Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Technology Acceptance On Post Secondary African- American Students Achievement In Mathematics: A Path Analytic Inquiry, Sulakshana Sen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of technology acceptance on post secondary African American students' achievement in Mathematics. The study was conducted in a historically Black four-year college in Daytona Beach, Florida on students using the computer to enhance their mathematics performance in an introductory algebra mathematics course. By using Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) developed by F. Davis (1989), this study focused on variables such as perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, computer self-efficacy, subjective norms, attitude and actual use of the computer to account the effect towards the achievement in the final exam which is …

Performance Support And Usability:An Experimental Study Ofelectronic Performance Support Interfaces, Charles Rawls

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the usability of two types of performance-support interfaces that were designed using informational and experiential approaches. The experiment sought to determine whether there is a relationship between usability and the informational and experiential approaches. The general population under study was undergraduate education major students from the University of Central Florida. From the general population of three educational technology instructor-led classes, 83 students were solicited to participate in the study by completing a class activity. From the general population, a total of 63 students participated in the study. By participating in the study, the students completed a task …

The Effects Of Looping On Student Achievement And Self-Efficacy Of Exceptional Education Students, Marybeth Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of the current study was to examine the effects of looping on academic achievement and self-efficacy for Exceptional Student Education (ESE) students. The basic design of this study was causal comparative, or ex post facto, because the researcher was seeking to identify a difference in achievement based on developmental scale scores between the two groups of looping and non-looping students with ESE classifications. A retrospective causal comparative study was chosen because the researcher began with a potential cause, looping, and studied the potential effects on achievement and self efficacy. The hypotheses were that the experimental group would outperform …

From Seclusion To Inclusion: A Comparative Case Study Of Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders In Middle Schools, Cheryl Young

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The transition of students with emotional and behavioral disorders has often been difficult when the move is made from self-contained classes to a less restrictive environment in general education classes. This study analyzed the perceptions of students and teachers when six middle school students with emotional and behavioral disorders moved from self-contained classes to inclusive placements in general education classes in three schools that were part of a large metropolitan school district in the southeastern United States. Data were collected over a 2 month period using semi-structured student interviews and teacher surveys, as well as student records and other school …

Reading Motivation In Upper Elementary Students: How Children Explain Reading For Pleasure, Rebecca Lynn Poppe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study investigated the phenomenon of the pleasure reading experience in fourth and fifth grade students. The purpose of the study was to create a dialogue with children regarding their leisure reading habits in an effort to inform our understanding of aliteracy, a term that refers to having the ability to read but choosing not to. Fourth grade students were surveyed to uncover their attitudes toward pleasure reading and eleven students were chosen for interviews. Comparative data was obtained from those students who conveyed either extremely negative or extremely positive attitudes toward reading. Students of both genders were selected …

Effective School Characteristics And Student Achievement Correlates As, James Doran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between effective school characteristics and norm referenced standardized test scores in American-style international schools. In contrast to schools in traditional effective schools research, international schools typically have middle to high SES families, and display average to above average achievement. Eleven effective school characteristics were identified and correlated with standardized test scores for grades 4, 6, and 8 and high school SAT scores. Data was gathered from an online teacher questionnaire designed for this study. All eleven characteristics were present in high performing international schools while frequent analysis of student progress, …

Addressing Scientific Literacy Through Content Area Reading And Proces, Susan Cooper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to interpret the experiences of secondary science teachers in Florida as they address the scientific literacy of their students through teaching content reading strategies and student inquiry skills. Knowledge of the successful integration of content reading and inquiry skills by experienced classroom teachers would be useful to many educators as they plan instruction to achieve challenging state and national standards for reading as well as science. The problem was investigated using grounded theory methodology. Open-ended questions were asked in three focus groups and six individual interviews that included teachers from various Florida school districts. …

The Effect Of The Math Concepts And Skills (Mcs) Computer Program On S, Cheryl Manning

