Educational Leadership Commons^™

The Relationship Between Student Perceptions Of Classroom Climate And Tvaas Student Achievement Scores In Title I Schools, Lesley Fleenor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between student perceptions of classroom climate and student growth in high-poverty schools. More specifically, this study analyzed the relationship between Tripod Student Perception Survey classroom favorability ratings and Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) gain scores for students in grades 3 through 8 in a medium-sized school district in Northeast Tennessee during the 2012-2013 academic year. The data were gathered from approximately 1,500 fourth and fifth grade students from 6 elementary schools and 2 K-8 schools as well as approximately 1,300 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students from 3 …

Lived Experiences Of Six High School Graduates Who Received Assistance From Graduation Coach Facilitation, Gayle A. Gragg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the obstacles faced as well as strategies used by 6 graduates of a small rural high school in Southern Middle Tennessee. Specifically, this study was an examination of the life experiences of 6 graduates, identifying the major obstacles faced and the successful strategies used to complete the requirements for a high school diploma.

Qualitative methodology guided this study. This approach allowed for the lived experiences to be examined and the voices of 6 participants be heard. Data collected included participant stories using semistructured interviews conducted using an interview protocol, drawing of a …

Elementary Educators’ Perceptions Of Practices That Contribute To Literacy Achievement, Sherry S. King Mrs.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate and examine specific kindergarten through third grade practices perceived as contributing to literacy achievement at 3 high-achieving elementary schools within the Washington County Virginia Public School System. The study was completed through a process of open-ended interviews with participants comprising classroom teachers, reading specialists, and administrators. The findings from this study may assist practitioners by providing information relative to programs, resources and instructional strategies that are perceived as contributing to literacy achievement.

The findings of this study suggested that the perceptions among classroom teachers, reading specialists, and administrators regarding literacy practices …

Differences In Statistical Reasoning Abilities Through Behavioral-Cognitive Combinations Of Videos And Formative Assessments In Undergraduate Statistics Courses, James M. Ramey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated whether significant differences in statistical reasoning abilities exist for completers of short online instructional videos and formative quizzes for students in undergraduate introductory statistics courses. Data for the study were gathered during the Fall 2013 semester at a community college in Northeast Tennessee.

Computer-based pedagogical tools can promote improved conceptual reasoning ability (Trumpower & Sarwar, 2010; Van der Merwe, 2012). Additionally, prior research demonstrated a significant relationship between formative quiz access and student achievement (Stull, Majerich, Bernacki, Varnum, & Ducette, 2011; Wilson, Boyd, Chen, & Jamal, 2011), as well as multimedia object access and student achievement (Bliwise, …

Dynamics Of Efficacy For Teachers In Formal Leadership Roles: A Case Study, Kelly M. Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Effective leadership has a positive impact upon schools and student achievement. Teacher inclusion in leadership efforts has grown during a time of school reform. In order to sustain and define teacher leader responsibilities, efficacious teachers need to be supported by school and district administrators. A case study was used to understand the dynamics of self-efficacy as it pertains to teacher leaders in the Oak Ridge School District in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Purposive sampling was used to select 5 teacher leaders and 2 district administrators for the case study. Interviews along with observations of meetings facilitated by teacher leaders allowed for …

An Embedded Case Study Of The Proposed Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Statute & The Proposed Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Statute, James Vines

All Dissertations

The purpose of this explanatory, embedded case study was to understand why the proposed Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention statute and the Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment statute did not passed. The data for the study was conducted through direct observations of congressional committee hearings, document analysis and open-ended interviews. The proposed Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention statute addresses cyberbullying by imposing criminal sanctions. The proposed Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Statute seeks to provide federal grants to institutions of higher education to implement anti-harassment programs. The findings revealed that vague terminology, language dealing with LGBT people and sexual orientation as well …

Organizational Communication: Perceptions Of Staff Members’ Level Of Communication Satisfaction And Job Satisfaction, Priti R. Sharma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to explore the topic of organizational communication in higher education and examine staff members’ perceptions about their level of communication and job satisfaction in their workplaces. This study was also designed to test the relationship between communication satisfaction and job satisfaction by analyzing the significance of different dimensions of Communication Satisfaction with the view that satisfaction is multifaceted.

