Digital Commons Network^™

Investigating Factors Influencing Chinese Private College Students’ Engagement In Emergency Online Learning, Limei Cao

Education (PhD) Dissertations

Online learning has witnessed a rapid growth following its widespread adoption across global higher education throughout the COVID-19 global pandemic. Although online learning was intended to maintain continuity of education during the public health emergency, the issue of student engagement in emergency online learning (EOL) has risen to prominence. Given the close association between student engagement and academic outcomes, investigating factors influencing student engagement in EOL is crucial for informing effective educational policies and interventions that support student success. In the absence of a comprehensive theoretical model for understanding student engagement in the unique context of EOL, this study proposed …

The Components Necessary In A Clinical Day Program For A Successful Transition To Traditional School, Erica Parker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine what components of academic and therapeutic clinical day programs ensure success for students with mental health diagnoses as they transition back to conventional educational settings. This study focused on the importance of developing students' capabilities to fulfill their own needs within Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs through coping skills, academic skills, and ensuring those skills transition to their traditional home school setting. The research questions guiding this study were: 1. How is “successful reintegration” defined for students with mental health concerns by the students, families, teachers, and other school staff? 2. What program …

Love One Another! Merging Biblical Teaching And Social-Emotional Learning: A Framework For Introducing Sel In Christian Schools, Nancy Pittard Jones

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

This Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice (ISDiP) investigated to what extent professional development impacted teacher understanding of social-emotional learning (SEL) and its potential compatibility with Biblical teachings. The dissertation followed an Improvement Science framework to address a specific problem of practice: an increase in student maladaptive behavior. As student coping repertoires diminished following the COVID-19 and racial pandemics, teachers experienced stress and frustration. To bolster teachers' learning and provide new pathways for teachers to address student behavior and build classroom climate, the researcher introduced SEL to a group of teacher volunteers (n=21) in an independent Christian school through six professional …

The Education And Generalization Of Educator Social Emotional Learning Capacities To Impact Student Success, Mariel Palombo Pipchinski

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of professional development (PD) on teachers' knowledge of social-emotional learning and their social-emotional competence and determine if PD leads to teacher growth in their ability to support students' social-emotional development and competence. The dissertation followed the Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice (ISDiP) to address the problem of practice and increase students' social-emotional capacity through teacher implementation. To improve teacher's social-emotional capacity for classroom implementation, the researcher created and instructed a seven-week professional development for teachers (n=7) in a mid-sized suburban school district that focused on building social-emotional capacity and strategies …

2023-2024 Common Data Set, Systems Intelligence And Data Analytics, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Common Data Sets

The Common Data Set (CDS) initiative is a collaborative effort among data providers in the higher education community and publishers as represented by the College Board, Peterson’s, and U.S. News & World Report. The combined goal of this collaboration is to improve the quality and accuracy of information provided to all involved in a student’s transition into higher education, as well as to reduce the reporting burden on data providers.

Reading Fluency Intervention: The Impact Of Integrating Differentiated Instructional Strategies Into Small Group Instruction, Amaya Brodine

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This capstone project will report the effectiveness of three instructional strategies and two assessment strategies integrated into a 11-week reading fluency unit. These strategies were implemented in a small group setting with the goal of improving students’ automaticity reading scores. This small intervention group met four times a week for eleven weeks where students practiced choral reading, buddy reading, and game-based learning strategies. Throughout this reading intervention unit student data was gathered through triannual growth assessment, weekly progress monitoring, formal assessment strategies, and a final project. This capstone will also provide an overview of the data collection methods utilized through …

Data Driven Instruction In Teaching Poetry Analysis To Advanced Placement Literature And Composition Seniors, Andrea Reyes

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The goal of the poetry unit was to enhance students’ written ability by analyzing a variety of poetic literature to answer advanced placements practice prompts. I used the following research-based instructional strategies: homework and practice, nonlinguistic representations, and cooperative learning. I used the following research-based assessment strategies: essay writing, Quizizz, exit ticket, and topic, evidence, and analysis responses. The standards that the unit addressed are: LA.12.RP.2 Analyze the development and interaction of literary elements such as characterization, setting, and plot, and how they contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole, LA.12.V.2 Interpret an author’s use of figurative, …

(Non)Cognitive Dissonance? A Stakeholder-Based Exploration Of The Consideration Of Graduate Admissions Applicants' Personal Skills And Qualities, Reginald M. Gooch, Joseph H. Paris, Sara B. Haviland, Jose Sotelo

