Education Commons^™

The Experiences Of Tier 3 Early Reading Intervention Providers Three Years After A School Closure: A Phenomenological Study, Sue Ellen Nilena Washington

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of Tier 3 early reading intervention providers at the Urban Independent School District in Texas three years after a school closure. The central research question was, what are the lived experiences of Tier 3 early reading intervention providers in the Urban Independent School district three years after a school closure? Sub-questions explored early reading intervention providers’ beliefs, attitudes, mental states, and actions three years after a school closure. This study was guided by two central theories: the Vygotskian sociocultural theory of human learning and Bandura’s self-efficacy theory. …

Adults' Recollections And Reflections On The Impacts Of Grade Retention, April Dockery

Curriculum and Instruction (Ed.D.) Dissertations

This qualitative study chronicles the experiences of retention as told by adults who experienced retention. Through criterion sampling and snowball sampling, ten participants were identified and interviewed to learn more about their experiences with retention. Through one-on-one interviews, the researcher sought to examine what characterizes the experiences and responses of adults who were retained during their K-12 academic career. Their in-depth responses revealed participants’ perceptions of retention and the effects that it produced in their lives. This study humanized the data by allowing participants to tell an account of retention that coincides with past research. The findings of this study …

A Mixed Methods Study On Urban Educators’ Feelings Of Preparedness To Implement Practices That Impact Social And Emotional Learning In A Mid-Pandemic Environment, Emily Dittmer

Dissertations

The purpose of the mixed methods study was to evaluate urban educators’ perceptions of their preparedness to implement social and emotional learning strategies in their classrooms/workspaces as well as to understand what the educators’ experiences were as their students returned to a five day a week school schedule after a year and a half of disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those involved in the study included educators from four K-8 public charter schools located in an urban Midwestern environment. Quantitative data was obtained through the administration of two identical surveys that were completed by volunteer participants at two different …

Inclusive Communities? Collaborative Communication Practices Between Stakeholders Supporting Secondary Students On The Autism Spectrum, Christina R. Holly

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Communication is vital for effective partnerships and quality relationships between stakeholders supporting secondary students on the autism spectrum (AS) who experience many challenges upon their transition to secondary school: multiple teachers, diverse student cohorts, unstructured breaks, noisy classrooms and unpredictable changes to routines. Successful outcomes for students are more likely if supporting stakeholders collaborate with open communication channels.

This qualitative two-phase study is underpinned by the value-creation framework for social learning, developed by Wenger-Trayner and Wenger-Trayner (2020), which emphasises that all community members, regardless of their perceived community competence or experience, can add value to forming community solutions. Phase One …

Professional Learning Community Perceptions For Propelling Academic Growth In A Rural North Carolina School System, Steven E. Howard

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Small rural schools often struggle to facilitate true professional learning communities (PLCs) when there is one teacher per grade level in the building. The district selected for this study contained four elementary schools with one teacher per grade level and a combined middle and high school to collect perception data. Utilizing a concurrent triangulation design method, this dissertation set out to answer three research questions by analyzing the perceptions of PLCs from the lens of teachers and administrators. The research questions focused on collective efficacy impacts, student achievement impacts, and the COVID-19 pandemic impacts on PLC operations. These impacts were …

A Case Study Of Parentschool Relationships: How Spanish-Speaking Latino Parents Of Elementary Multilingual Learners Perceive Parental Involvement In Schools, Ingrid Corpuz

Theses & Dissertations

This study examined how Spanish-speaking Latino parents of multilingual learners (MLs) perceived their participation in the school community and their role in the educational process of their children. It explored several factors that can influence the involvement of Spanish-speaking parents in their children's education. Social capital, cultural capital, and social learning theories guided this study to provide a deeper understanding of the parental involvement of Spanishspeaking Latino parents in schools. Ten participating parents shared their experiences and described their view of parental involvement in their children’s school. This study concluded that Spanish-speaking Latino parents displayed characteristics of highly involved parents, …

The Role Of Museums In Educational Pedagogy And Community Engagement, Katherine E. Weber

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Museums provide exceptional opportunity for experiential and social/emotional learning that often cannot be simulated elsewhere. Schools and communities, however, are not taking full advantage of what these spaces have to offer. Learning science has indicated the need for more progressive education initiatives, making stronger partnerships between museums, schools, and communities imperative. Data was collected through surveys and interviews with museum education departments and K-12 teachers in the Chicagoland area to discuss available programs, usage, outcomes, and feedback for improvement. Analysis of data reiterated the positive role museums play in creating well-rounded, critically-thinking, emotionally intelligent individuals, who are civically engaged and …

