Digital Commons Network^™

Navigating Through Systems That Create Inequities: Elementary Teacher Perceptions, Sarah Rector

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This qualitative case study was designed to explore elementary teacher perceptions of what it means to provide an equitable education for their students. These perceptions allow educational leaders insight into how teachers navigate systems that create inequities and what professional development may be needed to further support equitable learning in the classroom. K-5 certified teachers were interviewed twice to gather data on their understanding of educational equity and the correlation between classroom and state testing. Four findings emerged from this study: (a) educators believed that providing an equitable education would create successful adults, (b) educators gained cultural experiences by having …

The Impact Of Student Learning Pathway Choices During The Covid-19 Pandemic On Academic Achievement, Lauren A. Canfield

Doctor of Education Dissertations

In the fall of 2020, students chose the learning pathway that best suited their situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Learning pathways were face-to-face, virtual synchronous, and virtual asynchronous. Because of this, in the fall of 2021, all students demonstrated learning loss. The learning loss, however, was not congruent among students. This quantitative study sought to determine if a student’s learning pathway choice during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their academic achievement as measured by grade point average, end-of-course exam scores for Algebra I, and qualification for Tier 2 academic interventions in a multi-tiered system of support. This study was conducted …

A Program Evaluation On The Impact Of South Carolina's Child Early Reading Development And Education Program On Kindergarten Reading Readiness In A Small Rural School District, Brittnay White

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This mixed methods study evaluated the effectiveness of the Child Early Reading Development and Education Program (CERDEP) on kindergarten reading readiness using Stufflebeam’s (2003) context, input, process, and product (CIPP) model. The program was implemented in a rural school district in 2014 and the program’s goal is to provide high-quality instruction to at-risk 4-year-olds in a full-day format. The study’s objective was to determine the extent to which the goals of the program have been met. Qualitative data were collected from focus group sessions with prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers to assess CERDEP’s alignment with the assessed needs and implementation fidelity. …

Changing Adult Behaviors: Examining The Factors Of Change That Facilitate The Mtss Implementation Framework In A Small Rural School District, Briana Whitaker

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This mixed methods study sought to identify the incorporation of support for implementing evidence-based instructional practices within an MTSS framework among teachers and the impact on student growth outcomes in three K-2 schools. The study also determined teacher perceptions regarding how support in adult behavior change, which is the theoretical framework of the study, impacted a shift in their instructional practices utilizing a qualitative survey, one-on-one interviews, and two independent samples t tests. Participants in the study expressed that school climate, principal instructional leadership, purposeful PLCs, and their attitudes about new behaviors best supported them in adopting innovative instructional reading …

Business Meeting Report (Secretary's And Treasurer's Report), Academy Editors

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Faculty And Staff Perceptions Of Mental Health Services In The Elementary Schools Of A Rural District, Vera Collins Richardson

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This case study focused on the perceptions of faculty and staff of mental health services at the elementary level in a rural district. Mental health services provided in elementary school settings can ultimately change the outcome of individuals’ lives. Many districts in North Carolina lack the funds to hire mental health counselors, and must rely on elementary school counselors to take the lead in providing students with the mental health care they need. This qualitative case study focused on the perceptions of faculty and staff and was the primary focus of this research. An analysis of feedback from three elementary …

Parental Engagement And Equitable Family Partnerships: Perspectives From Internal And External Stakeholders, Alexine Thomas-Brown

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This research study explored the critical topic of parental engagement and equitable family partnerships. The study aimed to provide holistic insight by uncovering internal and external stakeholders' combined perceptions regarding equitable parental engagement to establish a protocol for individualized support. Purposeful sampling was used to select the study’s participants. Participants were categorized into two groups: internal stakeholders, who included teachers, social workers, and administrators; and external stakeholders, who included parents and guardians. Open-ended surveys and interviews were used to collect insight from internal and external stakeholders. The data were analyzed thematically and interpreted against Epstein et al.’s (2019) and Darling-Hammond’s …

A Contextual Analysis Of The Self-Care Practices Of School Principals In A Rural District, Jennifer R. Croymans

