Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Closing The Achievement Gap In Mathematics For Students With Learning Disabilities Utilizing The Resource Room As An Intervention, Esta H. Brownstein

Theses and Dissertations

Students with learning disabilities are placed in general education classrooms in increasing numbers. Many of these students receive additional services in Resource Room programs taught by a special education teacher. The intent of this study was to determine if students with disabilities, who were struggling in mathematics, increased achievement utilizing Resource Room instruction as an intervention. Students in the study were in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades and performed at least one grade level below expectations for that grade in mathematics. All of the students had a specific learning disability. This study investigated the correlation, if any, between the amounts …

Teacher/Student Interpersonal Engagement And Customer Service Principles: A Phenomenological Study, Juanita Takeno

All Theses And Dissertations

The importance of understanding the effects of teacher and student engagement in online learning is especially pertinent to the online teacher and the online student as well as the college as a whole. This qualitative phenomenological study involved discovering if interpersonal online engagement between teacher and student involved those principles used in business customer service. The focus of this phenomenological study is on the lived experience of online students relative to interpersonal engagement – it is about the students’ stories. Accordingly, the questions asked what the participants felt when their teachers were engaged and if the engagement was augmented with …

A Case Study Of Teachers’ Perceptions On Teacher Leadership As A Model For School Improvement In Sig Schools, Tony Minney

All Theses And Dissertations

Developing teacher leadership in a rural, geographical isolated SIG school is a difficult task toward school turnaround. This research explored the impact of teacher leadership on the School Improvement Grant (SIG) process, the development of teacher leadership model standards, and the school improvement evaluation process through the qualitative method of case study analysis. This single case study was conducted at one designated SIG funded school in central West Virginia. The case study focused on understanding the impact teacher leadership had on the implementation of the SIG school improvement process. This study was based on 14 participant interviews that were transcribed …

Elementary Students’ And Teachers’ Perceptions Of Flipped Mathematics Lessons, Susan Grace Edwards Mosher

All Theses And Dissertations

Flipped learning is a pedagogical model that allows more time for students to engage in active learning in the classroom because direct instruction is moved to video and watched outside of class time. Although many studies have shown the effectiveness of this strategy, previous perceptional studies have primarily focused on flipped learning through the lens of high school students and adult learners. This study was designed to explore elementary students’ and teachers’ perceptions of flipped learning in mathematics. A descriptive qualitative case study was conducted in a suburban elementary school in North Carolina. Three fifth grade teachers and fifteen of …

Faculty Peer Review In Teacher Preparation: Does Peer Review Lead To Instructional Change?, Shelly Tennett

All Theses And Dissertations

This action research case study investigated the impact of reciprocal peer review on the instructional practices of faculty in a teacher preparation program. The participants in this study were all teaching faculty in the teacher preparation program at a small private university in Maine. Based on the established research proving that peer review is an effective way to aid teachers in reflection and collaboration, this action research case study examined peer review as an avenue to improve teaching practice in a teacher preparation program. The positive outcomes of the implementation of peer review in teacher preparation were evident through review …

Teaching The First: A Phenomenological Study Of Southeastern Community College Instructors Communicating With First-Generation College Students, Tanyanika Mattos

All Theses And Dissertations

This phenomenological research study explored eight Southeastern community college instructors communicating with first-generation college students, specifically the lived experiences of community college instructors as they taught developmental education. The participated included a lawyer, health care executive, and engineer, psychologist, bookkeeper, health sciences professional, and education specialist and computer information systems professional. Pre-interviews, interviews and an electronic survey were utilized to obtain the data on the phenomenon. This phenomenological data analysis process offered a structured analysis process that is reflective and grounded in vibrant descriptions. During the interview, all forms were used to document responses of interviewees. The interviews were interpreted …

Education Through Simulation, Melody A. Padilla-Collings

Master's Projects and Capstones

SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/Mac/Desktop/653Abstract.docx

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if education through simulation was effective in an undergraduate ADN nursing program to improve nursing confidence, knowledge, skill competency, and nursing care. Two groups of second year RN students were selected in their fall semester to participate in a before and after survey to compare traditional learning (required course readings, assignments, and lectures) with the PROMPT Birthing Simulator that allows hands on, interactive learning, and feedback in preparation for the Mother-Baby clinical setting. The first PDSA cycle with Group A revealed 21% were confident in their knowledge with the traditional …

The Remedial Math Process: Age And Other Factors Affecting Attrition Among Students In Community Colleges, Emily B. Campbell

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This study conceptualized remedial education as an attrition process in which students either progress onto the next stage or they do not, and had a particular emphasis on how age affects students’ remedial path. The purpose of this quantitative study was twofold. The researcher first sought to understand the points at which students fail to progress within the remedial math process (enrollment in remedial coursework, completion of the remedial sequence, enrollment in a college-level course, and passing the college-level course), and to statistically model the pre- and post-college entry predictors of that attrition among first-time, associate degree-seeking students referred to …

