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Evaluation Of The Utilization And Usefulness Of Chaos Theory In Human Services Education And Professional Practice At Western Washington University, Trula Morehead Nicholas

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The study evaluates the utilization and usefulness of chaos theory in human service education and professional practice. One purpose of this study was to determine if current and former students in the Human Services Department at Western Washington University use the concepts outlined in chaos theory in the delivery of human services. A second purpose was to discover if chaos theory is being incorporated into the curriculum of other human service education programs that grant four-year degrees.

Methodologies used in this study included the summative evaluation methodology, the development methodology, and the ex post facto research methodology. Surveys were sent …

Improving Reading Achievement By Integrating Technology In After School Instructional Programs, Timothy L. Cliby

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This research endeavor institutes change in an after school program for elementary students of an inner city elementary school. The program seeks to improve student performance on standardized English language testing, improve student motivation and attendance. The hypothesis that a prescriptive after school program, that utilizes Web based activities as an integrated component of instruction, will lead to improved student performance through increased motivation, instructional habits and attendance. Redesigning the program will establish an environment capable of sustaining student motivation and attendance resulting in sustained instructional engagement.

The instructional design is a transformation of traditional instructional practices for this program. …

Development Of An Applied Phd Degree Program In Hospitality Administration For Nova Southeastern University’S H. Wayne Huizenga School Of Business & Entrepreneurship, George Alexakis

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem was the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business & Entrepreneurship’s (SBE) programs needed a marketing edge. A PhD program was designed to fuel enrollments and improve budgetary figures. The purpose was to develop an applied hospitality administration PhD program for the SBE. The Research Questions were. (a) What are the needs of hospitality educators and administrators related to an applied PhD degree in hospitality administration? (b) What PhD program content best meets the needs of hospitality educators and administrators? (c) What is an appropriate strategy for implementing a PhD program in hospitality administration? (d) What is an appropriate …

A Strategic Approach To Promote Ninth-Grade Academic Success, Beverly W. Glover

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation, conducted February 2000 through April 2001, describes an approach to increasing student motivation that promoted 9th-grade academic success in an inner-city high school of a Southeastern Georgia community. The targeted population was freshman students in a very large, diverse, multicultural environment. The students ranged from the very highest affluent socioeconomic group to the lowest poverty group.

Low performance was evident on standardized measures of student progress upon their entering 9th grade. A lack of motivation for successful learning was evident. The students in this study were in need of extensive help to succeed academically and reach their …

Adolescent Participation In School Nutrition Meal Benefit Programs: A Case Study, Janice P. Maddox

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation is a historical case study targeted at the segment of a high school population who are eligible for free or reduced price meal benefits but do not take advantage of these benefits. The population to be studied is those students who take advantage of the free or reduced price benefits to which they are entitled less than 50% of the days that school is in session. Frequency of eating counts will be compared for the past 11 years in order to discern if the target population participation has changed over the years by programs designed to increase …

Scaffolding Transfer Activities Through The Use Of Concept Maps To Enhance Adaptive Problem Solving, James Jay Houdeshell

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The use of concept mapping following the Schwartz and Bransford (1998) protocols were tested as a scaffolding intervention with ill- and moderately well-structured transfer activities to determine the impact on transferring those skills to the solution of new problems. This study included three faculty members, six course sections, and a total of 55 students conducted at a large midwestern community college. All students completed well-structured pretest and posttests that measured their declarative, structural, and procedural knowledge skills in basic statistics and problem solving tools. Half the students completed a summary page describing the problem solving approaches for two contrasting cases. …

Development, Implementation, And Evaluation Of A Strategic Planning Process For Flagler College, William T. Abare Jr

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The underlying problem for this project was that the planning process at Flagler College was more internally focused, did not take into account the external forces that could impact the institution, and did not address the strategic issues confronting the institution. The purpose of this project was to develop, implement, and evaluate a strategic planning process at Flagler.

There were five research questions. First, “What are the different approaches to strategic planning, including general principles that should guide the development and implementation of the planning process?” Second, “What is an appropriate strategic planning model or approach to strategic planning for …

Teacher Mentoring And Teacher Attrition In A Rural Georgia School System, Brenda K. James

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Teacher attrition is a critical issue. The literature suggests that schools provide professional opportunities for master teachers to mentor new teachers through the use of well-designed induction or mentor programs. These opportunities develop teaching skills, improve teaching performance, and increase teacher retention.

