Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

The Relationship Between English Language Proficiency And Academic Achievement For English Language Learners, Laura Grisso

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative correlational research study was to test the threshold hypothesis as it applied to the performance of English language learner students on the Oklahoma Core Curriculum Test (OCCT) in third grade reading and the Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State to State for English language learners assessment, also known as the ACCESS for ELLs. The OCCT assesses student performance on third grade reading content and the ACCESS for ELLs assesses the English language proficiency levels in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. This study specifically proposed to analyze the relationship between the ACCESS for ELLs reading …

An Analysis Of Grit Scores On First-Year Undergraduate Students' Persistence At A Large Private University, Nina Shenkle

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Student persistence in higher education has become an increasingly high priority as institutions seek to improve undergraduate completion rates. Traditionally, cognitive abilities such as aptitude and intelligence have been used to measure and predict whether a student will be successful in college. However, there is evidence that noncognitive abilities such as determination or effort are as important and as indicative of success as cognitive abilities. This nonexperimental, causal-comparative study utilized a multivariate analysis of variance to analyze archival data of 832 undergraduate students from a large private university to determine the differences between the overall grit score, perseverance of effort …

Factors That Contribute To Job Satisfaction And Teacher Retention In Title I Versus Non-Title I Elementary Schools, Janice Tolliver

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The public school systems in the United States are facing a major teacher shortage in the near future due to the fact that teachers are leaving the profession by the thousands each year. It is imperative that this trend is stopped and reversed to ensure that quality teachers remain in schools. The current study employed a causal-comparative design to determine if working conditions in Title I schools versus non-Title I schools were associated with teacher job satisfaction and teacher retention using the North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions (NC TWC) Survey. The qualifications of the selected participants were that they were …

A Comparative Study Of Student Engagement Based On Intercollegiate Athletics Participation, David Woolever

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The concept of retention in higher education institutions is certainly a hot topic. Institutions have explored first year seminars, engagement with faculty and creating a culture of connectivity and belongingness among the student population to include extra-curricular activities in creating an engaged student that will persist until graduation. Furthermore, academic engagement among student-athletes is one topic that has that has been somewhat neglected while institutions look at ways to increase retention via creating a culture of involvement. In addition, the Student Engagement Instrument (SEI), initially designed to measure engagement among secondary students has rarely been utilized to examine academic engagement …

The Aftermath Of Detroit's Economic Decline And The Exodus Of Urban Teachers: A Phenomenology, Melissa Holtzhouse

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the decision-making process of teachers, Kindergarten through twelfth grade, who left the urban setting in metropolitan Detroit. The theories that guided this study were Rotter’s locus of control and Condorcet’s decision theory as they investigated the experiences leading to teachers’ decisions to leave the urban setting within metropolitan Detroit. Four research questions were included (a) How do select teachers, Kindergarten through twelfth grade, describe the decision-making process they underwent before leaving urban education in metropolitan Detroit? (b) How do participants describe their experiences prior to their decision to leave urban education …

The Difference In Job Satisfaction Between Full-Time And Part-Time Early Childhood Educators Working In Public And Private Schools In South Carolina, Allison Hepfner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to determine if there was a difference in perceptions of job satisfaction among full-time and part-time teachers who work in both private and public early childhood centers in South Carolina. This study adds to the literature by investigating the impact of work employment classification and type of school on job satisfaction of Early Childhood educators. It is important to investigate the job satisfaction of early childhood educators because job dissatisfaction and high turnover in centers can negatively impact young children. This study allowed 200 participants throughout multiple early childhood centers in South …

Self-Efficacy Score Differences Between First-Year, Male And Female First-Generation And Non-First-Generation College Students As Measured By The College Self-Efficacy Inventory (Csei), Janet Shepherd

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Students of all backgrounds have a transition period when entering college. However, first-time, first-generation college students encounter more problems and have more difficulties becoming acclimated to college resulting in decreased first-year retention rates for first-generation students. These problems and difficulties are related to course work, socialization, and roommate issues. Research has shown that self-efficacy and collective efficacy are important in student achievement. This research study explored if there was a difference in student perception of self-efficacy among male and female first-year, first-generation college students and male and female first-year, non-first-generation college students. A quantitative, causal-comparative study was conducted utilizing the …

How Math Avoidance Influences Degree Completion For Bible College Students: A Case Study Of A Small, Private Institution In Upstate New York, Bonnie Novak

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this instrumental case study was to describe math perception and avoidance for ministerial undergraduate students at a small, private Bible college in upstate New York. In the research, math avoidance was generally defined as the participants’ perception of math, their delay in completing a credit-bearing math course until their senior year or not at all, and their own learning or degree completion as a result. The theories guiding this study were Tinto’s Retention Theory/Model of Institutional Departure, Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, and Estep’s Theory of Christian Formation. The central question was: How does math avoidance influence persistence …

