Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education Commons^™

Acculturation And Identity Development Of Deaf Ethnic Minorities, Glennise Candice Schlinger

Masters Theses

This study examined whether experiences in the family and the education systems could influence Deaf ethnic identity development. Data were collected via administration of the Deaf Acculturation Scale (DAS). Participants’ responses were assessed as outlined by the developers of the DAS (Maxwell-McCaw & Zea, 2011). Results suggested that parents’ attitude towards their child’s deafness may affect the deaf individual’s identity development. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with four deaf ethnic minority participants: One Venezuelan American and three African American. Two hearing parents (both mothers) also participated in the interview: one Venezuelan American and one African American. Thematic analysis was used …

South Mississippi High School Seniors’ Perceptions Of Civic Duties And Responsibilities, Chelsea L. Lewis

Honors Theses

Former United States Representative Lee Hamilton once explained what it takes to be a citizen of the United Stated. He stated, “Citizenship requires both knowledge about government and the ability to be involved in governance. It means knowing how to identify and inform oneself about issues, explore and evaluate possible solutions, and then act to resolve problems. It demands that you know how to interact respectfully with others. And it asks that you accept responsibility for meeting your community’s and the nation’s challenges.” (Hamilton, 1) This quote comes from a well-known civics program used in American high schools today called …

African American Male Elementary Teachers' Perceptions On Factors That Influence Their Retention And Attrition: A Qualitative Study, Lemanski Chante' Walker

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe and explore American male elementary teachers’ perceptions on factors that contribute to decisions to remain in or exit the teaching field, specifically elementary education. Ten African American male elementary teachers participated in the study. The theory from this study was the Motivation–Hygiene theory (Herzberg, Mausner, & Snyderman, 2010). The study was conducted on the basis of Phenomenology with the use of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow, 1954). Research yielded African American males’ perceptions. Data were collected consisting of one on one interviews. The interview data were analyzed and collected using Colaizzi’s …

Movement In Learning: Revitalizing The Classroom, Marcus Van

MA TESOL Collection

Movement is a vital part of our every day lives, and it is also important for a healthy brain. The following paper examines the shift from movement based learning to a more restrictive rote format, which often has adverse effects on learning. This work discusses the ways in which teachers are under pressure to “teach to the test” instead of creating student-centered classrooms. Some of the side effects of a test-centered approach are low self-esteem (from not meeting strict academic requirements) and behavioral problems in students.

Adding more movement to lessons can provide variation and relief from the rote-only system. …

(Un)Packing Your Backpack: Educational Philosophy, Positionality, And Pedagogical Praxis, Yvette Prinsloo Franklin

Doctoral Dissertations

In this philosophical research project, the author examines the question: How can the case be made that there is an imperative need to change the trajectory of current efforts to reduce “achievement gaps” in the United States and (re)vision a transformation of our school settings through conscious-raising sensitivity regarding issues of equity towards equality amongst educators that harnesses the work of philosophy of education scholars? She engages the reader in a theoretical hike through a philosophical argument for attending to philosophical theories of education, extending the work of Jane Roland Martin regarding sensitivity and drawing heavily on the scholarship of …

The Balance Of Public And Private Identities For Lesbian Teachers, Delanna Kay Reed

Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

Although tolerance and acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people is growing in the United States, misconceptions and heterosexism still abound. Schools are one of the institutions where traditional gender roles are promoted and homosexuality is often ignored or punished. Too often lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students are bullied by their peers while teachers look the other way. LGBT teachers often fear they will lose their jobs and social standing in the community if they are open about their sexual orientation. This environment provoked me to research lesbian teachers’ perceptions of heteronormativity in their private and …

Pretending Teaching Is A Profession: Why Public School Teaching Will Never Be Considered A True Profession, Melissa Ann Harness

Masters Theses

My endeavor in this thesis is to discuss why teaching is not, and has never been considered, part of the true professions. Although much rhetoric is aimed at classifying teachers as true professionals and the teaching field as a true profession, the historical, sociological, and societal means that govern the ideological foundation of a true profession are lacking in the field of education. By using a historical, sociological, philosophical, and linguistic analysis of the words “true profession”, along with “unions”, private teaching organizations, etc., I am able to demonstrate not only why teaching is not a profession, but that …

Social Networking Systems As A Vehicle To Promote Sense Of Community And Performance In Online Classes, Jonathan Mark Woodward

Dissertations

Academicians are navigating through the intersection of information technology and social change. The path that educators choose will help determine the future of higher education in traditional and online settings. The journey of teachers is clouded by the abundance and rapid creation of emerging technologies, but the trends of Net Generation students offer direction. Among Web 2.0 applications, social networking systems (SNSs) offer students a new approach to communicating, learning, and collaborating.

The sociocentric view of knowledge and learning and the theories of Vygotsky and Dewey are helping to drive educators to look for a solution to a missing link …

Practitioners Or Researchers: Ed.D. Or Ph.D.? An Analysis Of Educational Leadership Doctoral Programs, Michael Dwyane Kennedy Jr.