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study measures the effectiveness of the National Computer Systems (NCS) Learn SuccessMaker Math Concepts and Skills computer program on standardized test scores at a middle school in east central Florida. The NCS Learn Company makes three claims for the SuccessMaker interactive computer program, Math Concepts and Skills (MCS): 1. Student Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores will improve from using the software 30 hours or more; 2. The increase in FCAT scores is directly related to the length of time the students' spend using the program; 3. The software package grading system is equivalent to the FCAT scoring. This …

Instructional Practices In Athletic Training Education Programs: 'What, Nancy Cummings

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to understand effective and ineffective instructional practices in clinical settings and to identify problem-solving strategies used by students and instructors. Three research questions were addressed: where in the undergraduate athletic training education program do students learn, or fail to learn, particular skills; "what instructional methods are of most worth" in teaching these skills, as perceived by the students; and what are the problem-solving strategies used by novice, experienced non-expert, and expert athletic trainers when confronted with novel situations. The subjects were nine students ("novices") and ten Approved Clinical Instructors (ACI's) from three programs in the Southeast United …

Awareness, Knowledge, And Attitude About Environmental Education: Resp, Rodrigo Melchor Cruz Lasso De La Vega

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the last 30 years, environmental education has been part of the curriculum in Southwest Florida public schools. Curriculum objectives, such as, environmental attitude, knowledge, and awareness (AKA), have been investigated in the literature as ways to improve the overall behavior of future citizens toward the environment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the aforementioned objectives among the following groups: environmental specialists, high school instructors, high school students, and the parents of the corresponding students in three Southwest Florida counties during the 2003-2004 school year. An instrument was developed to measure the groups' levels of awareness, knowledge, and …

Factors Associated With Retention Rates In Career And Technical Educat, Jo Ann Whiteman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a recognized state and national shortage of Career and Technical (CTE) teachers; in certain school districts or by subject area, it is defined as a "Critical Shortage". At the same time, both statewide and nationally, the number of teacher preparation programs for Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers has decreased. To alleviate the shortage and increase access many Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher preparation programs use the web. This study examined retention rates in courses from Fall 1997 through Fall 2003 within web-based courses in a CTE teacher preparation program at the University of Central Florida to …

The Effect Of Using A Read Aloud Nonfiction Picture Book To Strengthen Fifth Grade Students' Comprehension Of Science Content, Jana Robertson Hammond

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a read- aloud nonfiction picture books would increase fifth grade students' science comprehension as measured by a criterion reference test.

Four questions guided the research in this study:

1. What are the benefits of reading aloud to fifth grade students?

2. According to the Fry Readability graph, what is the readability of the Harcourt textbook used in fifth grade and the readability of the nonfiction picture books chosen for this study?

3. Does the use of a read aloud nonfiction picture book increase fifth grade students' comprehension versus a round-robin instruction …

Professional Development Activities And Job Satisfaction Among Communi, Michael Bosley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to examine the relationship between participation in specific professional development activities and the adjuncts' level of job satisfaction. Data was gathered from previous and current professional development activities at Valencia Community College in Orlando, Florida. Research in the area of professional development activities for adjunct faculty is emerging; however, there is a scarcity of research in the area of professional development activities as a means to increase job satisfaction. The data produced by this study were reviewed to determine, the level of job satisfaction of those adjuncts who attended professional development activities; the degree to which …

Coed Adolescent Soccer Players In A Competitive Learning Milieu: An Ethnographic Assessment Of Gender Attitudes, Perceptions And Sport Specific Component Testing, Francis O'Donnell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The history of association soccer dates back to the 1800's, and all indications are that prospects for the female athlete was scarce in all sports. The researcher has arranged an environment where young females can train with males in a soccer setting that has all the necessary elements for the athletes to learn, improve and compete with their own gender as well as opposite gender. The female group has been noticeable underachievers in this sport and is not aware of their potential. The research methodology is ethnographic in nature and study could easily be related to a traditional way to …

