Digital Commons Network^™

Remote Learning In The Era Of Covid-19: Accounting For Students' Personal Verve, Marissa Langley

Scripps Senior Theses

This study focuses on accommodating remote academic lessons for students’ personal verve levels. Personal verve is defined as the ability to adapt to and concentrate in environments with high levels of stimulation. The sociocultural psychologists Boykin discerned higher verve levels in Black communities compared to White communities. Boykin found that many Black students tend to learn best in high verve conditions, which incorporate aspects of African American culture like group work, varied activities, movement and noise, as opposed to traditional low verve conditions which consist of sitting quietly at a desk during lectures. White students tend to have low personal …

Moving Beyond Sisyphus: Pursuing Sustainable Development In A Business-As-Usual World, Sarah Easter, Kim Ceulemans, Monty L. Lynn

Management Sciences

No abstract provided.

Aristocratic Excellence, Secular Ecumenism, And The Life Of The Modern Law School: Book Review, Neil Fulton

Faculty Publications

Anthony Kronman and John Sexton have both authored books about the state of higher education: Kronman's entitled, The Assault on American Excellence; Sexton's entitled, Standing for Reason. Both authors have extensive experience as instructors and administrators. Both have academic careers centered around law schools. Both use their books to explore the critical mission of universities in modern society, political and social challenges to that mission, and how to overcome those challenges. Both books are informed, provocative, and ultimately hopeful about the future of higher education. Both, while centered on universities more generally, provide avenues to think about the …

Faculty And Administrator’S Perspective On Degree Completion Initiatives In The Commonwealth Of Kentucky, Jennifer Hammonds

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this research is to better understand the factors in students’ lives that determine why they fail to earn a degree and how institutions retain or recruit back stopouts for completion of certificates and degrees. Degree completion is a national, state, and institutional priority as all groups are falling short on meeting degree attainment goals. Currently, there is an abundance of literature on why students stopout. The literature does not directly propose strategies that would increase degree completion or determine the necessary faculty and staff training needed to implement those strategies. This research helps fill the gap in …

Women Who Lead: A Feminist Phenomenology Of Crisis Leadership In Higher Education, Ingrid Helene Mcvanner

Doctoral Dissertations

The landscape of higher education is rife with crisis events, ranging from the global COVID-19 pandemic to natural disasters and institutional and industry-wide scandals; yet, most institutions of higher education are unprepared to tackle these crises as they arrive. As an industry, higher education is also largely dominated by men at its upper echelons, despite being a field that is predominantly staffed by women. Amidst the backdrop of the attention COVID-19 has brought to female world leaders and the quest for parity in higher education leadership positions, this study sought to explore the lived experiences of women leaders in higher …

Pivoting To Deeper Experiences In Higher Education Classrooms, Danielle M. Pratt, Daniel W. Eadens

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

In higher education, pivoting quickly to a fully virtual experience online in the midst of a global pandemic is an adventure. There are marked differences between the online experience for a student who was already in a web-delivered course versus one that started face-to-face and quickly pivoted to an online setting. Some assignments, lessons, and courses are easily delivered in alternate formats while other learning opportunities are much more difficult to transition for online delivery. For example, assignments that involve internships or in-person experiences had to shift dramatically, be delayed, or cancelled. Beyond the experiences within the higher education classroom, …

Uncovering An Alternative Social Structure To Social Dominance: A Blend Of Ethnography And Community Based Participatory Research, Andrew A. Fox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated social structures that are alternative to the prevailing assumption of Social Dominance Theory (SDT), which is that all human interaction is based on social hierarchies. The implications of social dominance impact health at an institutional, interpersonal, and intrapersonal level. The intersection of these levels of social dominance cause health disparities that perpetuate gaps between populations. This study explored one community organizing group who is challenging social dominance by creating alternative social structures. The methods of this study included Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) and Arts Based Research (ABR) as ways to generate middle-range theorizing and attempt to …

Evaluating School Safety Using Environmental Design, Wade D. Key Jr

Doctor of Education Dissertations

A case study was conducted to establish baseline data in determining the efficacy of the safety and security program at two rural high schools. Using a publicly available Likert scale survey provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), district and school leaders were surveyed to determine their perceptions of safety and security on the two campuses. The adult subjects were subsequently interviewed to elicit deeper meaning behind their scores. A second survey was administered to former students to provide compare/contrast data. Utilizing the data from the surveys and interviews, the district was able to determine those things it is …

