Digital Commons Network^™

Leading Schools Through A Generational Lens: Perceptions Of Principals' Change Leadership Disaggregated By Principal Generation, Matthew Scott Kuhn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive quantitative study was to investigate possible differences in school leadership within a change process, as perceived by teachers. Grouped by generation, this study investigated principals’ perceptions of change order and that of their teachers, as well as how their teachers perceived their principal’s leadership capacity when leading 1^st and 2^nd order change. This was done by analyzing data from Mid-continent for Education and Learning’s Balanced Leadership Profile®. McREL surveyed principals about the order of school change initiatives and their capacity to lead change. McREL also surveyed teachers about the 1_^st and 2 …

An Analysis Of Final Course Grades In Two Different Entry Level Mathematics Courses Between And Among First Year College Students With Different Levels Of High School Mathematics Preparation, Carrie Muir

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study compared the performance of first year college students with similar high school mathematics backgrounds in two introductory level college mathematics courses, a College Algebra course and a Quantitative Reasoning (QR) course, and to compare the performance of students with differing high school mathematics backgrounds within each course. High school mathematics backgrounds were measures three ways: using the binary minimum preparation standards of the college, using levels defined by those standards and high school academic data, and levels defined only by high school academic data. Performance in college courses was considered in two ways: final grades and a binary …

Adult Perceptions Of The Experience Of Being Identified "Talented And Gifted" As Children: A Phenomenological Study, Bradford Summers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This is a phenomenological study of adult perceptions of the experience of being identified "talented and gifted" as children. Data were gathered by transcribing the video recordings of adults who were students of the Talented and Gifted (TAG) education program in Fairfield, Ohio during 1978-1983. The phenomenological method was used to discover perceptions of a unique population of adults who shared life experiences during elementary and middle school. Analysis of the data resulted in the identification of four main themes: Growth, Interpersonal, Future, and Thankfulness. Three facilitating and three challenging subthemes were identified under each main theme. These were: Internal …

Torch (March/April 2012), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

A College-Level Foundational Mathematics Course: Evaluation, Challenges, And Future Directions, Wes Maciejewski

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Recently in Ontario, Canada, the College Math Project brought to light startling data on the achievement of students in Ontario's College of Applied Arts and Technology System related to their performance in first-year mathematics courses: one-third of the students had failed their first-year mathematics course or were at risk of not completing their program because of their performance in such a course. Here I present the results of an attempt to address the findings of the College Math Project. A foundational mathematics course, based on the JUMP Math program, was designed and implemented at a college in Toronto, Ontario. Although …

More Efficient High Schools In Maine: Emerging Student‐Centered Learning Communities, David L. Silvernail Phd, Erika K. Stump Phd, Richard E. Barnes, Kenneth E. Kunin, Sarah E. Wintle

School Improvement

The Center for Education Policy, Applied Research, and Evaluation at the University of Southern Maine conducted a study in 2010-2011 of a sample of Maine high schools. Funded in part by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the study examined the degree to which these More Efficient high schools were also student-centered.

This report describes the methodology used to identify Maine schools that were outperforming expectations and reports the results from conducting case studies of a representative sample of these and other Maine schools. Through these case studies, we were able to uncover what the schools were doing that set them …

Making Mathematics Matter: Professional Development Improving Outcomes In High-Poverty Environments, Carolyn A. Siebers

Wayne State University Dissertations

This research study is a mixed – methods quantitative and qualitative study that analyzed data from an intensive, long – term professional development project named, " Project : Making Mathematics Matter. (PM³) " carried out in two low – performing, high – poverty districts. Two of the districts served as treatment districts and ALL teachers (general education, special education, ELL) who taught mathematics to students in grades 4-8 participated in a four-year PM³ mathematical intervention.

Three elements identified in the research as effective components in mathematics professional development served as foundational for this project. They were: teachers …

Exploring The Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scales-Revised (Ecers-R) Evaluation On Preschool Children's Pre-Academic Progress, Jennifer L. Fundus

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to determine the physical, social, cognitive, and language outcomes of targeted Title I preschool students participating in programs not meeting and programs meeting Nebraska Department of Education, Early Childhood Evaluation Rating Scales-Revised (ECERS-R) requirements. As more requirements are being required for preschools to require, the exploration of the effectiveness of these requirements needs to be explored.