Dissertations

This mostly descriptive study was conducted to analyze differences in doctoral degrees in educational leadership programs across the United States based on U.S. News and World Report (2011) rankings for Graduate Schools of Education. Specifically, this study explored admission, program, and final requirements as well as curriculum and faculty roles to determine the trends that have been evolving, increasing, decreasing, or remaining consistent in certain schools of the United States since the release of the Levine study of educational leadership programs in 2005. Five groups were used: 1) higher ranked 20; 2) lower ranked 20 graduate education schools; 3) top …

"Endemic Uncertainties" : Teachers' Professional Lives In The High-Stakes Reform Movement, Harris Sockel

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Explores the effects that principles of certainty have on teachers' professional lives and their attitudes toward their work.

Mentoring Novice And Experienced Teachers On Block Play Using The Developmental-Interaction Approach In The Philippines, Kathrina Gancayco-Umali

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Traces the journey of traditional early childhood Filipino teachers in implementing the developmental-interaction approach in the block corner. Five novice and experienced teachers embarked on a professional development series of four mentoring sessions. As a result of this process, teachers have demonstrated confidence and involvement in implementing the use of unit blocks through the developmental-interaction approach and administration agreed to adapt this as a model design for the early childhood program.

Beyond The Stereotype Of Black Homophobia: Exploring The Potential Of Black Allies For Lesbian, Gay And Bisexual Students, Kyle Oldham

Open Access Dissertations

Beyond the Stereotype of Black Homophobia:

Exploring the Potential of Black Allies for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Students

Strides at the federal and state levels are being made to improve the overall climate for gay rights and relationships across the country. However, despite greater acceptance, legislative victories and visibility of gay rights and relationships, homophobia is still widespread in American society (Fone, 2000; Jenkins, Lambert, & Baker, 2009; Schroeder, 2004). No matter the environment, homophobic attitudes permeate all aspects of the US culture, leading to prejudicial attitudes and inequalities that affect everyone in society. Unfortunately, some of these prejudicial attitudes …

A “Christian America” Restored: The Rise Of The Evangelical Christian School Movement In America, 1920-1952, Robert G. Slater

Doctoral Dissertations

Finding the origins and causes of the twentieth century evangelical Christian school movement in America during the years 1920-1952 was the subject of this study. Numerous primary and secondary sources were utilized. Primary sources consisted of original minutes of the proceedings of the National Education Association, the National Union of Christian Schools, and the National Association of Evangelicals. In addition, numerous evangelical publications of this era such as Moody Monthly, The Sunday School Times, and United Evangelical Action were consulted. From within the movement original sources such as Christian School Statistics, The Christian Teacher, and The National Association of Christian …

Male Saudi Arabian Freshman Science Majors At Jazan University: Their Perceptions Of Parental Educational Practices On Their Science Achievements, Essa Alrehaly

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Examination of Saudi Arabian educational practices is scarce, but increasingly important, especially in light of the country's pace in worldwide mathematics and science rankings. The purpose of the study is to understand and evaluate parental influence on male children's science education achievements in Saudi Arabia. Parental level of education and participant's choice of science major were used to identify groups for the purpose of data analysis. Data were gathered using five independent variables concerning parental educational practices (attitude, involvement, autonomy support, structure and control) and the dependent variable of science scores in high school. The sample consisted of 338 participants …

The Dialectics Of Teacher Change Within A Community Of Practice, Armand R. Pires

Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview

Teacher change is at the heart of school reform. The research on teacher change has been primarily focused on teacher change from an individualistic perspective and has identified three possible paths of teacher change: beliefs precede change, change precedes beliefs, or change is nonlinear and recursive. This study looked at teacher change within a middle school during a time the school was undergoing a district-driven change in student grouping practices.

The study was conducted during the 2009-2010 school year and included ten teachers of science, social studies, and English in a grade 6-8 middle school. A qualitative study approach was …

Becoming An Administrator, F. Patrick Lattuca Iii

Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview

This study is part of a limited but growing body of research that examines and describes the social side of pulic school administration. Most training programs that prepare public school administrators are highly effective with regard to providing students the theoretical foundation that surrounds administrative roles, but as the literature illustrates, there is a gap between theory and practice. This autoethnographical dissertation addresse this gap by providing an analytical description of what individuals do when acting as a public school administrator. Specifically, this study follows the transition into an assistant principalship and how the author was socialized into that role

A Comparison Of Institutional Climates In Higher Education In The United States And South Africa, Juanyce Deanna Taylor

Dissertations

Increasing opportunities and access of historically underrepresented populations to higher education in both the United States and South Africa have proved challenging due to institutional climates that are perceived as unwelcoming and unsupportive. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors relating to institutional climates to uncover social constructs that positively and negatively impact the institutional environment. Transformational leadership serves as the theoretical framework for this study.