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate current self-care practices used by school principals and the correlation between school principal self-care practices and their alignment with the seven pillars of self-care. This study sought to bring awareness as to the barriers and motivations of current school principals and the impact of those barriers and motivations on effective implementation of principal self-care. In addition, this study provides the district of study and other rural school districts with potential recommendations in order to support current school principals in the proper implementation of self-care practices. A mixed methods approach was used to …

Determining The Effectiveness Of Rosemary Essential Oil On The Shelf Life Of Ground Beef Under Different Lighting Conditions, Jordan T. Looper, Kelly R. Vierck

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

This study determined the effectiveness of rosemary extract on the shelf life of ground beef patties under different retail display conditions. Ground beef patties were produced from an 85%:15% blend (lean:fat). Patties were formed from batches of control or amended with rosemary extract. Patties were individually packaged using overwrap. Groups were assigned into one of two lighting groups (3000K and 3500K). Patties were placed in a simulated retail display for 5 d under continuous lighting and rotated once a day. Lipid oxidation and color samples were taken each day. Relating to lipid oxidation, there was no three-way interaction between display …

Instructions For Authors, Discovery Editors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Examining The Management Of Second Chance Schools: A Case Study Of Secondary School For Teen Mothers In Kenya, Nancy Chebet

Master of Education

Teen pregnancy in Kenya is on the increase and is widely attributed to the prolonged closure of schools because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and widespread exposure to irresponsible sexual behaviours and exploitation. Approximately 13,000 girls dropped out of school in 2021 due to teenage pregnancies. However, since children command the right to education and education is a priority in sustainable development goals, the feminist movement has established ways to ensure teen mothers are educated, in Kenya, there is the rise of schools designated for teen mothers. Therefore, the study sought to examine how these schools are managed this is because …

Perspectives On Care Coordination For Youth With Tbi: Moving Forward To Provide Better Care, Jennifer P. Lundine, Erika Hagen, Susan C. Davies

Counselor Education and Human Services Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Care coordination aligns services and optimizes outcomes for children with traumatic brain injury (TBI), yet numerous obstacles can impede effective care coordination following a TBI.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this work is to identify barriers and facilitators to care coordination from the perspective of individuals who care for young people impacted by TBI.

METHODS: Twenty-one care providers participated in semi-structured interviews to gather their perspectives on systems of care coordination for youth with TBI and potential areas for improvement. Using reflexive thematic analysis, researchers identified key themes across interviews.

RESULTS: Three themes were identified: 1) gaps in knowledge; 2) …

How Parents Perceive School Readiness, Jody Silvester

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of this study was to explore parents' perceptions of children entering kindergarten and their understanding of school readiness. In this collective case study, drawing on parent interviews and artifact sampling and guided by discourse analysis (Gee, 2015), I employed Saldaña's (2021) cycle coding methods to explore the themes of what parents perceive and co-construct as 'school readiness'. Data collected for this study includes video recorded interviews of four participants as well as artifacts of their child(ren)'s classroom assessments, parent-teacher conference forms and packets, and a checklist shared by the parents. The findings of the study showed parents' perception …

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences - Volume 24 2023, Several Authors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Professional Development Needs Of Early Childhood Educators Teaching Children With Challenging Behaviors, Latashia L. Kelly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractEarly childhood educators have struggled to teach children with challenging behaviors, which can lead to suspension and expulsion. Although early childhood educators have limited professional development training in challenging behaviors, they are often not equipped to teach children with challenging behaviors. There is little research on how early childhood educators perceive their current training regarding teaching children with challenging behaviors. Exploring early childhood educators’ perceptions can determine what they need to teach children with challenging behaviors for a thriving classroom environment. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to better understand educators’ perceptions regarding the type of professional development …

Educating Nurses On Mental Fatigue, Tawanna Ann Canty

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Education correlates with nurse performance and avoiding mental fatigue. This project attempted to answer the question, “Educating nurses on mental fatigue will increase knowledge” focusing on educating rehabilitative nurses regarding mental fatigue. The project was guided by the Analysis, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate model. Twenty rehabilitative nurses were administered a pretest consisting of 10 multiple-choice test questions. They received education on mental fatigue through PowerPoint presentations and handouts. After completing the education, participants were administered a posttest with the same 10 questions. An evaluation tool consisting of six questions was completed measuring an increase in knowledge after the posttest. …