Leadership Strategies Used To Reduce Turnover In Turnaround Settings, Sharafdeen Olatunde Saidu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teacher turnover continues to contribute negatively to academic achievement of a majority of turnaround schools serving students with low socioeconomic status, and many school leaders lack effective strategies to reduce teacher turnover, especially during the school turnaround process. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies, behaviors, and practices used by turnaround principals in reducing teacher turnover during school turnaround. The framework for this study was based on Herzberg’s motivation and hygiene theory. The population in the study consisted of eight school principals who have implemented effective strategies that increased teacher retention in turnaround schools. …

The Attitudes And Perspectives Of Small Rural School Administrators Towards Secondary Math Instruction, Timothy J. Ebendick Ii

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Rural schools account for nearly 25% of the K-12 student population across the United States. With such a significant portion of the school system located in rural schools, the learning outcomes in these schools will inevitable impact the broader school system in the United States. This study looks to investigate a small selection of these rural schools in Colorado. This study investigates the broad question of, what is the school climate of math instruction in small, rural districts in Colorado. A survey of Administrators in rural schools across Colorado was conducted to assess what are the attitudes and perceptions towards …

แนวทางการพัฒนาครูฝึกในสถานประกอบการ สำหรับเครือข่ายสถานศึกษาอาชีวศึกษาของรัฐ เขตกรุงเทพมหานคร ตามแนวคิดสมรรถนะครูฝึกอาชีวศึกษาระบบทวิภาคี, ธรรมวรรธน์ สุติวรรธนวัตร

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การวิจัยนี้มีจุดมุ่งหมายเพื่อ 1) เพื่อศึกษากรอบแนวคิดสมรรถนะครูฝึกอาชีวศึกษาระบบทวิภาคีและวิธีการพัฒนาครูฝึกในสถานประกอบการ 2) เพื่อศึกษาสภาพปัจจุบันและสภาพที่พึงประสงค์ของการพัฒนาครูฝึกในสถานประกอบการ และ 3) เพื่อเสนอแนวทางการพัฒนาครูฝึกในสถานประกอบการตามแนวคิดสมรรถนะครูฝึกอาชีวศึกษาระบบทวิภาคี โดยใช้ระเบียบวิธีวิจัยแบบผสมวิธีแบบ mixed-methods sequential explanatory design ประชากรที่ใช้ในการวิจัยคือ ครูฝึกในสถานประกอบการในเครือข่ายร่วมกับ 18 วิทยาลัยอาชีวศึกษาของรัฐ เขตกรุงเทพมหานคร ตัวอย่างผู้ให้ข้อมูล คือ ครูฝึกในสถานประกอบการและครูนิเทศจากสถานอาชีวศึกษา รวม 402 คน เครื่องมือที่ใช้ในการวิจัย ได้แก่ แบบประเมิน แบบสอบถาม วิเคราะห์ข้อมูลโดยใช้ค่าความถี่ ร้อยละ ค่าเฉลี่ย ค่าเบี่ยงเบนมาตรฐาน ค่าดัชนีความต้องการจำเป็น PNImodified และการวิเคราะห์เนื้อหา ผลการวิจัย พบว่า 1) กรอบแนวคิดสมรรถนะครูฝึกอาชีวศึกษาระบบทวิภาคี ประกอบด้วยกลุ่มสมรรถนะสำคัญ 4 กลุ่ม ได้แก่ (1) กลุ่มสมรรถนะด้านวิชาชีพ (2) กลุ่มสมรรถนะด้านเจตคติ (3) กลุ่มสมรรถนะด้านการจัดการอาชีวศึกษาระบบทวิภาคี (4) กลุ่มสมรรถนะด้านการจัดการเรียนรู้ และกรอบแนวคิดวิธีการพัฒนาครูฝึกในสถานประกอบการ ประกอบด้วยรูปแบบการพัฒนา 3 รูปแบบ ได้แก่ (1) การพัฒนาในเวลาปฏิบัติงาน (2) การพัฒนานอกเวลาปฏิบัติงาน (3) การพัฒนาในรูปแบบผสมผสาน 2) สภาพปัจจุบันของการพัฒนาครูฝึกในสถานประกอบการสำหรับเครือข่ายสถานศึกษาอาชีวศึกษาของรัฐ เขตกรุงเทพมหานคร ตามแนวคิดสมรรถนะครูฝึกอาชีวศึกษาระบบทวิภาคี ทั้ง 4 กลุ่มสมรรถนะอยู่ในระดับปานกลาง ในขณะที่สภาพที่พึงประสงค์ อยู่ในระดับมากที่สุด โดยรูปแบบการพัฒนาที่มีต้องการจำเป็นสูงที่สุด คือ การพัฒนาในเวลาปฏิบัติงาน รองลงมาคือ การพัฒนานอกเวลาปฏิบัติงาน และการพัฒนาแบบผสมผสาน ตามลำดับ 3) แนวทางการพัฒนาครูฝึกในสถานประกอบการ ตามแนวคิดสมรรถนะครูฝึกอาชีวศึกษาระบบทวิภาคี มีทั้งหมด 7 แนวทาง ดังนี้ สำหรับกลุ่มสมรรถนะทางวิชาชีพ (1) พัฒนาความสามารถในการประยุกต์ใช้ความรู้และทักษะวิชาชีพสู่การปฏิบัติ (2) พัฒนาความสามารถในการเลือกและใช้เครื่องมือ แหล่งเรียนรู้ เพื่อการปฏิบัติงานอย่างมีประสิทธิภาพและปลอดภัย และสำหรับกลุ่มสมรรถนะทางการจัดการเรียนรู้ (3) พัฒนาความสามารถในการวัดและประเมินผลการเรียนรู้ (4) พัฒนาความความสามารถในการวิเคราะห์ผู้เข้ารับการฝึกอบรม (5) พัฒนาความสามารถในการประยุกต์ใช้เทคโนโลยีสารสนเทศเพื่อการเรียนรู้ (6) …

Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports To Reduce Short Term Suspensions Of African American K-5 Students, Monisha Bynum

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem investigated was the disproportionate suspensions of African American students in Grades K to 5 in an elementary school in Virginia despite implementing positive behavioral interventions support (PBIS) intended to reduce this disparity. Exploring the implementation of PBIS is important because an increased understanding may lead to the development of additional supports and training that may reduce the short term suspensions of African American students. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore why implementing PBIS was not successful in reducing short term suspensions. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory served as the conceptual framework. Two research questions focused on …

Chinese Parents’ Perceptions Of Critical Thinking And Its Pedagogy, Suning Li

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As a result of China’s education borrowing many Western educational values, such as critical thinking, became known to Chinese education practitioners and parents. However, Chinese parents’ perceptions of such educational values have not been studied. Three research questions centered on understanding Chinese parents’ perceptions of critical thinking and the role of schooling in the development of critical thinking. The conceptual framework comprised the established conceptualization of critical thinking from the Western research tradition and Confucian ideas of critical thinking. Qualitative data were collected from interviews with 12 participants and were coded to find emergent themes. The research results suggested that …

Middle School Teachers’ Perspectives About The Effectivness Of Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports In A Diverse District: A Phenomenological Study, Laureen Riddick

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study used a phenomenological design to discover how middle school teachers in northern California perceived the effectiveness of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in improving school climate and lowering office discipline referrals. PBIS is a school-wide initiative implemented in schools across the United States as an approach for addressing discipline and promoting a positive school climate. The researcher examined teacher perceptions on effectiveness of PBIS at the middle school level. The district implemented PBIS to align with district initiatives to lower exclusionary discipline practices (office referrals, suspensions, and expulsions) for students, with an emphasis on African American males, …

Teacher Cultural Competency And The Effect On Slavic Student Performance, Erin Marston

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Student demographic data in today’s elementary and secondary schools have shown an increase in the numbers of diverse students in classrooms across the United States. This change in classroom demographics has established the need for changes to both the classroom educational environment and the preparation of our teachers. Research supports a few documented ways teachers can support both their student experiences and academic performance. Culturally competent teachers, cultural humility, and culturally relevant pedagogy are a few of the ways educators can adapt to the change in student demographics. Linking the literature to these findings will help provide an overview of …

Where Am I?: The Absence Of The Black Male From The E-Suite, Brian Bedford

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

According to current U.S. labor statistics, Black male executives are underrepresented in every major industry in the United States. Common impediments preventing Black males from occupying executive positions include workplace white supremacy, biculturalism, repressive structures, and disparate career development. Using critical race theory as a framework, this basic qualitative study investigated the experiences of eight male executives, five Black and three white, from various industries to understand their perceptions and perspectives on race and racism, and examined their workplace lived experiences to study why there are not more Black males in the e-suite. Moreover, strategies to increase Black male representation …