Cross-Cultural Leadership: Best Practices In Multinational Graduate Education, Carol Anne Kerr

All Theses And Dissertations

The international security environment depends in part on professional military leaders with the knowledge, skills and attributes to execute a broad range of leadership communication, collaboration and negotiations with counterparts in complex international and intercultural settings. If higher education is the path to cognition, metacognition, motivation and behavior, then it may be an effective instrument for developing leadership readiness for a range of international/inter-cultural tasks. This study explores US military leaders’ perceptions about graduate-level, senior professional military education alongside foreign military officers at the U.S. Army War College as an influence on readiness for decision-making, cultural adaptation, and task performance …

Improving Technology Integration In A Rural High School By Listening To Students' Needs And Experiences, Brandie Nicole Shatto

All Theses And Dissertations

While schools have embraced the mantra of 21st century skills since the early 1990s and access to technology has become nearly ubiquitous, technology use in K-12 classrooms is still largely absent. This has created a situation where teachers are unsure of how to teach with technology and students are unsure how to learn with technology. This transformative mixed methods study sought to give students a voice to articulate their learning needs in relation to technology integration in schools. The study drew on rural high school students’ perceptions of technology use in K-12 classrooms by documenting students’ use of technology at …

Student Perspectives On Proficiency-Based Learning In Vermont's High School Completion Program, Hayley J. Shriner

Capstone Collection

This Independent Practitioner Inquiry Capstone (IPIC) paper examines student perspectives on proficiency-based learning at an adult education center in Vermont. Through Vermont’s High School Completion Program (HSCP), adults can earn their high school diplomas through proficiency-based Personalized Learning Plans (PLPs). This qualitative study focuses on high school-aged students who received referrals to the program from area schools within the context of the current shift toward proficiency-based learning mandated by Vermont Act 77. The study draws on resources specific to Act 77, as well as literature on the nationwide trend toward personalized learning and proficiency-based learning. The researcher uses holistic student …

Implementing Vocational Training At Escuela Quiteña De Estudios Bíblicos, Joshua K. Marcum

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This DMin project addressed the problem of the absence of a viable training model to equip graduates of EQEB (Escuela Quiteña de Estudios Biblicos) for self-sustaining ministry. Based upon a theology of vocation, the project implemented and evaluated the inclusion of a technical-skills component to EQEB’s current seminary training. The project followed the integration of sixteen EQEB students in the vocational program implemented during the 2015-2016 school year. Qualitative research data gathered from five group interviews with these students, my own field notes, and a faculty interview provided the substance upon which I based the project´s findings. Over a seven-month …

Family Experiences With Standardized Assessments Leading To Participation In The Opt Out Movement, Christy Lee Evans

Doctoral Dissertations

With the hope of giving voice to individuals who are usually left out of conversations regarding standardized assessments—the families who live with the effects of those tests on their children—this study was designed to answer the following research questions:

1) Who are some of the individuals who are participating in the opt out movement?

2) How are some individuals making the decision to participate in the opt out movement?

a) What knowledge do these individuals who are participating in the opt out movement have regarding the standardized assessments that their children are being given in public schools?

b) How have …

Effects Of Tli- Versus Nwea-Interim Assessment On Academic Achievement Of Sixth- And Seventh-Grade Students, Walt Davis

Dissertations

This project focused on two online providers, The Learning Institute (TLI) and Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA). The purpose of this dissertation was to provide additional research concerning the effects of interim assessments (TLI versus NWEA) and gender on literacy and mathematics achievement for students in Grades 6 and 7 in Northwest Arkansas. Of the four included school districts, two used TLI and two used NWEA as their interim assessment. For all four hypotheses, the independent variables were gender and interim assessment type. In the first and second hypotheses, the dependent variable was literacy achievement as measured by student performance on …

Administrative Strategies To Improve Teacher Recruitment And Retention In Rural Public Schools, Christine Kay Butler

Dissertations

The main purpose of this study was to gain insight into the recruitment and retention strategies popularized due to the need to meet high-quality teacher demands. Additionally, recruitment and retention strategies identified by administrators and tenured teachers working in rural public schools of Missouri as effective were collected through a survey. Administrators, as well as tenured teachers currently on staff in rural public school districts of Missouri, were the population of this study. Among 286 administrators, 95 administrative participants and 33 tenured teachers completed the survey. The survey responses were compared to determine if the administrative point-ofview was similar to …

Values Education In Bangladesh: Understanding High School Graduates' Perspectives, Leo J. Pereira