The Creation And Assessment Of A Social Integration Predictive Model For A Large Suburban Community College, Bob Bade

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this predictive correlation study was to create and assess a model of programs and activities to predict student social integration at a large suburban community college. This study’s model was based upon Tinto’s student integration theory (1975, 1987, 1993) and employed hierarchical multiple regression to analyze the data. The data for this study was archival Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) self-report data from students at a large suburban community college in Florida. Predictor variables included participation in extended orientation programs and student success courses, participation with classmates inside and out of class on academic related …

A Case Study Of The Experiences Of Students With Disabilities Who Did Not Complete High School, Richard Wieringo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This case study explores the experiences of students with disabilities who have dropped out of high school, so as to identify related factors that led to their decisions. Participants included both males and females who were designated as students with disabilities at Ridgeville High School (pseudonym for a Virginia high school) and who dropped out between their third and fourth years of high school, during the 2010 to 2014 academic years. All participants were between the ages of 18 and 24. The case study was conducted through the use of semi-structured interviews, journaling, and observation of the sample population, with …

A Qualitative Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Adults In The North Georgia Area That Were Retained In Grades K-12, Betsy Green

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the impact retention has had on the lived experiences of adults in the North Georgia area that were retained in their K-12 education. The 10 participants were adults over the age of 18 that live in a rural North Georgia community and have experienced retention. The sampling was purposive and took place at public schools in Mountain Town, Georgia. The research questions for this study were: • How is the experience of grade retention remembered by adults retained in their K-12 education? • How has K-12 retention impacted self-efficacy, the …

“Warming Up” In The Developmental Sequence? Upward Transfer Conditional On Dependency Status, Cody Davidson, Kristin B. Wilson

Kentucky Journal of Higher Education Policy and Practice

The purpose of this study was to determine predictor factors of upward transfer for Kentucky community college students enrolled in a developmental algebra course. For independent students, a mother with a college degree, a declared major, a federal work-study position, greater adjusted gross income, and a higher grade point average was positively correlated with upward transfer. For dependent students, a father with a college degree, a declared major, and a higher grade point average was positively correlated with upward transfer.

A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of Non-Completers In Online Doctor Of Education Programs, Bernadette Wyman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The chance of an individual completing a traditional doctorate program is 50% (Bowen & Rudenstine, 1992; Council of Graduate Schools Ph.D. Completion Project, 2008; Ivankova & Stick, 2007). Student attrition in online programs is 10% to 20% greater than that of traditional, residential programs (Allen & Seaman, 2010; Carr, 2000; Diaz, 2000; DiRamio & Wolverton, 2006; Parker, 1999; Rovai, 2002). While doctoral attrition rates have been examined for decades, little research focuses on the phenomenon of attrition with doctoral candidates who enrolled in online graduate programs (Perry, Boman, Care, Edwards & Park, 2008). The phenomenon of attrition is multifaceted and …

Identifying Causes Of Student End Of Year Transfers As Experienced At Private All-Male Military Boarding Schools: A Multiple Case Study, Frank Martin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined and helped identify causes for end-of-year transfers from private all-male military boarding schools to a non-military school. The purposes of this study were twofold. The first purpose was to identify the reasons why parents chose to transfer their sons from the all-male military private boarding school of their choice to another school from the 2009-2010 school year to the 2010-2011 school year. A secondary purpose was to identify any commonalities amongst the military schools involved in the study regarding why students returned to either their previous school or chose another school, whether public or private. The researcher …

Evaluating The Impact Of The Beginning Teacher Induction Program On The Retention Rate Of Beginning Teachers, Adriane Lenette Watkins Mingo

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examined the Beginning Teacher Induction Program of a rural school system in North Carolina. The effects of mentoring, induction sessions, administrative support, ongoing staff development, and other support offered at the system level to beginning teachers were carefully analyzed.

The researcher used eight themes based on the objectives of the school system's Beginning Teacher Support Program: improving beginning teachers' skills and performance; supporting teacher morale; communications; collegiality; building a sense of professionalism and positive attitude; facilitating a smooth transition into the first and second years of teaching; putting theory into practice; preventing teacher isolation; building self-reflection; and retaining …

Retroactive Inhibition Versus Proactive Inhibition As A Function Of Variable Time Interval Among Elementary School Children, Tom L. Warren

All Master's Theses

As a study of phenomena which affect learning, the inquiry into retroactive and proactive inhibition and their varying functions should be of vital interest to both psychology and education, particularly to those educators and learning theorists who work with elementary school children. Also, it is hoped that this study will provide more reliable and statistically significant data on the question of whether retroactive inhibition is greater than proactive inhibition of retention. And, in addition, if there is a difference between retroactive and proactive inhibition when the retention test is immediate or follows soon after original learning, will this difference disappear …