Employability In Academe For Athletic Trainers With The Doctor Of Athletic Training Degree, Bonnie L. Van Lunen, Stephanie H. Clines, Tyler Reems, Lindsey E. Eberman, Dorice A. Hankemeier, Cailee E. Welch

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

The doctor of athletic training (DAT) degree has recently been introduced into academe. Limited literature exists regarding how individuals with this degree can become part of an athletic training faculty. To identify department chairs' perceptions of the DAT degree and determine whether they viewed the degree as viable when hiring new faculty within a postbaccalaureate professional athletic training program. Cross-sectional study. Online survey instrument. A total of 376 department chairs who had oversight of Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education athletic training programs were invited to participate. Of these, 190 individuals (50.5%) accessed the survey, and 151 of the …

Educator And Parent Collaborative Literacy Support In A Title I School, Larhonda Young

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In an urban elementary school serving a large percentage of low-socioeconomic status (SES) students in a southern state, the problem was that over 50% of student literacy scores remained below the state standard between 2016 and 2019. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to examine educators’ perceptions of teacher–parent collaboration to support literacy in the home and how these strategies may improve low-SES students’ literacy skills at the elementary target site. Using Bourdieu’s educational habitus theory, educators’ perceptions of teacher–parent collaboration strategies to enhance literacy and the advantages and barriers of fostering collaboration were examined for low-SES students …

Culturally Responsive Curriculum Implementation Of Middle School Principals In Southern Texas, Caroline Wendy Narine

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although culturally responsive curricula are designed to educate students to be both socially and culturally successful, the curriculum implementation leadership practices middle school principals have used to support such curricula have been unclear. This study explored how middle school principals in southern Texas were supporting their teachers with implementing a culturally responsive curriculum in their schools. This basic qualitative study employed the applied critical leadership conceptual framework to explore the culturally responsive curriculum implementation leadership practices of middle school principals in southern Texas. The criteria for the selection of participants were 2 to 5 years’ experience as a principal in …

Principals’ Perspectives Regarding Their Leadership Roles In Smart Board Technology Integration, Donna Faith Nelson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractSmart Board Technologies (SBTs) are prevalent in K–6 schools and teachers are expected to use them to enhance student learning. The Smart Board (SB) may not be used effectively in the classroom. The effective use of the SB increases student engagement and performance. To ensure the effective use of the SB, the principal’s role is crucial. While the teachers’ perspectives about SBT use in pedagogy have often been researched, the literature concerning principals’ perspectives in SBT integration is scarce. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand principals’ perspectives regarding their leadership roles in SBT integration. Bass’s theory …

African American Freshman Students’ Perceptions Of Student Persistence At A Historically Black College, Callie Taylor Herd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study was the low retention of African American freshmen at a private Historically Black College. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to learn what factors influence an at-risk freshman student’s decision to persist or leave college so that interventions related to positive change can be proposed. Tinto's student integration model and Bean’s causal model of student attrition were the conceptual frameworks that grounded this study. The research question focused on African American freshman students’ experiences that influenced their ability to persist. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 purposely selected participants representing first-year students …

Differences In Education In Urban And Rural Areas, Jacob Shreve

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This research project examines the educational differences and disparities of urban and rural schools in Ohio. The focus school districts are Switzerland of Ohio Local and Akron Public Schools. Demographic information from each of the focus school districts is examined and compared to the outcomes of the schools to determine if factors such as poverty inhibit student learning. Data and statistics, published research, and personal experience will be used to make connections between the school districts, their students, their environment, and their learning. Differences in educational quality, opportunities, and funding will also be discussed.

