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Block And Traditional School Schedules: Comparison Of Student Achievement By Msat Scores And High School Science Teachers' Views, Robert Decker Smith

Dissertations

This study attempts to compare schools that are using a traditional scheduling format to a block scheduling format. Both critics and proponents acknowledge that the block schedule can provide more benefits than just student achievement. This study also attempts to address the perceptions of current Mississippi high school science teachers about the advantages and disadvantages to the block schedule as compared to the traditional schedule.

This study utilized MSAT test scores from 69 (34 block and 35 traditional) public schools throughout the state of Mississippi. This data was used to test 10 hypotheses. Student achievement was measured using both the …

A Case Study Analysis Of Organizational Crisis Communication During Hurricane Katrina, Rebecca Nell Woodrick

Dissertations

This study analyzed an educational organization's crisis communication with its employees regarding the devastation caused to the organization and to employees by hurricane Katrina in 2005. This study drew upon literature regarding communication in crisis and in particular, natural disaster crisis, to ascertain to what degree employees felt the organization engaged in characteristics of High Reliability Organizations. A case study approach employing both qualitative and quantitative data was utilized.

The data revealed that the organization was perceived by employees has having adequately communicated before and after Katrina. Data further revealed that the organization engages in behaviors consistent with practices of …

Form Blindness Testing: Assessing The Ability To Perform Latent Print Examination By Traditional Versus Nontraditional Students, Dean James Bertram

Dissertations

This study examined form blindness testing as a predictor of latent print examination success among traditional and nontraditional college students. A correlational analysis of traditional versus nontraditional students was also assessed. Data were collected for two groups: trained and untrained. The untrained group (n = 167) consisted of students enrolled in courses within the field of forensic science at a university in the southeastern United States during the spring 2009 academic term. Students retained within the untrained group were those with no fingerprint training. The trained group (n = 160) consisted of students who completed a science of fingerprinting course …

The Relationship Of Principal Leadership Behaviors With School Climate, Teacher Job Satisfaction, And Student Achievement, Maurice Demond Williams

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine how leadership behaviors of principals relate to school climate, teachers' job satisfaction, and student achievement. The relationship of leadership to student achievement was measured by the school levels based on the administration of the 2006-2007 Mississippi Curriculum Test (MCT). Leadership and teacher job satisfaction was determined by Paul Specter's Job Satisfaction Survey, and school climate was indicated by use of the School Climate Inventory (SCI).

Eleven schools in an east Mississippi school district were selected to participate in the research during the spring of 2008. Of the 129 randomly selected participants, 71% …

An Assessment Of The Impact Of A Science Outreach Program, Science In Motion, On Student Achievement, Teacher Efficacy, And Teacher Perception, Phillip Allen Herring

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to analyze the science outreach program, Science In Motion (SIM), located in Mobile, Alabama. This research investigated what impact the SIM program has on student cognitive functioning and teacher efficacy and also investigated teacher perceptions and attitudes regarding the program.

To investigate student cognitive functioning, data were collected from the Mobile County Public School System based upon student performance on Criterion Referenced Tests (CRT's), consisting of the students' average score, percent of students passing the test (students scoring 60 percent or above), and the percent of students who were considered proficient, (students scoring 70 …

Motivated By Money: Students With Academic Scholarships Versus Those Without And Their Emotional Intelligence, Elizabeth Marie Elbert Giroir

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the retention rate of students who had received academic scholarships versus students who had not received academic scholarships but met the qualifications to receive the scholarships and the effects of emotional intelligence on these students. The data collection mechanisms for this study included the student information system at The University of Southern Mississippi and the EQi: Short survey administered to students during the orientation week activities at The University of Southern Mississippi prior to the beginning of the fall 2004 semester. There were 667 students who participated in the EQi: Short survey …

Drop Out Or Persist? The Influence Of Differentiated Instruction And Teacher Behavior On College Freshmen And Ged Students, Vera Strickland Robertson

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to provide information to school administrators about the impact differentiated instruction and teacher behavior have on students' decision to drop out of high school or persist. The ultimate goal of this study is to determine if a significant relationship exists between differentiated instruction, teacher behavior and dropout status.