Education Program To Increase Nurses' Knowledge Of Faith Community Nursing, Lovell Thurmon Sweeten Cartwright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe practice problem was a group of nurses practicing as faith community nurses (FCNs) who had no training in FCN practice, a specialty recognized by the American Nurses Association. This problem was important to address within the context of nursing practice because the nurses could have acted outside of their scope of practice and caused harm. The practice-focused question addressed whether a staff education program for FCNs would increase their knowledge of their role in a church setting with the goal of developing independent FCNs. The model guiding the project was the health promotion model. Eleven registered nurses were recruited …

Fostering Infant And Toddler Music Competence At The Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center, Ellen Mathews, Laura Herold, Shelley Mcnally, Donia Timby

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

This paper presents a creative research project that introduced musical instruments in an outdoor setting to infants and toddlers ages 0-to-3 years old. It was grounded in research suggesting that music plays a vital component in expanding development in the early childhood years, helping to promote learning across many domains. This project began with a survey distributed to 7 infant and toddler classroom educators, after which responses were analyzed for themes regarding perceived infant interests. Subsequent observations were conducted to evaluate the best fit for the implementation of an outdoor experiential music space. Based on the findings, a developmentally appropriate …

Validation Of A Diagnostic Marker For Primocane-Fruiting In Blackberry, Isabella Vaughn, Alexander Silva, Carmen Johns, Lacy Nelson, Margaret Worthington

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Typical blackberries (Rubus subgenus Rubus) have perennial crowns and roots and biennial canes. The first-year canes (primocanes) are usually vegetative, while second-year canes (floricanes) produce fruit. Primocane-fruiting blackberries produce fruit on first-year canes and are desirable to growers because they potentially allow for a longer harvest season in temperate regions and enable production in tropical areas where no natural chill hours are accumulated. The development of molecular markers for desirable traits can potentially increase efficiency in blackberry breeding. However, to date, there are no diagnostic molecular markers for economically important traits in blackberries. Primocane-fruiting is recessively inherited, and tetraploid blackberries …

Teacher Perceptions Of The Implementation Of Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports (Swpbis) In A Rural Southwest Georgia School District, Angela E. Bell

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined teacher perspectives of SWPBIS and how those perceptions impacted school discipline in a rural, Title I middle school located in southwest Georgia. This paper reviewed the history of school discipline policies and discipline practices. The focus was on teacher perceptions of SWPBIS and how those perceptions impacted school discipline in a rural, Title I middle school in a southwest Georgia county. Results were obtained using a quantitative survey and focus groups. Overall, the findings discovered that all respondents believed that SWPBIS had helpful benefits.

Graduate Student Awareness Of Student Services, Shayla Schumacher

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Studies have shown that student services aid in students’ success while attending college, however many students may not utilize these resources or even know they exist. Furthermore, there is limited research on graduate students’ awareness and usage of these services. Graduate students face different circumstances than other student populations yet may not access these beneficial resources. This study uses a mixed methods survey to examine graduate students’ awareness and usage of student services at a state school. This study shows attending the university as an undergraduate student first contributes to a student’s knowledge and usage of student services.

Acer 2020-2021 Annual Report, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

ACER Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Speech And Language Assessment Of Internationally Adopted Children, Lindsey Clifford

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This paper consists of three distinct articles, all related to the speech and language assessment of internationally adopted children. The first article, “Speech and Language Assessment of Internationally Adopted Children,” is a qualitative study that explored how speech-language pathologists (SLPs) would conduct a speech and language assessment of internationally adopted children. The assessment of this population of children can be challenging for many reasons, and there is limited knowledge of what methods SLPs are currently using. In-depth interviews were conducted with five SLPs who had at least two years of experience working in a public school setting to learn how …

An Inclusive Playground For Infant And Toddler Development, Amanda M. Swartz, Jacquelyn D. Wiersma-Mosley, Donia Timby, Shelley Mcnally, Caitlyn Daniel