This applied dissertation was designed to improve teacher retention at a high school located in a rural community in South Georgia. A mentoring program was developed and implemented at a high school. The program provided training to select mentors that included nonevaluative supervision, coaching, conflict resolution, collaborative problem solving, communication, and effective feedback strategies.

Mentor teachers and protégés …

Developing A Comprehensive System Of Care For Children In Placement With Relatives: Collaboration, Organizational Culture And Family Roles In Local Service Development, Elan Welter Lewis

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to support the development of a comprehensive system of care for grandparents and other relatives raising children, noncustodial parents, and children in out of home placement. The family constellation was changing in the community were the applied dissertation was implemented. Many children were in out of home placement with relative caregivers; there were few resources and no formal system of care designed to respond to the needs of these at risk families. This left many grandparents and other relative caregivers, children, and noncustodial parents without support or access to services.

The problem identified to be …

Attachment Theory And The Secondary Student: Notes To Teachers, George H. Biggs

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to provide knowledge of attachment theory to secondary teachers in middle schools and high schools. Teachers were working with students who were displaying behaviors caused by student disruptive attachment to a primary caregiver. However, the teachers, not aware of attachment theory, misinterpreted the reason for the disruptive class behavior and associated the behavior with the behaviors of students diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

The writer developed a series of monthly workshops that middle school teachers attended. The workshops focused on the following topics: attachment theory, children’s multiple foster placements, and the effects of multiple …

Developing A Support-Based Program To Decrease The Complaints Of Racial Profiling In The Miami-Dade Police Department, Richard E. Holton

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to focus on the problem that African American citizens are complaining about being stopped and detained unnecessarily by police officers and treated unfairly for no apparent reason in Miami-Dade County. National police organizations, special interest groups, and local citizens have defined this action as Racial Profiling or Driving While Black (DWB). The Miami-Dade County Commission adopted a resolution prohibiting racial profiling; however this problem continues to exist. Minorities have argued in town hall meetings and filed complaints, indicating that the criminal justice system has been insensitive to what appears to be a system that supports …

Development Of An Academic Assessment Plan And Evaluation Process For Devry Institute Of Technology Curricula Delivered By Devry Online, Donna Gardner Liljegren

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

N/A

The Implementation Of Behavior Management Strategies In An Elementary School Setting, Leary B. Adams Jr.

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Action research methods were used to examine the effects of behavior management strategies on the rate of discipline referrals at Twin Lakes Elementary School, an inner-city elementary school in Nevada. A review of archival records revealed that during the 3-year period from 1997 through 2002, the number of discipline referrals at Twin Lakes Elementary School increased from 73 to 170 referrals while enrollment showed no significant increase.

Some possible causes of the large number of discipline referrals were identified as: (a) inconsistencies in the referral process, (b) lack of support for teachers experiencing difficulty with student misbehavior, (c) lack of …

Improving Academic Performance Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Francis Bundukamara

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This implementation was designed to improve the academic performance of students with learning disabilities. A learning disability is described as a physical, emotional, or cognitive delay that creates a deficit in language and learning. These identified students were not excelling in the classroom. Classroom measures (grade point average, attendance records, discipline records, and Individual Education Plan goals) showed that 78% of 288 students with learning disabilities at the writer’s school site were showing deficits in areas of academic performance. A target group of 16 students was selected. The target group’s classroom measures were recorded, and it was found that their …

An Intervention To Remediate Motivational Shortcomings Caused By Childhood Maltreatment, Glade Eggett

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

By using a program called the WhyTry Program (C. Moore, 2001), the researcher was able to change some motivation-related behaviors caused, in part, by parent maltreatment. The study took place in a school in the east Los Angeles area. Motivation was a key factor studied.

The applied dissertation utilized the theory of multiple intelligences (H. Gardener, 1987) in a counseling setting. The writer used the WhyTry Program to create a meaning modality of communication using the visual analogies, music, and interpersonal activities. Students increased positive behaviors. The study was conducted on students who were identified as being physically, sexually, or …

Improving Reading Achievement By Reviewing And Adopting A Kindergarten-Grade 6 Balanced Reading Program, Rodney L. Borger

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation describes a process of reviewing and adopting a kindergarten-Grade 6 reading program in a Pennsylvania suburban school district with a student population of approximately 3,800. An analysis of the district’s 5th-grade reading scores on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education in 1997, indicated that for the years 1997–2000, district mean scores were 50 to 70 points lower than the mean score of schools of similar community type and socioeconomic characteristics.