The participants in this study included students enrolled in select colleges or GED programs. The ages of the participants were ages sixteen to twenty-one. The participants completed a questionnaire constructed by the researcher to gather data pertaining to participants' experiences with differentiated instruction and teacher behavior …

The Projectionist, Travis Keith Kurowski

Dissertations

The Projectionist is a collection of short stories composed during my studies at The University of Southern Mississippi Center for Writers between the years 2006 and 2009. n

A Study Of Student Achievement In Missouri School Districts That Maintain A Preschool Program, Rebecca L. Bernard

Dissertations

The availability of pre-kindergarten education has increased over the last few years, but public schools often lack consistency in providing a preschool program. In this quantitative study, the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) scores of schools that offer an in-district preschool program were compared to those schools that do not offer an in-district preschool program. A Null Hypothesis was proposed: the presence of a preschool facility provided by a school district will not affect scores on standardized achievement tests. The percentage of those students who scored advanced or proficient on the MAP test in the areas of Math or Communication Arts …

Middle School Grading Practices And The Ability To Predict Achievement On The Arkansas Benchmark Test, Philip Matthew Summers

Dissertations

After the No Child Left Behind Act was legislated, it became necessary for states to target specific learning goals and then test those objectives. As part of this process, districts began to develop new curricula and evaluate grading practices. For this study, student samples were drawn from sixth, seventh, and eighth grade populations of a Northwest Arkansas Middle School. Samples were disaggregated by grade level for the 2005-2006, 2006- 2007, and 2007-2008 school years. A quasi-experimental design was implemented to test the strength of the independent variable, averaged semester grades, on the dependent variable, Arkansas Benchmark Test scores. A Pearson …

Student Assessment: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Study Of Teachers' Perceptions And Resulting Practices, Kathy J. Grover

Dissertations

Federal and state accountability requirements have raised the stakes on student achievement testing. Teachers' perceptions of accountability testing influence classroom instruction (Wiliam, 2005). Teacher instruction greatly impacts student learning (Schmoker, 2006). This mixed method study examined teachers’ perceptions of assessment and instruction. Analysis of data from case studies of three classroom teachers revealed three themes relating to assessment and instruction. The themes were further investigated by means of a Likert survey. The case study and survey methodologies provided descriptive data of teachers' beliefs regarding the value of various assessment types, the influence of different types of assessment on teaching practice, …

Factors That Are Predictive Of Student Achievement Outcomes And An Analysis Of These Factors In High-Poverty Schools Versus Low-Poverty Schools, Cherita Ruth Graber

Dissertations

This study was conducted to identify factors that are predictive of student achievement outcomes and to analyze these factors in high-poverty schools versus low-poverty schools. Because of accountability standards implemented with the passage of No Child Left Behind, it is critical that educators determine factors that will increase student achievement most significantly. Once the most significant and most predictive variables of student achievement can be identified, stakeholders can implement policies and procedures to address those areas. In addition, instructional strategies can be employed to improve student success. The dependent variable under study was student achievement, which was dissected into two …

Missouri Elementary Teacher Certification Programs And The Education Provided On How Boys And Girls Learn Differently, Elizabeth Anne Cooper

Dissertations

Teacher education programs, professional development, and higher education should provide educators with the information needed to address the ways that boys and girls learn differently. This mixed-methods study discovered the amount of education provided to teachers during their Teacher Education Programs in regards to how girls and boys learn. This study focused on a purposeful sample of five school districts within a chosen region in Missouri. Data were collected from elementary schools within these districts in the fall of 2008. The subjects included a purposeful sample of elementary teachers throughout these districts. In addition, twelve elementary teachers within this region …

The Star Math Test As A Predictor Of Arkansas Benchmark Test Scores, Patricia Anne Conner

Dissertations

With the failure of the legislative branch to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind law in 2007 and recent reports that more schools than ever are failing to achieve Adequate Yearly Progress, educators are reviewing practices and curriculum. As a result of federal and state laws, it is necessary to identify an accurate predictor of student achievement prior to the administration of the state-mandated test. For this study, student samples were drawn from sixth, seventh, and eighth grade populations of a Northwest Arkansas Middle School. Samples were separated by grade level and ranked according to the grade equivalency on the …

The Impact Of Class Size On Student Achievement, Michelle Dawn Collins

Dissertations

This study detailed the significance of class size on student achievement. The dependent variable represented in this study was AYP (Annual Yearly Progress) cumulative scores of Missouri schools. The dependent variables for this study were class size (student/teacher ratios) of schools in Missouri and socioeconomic status of students in Missouri schools. The intention of this study was to examine the effects of small class assignments, with special attention given to disaggregating the results by economic status, school size, and student achievement scores. Student achievement measures included district's AYP (Annual Yearly Progress) scores for the 2007-2008 school year as reported by …

The Impact Of High Quality Professional Development On Student Achievement In The State Of Missouri, Lisa M. Christiansen