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

The purpose of this project was to help children reach more developmental goals and to make outdoor play at the Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center more inclusive for all children. Children gain many developmental goals from playing outside and being exposed to other environments as compared to just being inside the classroom. Outdoor play should be as inclusive as indoor play and offer many different activities and outlets, just as the indoor classroom does. The implementation of this service-learning creative project was to add more versatility to the outdoor area at the University of Arkansas Jean Tyson Child Development …

An Analysis Of Mission Statements Of Select South Carolina Alternative Schools To Determine Practicality During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Gary Heyward

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted teaching and learning, causing schools to close and to move students to remote learning. Many principals sidestepped the guiding principle for schools, the mission statement, and were instead on a mission to salvage teaching and learning. Environmental entities became crucial to school survival. The open system theory, which framed this qualitatively driven mixed methods study, asserts organizations like schools are strongly influenced by the environment, especially during emergencies. This study explored the extent to which select pre-COVID mission statements showed language similarity, facilitated tenets of the open system theory, and aligned with job responsibilities of principals …

กลยุทธ์การบริหารโรงเรียนมัธยมศึกษาสู่การเสริมสร้างกรอบความคิดแบบเติบโตของนักเรียน, พงษ์พิณิตย์ อุทธิยา

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การวิจัยครั้งนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อ 1) ศึกษากรอบแนวคิดเกี่ยวกับการบริหารโรงเรียนมัธยมศึกษาและกรอบความคิดแบบเติบโต 2) วิเคราะห์จุดแข็ง จุดอ่อน โอกาส และภาวะคุกคามของการบริหารโรงเรียนมัธยมศึกษาสู่การเสริมสร้างกรอบความคิดแบบเติบโต 3) พัฒนากลยุทธ์การบริหารโรงเรียนมัธยมศึกษาสู่การเสริมสร้างกรอบความคิดแบบเติบโตของนักเรียน ดำเนินการวิจัยใช้ระเบียบการวิจัยแบบผสมวิธีพหุระยะ ใช้วิธีเก็บข้อมูลเชิงคุณภาพและข้อมูลเชิงปริมาณ กลุ่มตัวอย่างที่ใช้ในการวิจัยครั้งนี้ คือ โรงเรียนมัธยมศึกษา สังกัดสำนักงานคณะกรรมการการศึกษาขั้นพื้นฐาน จำนวน 274 โรงเรียนทั่วประเทศ ผู้ให้ข้อมูล คือ ผู้อำนวยการโรงเรียน รองผู้อำนวยการโรงเรียน และครูผู้สอนระดับมัธยม รวมจำนวน 1,095 คน เครื่องมือที่ใช้ในการวิจัย คือ แบบประเมินความเหมาะของกรอบแนวคิด แบบสอบถามสภาพปัจจุบันและสภาพที่พึงประสงค์ของการบริหารโรงเรียนมัธยมศึกษาสู่การเสริมสร้างกรอบความคิดแบบเติบโตของนักเรียน และแบบประเมินความเหมาะและความเป็นไปได้ของร่างกลยุทธ์การบริหารโรงเรียนมัธยมศึกษาสู่การเสริมสร้างกรอบความคิดแบบเติบโตของนักเรียน วิเคราะห์ข้อมูลเชิงปริมาณด้วยสถิติเชิงบรรยาย คือ ร้อยละ ความถี่ ค่าเฉลี่ย ส่วนเบี่ยงเบนมาตรฐาน และค่าดัชนีความต้องการจำเป็น วิเคราะห์ข้อมูลเชิงคุณภาพด้วยการวิเคราะห์เนื้อหา ผลการวิจัย พบว่า 1. กรอบแนวคิดเชิงทฤษฎีของคุณลักษณะตามกรอบความคิดแบบเติบโต ประกอบด้วย 9 คุณลักษณะ ได้แก่ 1) เชื่อว่าความสามารถและสติปัญญาสามารถพัฒนาได้ 2) มองหาโอกาสที่จะพัฒนาความสามารถของตนเอง 3) กำหนดเป้าหมายในการเรียนรู้และปฏิบัติด้วยตนเอง 4) มีวินัยในการฝึกฝนอย่างมุ่งมั่น 5) ชอบความท้าทาย 6) เผชิญหน้ากับปัญหาด้วยความอดทนและไม่ยอมแพ้ต่อความล้มเหลว 7) มองความพยายามเป็นหนทางสู่ความสำเร็จ 8) เรียนรู้จากคำวิพากษ์วิจารณ์ 9) ค้นพบบทเรียนและแรงบันดาลใจในความสำเร็จของผู้อื่น กรอบแนวคิดเชิงทฤษฎีการบริหารโรงเรียนมัธยมศึกษา ประกอบด้วย 2 งานหลัก คือ 1) การบริหารงานวิชาการ ได้แก่ การพัฒนาหลักสูตร การจัดการเรียนการสอน การพัฒนา/สร้างสื่อ นวัตกรรม เทคโนโลยีและแหล่งเรียนรู้ การวัดผลและประเมินผล และ 2) การบริหารงานบุคคลในด้านการพัฒนาครู ได้แก่ การฝึกอบรมขณะปฏิบัติงาน และการฝึกอบรมนอกงาน 2. จุดแข็ง จุดอ่อน โอกาส และภาวะคุกคามของการบริหารโรงเรียนมัธยมศึกษาสู่การเสริมสร้างกรอบความคิดแบบเติบโตของนักเรียน พบว่า การบริหารวิชาการ จุดแข็ง คือ การจัดการเรียนการสอน และการการวัดและประเมินผล จุดอ่อน คือ การพัฒนาหลักสูตรสถานศึกษา …

