Digital Commons Network^™

The Sat: Sine Qua Non Or Negligible For College Admissions?, Emily Anderson

Senior Honors Projects

Last summer I began interning at the Provost’s office at URI. Through this experience, I discovered just how critical the admission process is to the University, since the future of a university lies with its student body, both from the perspective of its mission and revenue. Admitting students on a fair and equal basis can be extremely difficult. I became interested in the SAT Reasoning Test (SAT) because it is a highly criticized aspect of the admission process. The SAT Reasoning test was formerly known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test, but the acronym holds no formal …

Australian Certificate Of Education : Exploring A Way Forward, Geoff Masters, Margaret Forster, Gabrielle Matters, Jim Tognolini

Assessment and Reporting

In May 2005 the Department of Education, Science and Training commissioned the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to investigate and report on models and implementation arrangements for an Australian Certificate of Education (ACE). In particular, ACER was asked to investigate four options for the introduction of a new certificate. The current investigation has reviewed existing curriculum, assessment and certification arrangements in the senior years of school in Australia; explored current issues in senior secondary education and examined state and territory responses to these issues; looked at some alternative certification arrangements internationally—including the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program; investigated the use …

An Examination Of Student Performance In Reading/Language And Mathematics After Two Years Of Thinking Maps® Implementation In Three Tennessee Schools., Katharine Mabie Hickie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine what, if any, association exists between Thinking Maps^® instruction and student achievement in fifth grade students in Reading/Language and Mathematics as reported by the State NCE scores of the criterion referenced portion of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) Achievement Test in 3 Title I elementary schools in northeast Tennessee. The association was examined after 2 years of Thinking Maps^® implementation and instruction. Using a quantitative design, the quasiexperimental study included fifth grade students' State NCE scores from 2005 and the same students' State NCE scores from 2003. Scores obtained …

Koinonia, Jo Anne Lyon, Amy E. Bartley, Todd Ream, Josh Staffieri, Glen Kinoshita

Koinonia

Conference Spotlight
The Blessing of Purpose, Jo Anne Lyon

Dealing With Burnout
Light at the End of the Tunnel: A Burnout Intervention Plan for Student Development Professionals, Amy E. Bartley

Community Considerations
Thinking Theologically: Considering Community, Todd Ream

Men's Issues
Everybody Loves Raymond, Josh Staffieri

Book Review
Being White: Finding Our Place in a Multiethnic World, reviewed by Glen Kinoshita

Features
The President's Corner; Editor's Disk

Comprehensive School Reform: A Proven School Improvement Method For Troubled Schools, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

As legislators in Arkansas begin to consider options for spending both Title I and categorical funds and as school leaders in Arkansas look for proven options that will increase student performance, especially for low performing schools that serve low income students, comprehensive school reform (CSR) is one researchsupported option to consider.

The Western Scholar, Editors

WKU Scholar

No abstract provided.

Gaining Options: A Mathematics Program For Potentially Talented At-Risk Adolescent Girls, Pamela Trotman Reid, Sally K. Roberts

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

In response to indicators that a decline in interest in mathematics occurs among girls—particularly those from low-income and minority groups—during middle school, the GO-GIRL (Gaining Options: Girls Investigate Real Life) program was designed to help potentially talented at-risk girls. The program aimed to build mathematical confidence, skills, and conceptual understanding by integrating mathematics and social science research in a single-sex, technology-rich environment supported by university student mentors. The program targeted seventh-grade urban girls from public and private schools. Participants met over the course of ten Saturdays to learn research methods, computer skills, mathematics, and descriptive statistics. Quantitative data from the …

On Essay Exams, Kenney F. Hegland

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Academic Characteristics Among First-Generation And Non-First-Generation College Students, Catrina G. Murphy, Terence Hicks

Faculty Working Papers from the School of Education

The present study involved a sample (n = 203) of college students and investigated the differences in academic expectations of first-generation and non-first-generation undergraduates who attended a doctoral-granting public four-year historically Black university on the eastern shore of Maryland. There were 133 first-generation and 70 non-first-generation students. This study focused on the expressed needs of first-generation and non-first-generation college students to determine whether differences exist in academic expectations. In addition, this study sought to lead to an increase in the understanding of the academic expectations shared by first-year first-generation and non-first-generation college students. This study used an ex post facto …

Montessori Education And Its Scientific Basis, Carolyn P. Edwards

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Review of: Angeline Stoll Lillard, Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius, Oxford University Press, 2005.