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to discover the relationship between high quality professional development and student achievement in the state of Missouri as measured by the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP). The ultimate goal of high quality professional development is to provide tools for educators which increase student achievement. In the state of Missouri, the Regional Professional Development Centers are primary providers of high quality professional development. This study specifically focuses on the relationship between the high quality professional development activities offered by the Missouri Regional Professional Development Centers and its relationship to student achievement. The Missouri Assessment Program results …

Same Gender Classrooms And Student Achievement, Amy L. Viets

Dissertations

Leonard Sax, executive director National Association for Single Sex Public Education (2008) noted, “Same Gender Classrooms have long existed in educational institutions” (p. 1). According to Cable and Spradlin (2008), “The option of single-sex schooling in public schools has emerged once again through federal policies associated with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001…” (p. 1). The purpose of this study was to determine if Same Gender Classrooms impact state mandated test scores. More than a dozen schools throughout the Midwest implementing Same Gender Classrooms were contacted and interviewed. Test scores from schools implementing Same Gender Classrooms were compared …

Teacher Perceptions Of Electronic Curricula Implementation Within An Elementary And Secondary Lutheran Setting, Bruce Gerard Kintz

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research project was to investigate and understand elementary and secondary Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) school teachers' awareness of and attitudes toward the use of electronic curricula in the classroom. The research question was: Why is there a lack of mainstream LCMS grade schools and high schools asking for or using electronically-delivered curricula? Interpretive inquiry was chosen as the methodology for this research and due to the nature of this researcher's focus on technology in the classroom, an electronic survey was used for gathering data which was effective in terms of cost and time efficiency. The …

Personality Traits Of Bus Drivers Conducive To Maintaining Good Student Behavior, S. Brent Depee'

Dissertations

School administrators are faced with the responsibility of disciplining students for misconduct on the school bus. Some bus drivers frequently send discipline referrals to the administration, whereas others seldom do. This study attempts to identify certain personality traits of bus drivers that contribute to good student behaviors. Bus drivers from rural Missouri school districts who drove regular school routes were given the Global 5 Personality Trait Test. Building principals from these rural school districts gathered bus discipline referrals for the first semester of the 2008-2009 school year. The research design is quantitative causal-comparative in nature, while the data was collected …

The Transition To High School: Freshmen Transition Practices, Teresa J. Mckenzie

Dissertations

The transition to high school is a pivotal time for freshmen. Recognition of the importance of the ninth grade year and establishing freshmen transition programs are critical in addressing the nation’s declining graduation rates. The purpose of this study was to investigate the practices, programs, or interventions used in Missouri to assist freshmen in making a successful transition to high school. For this research, all high school principals across the state were given the opportunity to contribute to the study. There were 183 schools, both public and nonpublic, that responded to the survey. From the data, 60.1% of Missouri high …

Teacher Compensation And The Academic Achievement Of High School Students, Lisa A. May

Dissertations

In this collaborative study, the researchers shared common goals, defined their roles in the review of the literature, and coordinated efforts to thoroughly explore the relationship between teacher salaries and student achievement. Student achievement and teacher salaries obtained from 226 public school districts in Missouri were examined to determine if a significant relationship exists between the two variables. The Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) and American College Test (ACT) data were collected from the 2006-2007 academic year. This study utilized a linear regression and a t-test as a means of determining statistical significance between MAP index scores and average teacher salaries. …

The Impact Of Early Childhood Programs On Student Achievement, Kelly Ann Sutherland

Dissertations

The common goal of wanting children to succeed in school is shared by educators, families, and communities. While meeting educational benchmarks, such as achieving at grade level to staying in school, can be linked to school readiness, so can early childhood programs. Early childhood programs such as Parents as Teachers and Pre-k programs, are important interventions to help improve student achievement and success in school. In this study, student samples were drawn from existing data in one rural school district in Missouri. The testing data were from students who began school from the fall of 2004 to the fall of …

A Multi-Case Study Of Americorps Tutoring Programs, Kimberly E. Hawk

Dissertations

An analysis of the practices and results of AmeriCorps tutoring programs in a Midwest state was the basis of this study. Volunteer management theory, the theory of planned behavior, and social change and justice theory were used as the theoretical foundation of this qualitative, multi-case study. Understanding the essential components of effective AmeriCorps tutoring programs will assist program directors in establishing or improving AmeriCorps tutoring programs throughout the country. The essential components identified in this study will serve as a model for program directors and provide state and national AmeriCorps leadership insight as to the support needed to establish effective …

The Effects Of Different Types Of Prompts On Achievement And Attitude In Mathematics, Barbara R. Greer Edd