Theses & Dissertations

Values education is a subject that may be neglected in some educational settings. An absence of values education may lead to dysfunction in society. Scholars have only recently become interested in the importance of values education (Koh, 2012). Although the National Education Policy in Bangladesh has long emphasized the inculcation of values in educational institutions (Ministry of Education, 1974, 2010), recent research has revealed the inadequate implementation and practice of values education (UNICEF Bangladesh, 2009). The purpose of this basic interpretive qualitative study was to understand the high school graduates' perspectives regarding values education and the values they learned while …

The Numbers Game: What An Un-Predictive Ability Of Success In First-Year Mathematics Courses And Subgroup Bias Mean To Students At Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Jayme Gonzales Agozie

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the ability of standardized test scores to predict the performance of students in first-year mathematics courses, and the extent to which these tests displayed differential validity among various subgroups. Using discriminant analysis, it was established that the following percentages of students were correctly classified into passing and not passing groups, using the listed independent variables: a) SAT mathematics scores - 58.6%, b) SAT verbal scores - 50.6%, c) ACT mathematics scores - 54.7%, and d) ACT verbal scores - 56.3%. New predictive models were created using standardized test scores in combination …

Students' Perceptions Of Leadership Skills Gained At A County College, Kevin R. Dalina

All Theses And Dissertations

Many colleges offer leadership programs or multiple ways students can develop leadership skills like participation in student clubs or working on campus. Institutions do not always assess or evaluate where or how students learn leadership skills. This dissertation study investigated what leadership skills students are learning and where they learn them at a county college located in Central New Jersey. This study employed qualitative research methods where 9 students who participated were a sample of 45 students who participated in the county college’s leadership development program. The 9 students first participated in a focus group interview about what leadership skills …

Implementing Meaningful And Sustainable Project Based Learning Pedagogy, Jasmeen Philen

All Theses And Dissertations

The traditional model of PK-12 education, with increased emphasis on preparing students for standardized assessments, challenges educators striving to keep students engaged in learning. Project-Based Learning (PBL), a growing teaching methodology, is designed to address the challenge of disengagement by making learning meaningful and more engaging. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to document teachers’ perceptions and understandings of Project Based Learning (PBL) in a K-12 international school in Asia in an effort to address the on-going debates about the effectiveness of its implementation. Conceptually, this case study was framed using significant aspects of the constructivist theory, while …

Music Teachers’ Perceptions Of Efficacy: Student Learning Objectives And Data Driven Indicators, Geno Heiter

EDL Sixth Year Theses

Previous research explains that twenty-first century education has moved passed pedagogical ideologies that focus solely on student tasks that require the recall of facts or rote application of simple procedures. Unfortunately, the literature on music education has ignored the importance of measuring intrinsic attributes of music learning and fundamental musicianship. Measuring ‘valid’ higher-order and critical thinking skills as they relate to music learning is significant because states are now measuring student learning and teacher effectiveness by evaluating multiple data driven indicators. Determining ‘what’ valid higher-order learning ‘looks like,’ and the data that can be generated by this learning in a …

Identification Of Instructional Strategies Within Athletic Training Curricula And The Impact Of Best-Practices On First-Attempt Board Of Certification Pass Rate, Aedryan Cox

Dissertations

This purpose of this study was twofold: (1) investigate effective instructional strategies for athletic training education, and (2) investigate a correlation between research-based instructional strategies and first attempt success on the Board of Certification (BOC) examination. Research based instructional strategies exist within allied health education, however, no previous research set out to specifically identify instructional strategies which lead to first attempt success on the BOC examination. Therefore, a mixed-method investigation of research based instructional strategies was performed, and correlation data between instructional strategies and success on the BOC examination were collected. Data produced by the study revealed that instructional strategies …

An Initial Examination Of Relationships Between Early Intervention Services, Family Outcomes, And Andragogical Factors, Kelly Hantak

Dissertations

This study is an examination of early intervention services for infants/toddlers with visual impairments, as related to home-based services and andragogy learning theory. Early intervention refers to therapeutic services provided to eligible infants/toddlers while andragogy emphasizes how adults learning. Research discussed the implementation of andragogical factors with parents of infants/toddlers appeared limited. The null hypotheses statements addressed four variables related to infant/toddler with visual impairments assessment scores, the number of home visit units authorized by the child’s Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) and implemented by the early intervention service provider, responses on the family outcome survey, and service provider responses …

Development And Validation Of The Statistics Assessment Of Graduate Students, Dammika Lakmal Walpitage

