Digital Commons Network^™

Contextualizing Mother-Tongue Based Multilingual Education Preschools Within The Turkmen Community Of Afghanistan, Carrie Ann Shaver

Theses and Dissertations

The Turkmen Mother-Tongue Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) Preschool program in Afghanistan provided the ideal environment to research how evidence-based MTB-MLE preschool programs can be implemented in a way that aligns with the cultural and linguistic views of the Turkmen people in Afghanistan such that supervisors, teachers, and the community strive to implement and participate in the program to the fullest extent. Data was triangulated by the use of interviews, participant observation, and MTB-MLE preschool monitoring reports. A qualitative research method was used to gain insights into the perceptions and experiences of supervisors, teachers, and the community on the MTB-MLE program. …

Self-Determined Motivation In Foreign Language Learning: Examining The Effects On Students' Achievement, Yawo Badagbo

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between foreign language motivation and self-determined motivation, as well as the issue of students’ perceptions of strategies used to improve foreign language motivation and achievement among undergraduate students in the department of foreign language. This research was conducted in two mid-western universities among undergraduate foreign language learners. The participants were undergraduate foreign language learners. A total of 391 students from 18- 43 years old started the paper-and-pencil surveys in which they shared their views and perceptions about foreign language learning motivations and strategies to improve motivations and achievement. However, only 380 completed the majority of …

Educational Leadership Development In Saudi Arabia: Experiences Of Participants Of The Saudi Oxford Program For Educational Leaders, Azizah Fhad Alogali

Theses and Dissertations

Given the recent surge of interest in educational leadership development in Saudi Arabia, a qualitative study was undertaken to evaluate the perspectives of participants in one intensive leadership training program called the Saudi Oxford Program for Educational Leaders (SOPEL). Using interview data with SOPEL participants and an analysis of their final projects, a holistic understanding of the participants’ experiences emerged. Findings included a confusion/conflation of concepts of leadership and management; a desire for more responsiveness and sensitivity to feedback on the part of the participants; logistical, linguistic, and administrative hurdles; quality control concerns; and a need to evaluate programs’ effectiveness …

Female Faculty Perspectives On Blended Learning At Universities In Saudi Arabia, Hind Hamed B Alghanmi

Theses and Dissertations

Adopting technology is one of the priorities in the Saudi education system. The reform of Saudi education leads to the need to focus on BL as a tool for adopting technology into any college classroom. This study focuses specifically on technology usage for teaching among female faculty. In 2018, women’s education in Saudi Arabia has undergone an incredible social transition, and women’s education is different and more advanced than before. This study looks to learn about female faculty members’ views and experiences as they relate to the adoption of BL in their classrooms. It seeks to provide in-depth knowledge essential …

Faculty Experiences With Instructional Innovations: A Phenomenological Study Of Faculty Use Of Instructional Video, Timothy Patrick Oneal

Theses and Dissertations

Colleges and universities create learning environments that strive to optimize strengths and minimize weaknesses of learners. Media rich environments have changed the current generation of learners just as it is now changing higher education. There is currently a need to examine the experiences and perceptions of instructors when adopting innovations such as instructional videos for use in their media enriched curriculum delivery. This study used a phenomenological approach to discover why and how faculty at a 4-year public university use the innovation of instructional video in their classrooms. The phenomenon studied was the adoption process and the motivation of the …

Academic Interventions In Secondary Schools: Examining Teachers' Perceptions Of Implementing A Multi-Tiered System Of Support, Shannon Mortrud

Theses and Dissertations

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2015) only 34% of eighth grade students in the U.S. scored at or above proficient in reading and only 33% were at or above proficient in math. Reading comprehension is essential for the acquisition of knowledge in all coursework and those students who have reading deficits may experience increased academic failure. Deficits in math skills may also increase core academic failure for secondary students expected to complete rigorous courses in algebra and beyond. In a review of the literature, Blount (2012) deduced that academic failure is one of the main predictive risk …

Teacher Perspectives On The Impact Of High-Stakes Testing On Students With Disabilities : A Grounded Theory Study, Tammy Marie Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 1997 (IDEA), No Child Left Behind Act 2001 (NCLB), and Every Child Succeeds Act 2015 (ESSA) has changed how public schools adapt to standards and accountability systems for all students, including students with mild-to-significant cognitive disabilities. Federal legislation has changed the focus of teaching and learning since the implementation of NCLB. This movement has altered the way students with disabilities are compared to their same-age peers.

High-stakes testing has generated numerous challenges for educators, administrators, parents, and students across the nation. Increased pressure has been placed on schools to achieve Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), …

Instrumental Music Participation And The Differences In Academic Performances For Students In Poverty, Shawn A. Oban

Theses and Dissertations

Because of the emphasis on No Child Left Behind and high stakes testing, school districts and administrators have been limiting or eliminating fine arts courses from an already shrinking curriculum, focusing on the subjects being tested. Students living in poverty are often entering formal schooling behind academically.