Exploring The Impacts Of Lead Farmer Selection On Community Social Learning: The Case Of Farmer-To-Farmer Model: A Review Of Literature, Willis Ochieng, Colby J. Silvert, John Diaz

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

Agricultural extension has shifted towards community-centric, farmer-centered, and participatory approaches that enhance rural change through a social learning lens, resulting in the emergence of the farmer-to-farmer extension model. The purpose of the study was to understand lead farmer selection criteria within the farmer-to-farmer model and their impacts on community social learning. We applied Torraco’s (2005) integrative literature review method to guide our discussion around lead farmer selection processes, types of lead farmers selected and their impacts on social learning. The study indicated farmer-to-farmer extension model has the potential of re-invigorating the provision of agriculture extension services owing to its low …

Establishing A Community Of Practice For Doctoral Studies Amidst The Covid-19 Pandemic, Christina M. Cantin, Sara Brune, Laura Killam, Tyler Glass, Ruth Walker, Emma Vanderlee

Quality Advancement in Nursing Education - Avancées en formation infirmière

In this discussion paper, we describe our experience completing the first year of the doctorate in nursing program at a large urban academic centre during the COVID-19 pandemic. We highlight the current nursing shortage and the importance of supporting all nursing students, including nurses in doctoral programs, towards successful graduation. We describe the development of a virtual community of practice incorporating five key strategies: Building community, fostering collaboration, strengthening connection, enhancing creativity, and promoting consistency. We believe that utilizing these strategies will contribute to our success and may be relevant to nursing leaders seeking to support the development of more …

Social Emotional Learning For Latino Students, Norma Guzmán

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine how teachers teach Social Emotional Learning (SEL) to Latino students in transitional kindergarten through second grade. Latino students experience academic and emotional challenges due to parental education, language barriers, cultural difference, environmental challenges, and poverty. Integrating SEL into the classroom environment can be beneficial for Latino students to meet academic, social, and emotional development. A review of the literature supports that SEL can be a methodology to integrate into the school or classroom environments which support Latino achievement. As such, the classroom instructor is the critical participator in integrating SEL into the …

Pre-Mentoring Training On Financial Literacy For Small Business Owners, Marwa Abduljawad

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Small business owners are continuously faced with challenges to grow their business. These challenges are not only related to market conditions, some of them are associated with the business owner's lack of knowledge or skills; thus, many of them seek mentoring opportunities. This project explores the knowledge gap between the mentor and mentee, with a focus on financial literacy and how it impacts mentoring outcomes. A needs assessment was done to assess this performance problem through interviewing project SME’s, surveying stakeholders, and literature review. Based on the findings, a self-paced micro eLearning was proposed with an instructional goal of the …

Black Children's Development Of Self-Regulation Within Stressful Contexts Of Parenting: Investigating Potential Buffering Effects Of A Kindergarten Social-Emotional Learning Program, Eli Labinger

Dissertations and Theses

Children living in poverty are at an elevated risk for experiencing academic, social-emotional, and behavioral difficulties when beginning kindergarten, and early educational achievement gaps between economically disadvantaged and advantaged children are known to persist and widen over time. Black children face additional challenges related to racism, marginalization, minoritization, and oppression--processes which may, like poverty, impact their development by affording them fewer of the high-quality experiences that are critical for early learning. Fortunately, evidence-based social-emotional learning (SEL) programs offer tools to promote the social-emotional and behavioral competencies that support children's school readiness and early learning, and may counteract the adverse impacts …

Development And Validation Of A Scale To Measure Songwriting Self-Efficacy (Sses) With Secondary Music Students, Patrick K. Cooper

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Social cognitive theory was developed to explain how individuals learn, in part, by witnessing the behavior of others. Self-efficacy is a construct within social cognitive theory which indicates the beliefs that an individual can be successful at a task under specific situational demands. The sources of self-efficacy include self-evaluating past experiences to predict future success, comparing our abilities to those around us, the verbal and social feedback we get from others, and the physiological feelings we experience when engaged in or thinking about the task. Measures of self-efficacy have been shown to be accurate predictors of successful learning outcomes, achievement, …

Team Teaching For Discourse: Perspectives Of Instructors And A Student In An Online Probability And Statistics Course For Preparing Mathematics Specialists, V. Rani Satyam, Kristina C. Anthony, Madhumita Basu, Monica Swoyer

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Team teaching is a form of collaborative work where teachers plan lessons and/or teach together. We discuss the strengths of discourse in the planning stage for an intensive, team-taught, three-week probability and statistics course for mathematics specialists as a way to create and sustain a sense of community and show multiple perspectives in an online course. We delve into two cases of lessons––one about stem-and-leaf plots and another on averages––to describe the interactions of and reflections from three online instructors and a preparing mathematics specialist across the phases of planning, enactment, and the resulting student learning. The conversations about our …