Montessori education is the subject of Angeline Lillard’s book. Montessori, a brilliant figure who was Italy’s first woman physician, created an approach that reflected a late 19th century vision of mental development and theoretical kinship with the great European progressive educational philosophers, Jean-Jacque Rousseau, Johann Pestalozzi and Fredrich Froebel (Edwards, 2002 and Edwards, 2003). The many parallels between her ideas and those of the American progressive, John Dewey, her contemporary, are due to the fact that their ideas grew out of shared theoretical roots …

An Exploration Of Reflective Thought Based On Reaction, Relevance, And Responsibility Using The Tools Of Drama, Collage, And Personal Narrative With Preservice Teachers, Carol Jo Brazo

Faculty Publications - College of Education

This study examined the usefulness of focused reflection in helping preservice teachers develop their vision for professional practice. Sixteen students progressed through learning events during the first ha(f of their Master of Arts in Teaching program utilizing four central categories of professional identity, reaction (emotional responses), relevance (cognitive responses), and responsibility (psychomotor responses). Students utilized the tools of drama, collage, and personal narrative. Written reflections followed each learning event. Respondents were encouraged to tie learning events to theory and to deconstruct their experiences. Reflections were structured usingprofessionalzdentz(y, reaction, relevance, and responsibiliry. Evidence from the study revealed that professional identity evolved …

Uctc Computer Screener: Assessing Needs Of Diverse Students, Evelyn B. Winfield, Elaine L. Phillips

Assessment Grants

Presentation on a data management system for assessment data for the University Counseling and Testing Center.

Beginning Teachers’ Professional Socialization In Post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan: The Challenges And Coping Strategies, Duishon Alievich Shamatov

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

This qualitative study examines and develops an in-depth understanding of two beginning teachers’ professional socializations in post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan. The study is a historical and descriptive account that provides insights into the impact of socio-political upheaval on the lives of two beginning teachers. The study focuses on the challenges the teachers faced in their initial stages of work and on how they addressed these. The teachers’ professional socialization stories are described in three realms: classroom, school and community. The study examines in greater detail the professional and relational challenges that the two beginning teachers faced while interacting with their pupils, administrators, …

Researching Education And Society In Central Asia, Sarfaroz Niyozov, Duishon Shamatov

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Correlating Factors Between Student Participation And Student Learning Via A Service Learning Project In Secondary Education: A Case Study, Shawn V. Jensen

Theses and Dissertations

In this study a service-learning project was conducted with secondary students in a construction technology based course. Three research questions were considered; (1) does service learning projects help to engage student participation, (2) can students learn the course curriculum while participating in a service learning project, and (3) is there a correlation between student participation and student learning as it pertains to service learning projects? The data was collected through surveys, observations, interviews, and evaluations. The researcher concluded the following from the study; 92% of the students were actively participating in the two week service project, 76% of the students …

Bridgewater State College Factbook, 2005-2006, Office Of Institutional Research And Assessment, Bridgewater State College

Factbook

No abstract provided.

Student Success In College: Creating Conditions That Matter, Treva Barham

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

No abstract provided.

Augmenting Postgraduate Student Problem-Solving Ability By The Use Of Critical Thinking Exercises, M N. Johnstone

EDU-COM International Conference

This paper describes the results of a research programme whose focus was critical thinking and explores how information technology (IT) postgraduate students model problems. Some results from the programme show that IT students appear to improve their problem-solving ability by undertaking structured critical thinking exercises. An AC Nielsen survey commissioned by DETYA in 2000 sought to gauge employer satisfaction with graduates using a variety of methods including questionnaires, focus groups and in-depth interviews. A key finding was that ‗the skills employers consider to be most important in graduates are creativity and flair, enthusiasm and the capacity for independent and critical …

Thinking Style Differences Of Female College And University Presidents: A National Study, Melanie S. Jones

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to identify thinking style preferences of female college and university presidents and determine if differences in thinking style exist with regard to the independent variables of Carnegie classification, institutional control, highest academic degree earned, academic background/specialty, age, and total years of presidential experience. The Inquiry Mode Questionnaire (InQ) and a demographic data form were distributed to all 595 female presidents with institutions classified as Associate’s or higher by the Carnegie system. Responses were received from 369 (62.02%), with 328 (55.13%) utilized for data analysis. Descriptive statistics, MANOVA and ANOVA tests were used to address …

Evaluation Of The Marshall University School Psychology Internship Experience, Carolee S. Richards

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Parental satisfaction of 16 students completing an internship through the Marshall University School Psychology Graduate Program was evaluated in the current study. Surveys consisting of ten questions related to services offered by the School Psychology Intern during the Special Education eligibility process were provided to parents during the last five eligibility meetings conducted by each intern. Descriptive statistics as well as qualitative data were utilized to determine whether or not parents were generally satisfied with services being offered by the intern. These results were compared to data collected by Debra Henderson during the summer practicum attended by the same interns …

A Comparison Of The Effect Of Single-Sex Versus Mixed-Sex Classes On Middle School Student Achievement, Carol E. Thom