Beginning Teacher Satisfaction With Employment In Southwest Florida: R, Derrick Donnell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The United States Department of Education predicts that the nation will need more than one million new teachers by the year 2010 (U.S.DOE, 1996). At the same time, 43% of teachers leave the profession within their first five years of employment. Southwest Florida is experiencing a tremendous growth rate. This growth rate pattern has been predicted to continue through the year 2010. The school districts of Southwest Florida find themselves scrambling to build new schools in order to keep pace with the growth. These new schools must be staffed with qualified teachers. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 …

The Image Of Paul Robeson:Role Model For The Student And Athlete, Keith Harrison

Dr. C. Keith Harrison

No abstract provided.

Black Athletes At The Millenium, Keith Harrison

Dr. C. Keith Harrison

No abstract provided.

Using Electronic Portfolios To Archive Student Performance, Phyllis M. Olmstead

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

This study regards the use of portfolios for evaluating and documenting student progress and performance. In consideration of the far reaching and global nature of education, the researcher included educators from both the United States and other countries. Based upon the great importance that many countries and states have placed upon servicing students by alternative means, the population sample examined included 500 teachers instructing by both conventional and distance education modalities; Many current educational reform measures and legislative issues concern the attainment of job skills; therefore, both vocational and non-vocational instructors were included in the study.

Examined in the study …

An Historical Analysis Of The Philosophies Of The Vocational Education Leaders In Relation To The 1990 Carl D. Perkins Vocational And Applied Technology Education Act Amendments, Cynthia D. Woodley

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Federal vocational education legislation has undergone drastic changes in recent years. This study was designed to determine the educational philosophies of the leaders who pushed for the 1990 Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act Amendments and the degree to which the amendments reflected the philosophies of those leaders. Data were collected on testimonies given before the United Stated Congress during hearings related to the act, to identify who the leaders were. Once the leaders were identified, the published literature and testimony of each leaders was analyzed using a model developed by Lloyd Duck and the educational philosophy …

The Emancipatory Effect Of Integrating Communication Research Tenets On Discrete Curriculum Designs, Elizabeth Cheney Michel

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Critical philosophers hold that the underlying cause of our current educational dilemma is a societal condition called modernity, the unique result of the technological orientation that has characterized society for the last two decades. Maintaining that individual human interests cannot be served by an instrumentally-oriented educational system, Habermas declares that the key to effecting change is dynamic, democratic communication in the classroom, oriented in the emancipatory interests of the unique individuals therein. The purpose of this study was to reveal an interdisciplinary link between the tenets of critical educational philosophy and communication theory, and, by implementing the dictates of extant …

Declines In Student Achievement In Science-- Implications For Public Education, Robert P. Hogan

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

During the 1960s and 1970s, major innovative science curricula were introduced into public schools in the United States, and federal funds were used to improve the quality of science teachers. Nevertheless, student achievement in science has generally declined since 1963. This research focused on changes in four of the key variables related to science achievement--teachers, students, curricula, and school goals. The research examined (a) meta-analyses of the effectiveness of the innovative science curricula on student achievement, (b) research on changes in teacher and student characteristics during the last 30 years, (c) educational literature on changes in the goals of public …

Discrete Mathematics In The Secondary Curriculum A Delphi Study Of Topics And Trends, Ann C. Vining

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Applied Orientation Model In A Community College Setting, Ivan Ronald Applebaum

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

A study was conducted at Valencia Community College to determine whether an improved student performance and retention. An orientation, based on the expressed needs of students, was provided to first-time, full-time students. The orientation consisted of an introduction to the institution and its resources, academic skill training, and personal resources management training. There were 22 students who participated for one day, 25 students who participated for two days of orientation, and a control group of 72 students. Although the behavioral outcomes were not generally statistically significant, the trends of all of the dependent measures, i.e., enrollment and withdrawal, were in …