Gender Roles And Their Influence On Life Prospects For Women In Urban Karachi, Pakistan: A Qualitative Study, Tazeen S. Ali, Gunilla Krantz, Raisa Gul, Nargis Asad, Eva Johansson, Ingrid Mogren

School of Nursing & Midwifery

BACKGROUND: Pakistan is a patriarchal society where men are the primary authority figures and women are subordinate. This has serious implications on women's and men's life prospects.
OBJECTIVE: The aim was to explore current gender roles in urban Pakistan, how these are reproduced and maintained and influence men's and women's life circumstances.
DESIGN: Five focus group discussions were conducted, including 28 women representing employed, unemployed, educated and uneducated women from different socio-economic strata. Manifest and latent content analyses were applied.
FINDINGS: TWO MAJOR THEMES EMERGED DURING ANALYSIS: 'Reiteration of gender roles' and 'Agents of change'. The first theme included perceptions …

Evaluating Summer School Programs And The Effect On Student Achievement: The Correlation Between Stanford-10 Standardized Test Scores And Two Different Summer Programs, Alicia Kaye Bottorff

Dissertations

Educators have been looking for a solution to increasing yearly student achievement while at the same time ensuring that the achievement gap between students of high and low socioeconomic status does not continue to widen each year. Many studies examined show that students experience summer learning loss if not in school during the months of June through September. Because of this research, the district being studied extended their summer school program format from four-weeks to six-weeks. This collaborative, quantitative study examined assessment data from the SAT 10 to explore the correlation between middle school math and language arts test data …

Teaching Across Borders: Business As Usual?, Bobbe Mcghie Allen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The quest to comprehend how cultural differences can impact learning is one of those intriguing challenges that continue to beguile some scholars and educational leaders even at a time that is characterized as globalized. This dissertation is a qualitative case study about teaching to culturally diverse populations and is primarily based on the interviews of seven accountants designated as instructors and the direct observation of those instructors while teaching accounting principles to other accountants. The English language was used despite the fact that all participants, including the instructors, spoke English as a second or third language and came from diverse …

Social Networking In Collegiate Public Relations, Leon Bracey

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

A guide describing the importance of institutions of higher education implement social networking policies and procedures. The project includes a manual and marketing plan that will be implemented by the author of the project at his employer, Georgia Perimeter College.

Evaluating Summer School Programs And The Effect On Student Achievement: The Correlation Between Stanford-10 Standardized Test Scores And Two Different Summer Programs, Brian J. Koop

Dissertations

School districts looking for ways to minimize summer learning loss have implemented a variety of programs to combat this problem. Since No Child Left Behind and the need for school districts to meet the goals of Adequate Yearly Progress, it is no longer enough to limit summer learning loss. Now school leaders find it necessary to use the summer months to increase student achievement and prepare students for rigorous learning in the coming school year. This collaborative, quantitative study is an examination of one district’s attempt to improve summer programming in order to meet the need for increased student achievement. …

Basic Education And Education For All In Nigeria: The Role Of Multinational Corporations, Mary Plangnan Haggai

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

In spite of the concerted efforts made by the Nigerian government at funding the Universal Basic Education (UBE) in the country, 11 million children of school age are still out of school. To augment the funding, the paper proposes the involvement of multinational corporations. Participation in UBE is seen as a tangible Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project that will have direct impact on the host communities in such a way that will eliminate the hostilities of the host communities towards multinational corporations.

Msculine Identity And The Education And Parental Involvement Of African American Teen Fathers, Milissa Mcclaire Gary

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

African American males are more likely to become teenage fathers than their white counterparts, and the risk is increased for those living in low-income communities. This qualitative work is a case study exploring the life experiences of one African American teen father from a working class urban area. The research investigates the ways in which conceptions of masculinity impact the identity formation and parental engagement of African American teen fathers. It also explores the ways in which they may seek to fulfill multiple, and often competing, social roles including father, student, and young Black man in society. The findings acknowledge …

Students' Perceptions Of Collaboration Tools In A Higher Education Online Collaborative Learning Environment, Kirk Henry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Higher education funding and student behavior has been changing rapidly (Dervarics,2008). Because of this, there has been an increased focus on the use of alternative tools for course delivery. One of the emerging areas of focus has been an increased interest in the use of communication and information technologies (Curtis & Lawson, 2001). Currently, there are a wide variety of flexible delivery methods that have been used as well as their associated tools. Naturally, questions have been raised about the efficacy of these tools on the quality of student-student, student-teacher, and student-content interaction (Curtis & Lawson, 2001). Interaction and Collaboration …