Planned solution strategies included (a) reviewing and evaluating recently published reading programs, (b) revising the district’s reading curriculum to be …

Evaluating A Life Skills Curriculum For Adolescent Males At New Direction, Fitzgerald B. Mcqueen

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation sought to evaluate a real-life Life Skills Curriculum for adolescent males with behavioral, emotional, and mental disabilities. The previous Life Skills curricula had not been revised since 1996. Survey and interview data obtained from counselors, current and past adolescents, teachers, and parents indicated that the previous Life Skills curricula failed to meet the adolescent’s needs, and was impractical and irrelevant.

Planned strategies included (a) evaluating the Life Skills curriculum for relevance and practicality to “here and now” issues of adolescents in an educational treatment facility, (b) evaluating the Life Skills curriculum for enhancement of adolescent’s verbal and …

Measuring The Prevalence And Assessing The Determinants Of Depression Among Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Implications For Treatment, Drew Edwards

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) frequently suffer from isolation and loneliness; have ineffective coping skills, poorly developed social networks and low self-esteem; and struggle with socioeconomic stressors (Dow & Mest, 1997). As a result, such people are frequently characterized in the literature as a population of chronically ill patients with a higher than normal prevalence of emotional distress (Van Ede, Yzermans & Brouwer, 1999). A study was conducted to (1) measure the prevalence of depression among clinic patients with COPD, (2) determine the demographic and clinical variables, and (3) assess the implications for treatment.

Methods: An ex post …

Helping Parenting And Pregnant Teens Become Effective Parents And Successful Students, Zandra Rucker

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Based on alarming results of adolescent pregnancy in several areas of Miami-Dade County for the past 3 years, programmatic research methods and strategies were implemented in a joint collaboration with the Miami-Dade County Public School system and Miami-Dade County Health Department, Healthy Start Division, to address the issue of high teenage pregnancy in 3 targeted high schools.

The Miami-Dade County Public School system is required to provide an education for pregnant and parenting teens, coordinate the health and psychological services, and provide ancillary services to the students who attend the program. Although the Continuing Opportunity for a Purposeful Education Centers …

Evaluation Of Programs To Raise Student Achievement For Ninth-Grade Students At Mauldin High School, Tracy Hall

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to evaluate 2 programs aimed at increasing student achievement at Mauldin High School (MHS), a suburban high school with a population of 1,850 students in Grades 9-12. The focus of the study was to provide formative and summative feedback using the Kremper and Achilles (1979) program evaluation outline. Two research questions addressed English I failure rates that were reduced through a freshman academy for 1st time 9th graders and remediation for repeat 9th graders.

A review of the literature concerning 9th-grade challenges effecting on student achievement from the transition to high school reflects the need …

Development Of A Plan At Concordia University Wisconsin To Create A Campus Where Racial And Cultural Diversity Is Valued, Teresa Wanbaugh

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to develop a plan at Concordia University Wisconsin to create a campus where racial and cultural diversity is valued. Concordia University Wisconsin is a Lutheran higher education community dedicated to integrating faith and learning. Concordia University Wisconsin lacks an inclusive environment where racial and cultural diversity is valued. Without valuing racial and cultural diversity, Concordia University Wisconsin cannot effectively represent the communities it serves, and it cannot meet the needs of all student populations. The purpose of this study was to discover what the attributes of an inclusive campus are, discover what barriers must be …

The Effect Of Incorporating Interactive Concept Maps On Non-Major Adult Students’ Attitudes And Motivation Toward A Web-Supported Biology Course, Efrain J. Venezuela

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This study aimed to investigate the effect of incorporating interactive concept maps, as an instructional strategy for teaching complex biological concepts, on non-major adult students’ attitudes and motivation toward a Web-supported biology course. The author hypothesized that the incorporation of interactive concept maps would have an affect on non-major adult students' attitudes and motivation toward a Web-supported biology course. Consequently, this study attempted to answer the following question: How would the incorporation of interactive concept maps influence non-major adult students' attitudes and motivation toward a Web-supported biology course?