From Boring To Board Game: The Effect Of A Serious Game On Key Learning Outcomes, Kendal L. Booker, Anita W. Mitchell

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Serious games incorporate learning objectives in the context of competitive games with rules. These types of games have been incorporated in education as well as therapeutic contexts. This study examined the effectiveness of a modification of the game “Snakes and Ladders,” for reviewing and learning qualitative research concepts. Using the Game-based Evaluation Model (GEM), the researchers also measured learning indicators such as interest and enjoyment, perceived competence, effort and importance, and value/usefulness. Thirty-eight Master of Occupational Therapy students completed a 25-question multiple choice pretest to measure knowledge of qualitative research concepts before playing the game. A 25-question multiple choice posttest …

Socio-Emotional Learning As A Core Standard In Early Education: Producing Competent Adults, Talia Maras

University Honors Theses

A child’s foundational emotional proficiency is highly predictive of their academic success. It is therefore imperative that center-based, federally funded, public childhood education systems provide their students with a curriculum that facilitates the development of a strong socio-emotional baseline on which to build their cognitive, academic abilities. Drawing on government reports by the US Department of Education and empirical publications from an academic perspective, this paper reviews the nature of current efforts to reform the childhood education system, as seen through the implementation of the common core standards of learning. I review the quality of education that is provided by …

Perceptions Of Urban Secondary Science Teachers Regarding Social Learning Professional Development, Mary Kaye Macauley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Traditional classroom environments may not motivate students to learn and may lack interactive connections between educators and learners in the classroom. The problem addressed in this research study is the lack of understanding of science teachers' use and perception of innovative social learning strategies implemented in urban classrooms. The purpose of this research study was to establish urban science teachers' perceptions regarding social learning strategies within their classrooms. The conceptual framework of Hall and Hord's levels of use was used. The research questions addressed in this study focused on the perceptions and experiences of secondary science teachers in a large, …

Volunteerism - Sowing Seeds Early, Geeta S. Shetty

Teacher India

Volunteerism is a concept of social activity that is based on the philosophy of free will. The seeds of volunteerism need to be sown early in life to ensure that the future generations are empowered for social advocacy. This article throws light on the concept of volunteerism and its implications for social accountability of learners.

Teach Men How To Fish And They’Ll Know How To Fish; Teach Them How To Learn And We Just Might Save The Ocean, Steven F. Freeman, Phd

School of Continuing and Professional Studies Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

An Exploration Of Trust In Community Leadership Contexts, Richard Hudanick, Kimberlie M. Straatmann, Michael Miller, Andrea Harper, Joshua White

Dissertations

This qualitative exploratory study of effective community engagement process examines community leader’s perceptions of their experiences and the role fostering and building trust plays in producing sustainable change in a Midwestern regional context. The purpose of this study was to explore how trust interacts with asset-based thinking and social learning experiences, including trauma-informed awareness, meaning-making, and empathy, to support community engagement efforts. The research team interviewed 26 individuals who were selected via purposive sampling. Study participants were active in their communities and practitioners in their respective professions. The study identified five overarching themes that emerged from participant interviews, including themes …

The Relationship Between School Climate And Graduation Rates From A Control Perspective: Comparing Georgia Public High Schools, Nathan Hand

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to contribute to the body of literature regarding decisions school leaders make when developing strategic plans to improve student outcomes. This study investigated whether there is a significant relationship between the school’s climate and graduation rates for public high schools in the state of Georgia when controlling for potential covariates. Like most states, Georgia legislatures have increasingly placed more responsibilities on schools to graduate students on time. For this study, "on time” refers to students who graduate within a four-year cohort, beginning when students enter the ninth grade. Research over the last decade suggests …

Undergraduate Engineering Students' Agency In Professional Socialization : Evidence From A Capstone Design Lab, Michelle Mora

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Two national priorities were instrumental in this study of an undergraduate engineering program: (1) Higher education’s roles and responsibilities for the preparation of a workforce competent in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; and (2) Accountability-related questions regarding the value-added effects of professional education programs on aspiring STEM students. A recent report suggests that policy makers and the public do not know whether current initiatives are accomplishing their goals and leading to nationwide improvements in undergraduate STEM education (Committee on Developing Indicators for Undergraduate STEM Education et al., 2018). One reason is that national, state, and institutional undergraduate data systems often …

The Role Of Virtual Communication Platforms In Academically Supporting Post-Secondary Students, Eldora M. Fosmire

