Education Commons^™

Digital Literacy: The Impact Of A Blended Learning Model On Student Motivation And Achievement, Jennifer Miller

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Educators continue to search for a balance between preparing students for a marketable future and integrating face-to-face instruction. Many factors influence various educational models related to best instructional methodologies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between student perceptions regarding student motivation to read and the corresponding effect on student achievement within a blended learning environment. This mixed methods study determined whether the use of digital collaborative learning, as it applies to literacy, within a blended learning environment would have any corresponding effects on student motivation and achievement. Participants included fifth-grade students at the elementary level and …

Culture Change: Examining The Impact Of Professional Learning Communities And Trust On School Culture, Jessica Floyd

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact professional learning community (PLC) implementation and collegial trust have at the organizational level and the effect these elements have on the positive school culture that nurtures academic achievement in select rural Title I elementary schools located in southeastern North Carolina. An explanatory sequential mixed methods approach was used to design the study. The study occurred in two phases. Phase 1 was the collection of quantitative data from the Learning Community Culture Indicator (LCCI) 4.0 survey (Williams et al., 2007) and the Team Trust Inventory (Costa & Anderson, 2011). Phase 2 …

A Program Evaluation Of The Implementation Of Personalized Learning In A Rural Elementary School, Jaime Hembree

Education Dissertations and Projects

The global workforce is constantly changing. Students sitting in today’s classrooms are being prepared for jobs that do not currently exist. Students must graduate ready to be problem solvers, collaborators, and self-starters. Students must become in charge of their learning, and teachers must possess the skill set in order to facilitate this kind of learning. As a result, many states and school districts are implementing personalized learning. This study provides a program evaluation of the implementation of personalized learning, and focused primarily on the implementation of student data notebooks and teacher-shared flexible grouping and measured teacher efficacy and student achievement …

A Study Of The Implementation Of A Middle School Math Program And Student Achievement, Carla Simmons White

Education Dissertations and Projects

Students who are entering the workplace are required to have middle or high school level skills. Graduates must develop skills in problem -solving and real-world mathematics. The purpose of this study was to determine (a) the extent to which teachers are using Carnegie Learning® for instructional planning, direct instruction, and assessment of students; (b) the extent to which there a statistically significant difference in spring MAP scores of students from spring 2016 to spring 2017 with teachers indicating they frequently use Carnegie Learning®; and (c) the impact of Carnegie Learning® on student achievement in Grades 6, 7, and 8. The …

A Comparative Study Of Two Graduation Pathways: Traditional Vs. Stem At A Southeastern High School, Chemisi Asha Kogo-Masila

Education Dissertations and Projects

This mixed-methods study approach investigated the impact of standardized tests on student achievement from the STEM program and the traditional program in a suburban high school. Qualitative data were collected from interviews, focus groups, and questionnaires to get perceptual data from teachers. Quantitative data were collected from different demographic information and the standardized tests American College Testing (ACT) and end-of-course examination (EOC). An independent sample t test, the Chi-Square Test of Independence and Pearson R Correlation of association test were used to analyze the data collected. Documents with the graduation rates for the participants were reviewed, and both programs had …

Writing Focused Professional Development For Content-Area Teachers: The Effects Of Writing Instruction On Content-Area Student Achievement, Amanda Edwards Whatley

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of writing on the content areas when coupled with ongoing professional development and support for content-area teachers. Research shows that writing is an essential skill for success in and beyond the school setting. Research further indicates that writing plays an important role in student learning through its development of cognitive processes; however, in general, writing as a mode of learning is not a focus of either pre or in-service teacher training. As such, writing beyond note-taking and fill-in-the-blank activities is not necessarily a strategy utilized in content-area teacher classrooms. This …

A Mixed-Method Study Of One-To-One Mobile Technology Implementation In Math In A Rural Middle School, Maxie Nathan Deaton Jr

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine the extent of one-to-one mobile technology implementation on student math achievement as measured by standardized test scores. A second focus was on the extent one-to-one mobile technology implementation has influenced teacher practices in math instruction. A final focus was on the extent that teacher lesson plans support or fail to support technology implementation. The setting for the study was a small rural middle school in the Upstate of South Carolina. The participants consisted of males and females from several ethnicities and socioeconomic classes. A parallel/simultaneous method was used for the study. …

A Comprehensive Evaluation Of The Teacher’S College Reading And Writing Project Balanced Literacy Instructional Framework And The Reading Proficiency Of Economically Disadvantaged Students, Latonya Elise Gaines-Montgomery

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the Teacher’s College Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP) and its impact on the reading achievement of economically disadvantaged students. TCRWP was implemented at two high poverty schools (over 80% economically disadvantaged students) in southeastern North Carolina. Stufflebeam’s (2003) revised CIPP evaluation model was used to evaluate the program along with a convergent mixed-methods design. The data analysis revealed that TCRWP as well as the schools’ strategic plans were aligned to the schools’ assessed needs. Additionally, the analysis showed that implementation of TCRWP aligned to the schools’ initial implementation designs. The …

A Correlational Study Of Teacher Efficacy And Culturally Responsive Teaching Techniques In A Southeastern Urban School District, Roberta F. Callaway

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study investigated the level of personal and general teacher efficacy of teachers from three high schools within a southeastern urban school district. Additional research questions focused on correlational relationships between teacher efficacy and culturally responsive teaching, instructional strategies, student engagement, and classroom management as measured by the Teacher Efficacy Scale (TES), Culturally Responsive Teaching Techniques (CRTT) Scale, and Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES).

This study was conducted in a large urban school district located in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States; three of the five high schools in the district participated. The CRTT Scale and TSES were …

Evaluation Of The Relationship Of Learner-Centered Beliefs Of Seventh Grade Mathematics Teachers And Student Achievement On The Mathematics Section Of The North Carolina End-Of-Grade Assessment, Mary A. Steltz

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to examine the personal domain in systemic reform. In an effort to improve student achievement, this study focused on accountability reform. The learner-centered model was based on what teachers believe about teaching and learning and how student motivation and achievement was influenced by those beliefs. Teacher practices, beliefs and behaviors had the greatest impact on student learning; therefore this study sought to establish identification of learner-centered teachers and their effectiveness on student achievement on the seventh grade mathematics section of the North Carolina End-of-Grade Assessment.

To that end, a non-experimental quantitative study design was used to …

The Impact Of A Freshman Academy On High School Transition, Sherry Grier Veasey

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to identify and describe the impact a freshman academy has on high school transition for ninth-grade students at a rural high school in western North Carolina. This case study investigated the problems ninth graders encounter as they transition from middle school to high school. The study examined student achievement, student attendance, and the graduation rate in an effort to determine whether a freshman academy at the high school helped students transition successfully.

The transition to high school may be difficult for some students because of the countless changes they are experiencing as adolescents. The high school …

Environmental And Psychological Factors Contributing To Student Achievement In A High School Online Mediated Credit Recovery Program, Sheila B. Huckabee

Education Dissertations and Projects

School districts around the country have sought to mitigate students' reasons for dropping out through a variety of approaches. A repeated theme in the dropout research is student course failure in key academic subjects needed for on-time promotion with grade-level peers. The crux of the problem is that within the traditional classroom environment, a significant number of students do not demonstrate the required level of academic skills and knowledge needed to pass specific state and district mandated courses, which ultimately decreases their ability to advance to the next grade and graduate in 4 years.

The purpose of this dissertation study …