Instructional Coaching For Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Kelly Shorb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Growing up with a global perspective and teaching in highly diverse schools has fueled my desire to understand how instructional coaching and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy work together in education. This case study examined the current practices of instructional coaches to understand how they incorporate components of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. Through observations and interviews of three coaches and a director this study explored the interactions, behaviors and language of coaches as they engaged with teachers to explore and understand prior knowledge, beliefs and current incorporation of CRP with teachers. The literature review provides an in-depth description of each of the components …

An Lre Placement Loophole: A Critical Policy Analysis Of Lre Placement In Defining Disproportionality Of Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students In Special Education, Arti Sachdeva

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The policies adopted by the Exceptional Children’s Education Act (2016) enabled disproportionality within LEAs by overlooking undocumented classroom removal practices, underestimating the monitoring and reporting criteria, and overlooking non-dominant cultural and linguistic groups within the Colorado community. In this critical policy analysis, I used quantitative methods to analyze and explore the difference between the odds ratio calculation of culturally and linguistically diverse students (CLDS) in special education with a least restrictive environment (LRE) of 40% and greater compared to Colorado’s acceptance of the federal mandate of the minimum requirement of the student LRE of less than 40% and alternate school …

Exploring The Impact Of Leadership Values And Practices To Support Equity And Social Justice In An Urban School, Susan-Marie Farmen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study explores the leadership values and practices of a principal in a sixth through twelfth-grade school in the Rocky Mountain West to determine how leadership values and practices support the implementation of equitable and socially just practices in the school. Five key themes emerged: (a) equity as a Black/non-Black construct; (b) a lack of knowledge and awareness of the historical contexts of marginalized populations; (c) moral courage for all members of the school; (d) equity as an initiative or program; (e) resistance to deep equity work. From these themes, I devise three recommendations to support substantial and …

Pulling Back The Curtain: A Student Collaborative Case Study Of Equity Issues In Colorado’S School Finance System, Amy Jo Schwartz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

After the Great Recession, a seven percent decrease in funding ended decades of academic growth and further widened the achievement gap between White and Black students (Jackson et al., 2020). Colorado’s school-finance system is particularly distorted and inequitable because of a series of tax-limiting policies which, combined, have led Colorado to become one of the lowest-funded per pupil states in the country (Resnick et al., 2015). The purpose of this study is to describe the policymaking context, as it relates to equity within Colorado’s school-finance system and explore policy alternatives to improve equity within the system. The study was designed …

Ascension To The Presidency: A Narrative Inquiry Of African American Women, Konya Monique Sledge

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This narrative inquiry study examined the lived experiences of African American women serving as community college administrators to gain perspectives on how they overcame obstacles to career advancement and strategies used to achieve the presidency. Narrative inquiry is used to restory field texts, is applied to underscore their lived experiences, and establishes a timeline detailing their early career experiences. Only one president sought to lead a community college; all others arrived at the presidency by non-traditional paths. Three themes emerged from responses provided by presidents during their interviews and are as follows: (a) nontraditional pathway to presidency; (b) heightened awareness …

Women As College And University Presidents: Sharpening The Needle, Janell Emmaline Gibson

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

Women are underrepresented as college and university (school) presidents and currently hold about 30% of school presidencies. In 2014, the American Council on Education (ACE) launched an initiative to achieve gender parity among U.S. school presidencies by 2030. To support this initiative, Dr. Belle Wheelan, president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), challenged member institutions to support ACE’s initiative in achieving gender parity among school presidents by 2030. The boards of trustees hire school presidents and play a pivotal role in achieving gender parity. The research addresses a gap in literature examining if there …

A Comprehensive Audit Of Professional Development For K-12 School Leaders In The Commonwealth Of Virginia, Melissa Davis Hill, Melisa J. Naumann, Timothy M. Tillman, Major R. Warner Jr.

Doctor of Education Capstones

The intent of this paper is to provide a mixed-methods audit of professional development provided to K-12 school leadership in Virginia's diverse landscape to include identification of providers, funding, effectiveness, and expectations.

In the Commonwealth of Virginia, geographical, political, and socio-economical differences across 132 school divisions cause variability in leaders' experiences with professional development. A mixed-methods approach was used, including a review of current literature, an online survey, virtual interviews, and virtual focus group discussions. This data collection results in a comprehensive audit of professional development provided to school leaders in Virginia's diverse landscape. The study defines effective professional development …

Collective Impact In Rural Places, Sarah Zuckerman

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

Complex social problems such as teen pregnancy, youth suicide, student achievement, and foster care placement result from the interplay of problems in both the public and private sectors. Isolated approaches by single organizations in individual sectors, in general, have failed to “move the needle” on many of these problems. Such “wicked” problems are defined by complexity, interrelatedness, unpredictability, open-ended, intractable, and often subjected to competing values (Head & Alford, 2015). As such, wicked problems do not respond to technical, readymade solutions. Instead, they require adaptive and iterative approaches to learning about the causes of complex challenges, generating solutions, measuring the …