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of single-sex versus mixedsex classes on middle school student achievement. It was a case study of Stonewall Jackson Middle School in Charleston, West Virginia, an inner-city school with approximately 600 students, of which 30% were minority (mostly black), 30% were special needs, and 70% were classified low socio-economic status (SES). Student WESTEST (West Virginia Educational Standards Test) scores in reading/language arts and math were collected and compared from the school years 2003-2004 and 2004-2005. Each student’s scores from the first year were compared to that same student’s scores from the …

Parent Satisfaction With Marshall University’S Summer Enrichment Program: Year Three, Cristen C. Pulliam

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The current study sought to examine the level of parent satisfaction with an extended school year program, the Marshall University Graduate College Summer Enrichment Program, verses the level of parent satisfaction at students’ local schools. The study also replicated the findings in two previous studies (Lattimore, 2003; Wartenburg, 2005). Parent satisfaction data were collected using satisfaction surveys. A survey was mailed to parents at the end of the regular school year to assess level of parent satisfaction with local school (N= 105). Twenty surveys were returned by mail. Intercorrelations of the parent satisfaction survey questions for the local school were …

Correlations Between The Wisc-Iv, Sb: V, And The Wj-Iii Tests Of Achievement : Which Has A Better Relationship With Reading Achievement?, Krystal Campbell

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The relationship between the WISC-IV and the SB: V to three reading subtests on the WJ-III Tests of Achievement was used to determine which intelligence test correlates better with achievement using 22 students. Results yielded insignificant values when assessing significant relationships, comparing two correlated correlations, and significance between means. This study concludes that both intelligence tests measure reading similarly and does not result in whether or not one should be preferred over the other. Future implications to further validate these results would include a larger and more generalized population.

Reading Achievement For Students In Marshall University Graduate College’S 2005 Summer Enrichment Program: Program Evaluation, Elizabeth Cottle-Willard

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The improvement of individual student reading achievement is a major desired goal for academic institutions across America. Public and private schools desire knowledge to afford professional assessment of implemented curricula and instructional strategies. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Marshall University Graduate College’s Summer Enrichment Program through individual student reading achievement for pre-kindergarten through ninth grade students. Running record reading probes were administered to help identify student’s reading skills. The analysis of this data enabled the instructors to instructionally group students with similar reading strengths. This researcher compiled each student’s initial and final reading running …

Comparison Of The Reading Subtests Of The Woodcock Johnson Tests Of Achievement- Third Edition And The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-Second Edition, Bruce A. Crum

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A comparison of the reading subtests of the Woodcock-Johnson, Third Edition and the Wechlser Individual Achievement Test, Second Edition using 49 subjects. A t test of significance and the Pearson R Correlations were computed to compare the scores. The purpose of the study is to determine how closely the two tests measure the same reading skills.

Attendance And Reading Gains: Marshall University Summer Enrichment Program, Justa L. Dolin

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to determine if attendance has any influence on student success during the Marshall University Summer Enrichment Program. This study compared student’s daily attendance records to gains in reading. Students were divided into two groups, those who missed no more than 2 days and those who missed 3 or more days. Missing no more than 2 days has been the traditional description in this setting for the program completion certificates. Running record reading probes were used to identify the student’s gain in reading skills. The data were analyzed using the Chi-Square test to determine the …

Boosting Science Learning Through The Design Of Curriculum Materials, Rodger Bybee

2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?

How can curricula enhance science teaching and student learning? A slightly deeper and more specific question than that is: what is the form and function of effective curriculum materials? These questions will be addressed in the following discussion. After a brief introduction to BSCS (Biological Sciences Curriculum Study), I will first discuss what we know about how students learn science and introduce an instructional model based on this research from the cognitive sciences. I will then review the curriculum development process at BSCS and describe a contemporary high school program and evidence of student learning attributed to that program.

Boosting Science Learning - What Will It Take? (Conference Proceedings), Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?

Research Conference 2006 examined recent research and practice directions in the area of science education both locally and internationally. The conference addressed what it will take to boost science teaching and learning.

The proceedings from the conference can be downloaded from thsis page. The slides accompanying the papers presented by various guest speakers are presented as Related Documents (below)

Koinonia, Bill Millard, Todd Ream, Cara Copeland, Melanie Hulbert, Tony Marchese, Canaan Crane, David Johnstone

Koinonia

Conference Spotlight
A Life Calling Conceptual and Developmental Model, Bill Millard

Community Considerations
Thinking Theologically: Considering Community, Todd Ream

Women's Issues
Women, Work, and Family, Cara Copeland & Melanie Hulbert

Calling and Career
Vocational Realization Through the Discovery of Human Assets, Tony Marchese

Human Sexuality
Creating an Effective Human Sexuality Statement, Canaan Crane

Book Review
Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas, reviewed by David Johnstone

Features
The President's Corner; Editor's Disk

Laughter-Piece Theatre: Humor As A Systematic Teaching Tool, Ronald A. Berk

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Humor can be used to bring students and deadly boring content to life. It can hook your students, engage their emotions, and focus their minds and eyeballs on learning.