A total of 463 non-faculty staff members from different units of a single higher education institution participated in this study. This study included non-teaching staff, including student workers and both full-time and part-time staff members. …

Radiography Faculty Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Asynchronous Online Courses, Shirley J. Cherry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess radiography faculty perceptions of the effectiveness of asynchronous online courses. Learning effectiveness in a web-based virtual learning environment (VLE) was the conceptual framework for this project (Piccoli, Ahmad, & Ives, 2001). For the purposes of this study, learning effectiveness was defined as the quality of learning being comparable between online and traditional courses (Moore, 2011).

Ten research questions were used to guide this study, and statistical tests were conducted to evaluate 17 null hypotheses. The statistical tests included use of one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlations, and single-sample t-tests. Ten of …

Understanding The Experiences Of Underrepresented Women In Student Affairs At A Predominately White Institution Through A Dynamic Network Analysis Framework, Lani San Antonio

All Dissertations

As institutions become more diverse among the student body, minority faculty and staff are recruited to better support underrepresented students. However, while much thought is often placed in recruitment efforts, institutions often fail to execute appropriate retention efforts of their minority faculty and staff (Turner, Gonzalez & Wood, 2008). Due to this, underrepresented women often find themselves faced with many barriers and lack of resources needed to successfully transition into new roles and environments (Harris, Wright & Msengi, 2011; Jackson & Harrison, 2007; Maramba, 2000). The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of underrepresented women in student …

Exploring Organizational Capacity In A Sport For Development And Peace Setting., Per G. Svensson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) scholarship has noted the need for exploring organizational aspects in order to advance SDP theory and practice. One particular unexplored aspect of SDP is organizational capacity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore elements of organizational capacity in SDP organizations operating programming in urban settings outside the top three metropolitan areas (New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago) of the United States. The researcher conducted semistructured interviews with Executive Directors of 17 nonprofit organizations. This qualitative inquiry was guided by Hall et al.’s (2003) three-dimensional framework on organizational capacity. Those three dimensions …

The Socio-Cultural Influences Of School Choice, Duke Jon Bradley Iii

Dissertations

This dissertation explored whether the marketable features of three different charter schools in East Atlanta, Georgia influenced parents’ school selections and whether differences in race, income level, and educational attainment created patterns of interest regarding their selections. The accessible population (N=1865) for this study included parents of elementary and middle school aged children enrolled in three East Atlanta schools. A sample of 150 parents of elementary and middle school age charter school students enrolled in the three schools were randomly selected from the accessible population. One hundred percent of the proposed participants (150) agreed to participate as subjects. Data obtained …

Developmental Education At The Community College: An Exploration Of Instructional Best Practices And The Relationship Between Integration, Student Involvement And Rates Of Completion, Beverly Gayle Strickland Lewis

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the developmental education process within the community college system in Mississippi. Tinto’s (1993) Integration Theory and Astin’s (1993) Theory of Student Involvement were employed as a framework to assess and understand the relationship between academic integration, social integration, student involvement, and rates of completion.

This concurrent mixed method study identified best practices related to the successful completion of developmental education courses from the vantage point of the faulty and administration at the community college. A total of ten faculty and administrators from five of the community colleges in Mississippi were given a …

Rebel Yale: Yale Graduates And Progressive Ideals At The University Of Mississippi Law School, 1946-1970, Jennifer Paul Anderson

Dissertations

The University of Mississippi School of Law (Ole Miss Law) was the fourth public law school founded in the United States. The school was established to prevent men from leaving the state for legal education due to fears that they were being indoctrinated by eastern schools where ideologies were not consistent with those of Mississippi. One hundred years after her founding, Ole Miss Law entered into a period of turbulence as race and politics clashed on campus. From the time of the Brown decision through the Civil Rights Era, the deans and law professors at the law school were subjected …

Principals’ Instructional Leadership Practices And Their Relationship To Teachers’ Instructional Practices In Sharjah Schools., Hayat Mohamed Abdalla Al Hosani