The researcher examined longitudinal test data from 2010-2015 from middle school aged students in a large Midwest school district. The researcher focused on test scores from the sixth grade when instrumental music was offered, examined test data from tenth grade, and studied academic growth. All student scores were included, but the independent variables …

On The Cusp: A School District And Two Communities Respond To An Oil Pre-Boom, Vincent Roman Genareo

Theses and Dissertations

This case study is an investigation of the attitudes, perceptions, and reactions of school staff and community members in a rural pre-boom school district. In the early stage of an oil boom, real and perceived disruptions commonly occur in the schools and communities that are affected. The preparations and responses that residents make to the changes may determine the community’s future success, so understanding the impacts in the initial pre-boom growth stage is vital. Using qualitative methods of interviews, participant observations, and document analyses, this study researched 41 participants in a rural school district and two communities. The literature review …

A Case Study: Transitioning From A Five-Day School Week To A Four-Day School Week, Brian Duane Duchscherer

Theses and Dissertations

For over a century, most PK-12 schools across the United States have been using the same format of five days of school a week for approximately 9 months a year. The discussion of a four-day school week is being considered as many school districts try to balance their budgets each school year. Some schools in the past 30 years have begun changing to a four-day school week. The four-day school week can create controversy within a community, concerns among parents and students, and benefits for the school district as well as for parents and students. The researcher studied one rural …

Examination Of The Relationship Between Amercian Indian Cultural Identity And Academic Performance Of Nursing Graduates, Elizabeth Ann Yellowbird

Theses and Dissertations

There are great health disparities within the AI/AN population according to IHS documentation. Historical events such as complex political issues, poor education, boarding schools, and loss of language have heightened this difficult healthcare situation. Furthermore, issues such as lack of health professionals (especially AI/AN nurses) and access to healthcare services add to the dilemma. The cause for the low number of AI/AN nurses who graduate from college varies, but one significant area to consider is the relationship between poor academic performance influenced by cultural conflict. The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between cultural identities of students …

Perceptions Of Five Low-Income Parents On School Readiness, Roanne Eugenia Malm

Theses and Dissertations

This small-scale qualitative study explored the perceptions of five low-income mothers regarding their child's readiness for kindergarten. The study has the potential to help early childhood advocates and other stakeholders (a) understand how low-income environments influence school readiness, (b) understand the aspirations low-income parents have for their children, (c) discover ways to improve the transition to school for economically disadvantaged children, and (d) engage parents in a more equitable manner--ultimately helping all children start kindergarten with success.

Parents selected for this study had a child age 4-5 who was the oldest child in the family, on a Head Start waiting …

Satisficing: A Decision-Making Strategy For School Choice, Kristine Anne Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate parent decision-making regarding school choice. Data were collected through a survey on how parents approached the decision making task of choosing a school for their child. Parents of kindergarten and first grade students in one public school district in Minnesota and five private schools in surrounding communities were invited to participate.

Four bodies of literature provide the theoretical basis of the study. They are education reform; school choice in Minnesota; factors parents consider when choosing schools; and decision-making theory.

Satisficing, a concept drawn from Herbert Simon's (1955, 1956) theory of bounded rationality …

Views Of Student Nurses On Caring And Technology In Nursing, Elizabeth Gail Brodell

Theses and Dissertations

Nurses entering the workforce are faced with many challenges, but today the multiple demands of patient care are complicated by a nurse's need to keep abreast of fast-changing technology. This research is universally relevant to nursing practice in educational settings and practice areas because nursing education needs to develop strategies to teach students the skills to manage technology, while keeping the elements of caring in learning and clinical practices.

This quantitative study examined the perceptions of nursing students on caring, technology as caring, the technological influences on caring practice, and their confidence level of PDA use. Participants were students accepted …

Elementary School Administrator Technology Skills And Their Impact On Teacher Technology Integration Competencies, Jason Douglas Hornbacher

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between the technology competencies of elementary school administrators and the technology integration competencies of teachers under their leadership. This study examined data from Phases V and VI, which were the last year and the year following the end of the North Dakota Teaching with Technology Initiative (ND TWTi).

The data collection tool was the Professional Competency Continuum (PCC) profile assessment. The data from this survey were preexisting and spanned from 1999 to 2006. ND TWTi provided technology training and support to North Dakota teachers and administrators. The PCC measured the …

The Perceived Healthy Practices Of School Board Governance: Strategic Planning And Decision Making To Impact Student Achievement, Steven Todd Jordahl

Theses and Dissertations

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of legislation of 2001 has impacted legal responsibilities school boards have in addressing best practices of governance as it relates to the impact on student achievement. NCLB suggests that school boards develop a governance structure, a decision-making model, and strategic planning exercises to support the achievement of all students. However, many school boards across the country still engage in practices that do not focus attention on achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine if student achievement of selected Minnesota School Districts is impacted by the practices of school board governance. The …