Dissertations

This study examined the effects of three different types of writing prompts, procedural, summary, and self-monitoring, on achievement and self-concept of ability in mathematics. Participants included 81 eighth grade students taking a course designed to prepare students for algebra in the ninth grade in a large urban school district in Southern California. Data were gathered using a quasi-experimental design, teacher-researcher created pre-and post-tests, the Minnesota Mathematics Attitude Inventory, teacher field notes, student responses to prompts, and individual and group interviews. Controlling for demographic and other variables identified in the study, simultaneous regression analysis revealed that only summary writing had a …

Raft Synthesis Of Water-Soluble, Stimuli-Responsive (Co)Polymers And Post-Polymerization End Group Modification Via The Thiol-Ene Reaction, Bing Yu

Dissertations

A series of water-soluble, stimuli-responsive (co)polymers was synthesized via the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The end group of a RAFT polymer, poly(jV-isopropylacrylamide), was modified to ene or yne function via thiol-ene click chemistry. The ene or yne end group subsequently underwent thiol-ene or thiol-yne addition affording mono- or di-functional end group. First, three methacrylic monomers containing 2 or 3 pendent tertiary amine functional groups, l,3-bis(dimethylamino)propan-2-yl methacrylate (Ml), l-(bis(3-(dimethylamino)propyl)amino)propan-2-yl methacrylate (M2), and 2-((2-(2-(dimethylamino)ethoxy)ethyl)methylamino)ethyl acrylate (M3), were synthesized via an acylation reaction between methacryloyl chloride and the corresponding aminoalcohol. All of these three monomers were successfully homopolymerized under RAFT conditions …

The Impact Of Departmentalization On Sixth Grade Achievement On The Missouri Assessment Program, Shawn James Page

Dissertations

In 1950 the Missouri Board of education designed accreditation standards for Missouri schools. In 1990 the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) experienced a major revision that required that all districts be accredited. A school could achieve accreditation by taking part in a five year review cycle designed by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESSE). No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was signed into law in 2002. The results were sweeping changes to the educational system(DESE 2006). One of those changes was an Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) standard. One of the most notable innovations of traditional junior high schools, first …

From Strain To Success: A Phenomenological Study Of The Personal And Academic Pressures On African American Male Community College Students, John R. Mosby Phd

Dissertations

For many African American college students, the challenges to achieve academic success are overwhelming. The disproportionate number of African American male students enrolled in the community college system is of substantial concern because community colleges have not traditionally been successful in producing African American male graduates and transfers at the same rate as their counterparts from other racial and gender groups. Moreover, the pressure for African American male students to choose between academic success and their cultural frame of reference often jeopardizes their chances of successfully completing their undergraduate degree. Consequently, African American males who choose the community college system …

Interventions, Perceptions Of Accommodations, And Motivating Factors Impacting The Achievement And Successful Mainstreaming Transition Of English Language Learners, Desiree Atchley

Dissertations

This study was inspired by the many English language learners who have overcome the struggles of achieving proficiency in English. The district studied is a small school district with approximately 1850 students. In 1999, there were 148 Hispanic students, and this number has more than doubled in the last nine years. For a school that was basically void of diversity twenty years ago, it is now a school in which almost one-fifth of its population is a second language learner. Currently over seven languages are represented in its population, and those numbers continue to grow. The district has faced many …

The Music Of Jerry Sieg: A Descriptive Catalogue Of His Piano Music And An Analysis Of The Five Miniatures For Piano, Nuria Mariela Royas

Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to present the solo piano music of the American composer Jerry Sieg, whose output includes works for orchestra, voice, opera, chorus, and numerous compositions for solo instruments.

It opens with the biography of the composer, including information concerning bis musical training, followed by a brief survey of his solo piano works. A discussion of his compositional style in his Five Miniatures for Piano, written in 1994 for the American pianist Marian Lee, is also included in this work. The analysis of the Five Miniatures for Piano in Chapter IV presents a detailed analysis of …

Factors Influencing Nurse Faculty's Job Satisfaction And Intent To Stay, Sally Pulver Ruel

Dissertations

This study of nurse faculty examined the relationship of role conflict, role ambiguity, and work role balance, and their influence on job satisfaction and intent to stay in AACN nursing schools offering baccalaureate and higher degree programs within the United States. In light of the current nursing and nursing faculty shortage, this research was undertaken in an attempt to identify statistically significant predictors of job satisfaction and intent to stay in nursing education.

An online survey was conducted over seven weeks during the fall of 2008 and early spring 2009. A stratified random sample of each of the four regions …