Theses

Instructional leadership has become one of the most widely researched topics. This type of leadership has been connected to teacher growth and development, teacher job satisfaction, student achievement, and improving school climate in general. This study focuses on instructional leadership in schools of Sharjah Education Zone. Specifically, the study aims to describe the principal instructional leadership practices, to identify the most and least important teachers’ instructional practices, and to investigate whether there is a relationship between the principals’ instructional practices and teachers’ teaching practices. This study is quantitative in nature and therefore a questionnaire was used to collect data from …

Educational Strategic Planning Skills For Principles And Vice-Principles In Alburimi Governorate, خولة بنت عبدالله بن حسن البلوشي

Theses

This study aimed at identifying how to develop the principles and vice principles' skills in the strategic planning in AlBurimi through answering the following questions: what is the degree of practicing strategic planning skills for principles and vice-principles in AlBurimi governorate, does the degree vary according to gender, position, qualification and years of experience and how we can develop the strategic planning skills? In order to achieve the objectives of the study the researcher used descriptive analytical (survey questionnaire), and interviews using a focus group with a group of teachers. The study includes all basic education schools principles and vice- …

An Evaluation Of The School-Based Management Practices In The New School Model: A Study On Al Ain Schools, Shaikha Ali Abdulla Al Kaabi

Theses

In 2005, the government of Abu Dhabi started a reform initiative by establishing the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC). ADEC became responsible for efforts to improve the performance of schools and increase students’ achievement in the emirate. One way to do this was by creating the New School Model (NSM). Part of the NSM reform was a shift from the centralized system of managing the schools into a decentralized system that delegates and sometimes devolves decision-making authority to schools themselves. The purpose of this study is to investigate the degree to which School-Based Management (SBM) has been practiced in the …

The Extent Of Educational Leaders Understands The Management Concept And Its Practice In Al Ain Government Schools In U.A.E., آمنة سالم حمد مسعود المري

Theses

This study aims to achieve the following: : To determine the realization of educational leaders in Al Ain city government schools of the management culture by empowerment. Determine the degree of the educational leaders practice in Al Ain city government schools of the management culture by empowerment. Identify differences in the degree of the realization and the degree of the practice of educational leaders in Al Ain city government schools of the management culture by empowerment, and that can be attributed to the following variables: sex, grade, academic qualification. To achieve the objectives of the study and answer the questions, …

An Update On Student Equal Access, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

In Board of Education of Westside Community Schools v. Mergens (1990), the Supreme Court upheld the Equal Access Act (EAA), a federal law enacted to permit student-organized groups to meet during noninstructional time.

The EAA traces its origins to Widmar v. Vincent (1981). At issue in Widmar was a policy whereby officials at a state university in Missouri made campus facilities generally available to student groups for their activities. Treating religion as a form of free speech, the Supreme Court ruled that insofar as officials allowed more than 100 student groups to use campus facilities, they created a forum for …

A Mixed Method Study Of The Effectiveness Of Gaining Early Awareness And Readiness For Undergraduate Programs (Gear Up) Federal Incentive Program In Southern Mississippi Public Secondary Schools, David Micah Maxwell

Dissertations

The Gaining Early Awareness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) incentive program has been in place since the late 1990s nationally. This grant, which covers a time span of six years and offers up to eighteen million dollars in federal funds, is designed to increase college readiness and decrease dropout rate among high school students. This study examines the effectiveness of this grant in southern Mississippi for the graduating class of 2014. Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods to determine the effectiveness of this grant, this study draws some conclusions and recommendations for this incentive program.

Return To Holy Hill: Louisiana College, Academic Freedom, And The Southern Baptist Convention's Conservative Resurgence, 1995-2006, Joseph Learned Odenwald

Dissertations

This study examines a period in the history of Louisiana College in which the college’s sponsoring organization, the Louisiana Baptist Convention, a Southern Baptist affiliate, began to insist that professors at the college teach only in accordance with the official views of the Southern Baptist Convention. The literature is replete with studies on the movement affecting the Southern Baptist seminaries, but little has been written about the impact of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Conservative Resurgence on the colleges.

As such, this study explores the changes that were made to the academic freedom and governance policies as the trustees sought to …