education Policy and Leadership Theses and Dissertations

Drawing from the literature on faculty culture and striving institutions, my exploratory case study sheds light on the work tensions and experiences of faculty at a striving university. As the pursuit of prestige permeates the American higher education landscape, a greater understanding is needed on how institutional striving towards prestige influences faculty work. While variation exists in the work of professors across institutional types and disciplines, one constant holds true: too many responsibilities are competing for faculty members’ time. Current research on faculty work posits that the modern professor encounters disparate demands that make achieving a balance challenging.

Using a …

Tidying And Analysis Of The 2014 Texas English Ii End-Of-Course Exam, David Churchman, Abigail Morton Garland

SMU Data Science Review

The state of Texas requires all public high school students to take End of Course (EOC) exams. The results of these exams are made nominally public, but in a shape and format that precludes ready analysis. To the extent possible, principles of tidy data will be applied to clean and analyze the publicly released data file for the 2014 English II EOC exam, providing insights into the EOC program and a case for better public data from the Texas Education Administration (TEA).

A Multi-Case Study Identifying Potential Factors Related To Two- To Four-Year Transfer Student Retention And Persistence At Private Institutions, Rachael Capua

Education Policy and Leadership Theses and Dissertations

A multi-case study, this research was designed to address a dearth of literature focusing on undergraduate transfer students from two- to four-year private institutions. Through a quantitative and qualitative approach, the researcher completed a descriptive data analysis (n = 2,086) and semi-structured student interviews (n = 10).

The purpose of this study was to better understand the makeup of students who transfer from community colleges to private (highly selective) institutions as well as what potential factors were related to their retention and persistence at the baccalaureate level. Two private universities, both geographically located near a large community college system (also …

Faculty Satisfaction At Striving Vs. Non-Striving Institutions, Na-Li Kim

Education Policy and Leadership Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I analyze the 2013-14 Faculty Survey data from Higher Education Research Institute (HERI), to observe whether faculty at striving and non-striving institutions have varying levels of faculty satisfaction. In addition, some of the individual-level factors such as demographic characteristics, tenure-status, STEM/non-STEM department, and career related stress are analyzed to see how these variables influence faculty satisfaction. I use a combination of OLS regression and multiple regression to present evidence, which provides support to my argument that faculty at striving and non-striving institutions have different levels of faculty satisfaction. The findings from my study show that faculty at …

Geo-Spatial Mapping As A Catalyst For Creative And Engaged Design In Engineering Education, Jessie Zarazaga

Multidisciplinary Studies Theses and Dissertations

Exploiting the technology of geo-spatial mapping student designers can develop deep understandings of the rich and layered data of a spatial context, a situational understanding essential to responsible civic design. However the actions inherent in the construction of spatial data armatures can simultaneously be harnessed as creative strategies, in which mapping processes become the context for generative spatial play. The ambition of this study is to propose efficient pedagogic structures to help prepare civil and environmental student engineers to be not only strong participants, but leaders, in the design of the built environment. The interpretation of site data, mapped as …