Data results from institutional climate studies administered higher education institutions in the United States and South Africa were analyzed and compared. Collegiality and collaboration; communication; diversity and equity; governance and strategy; harassment …

The Invisible Woman And The Silent University, Elizabeth Robinson Cole

Dissertations

Anna Eliot Ticknor (1823 – 1896) founded the first correspondence school in the United States, the Society to Encourage Studies at Home. In the fall of 1873 an educational movement was quietly initiated from her home in Boston, Massachusetts. A politically and socially sophisticated leader, she recognized the need that women felt for continuing education and understood how to offer the opportunity within the parameters afforded women of nineteenth century America. With a carefully chosen group of women and one man, Ticknor built a learning society that extended advanced educational opportunities to all women regardless of financial ability, educational background, …

The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence And Leadership Effectiveness Among Sponsored Research Administrators, Ventez Derrell Jones

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of emotional intelligence, as perceived by senior level university sponsored research administration professionals and their perceived leadership effectiveness, as measured by the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory and the Kouzes and Posner Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) for Self. Senior research administrators are now more than ever being faced with profusely, increasingly, difficult issues within the scope of their daily work processes.

The relevant review of literature focused on four key areas: theoretical rationale for examining emotional intelligence, the link between emotional intelligence and leadership effectiveness, effective leadership practices within education, and …

The Family Educational Rights And Privacy Act And Permissive Disclosure: What Information Are Post-Secondary Institutions Disclosing And Why?, Christine Glah Greer

Dissertations

This study focuses on the response of universities to the permissive disclosure clauses of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). FERPA has been amended nine times; some of these amendments permit universities to disclose personally identifiable information without the permission of students.

The purpose of this study is to determine how prevalent disclosure is under the permissive disclosure clauses of FERPA and if universities use the concept of risk management to make decisions regarding disclosure. This will inform administrators of trends in disclosure and provide data universities can use when formulating or revising policy.

This is a relational …

Project Gaya: A Study Abroad Program Design For Fundación Operación Gaya Internacional, Lauren E. Johanson

Capstone Collection

Since 2008 Fundación Operación GAYA Internacional, a Costa Rican NGO has provided youth training and development programs to local youth in Costa Rica, empowering young people to be “architects” in the development of their own communities and to take the lead in creating a world that is more peaceful and just. Through the implementation of Project GAYA, the foundation will expand its programming to international youth for the first time.

The proposed program offers a comprehensive program design for a short-term study abroad experience for U.S. high school students to Costa Rica. Students will engage in experiential learning and critical …

Ecological Influences On Weight Status In Urban African-American Adolescent Females: A Structural Equation Analysis, Jevetta Stanford

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study employed a quantitative, non-experimental, multivariate correlational research design to test a hypothesized model examining associative paths of influence between ecological factors and weight status of urban, African-American adolescent females. Anthropometric and self-report survey data of 182 urban, African- American adolescent females were collected during after-school programs, health and physical education classes, and community events in an urban area in northeast Florida. Descriptive analyses were conducted to characterize the study participants based upon their age, study setting, and weight status. A scale reliability analysis was conducted to assess the internal consistency reliability of the sample data using selected …

Understanding The Role Of Social, Teaching And Cognitive Presence In Hybrid Courses: Student Perspectives On Learning And Pedagogical Implications, Janelle De Carrico Voegele

Dissertations and Theses

The use of hybrid learning (a blend of face-to-face and distance learning) is rapidly increasing in higher education. However, educational leaders have raised concerns about the proliferation of hybrid programming as an efficiency measure without appropriate attention to learning. This study examined the relationship between social, teaching and cognitive presence, pedagogical design, and students' perspectives on hybrid learning effectiveness. Data from thirty-nine undergraduate courses representing 1,886 students were analyzed to identify indicators of best hybrid practice. Aspects of social and teaching presence significantly influenced students' perceptions of learning, including facilitation of student interactions, assignment feedback and guidance, effective use of …

Differential Susceptibility To Social Network Influences On School Motivation In A Cohort Of Sixth Graders, Justin William Vollet

Dissertations and Theses

Students' classroom engagement is a strong predictor of positive educational outcomes including academic achievement, GPA, and standardized test scores. Most existing research has focused on the role of quality parenting and teaching in the development of student engagement. However, some research has shown small, yet significant effects of influences from students' peer groups on the development of their engagement. The goal of this study was to explore whether some children are more susceptible to the effects of their peer groups, and to examine a series of possible factors that might amplify the influence of a target students peer group on …

Content Analysis Of Conflict Resolution Curricula, Mary Smith

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Violence in schools in various forms has become recognizable. Awareness of this situation has resulted with proliferation of curricula for conflict education. The purpose of this study was to analyze conflict resolution curricula designed for five to eight year olds. The study examined three issues formulated from the review of related literature: time and space, skill building, and developmentally appropriate practices. The findings included time and physical space requirements for conflict resolution curricula, the suggested skills needed to peacefully resolve conflicts, and an evaluation of the developmentally appropriate activities in the curricula for early childhood ages 5-8.