Journal of College Access

Prospective graduate students’ noncognitive attributes are commonly evaluated as a part of a holistic review of their admission applications. Yet it is difficult to determine which noncognitive attributes are considered by those who evaluate graduate admissions applications and what approaches they take to measure applicants’ noncognitive attributes. It is even less clear to what degree prospective graduate students understand how they are evaluated for graduate admissions and how the evaluation of their noncognitive attributes factor into admissions decisions. Drawing on surveys of graduate enrollment management (GEM) professionals and prospective graduate students in the United States, our study investigates the noncognitive …

Teacher Job Satisfaction: Working Conditions, Satisfaction, And Commitment To Stay In The Profession, Mary G. Hicks

College of Education

A nationwide teacher shortage has been a problem in our country for many years. Teacher vacancies continue to be plentiful, but enrollment in teacher preparatory programs continues to decline. The study aimed to investigate low teacher retention in rural Alabama schools. Through the lens of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, this study examined teacher perception of job satisfaction and how working conditions and demographic details impacted teachers' intention to remain in the field of education. This quantitative study was completed in three rural North Central Alabama school districts. The data revealed the school administrator's critical impact on her building, the importance …

Re/Writing Identity: A Narrative Inquiry Exploring Stereotype Threat, Sense Of Belonging, And Self-Efficacy Among Young Men Of Color In First-Year Writing Courses, Jenny O. Arras

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

This narrative study explored the ways in which two Black male undergraduate students experienced and situated their identity in their first-year composition (FYC) courses. The study sought to reveal how the participants experienced stereotype threat in both the classroom and larger community and the ways in which this perceived threat impacted their self-efficacy and sense of belonging. The participants, enrolled in an FYC course for underprepared writers at a southeastern university, were both performing well in the class, thereby providing insight into the factors and experiences that helped mitigate the potential of stereotype threat. In order to more fully understand …

Exploring The Relationship Between Anxiety And Virtual Reality Sickness, David Wesley Woolverton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

As virtual reality (VR) becomes more commonly used in education, it is important to understand the technology’s weakness and mitigate any potential negative effects on student success. One adverse side-effect of VR use is simulation-induced motion sickness, known in the context of VR as VR sickness. Previous research by Howard and Van Zandt (2021) found that possessing a phobia had a significant positive correlation with VR sickness, but only if the phobia is triggered by the simulation, suggesting that symptoms are actually connected to the anxiety the phobia induces. This study explored the hypothesized correlation between anxiety and VR sickness, …

The Effects Of Selected Demographic Factors On The Reading Achievement Of Middle School Students, Kendrea J. Bryant

Dissertations (2016-Present)

Middle school is one of the most important times during which students gain knowledge. However, a large proportion of adolescents have continued to complete middle school without mastering essential knowledge of, and skills in, vocabulary and reading comprehension. Adolescents who miss school in the 30–60 days leading up to high-stakes exams experience declines in their reading scores. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of selected demographic factors on the reading achievement scores and attendance of middle school students. Specifically, this study involved examination of the effects of socioeconomic status (SES), gender, and ethnicity—both separately and in …

The Effects Of Text-Based Gaming On Reading Comprehension For Students With Intellectual Disability, Faith Ihrig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, reading comprehension and reading engagement have decreased in the United States. Our world is also becoming increasingly technological, and a large percentage of individuals in the United States, specifically children, are playing video games. There are increasing amounts of video games that target educational skills, such as reading and math, and video games that have been created strictly for entertainment. This study examined the potential effects of playing text-based video games on the comprehension and engagement of 6-8 grade students with intellectual disabilities. A Multiple Baseline Across Participants single case design was used to measure the …

The Forgotten Subject: Pe And The Power Of People, Shea Franklin

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This project focused on student engagement in PE at the middle school level. Student engagement is so meaningful because even though physical education is supposed to educate kids to be physically active while being active in practice, quite the opposite is happening. Middle school is the point at which students begin to lose interest in PE, viewing it as repetitive and pointless, which is why it is so essential to make this forgotten subject fun again. After survey and interviewing students and staff members participating in physical education at a local middle school in Marina, three themes emerged from the …

Informing Adolescents About Potential Internet Risks And Tools For Safely Navigating Online Spaces, Rhiannon Jean Elliot

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone project focuses on digital safety for adolescents who have already been or are accessing online spaces for the first time. Adolescents today have been growing up in the age of technology and are likely to have had access to digital devices, such as smartphones, tablets, computers, and gaming consoles, from a much younger age than previous generations. Today, 96% of teens in the U.S. say they use the internet daily, with about 95% of teens reporting having a smartphone (Faverio & Sidoti, 2024). With adolescents accessing the internet more often, they must understand the risks they may encounter …