Predictors And Influences Of Graduation Rates In Mississippi Public Schools, Donna Rebekah Holden Chiasson

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine if possible predictors of graduation rates in Mississippi existed. This study included 10 independent variables and one dependent variable. The independent variables consisted of average daily attendance, algebra I scores, teacher salary, socioeconomic status (as expressed in the percentage of students eligible for free and reduced lunch within a school), eighth grade math MCT scores, eighth grade language MCT scores, the number of teachers with advanced degrees, the school's outcome of Adequate Yearly Progress, school size, and principal leadership style.

The dependent variable was graduation rate. A total of 100 schools were …

Incarcerated Male Adolescent Suicide In Utah: A Case Study, Kristy Straubhaar

Theses and Dissertations

Adolescent suicide has been described as a major public health problem calling for the aid of researchers willing to better identify factors related to suicide risk. Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for 15 to 24 year olds. Despite the fact incarcerated adolescents act in self-destructive ways, minimal research has focused on suicide behavior among incarcerated adolescents. Existing data indicates that suicide among adolescent males is especially prevalent in the juvenile justice system. Several variables have been identified as risk factors for suicidal behavior, including interpersonal relationship dysfunction, substance abuse, and psychological variables such as depression and dichotomous thinking. …

Investigating Efforts To Change Educator Attitudes And Teaching Strategies Through Professional Development Focused On The Use Of Backward Design Curriculum And The Principles Of Efficacy: Educator Beliefs And Attitudes, Cynthia R. Allen

Dissertations

A specific assessment for testing readiness skills is lacking for children entering kindergarten. This study investigates the influence of early education programs on school readiness and differences between male and female school readiness screening scores upon students‘ entrance into kindergarten. The study uses 321 school readiness screening scores of students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade from a rural school district with the population of approximately 540 students located in Southwest Missouri. A causal-comparative study was performed on the data compiled from student records. An unpaired t-test using a two-tailed P-value hypothesis test revealed there is a significant difference between …

What Will You Name It? Dordt College Commencement Address, May 9, 2008, Jeri Schelhaas

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

The Star Math Test As A Predictor Of Arkansas Benchmark Test Scores, Patricia Anne Conner

Dissertations

With the failure of the legislative branch to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind law in 2007 and recent reports that more schools than ever are failing to achieve Adequate Yearly Progress, educators are reviewing practices and curriculum. As a result of federal and state laws, it is necessary to identify an accurate predictor of student achievement prior to the administration of the state-mandated test. For this study, student samples were drawn from sixth, seventh, and eighth grade populations of a Northwest Arkansas Middle School. Samples were separated by grade level and ranked according to the grade equivalency on the …

Gender, Mathematics, Reading Comprehension And Science Reasoning As Predictors Of Science Achievement Among African-American Students At A Historical Black College Or University, Consuella Artiemese Davis

Dissertations

This study investigated predictors that influence the science achievement of African-American non-science majors in a Physical Science class. The population consisted of male and female college students enrolled in Physical Science courses at a historical black college or university (HBCU) located in the southeastern portion of the United States. A personal data information sheet was administered to 120 participants during the Fall of 2008. The personal data information sheet consisted of questions pertaining to the high school courses, students took in math, language arts and science. It also consisted of basic background information. Students also gave written consent for their …

The Relationship Between Teacher Efficacy And Reading Program Type In West Virginia Elementary Schools, Patricia Lee Harvey

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study, based on Bandura’s social cognitive theory, explored the two dimensions of teacher efficacy among reading program types (Harcourt; Houghton Mifflin; MacMillan McGraw Hill; Pearson Scott Foresman; and, Other) and selected demographic factors (school enrollment size; student ethnicity; school district of urban, rural, and suburban; student socioeconomic status; teacher’s level of education; teacher’s years of experience; and, teacher certification of highly qualified or not-highly qualified). Utilizing Gibson and Dembo’s Teacher Efficacy Scale (TES) combined with an author-created selected demographic questionnaire, a sample of 364 elementary teachers participated representing a population of 6,204 elementary teachers of reading. A one-way ANOVA …