This study was conducted with non-major adult students enrolled in upper-level, Websupported …

Improving The Lifetime Wellness Skills Of Middle School Students With Disabilities, Rene Rodrigue Jr

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to improve the lifetime wellness skills of middle school students with disabilities. It was conducted in an Adapted Physical Education Program, with support visits to a local fitness facility. The lifetime wellness activities included aerobic fitness, strength training, and making healthy food choices. Students in the past program were not given the opportunities to learn the skills needed to participate in these activities. The writer believed this contributed to the high incidence of childhood obesity and poor motor skills of the population.

Several aerobic fitness and strength training activities were selected by the writer. They …

The Effect Of Incorporating Interactive Concept Maps On Non-Major Adult Students’ Attitudes And Motivation Toward A Web-Supported Biology Course, Efrain J. Venezuela

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This study aimed to investigate the effect of incorporating interactive concept maps, as an instructional strategy for teaching complex biological concepts, on non-major adult students’ attitudes and motivation toward a Web-supported biology course. The author hypothesized that the incorporation of interactive concept maps would have an affect on non-major adult students' attitudes and motivation toward a Web-supported biology course. Consequently, this study attempted to answer the following question: How would the incorporation of interactive concept maps influence non-major adult students' attitudes and motivation toward a Web-supported biology course?

This study was conducted with non-major adult students enrolled in upper-level, Websupported …

The Impact Of Learning Style Instruction On Academic Achievement Among Fourth- And Fifth-Grade Students In An Urban School, Felicia K. Starks Turner

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation focused on assisting 4th- and 5th-grade African American students in achieving 80% mastery on literacy assessments. Only 30 of the 60 students had regularly achieved 80% mastery on reading assessments. A review of the 2001-2002 student services team log indicated that 25 of the 35 students who were referred were African American students. Eleven of the 25 African American students were in Grades 4 and 5. This applied dissertation focused on identifying students’ reading styles and on implementing effective reading strategies to improve reading achievement and to decrease student referrals to the student services team.

Implementation of …

An Alternative Staff Development Plan For An Alternative Education Setting, Vashti Moore Clayton

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this study was to develop an intervention behavioral plan to improve special needs students’ behavior by reducing the number of discipline referrals that were received annually. This plan was implemented at a specialized residential school in a southeastern state. Implementation of interventions included suggested techniques for detecting and dealing with inappropriate behaviors. Students and staff members in a residential southeastern school were interviewed, observed, and provided with a survey for this study. A review of the literature revealed that staff development and the establishment of an alternative learning center are relevant to student learning and to the …

Ability-Based Block Scheduling For At-Risk Special Education Students In Foster Care, Kevin Jamison

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem, addressed by this applied dissertation was 43 at-risk special education students who lived in foster care and functioned below grade level in reading and mathematics in comparison to same age peers despite exposure to various reading and mathematics interventions in self-contained classroom settings. These students also had varying levels of intellectual ability. Specifically, the problem was that pre-test (baseline) measures indicated 70% of students scored at or below the 5.4 grade level in reading and 70% of students below this level were in grades 8 through 11. In terms of mathematics, 60% of students were functioning at or …

Evaluating Conflict Resolution Efforts In Darlington County, William Mccall

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Eliminating violence in the school setting is essential in order to ensure each student a meaningful educational experience that will lead to a productive life. Is a conflict resolution program a viable means of eliminating or decreasing school violence and thus improving school environment? This study analyzed the effects of a conflict resolution program at the 4 high schools in South Carolina’s Darlington County. Changes in students and teachers as a result of said program were documented.

The 4 high schools in the Darlington County School District serve all students in Grades 9 through 12 (approximately 3,400) in this predominantly …

The Knight Volume 13: Issue 4, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Methods And Ethics In A Life History Study Of Teacher Thinking, James A. Muchmore

The Qualitative Report

During the past decade, there has been an increasing interest in the use of life history and narrative approaches to study teacher thinking and teacher development. Unlike other forms of educational research, in which relationships between researchers and participants are characterized by business-like transactions that rarely extend into the realm of the personal, life history and narrative research can involve relationships that are personal and complex. Such research can also generate massive amounts of data--in the form of field notes, interview transcripts, and other documents--which are very difficult to synthesize. This article presents some of the methodological and ethical issues …