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

While many consider college students to be digital natives, who are at ease with multiple forms of technology, many of these students do not adapt these skills for academic purposes. Retention concerns for college students often prompt support staff to seek out and adopt technology approaches to promote completion. This study provided a virtual learning platform to deliver academic support and sought to promote learning community interaction for rural and urban post-secondary students. A subset of vocational major programs that prepare students for employment after completion served as a participant pool. However, participants in the study chose not to use …

The Impact Of Professional Development Grounded In Social Learning On Community College Faculty Efficacy, Shanika Shantell Strickland-Davis

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Community college faculty have experienced a shift in focus from access to access and student success. Given this shift in responsibility for student learning, community college faculty should be sufficiently prepared to teach a diverse student body and subsequently uphold beliefs regarding their ability to bring about desired outcomes of student engagement and learning. Given preparedness is a measure of self-efficacy, professional development for community college faculty is a critical investment in the support and development of teacher efficacy and faculty skill.

Social learning theory specifically speaks to a means of increasing self-efficacy. As a professional development practice, social learning …

Prosocial Religion And Games: Lost & Found, Owen Gottlieb, Ian Schreiber

Articles

In a time when religious legal systems are discussed without an understanding of history or context, it is more important than ever to help widen the understanding and discourse about the prosocial aspects of religious legal systems throughout history. The Lost & Found (www.lostandfoundthegame.com) game series, targeted for an audience of teens through twentysomethings in formal, learning environments, is designed to teach the prosocial aspects of medieval religious systems—specifically collaboration, cooperation, and the balancing of communal and individual/family needs. Set in Fustat (Old Cairo) in the 12th century, the first two games in the series address laws in Moses Maimonides’ …

Youth Developing Political Efficacy Through Social Learning Experiences: Becoming Active Participants In A Supportive Model United Nations Club, Brett Levy

Educational Theory and Practice Faculty Scholarship

Prior research indicates that individuals are more likely to take political action (e.g., vote, contact representatives, protest) when they have higher levels of political efficacy, the belief that one’s actions can influence political processes. In this mixed methods longitudinal study, I draw on Wenger’s and Bandura’s theories of social learning to examine how adolescents’ political efficacy developed during their experiences in a Model United Nations club. Through analyses of data from questionnaires, interviews, and observations, I found that students’ political efficacy increased as they became active club participants. Supportive relationships with club peers and advisors encouraged regular involvement, which in …

Graduate Students' Experiences And Attitudes Toward Using E-Books For College-Level Courses, Rasha Alhammad, Heng-Yu Ku

Journal of Educational Research and Innovation

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences and attitudes of graduate students toward the use of e-books for college-level courses. Seven students who pursued graduate studies at a midsize university in the Western United States volunteered to participate in semi-structured interviews. A theoretical lens comprised of three supporting learning theories (social constructivism, information processing, and self-efficacy theories) related to the constructivist learning approach was utilized to analyze the results and provide insight about students’ learning experiences with e-books. Students’ responses were categorized in four main areas: (a) they valued using e-books for social interactions and anytime/anywhere …

An Alternative Pathway To College: A Qualitative Case Study Of An Adult Learner In An Online Competency-Based Education (Cbe) Bachelor’S Degree Program, Fang Chen

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

My dissertation research investigated an adult learner’s experience in an online competency-based education (CBE) bachelor’s degree program. The purpose of my study was to understand how CBE was transforming the practices of traditional post-secondary education and how CBE was serving the needs of students, particularly nontraditional adult students in higher education.

The methodology used in this dissertation research was a qualitative case study. The participant was an adult learner enrolled in an online CBE bachelor's degree program at a public institution. My case study used a series of face-to-face interviews, document analysis, participant-guided web tours, and participant observation to collect …

A Circle With Edges: How Story Time Privileges The Abled Learner, Melissa Tsuei

Occasional Paper Series

Takes a critical look at one of the commonplace features of early childhood classrooms—story time. In her essay, Melissa considers the ways in which story time reinforces unequal power dynamics for diverse learners by privileging the able-bodied learner. In response, Melissa creates and presents the SPHERE model, which promotes active engagement and shared dialogue through collaborative storytelling and nurtures an inclusive literacy-learning environment.

Your Teaching Strategy Matters: How Engagement Impacts Application In Health Information Literacy Instruction, Heather A. Johnson, Laura C. Barrett

Dartmouth Scholarship

The purpose of this study was to compare two pedagogical methods, active learning and passive instruction, to determine which is more useful in helping students to achieve the learning outcomes in a one-hour research skills instructional session.