Longhand Versus Laptop Note Taking And Lecture Rate Influence, Junrong Lu

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Most college students take lecture notes to prepare for tests. With technology development, more students are recording notes on laptops rather than writing them longhand. Previous studies comparing laptop and longhand note taking mediums yielded mixed results, highlighting the need to identify influencing factors. The present study investigated a potential factor, lecture rate, through two experiments. Experiment 1 examined whether lecture rate differentially influences longhand and laptop note taking without note review. Experiment 2 investigated lecture rate effects before and after note review. Dependent measures pertained to various note-taking indices (e.g., verbatim overlap with lecture transcripts and numbers of words, …

The Impact Of Cognitive Coaching On Educator Identity And Teamwork Through Classroom Observation As Perceived By Teachers And Administrators., Carrie Elizabeth Wade

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Classroom observations are meant to help teachers improve their instructional practice and improve learning outcomes for students. But for many educators, traditional, in-person classroom observations can not only be difficult to arrange but difficult to truly gain valuable feedback from when teachers can’t see what was happening in the moment (Drago-Severson & Blum-Stefano, 2017). Teaching and leading in an environment characterized by a constant state of change is more likely to cause stress and negative feelings when the employees care deeply about the outcome (Wisse & Sleebos, 2016). Cognitive Coaching methods, applied to classroom observations, aim to reduce focus on …

Workplace Bullying In K-12 Education, Lorena Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Workplace bullying within K-12 education settings has become an increasingly recognized concern, with potentially profound implications for educators' well-being. This quantitative research study aims to explore the phenomenon of workplace bullying among teachers and administrators in K-12 educational institutions. Findings from this study will contribute to the existing literature by shedding light on the prevalence and manifestations of workplace bullying in K-12 education, as well as its implications for individual well-being, organizational culture, and educational outcomes. The study aims to inform the development of targeted interventions and policies to prevent and address workplace bullying, thereby fostering healthier and more supportive …

College Of Charleston (Cofc) Experiential Learning Program In Ghana, Spring 2024, Matthew J. Zittritsch

Capstone Collection

This study evaluates the impact and outcomes of an experiential learning program in Ghana for students with a declared business major or minor at the College of Charleston. The research focuses on the personal, academic, and professional growth experienced by program participants, as well as their immersion in Ghanaian culture and entrepreneurial experiences. The study utilizes the ADDIE model, encompassing the stages of Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate, to assess the program's effectiveness. The qualitative data collected provides a holistic overview of the participants' experiences and perceptions, allowing for the identification of areas of success and improvement. The findings …

How Elementary School Principals Successfully Led Through The Turbulence Of The Covid-19 Crisis, Juan Chavez

Dissertations

Purpose: This phenomenological study aimed to discover and describe behaviors elementary school principals practiced while leading their schools through the turbulent times of COVID-19 using the leadership attributes of personal temperament, concern for collective interest, resilience, and moral purpose, as perceived by elementary school teachers. Methodology: This qualitative study used a phenomenological research design. Data were collected from interviews 12 with elementary school teachers in Monterey County to discover and describe behaviors their principals practiced in leading their schools through the turbulent times of COVID-19. Findings: The study revealed 16 themes related to behaviors elementary school principals used related to …

Improving Student Engagement Despite Lowering Attention Spans In The Classroom, Kaycee Lee

Senior Honors Theses

Attention spans have been decreasing throughout society for many years, partially due to the constant increase of technological advances. The average human attention span of eight seconds is particularly concerning to teachers and others in the classroom. It does not seem that the average attention span is ever going to increase, so teachers must implement intentional methods and strategies within their classroom to keep their students’ attention. Physical activities, technology and hands-on supports, small group instruction, shorter lessons, making intentional mistakes, flexible seating, and differentiated instruction are all strategies supported by research to improve student engagement within the classroom. Every …

Tales From The Classroom: A Qualitative Study Of Teacher Experiences With Covid-19, Stephen B. Thompson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study will be to discover insights into how the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown has caused residual effects on students’ academic, social, and emotional health two years removed from the pandemic. COVID-19 has impacted education from the lockdown that the leaders in the United States mandated. This lockdown removed students from school’s traditional routines, causing them to learn new ways to participate in their education. The method guiding this study is a qualitative phenomenology to focus on the lived experiences of teachers. Using a transcendental approach, the researcher will focus on the depiction of the …

Who Picks Where A Student Sits In A Classroom?, Kathryn Kummer

Honors Projects

This ACTION research study aims to explore who should pick where students sit in a classroom. Disruptive behavior is a common issue in managing a classroom, so in this study, the results of each arrangement will be done by observing how often disruptive behavior happens in the classroom due to the seating arrangement. Student preference for seating arrangement will also be noted to determine if that affects disruptive behavior. The three arrangements to explore are: student choice, teacher choice, and random selection. By the end, the study will provide the arrangements effect as it relates to disruptive behavior and if …