Hb1245: A Case Study Of The Process That Rescinded Nd's Nursing Education Requirements, Wanda Fisher Rose

Theses and Dissertations

A case study approach was used to examine House Bill1245 (HB1245, 2003) introduced by the ND Nurses Association (NDNA) in the 2003 58th ND Legislative Session. The purpose of this study was to trace the events and debates that rescinded the nursing education for entry-into-practice that existed since 1987. The study was designed to answer the following questions: (a) What events prompted the introduction of House Bill1245? (b) Who were the key actors during the legislative process? (c) What was the understanding ofHB1245 by nurses? (d) What factors influenced the outcome of HB1245? and, (e) Why did NDNA introduce HB1245? …

Transitioning From Graduate Nurse To Professional Nurse, Jan M. Kamphuis

Theses and Dissertations

Just as the world is facing many changes and transitions, nursing care delivery systems and nursing education systems continue to struggle with significant transitions in nursing practice. New, or novice nurses, find it increasingly difficult to transition from the role of the graduate nurse to professional nurse. It is, therefore, not surprising that the most stressful time during a nurse's career is the first three months of initial employment or that 35% to 60% of nurse graduates change jobs during the first year of employment. Many of these new nurses suffer from early disillusionment with the profession and often leave …

Community College Presidents In The New Millennium: Competencies For Leadership As Identified By Position Announcements And Relationship To Board Type, Shari L. Olson-Nikunen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if position announcements and position descriptions posted in The Chronicle of Higher Education, (2002) align with 1) the competencies established by Desjardins and Huff for the community college president in the new millennium and 2) whether these competencies vary with different board structures, majority board gender composition, or gender of board president.

Seventy-six position announcements where compared to a Community College Leadership Competency model in a mixed model research design, using both qualitative and quantitative data analysis. Inter-rater reliability was established by having two educators independently code 20 position announcements and then …

The Relationship Among Educational Philosophy And Discipline Policies, Procedures, And Practices, Alan G. Ekblad

Theses and Dissertations

One enduring mission of the educational system has been to promote classroom environments where children learn about responsible citizenship, disruption is minimized, and learning is maximized. This mission has supported the development of discipline policy, procedures, and practices as one component of an overall educational philosophy for school districts.

This study compared written educational philosophies, discipline policies, and procedures with actual practices reported by school personnel. The intent was to determine whether the statements corresponded with one another to promote practices for discipline that reflected a sound educational philosophy. It was questioned whether evidence of discrepancies between the statements correlated …

Teacher Perceptions Of And Satisfaction With The Power Base Uses Of Elementary And Secondary Principals, John P. Franzoia

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was (1) to determine how elementary and secondary teachers in a large North Dakota school district perceived the power base use of their principals and (2) to determine how satisfied these teachers were with the power base use.

The researcher administered the Power Perception Profile- Perception of Other and a brief questionnaire to the teachers to study the relationship between satisfaction and background variables. Of 544 teachers in the district, 410 participated resulting in 379 usable responses, a total of 69.7% of all teachers in the district. Interviews were conducted with principals after results were …

Ella Deloria: A Biographical Sketch And Literary Analysis, Janette K. Murray

Theses and Dissertations

Ella Deloria, a Dakota born on the Yankton Reservation in 1888, was a teacher, speaker, author, and researcher in linguistics and anthropology. One purpose. of this study ·was to present a description of her family background, education, and career. Most of this information was gathered by interviews with her relatives, friends, former students, and professional acquaintances. A second.purpose was to analyze her writings on the language and culture of the Dakota people and to determine her contributions to existing publications by others.

The ancestors of Ella Deloria played important roles in the history of South Dakota. Her great-grandfather, Philippe des …

A Comparative Study Of Two Programed Instructional Methods And Conventional Instruction In A Unit Of Ninth Grade Physical Science, Ronald James Mckee

Theses and Dissertations

Statement of the Problem

The problem was to determine whether a combination of conventional and programed instruction was more effective than conventional instruction alone in the teaching of a ninth-grade Physical Science unit, "Matter,Atoms, and Molecules." The three treatment groups compared were (1) the Conventional Group, (2) the Introductory Group, in which the programed material was used as initiatory assignments, and (3) the Review Group, in which the programed material was used as review assignments. Student achievement was measured by means of the Adjusted Recall Gain Score, the Adjusted Application Gain Score, and the Adjusted Total Gain Score.

In addition, …

Boys' Physical Education Leadership, Facilities, And Equipment In The Secondary Schools Of North Dakota, James W. Gustafson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to make readily available, in helpful form all information possible on leadership, facilities, and equipment in men's physical education in North Dakota schools. It was originally planned that this should be a study of women's physical education as well as men's, but inasmuch as the questionnaires were sent to men instructors, not much information concerning the women's program was reported. For this reason it has become necessary to limit this study to men's physical education only. It is hoped that this information and the manner of presentation will aid in determining what is needed …