Doctoral Dissertations

This study developed the Statistics Assessment of Graduate Students (SAGS) instrument, and established its preliminary item characteristics, reliability, and validity evidence. Even though there are limited number of assessments available for measuring different aspects of statistical cognition, these previously available assessments have numerous limitations. The SAGS instrument was developed using Rasch modeling approach to create a new measure of statistical research methodology knowledge of graduate students in education and other behavioral and social sciences. Thirty-five multiple-choice questions were written with stems representing applied research situations and response options distinguishing between appropriate use of various statistical tests or procedures. A focus …

Learning To Teach Online: An Investigation Of The Impacts Of Faculty Development Training On Teaching Effectiveness And Attitudes Toward Online Instruction, Karen Elizabeth Brinkley

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between one approach to training for online faculty and the ways in which the program influenced the participants’ teaching effectiveness and attitudes toward online instruction. Two research questions guided this study: (1) how did participating in an intensive course redesign intervention influence instructors’ teaching effectiveness in the online environment? and (2) how did participating in the training influence instructors’ beliefs or attitudes about online teaching? The theoretical framework guiding this study was the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model, developed by Mishra and Koehler (2005). Using a concurrent, mixed-methods design, …

Assessing Model-Data Fit For Compensatory And Non-Compensatory Multidimensional Item Response Models Using Vuong And Clarke Statistics, Leanne Freeman

Theses and Dissertations

The primary importance of the study was that no statistics were able to provide probabilistic statements about model-data fit between the non-nested compensatory and non-compensatory MIRT models. Secondarily, the Vuong and Clarke statistics have been utilized prolifically in economics and political science and have great potential to contribute to educational measurement. Finally, application of the Vuong and Clarke statistics will not only reduce the damage of misspecified MIRT models but will also promote the use of less known models, in this case, the non-compensatory models.

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether the Vuong and Clarke statistics can …

Increasing Superintendent Longevity In Kansas, Cory Lee Gibson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to illuminate the factors that may impact a superintendent’s longevity in the same district. Specifically, this study is motivated by four research questions: (1) What factors do superintendents in Kansas attribute to remaining in the same position greater than six years? (2) What factors do superintendents in Kansas attribute as the causes for leaving a district? (3) What is the current level of satisfaction of Kansas school superintendents within their current roles? and (4) What are some changes in policy or practice that may increase superintendent longevity in Kansas?

According to Dale Dennis, Kansas Deputy Commissioner of …

Evidence For The Validity Of The Student Risk Screening Scale In Middle School: A Multilevel Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Matthew Porter Wilcox

Theses and Dissertations

The Student Risk Screening Scale—Internalizing/Externalizing (SRSS-IE) was developed to screen elementary-aged students for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD). Its use has been extended to middle schools with little evidence that it measures the same constructs as in elementary schools. Scores of a middle school population from the SRSS-IE are analyzed with Multilevel Confirmatory Factor Analysis (MCFA) to examine its factor structure, factorial invariance between females and males, and its reliability. Several MCFA models are specified, and compared, with two retained for further analysis. The first model is a single-level model with chi-square and standard errors adjusted for the clustered nature …

Evaluating Intercultural Communicative Competence Using Mediated Self-Reflection In Teaching English To Speakers Of Other Languages, Hessah Khaled Alzimami

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In a globalized world, teaching English as a second language (ESL) or English as a foreign language (EFL) requires mastery of intercultural communicative competence (ICC). Deploying ICC has many benefits, especially with teaching and learning English, because it is a preeminent necessity for intercultural communication today. In ESL and EFL contexts at college and university levels, learners and instructors interface with other learners and instructors who have various languages and cultures, so there is a need for implementing ICC, because it encourages instructors and learners to communicate effectively with others using both their native and target languages, as well as …

Leveling The Playing Field: Teacher Perception Of Integrated Stem, Engineering, And Engineering Practices, Bridgette Fincher

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions and approaches of 14 third-through-fifth grade Arkansan elementary teachers towards integrative engineering and engineering practices during 80 hours of integrated STEM professional development training in the summer and fall of 2014. This training was known as Project Flight. The purpose of the professional development was to learn integrated STEM content related to aviation and to write grade level curriculum units using Wiggins and McTighe’s Understanding by Design curriculum framework. The current study builds upon on the original research.

Using a mixed method exploratory, embedded QUAL[quan] case study design and a …

Mindfulness Activities In Teacher Spiritual Preparation, Suzette Quiros

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research project examined the effects of mindfulness activities on teacher spirituality. It was conducted during a two-month Early Childhood Montessori teacher training course with eight female teachers between the ages of 25 and 50. Data was collected with the use of attitude scales, self-reflection journals, field notes and conversations. Conclusions showed participants perceived an increase in spirituality and gained inner peace, patience, kindness, humility, self-respect. They also showed they gained the ability to let go of negative energy, achieving calmness and positivism. Further research could be conducted to see the effects of teacher spirituality on the classroom environment …