An Exploration Of Educator Experiences Making Data-Driven Decisions Within A Multi-Tiered System Of Support, Jennifer L. D'Angelo

Doctor of Education Program Dissertations

School districts across the country often face challenges using data to implement a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) to meet the needs of all learners through high quality educational opportunities. This qualitative investigation explored how educators in a public school district in the northeastern United States experience the collection and analysis of data to inform decision-making within a MTSS. Guided by the theory of planned behavior and employing a phenomenological analysis, this study addressed the inconsistencies in educator training along with a lack of existing literature focused on the foundational elements of data literacy. The research questions focused on understanding …

Learning Through Play At School Ukraine: Final Research Report, Rachel Parker, Amy Berry, Kellie Picker, David Jeffries, Prue Anderson, Oksana Zabolotna

Student learning processes

The Learning Through Play (LTP) at School Research Study Ukraine was a four-year intervention study funded by the LEGO Foundation and implemented by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the Ukrainian Educational Research Association (UERA). The intervention was a two-year professional learning program that blended online, and face-to-face learning called the Teacher Innovative Play Program (TIPP). The TIPP was designed based on documented evidence that reports that teachers need opportunities to experiment and reflect to change practice. The study was guided by three research questions which were revised following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian armed forces …

The Inclusion Of Classroom-Related Dispositions In Teacher Evaluations, David K. Griffin

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

This paper examines various approaches to evaluating the classroom teacher and discusses the inclusion of dispositions in the evaluation process. A random sample of 150 teachers were asked to complete an online survey focusing on the inclusion of dispositions in their formal evaluations. They were asked to report what specific dispositions were evaluated, and if the specific dispositions were operationally defined. A summary of their responses to the survey items is discussed.

Teachers' Experiences Of Using Play And Al's Pals To Teach Socio-Emotional Skills Through Coaching Support Models, Deborah Tamakloe, Elizabeth Powers, Alisa Landis, Lori Mccracken

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

Interactive teaching strategies provide opportunities for engaging children in discussing difficult concepts such as socio-emotional wellbeing and wide range of ideas about their social and personal lives. However, few studies have explored preschool teachers’ efficacy of using coaching through ‘Play and puppetry programs as approaches to developing children’s emotional regulation, socio-emotional learning and wellbeing. This paper reports on a “Labyrinth Project” aimed to gain in-depth understandings of preschool teachers’ experiences and perspectives pertaining to their efficacy of using play and puppetry as tools to promote children’s emotional learning and development. The results showed that despite early challenges with the use …

The Role Of Emotions In Qualitative Analysis: Researchers’ Perspectives, Hilary Lustick, Xiaoye Yang, Abeer Hakouz

The Qualitative Report

Qualitative research is an inherently social and relational endeavor that relies on and engages our emotions. Yet, researchers receive little guidance on how to engage emotions without being swayed by personal biases. Lustick (2021) developed a framework called “emotion coding” for systematically engaging thoughts and emotions in qualitative data analysis by asking what a chunk of data can teach us about ourselves, our participants, and our study. In this study, we interviewed 15 researchers who had tried using the emotion coding technique, about their impressions of this technique and the role of emotion in qualitative research overall. Framed by Goffman …

Perception Of Emotional Intelligence And Self Efficacy For School Business Officials At K-12 Districts, Agha Mirza

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and self-efficacy in Chief Business Officials (CBOs) working in School Districts in the state of California.

Methodology: The primary objective of this study was to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence and self-efficacy characteristics, employing a quantitative, correlational research design. The study involved a non-experimental approach to establish correlations between the identified variables and an explanatory design to elucidate the relationship between variables. Correlational research has been established as the most effective approach for examining correlations between phenomena and distinct population samples, which made …

Associations Between Learning Environment And Study Satisfaction Across Time: Two Cross-Sectional Analyses Of Occupational Therapy Students, Gry Mørk, Susanne G. Johnson, Astrid Gramstad, Linda Stigen, Tove Carstensen, Tore Bonsaksen

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

There is increasing attention toward students’ satisfaction and how they perceive the quality of the program they attend. This study examined stability and change across time with regard to the relationships between learning environment factors and occupational therapy students’ satisfaction with the program. In the two consecutive cross-sectional analyses performed in this study, 163 second-year students and 193 third-year students from all six occupational therapy education programs in Norway participated. The Course Experience Questionnaire was used to assess learning environment factors and study satisfaction. The data were analyzed with Pearson’s correlation coefficient r and with hierarchical linear regression. Bivariate associations …