Predictors Of Academic Success For High School Students: The Correlation Between Middle School Missouri Assessment Program Scores And Freshman Year Grade Point Average, Sherrie L. Wisdom

Dissertations

Educators lack an efficient means to predict academic success at the high school level. Analysis of assessment scores may provide prediction patterns to help districts raise the percentage of students who persist to graduation, provide support for students who exhibit characteristics of academic risk or giftedness, and move populations closer to meeting Adequate Yearly Progress. To consider assessment data as potential indicators of academic transition success from middle to high school, this study examined the correlation between middle school Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) scores and high school Grade Point Average (GPA). MAP Communication Arts and Mathematics were independent variables. The …

Increasing Retention Rates In Minority Librarians Through Mentoring, Antonia Olivas, Richard Ma

E-JASL: Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship (1999-2009, Volumes 1-10)

Thesis

Maintaining healthy mentoring relationships throughout librarians’ careers helps to increase retention rates among minority librarians and promotes diversity in upper-management.

Abstract

Recruitment of minority librarians has been at the forefront of library literature for decades. However, what happens to those librarians after they graduate from library school and get their first library jobs? Do they stay in the profession for long? Is there a support system to help them maintain the excitement and novelty of their career choice after they’ve been wooed by scholarships and residency programs? This article will discuss the results of a study conducted by librarians …

The Underrepresentation Of Women In Interscholastic Sport Leadership: A Qualitative Study On The Effects Of Role Incongruity, Dana Massengale

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to investigate the underrepresentation of women in interscholastic sport leadership positions by analyzing perceptions of state association administrators and athletic directors of the function, if any, that role congruity theory plays in the underrepresentation women. Previous research has examined potential causes for this underrepresentation but no previous study had examined this phenomenon from a prejudice toward women in a leadership role perspective. Data were collected through indepth, semi-structured interviews involving nine women leaders in interscholastic athletics. The criteria for participation placed them into one of three categories: (1) participants who were currently working as …

Power Base Perceptions Of School Administrators At Residential Schools For The Culturally Deaf, Allison Washington Moffett

Dissertations

Residential schools fill a significant role in the academic and social education of deaf and hard-of-hearing students worldwide. Progress has been made in these schools as a result of a collaborative effort between schools and community working together. Administrators at the residential schools play essential roles in the academic and social processes of education and as such they must be aware of their own power bases and usages. Hersey and Blanchard (1993) maintained that it is essential for school administrators to be able to distinguish the power sources and to be knowledgeable about which power sources to use in a …

Is Speech Intelligibility Of Deaf And Hard Of Hearing People A Barrier For Occupational Competence?, Tova Most, Amatzia Weisel, Rachel Gali-Cinamon

JADARA

The goal of the study was to evaluate the relationships between Speech Intelligibility (SI) and Occupational Competence (OC) of young deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) adults. Thnty six young adults completed SI and 00 self-report questionnaires. The results indicated that occupations requiring less communication were considered to be more suitable than those requiring more communication. The level of prestige did not have a significant influence upon the ratings. SI was not found to be related to OC. The results suggest that D/HH young adults did not consider SI to be a barrier in the vocational domain.

Marketing Seventh-Day Adventist Higher Education : College-Choice Motivators And Barriers, Vinita Sauder

Dissertations

Purpose. Approximately 75% of Seventh-day Adventist college-bound youth do not attend the church's 15 colleges in North America. This study explored the views of Adventist college-bound participants regarding the factors (motivators and barriers) that influence college choice.

Method. Utilizing a mixed methods approach, qualitative and quantitative data were collected in a sequential two-phase design. Insights from focus groups conducted in Los Angeles and Nashville guided the development of a nationwide telephone survey of college-bound Adventists. Three groups sorted by type of high school were identified from a sample size of 226 and compared in terms of awareness and college-choice motivators …

Art Therapy Treatment With Incarcerated Women, Bonnie Erickson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effectiveness of art therapy in decreasing symptoms of trauma and psychological distress in women who were incarcerated in county jails in the Southeastern United States. In order to protect the integrity of the study, control subjects were in different dormitories from the treatment subjects. While the dormitories were randomly assigned to treatment or control, the subjects were not. The dependent measures were paper and pencil tests, the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45.2) and the Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI) given at pretest and posttest. A demographic questionnaire was completed in the first session to better characterize the participants. In …