The Encyclopedia Of Neutrosophic Researchers, Vol. 6, Florentin Smarandache, Maikel Yelandi Leyva Vázquez, Jesús Estupiñán Ricardo

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

Este es el Sexto volumen de la Enciclopedia de Investigadores Neutróficos, editados a partir de materiales ofrecidos por los autores que respondieron a la invitación del editor. Los autores se enumeran alfabéticamente. La introducción contiene una breve historia de la neutrosófica, y en especial se sus impacto en latinoamérica junto con enlaces a los principales artículos y libros. Conjunto neutrosófico, lógica neutrosófica, probabilidad neutrosófica, estadística neutrosófica, medida neutrosófica, precálculo neutrosófico, cálculo neutrosófico, psicología neutrosófica, sociología neutrosófica etc., están ganando una atención significativa en resolver muchos problemas de la vida real que implican incertidumbre, imprecisión, vaguedad, incompletitud, inconsistencia e indeterminación. En …

The Compass, Summer 2023

The Compass, 2018-

The Compass is an annual orientation guide for VCU students produced by the Student Media Collective in the VCU Student Media Centered. The guide is distributed physically during summer orientation sessions for new and transfer students. The publication includes short articles, illustrations, letters of welcome from students and administrators, comics, and advertisements from VCU and Richmond organizations.

Black Midwives For Black Mothers: Ameliorating Racial Disparities In The Quality Of Maternal Healthcare, Kimberly Navarro

Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, maternal mortality represents a dire health crisis with a stark racial imbalance. Black women are two and a half to three times more likely to die from pregnancy and birth-related complications than their White counterparts. Racial disparities in maternal health can be explained by variations in the quality of maternal healthcare services that women tend to receive. Racial and ethnic minority women are more likely to receive inferior quality prenatal care (PNC), which brings to question the care model of traditional PNC and its adequacy in serving the healthcare needs of Black women. Since Black women …

Childless African American Women Over 50 In The Usa: A Qualitative Descriptive Study, Robbie Roshyl Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations

In modern society, some African American women are choosing a career before accepting the traditional role of birthing a child or children at an early age and marriage is not always part of the equation. Women’s freedoms (i.e., equality, personal choice, sexuality) have increased since their early struggles for their rights as citizens and as women. Some are viewed as agents against the norm by some conservative-minded people by not having a child or children well into their adulthood, especially if they are over the age of 50. Research suggests that women without children are perceived negatively by others and …