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Possible Factors For Achievement Gap In Reading For Eighth-Grade African American Males, Sherry L. Harrison

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to gain insight into the reading achievement gap of African American males in Grade 8 on the North Carolina (NC) End of Grade (EOG) test, to provide insight into 4 schools in NC. Schools in which this group of students scored better on the NC EOG test were compared with schools in which this group of students did less well on the NC EOG test. Two randomly selected low Level 1 schools and 2 randomly selected high Level 2 schools identified by the NC 1999-2000 EOG test scores of 8th-grade African American male students were …

Development And Evaluation Of A Leadership Skills Curriculum For The Committee To Aid Abused Women In Northern Nevada, Susan Joy Edwards

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem under investigation was that the Committee to Aid Abused Women (CAAW) recognizes that the organization does not adequately prepare clients to enter the competitive job arena. The purpose of the project was threefold. First, the project presented a leadership program specific to the needs of female domestic violence survivors. Second, the project offered the program to CAAW clients. Third, the project evaluated the perceived effectiveness by the women who attended the program entitled “Leading to Empower.”

Three research questions were addressed in this study. First, what does the review of the research reveal about effective, applied leadership skills? …

Balanced Literacy: An Evaluation Of A Ninth Grade Literacy Program, Drew Ashley Atkinson Jr.

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This report describes the evaluation of an existing program that uses balanced literacy in ninth grade English classrooms to accelerate the reading development of students entering high school reading below grade level. This evaluation consisted of two target goals for the program. Goal one set a target improvement standard of two full grade levels of improvement for students reading at or below the sixth grade level upon entering high school, and one full grade level of improvement for students reading at the seventh grade level. Goal two dictated a standard of statistical significance between the mean reading ability of an …

Reading Achievement In The Elementary Grades, Jeri Cepura

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was to raise the reading achievement of third grade students in a diverse city school with a student population of 618. Analysis of archival data for the past three years indicated that reading comprehension scores on the state test (MSPAP) and local criterion-referenced tests have remained unchanged with a relatively flat trend. Approximately 50% of all students had reached a satisfactory level as opposed to the 70% state expectation. Staff development for teaching reading was provided through external conferences or at the county level as a one-time in-service with no follow-up, application expectancy, or examination of student …

Promoting Social Emotional Intelligence In Elementary School Children, Beryl Irene Bailey

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to provide educators with a curriculum embedded program to prevent, curtail, or reverse the negative trajectory of poor social emotional development of elementary students. Third-grade students failed to demonstrate social emotional intelligence. They lacked discipline. They exhibited difficulty staying on task and working cooperatively with peers, repeatedly interrupted instruction, used negative language, did not return homework, and were often referred to the office for disciplinary action.

In a 5-week training session, teachers learned how to implement the writer’s Sowing SEEDS (Social Emotional and Educational Development of Students) Curriculum. This literacy-based program contained children’s literature aligned …

The Creation Of A Diagnostic Reading Program Designed To Meet The Developmental Needs Of Primary Grade Readers, Thomas A. Baruffi

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Over a 5-year period from 1995-1996 to 1999-2000, an average of 18% of the students entering fifth grade in the Linwood Public School system were reading below grade level. This statistic clearly indicates that reading difficulties must be addressed early in the process of reading acquisition. With the understanding that learning to read is a developmental process, classroom teachers were challenged to obtain and utilize the diagnostic skills necessary to meet the individual educational needs of their students by identifying their learning strengths and weaknesses.

With the goal of developing a reading program designed around the diagnostic process, All Students …

Teaching Innovative Preventive Strategies To Minority Students With Limited English Proficiency, Joyce Wright-Evans

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The major purpose of this applied dissertation was to address the issue of minority students with limited English proficiency not meeting the educational standards necessary to graduate from high school within 4years of entry. The relationship of achievement with self-determination is described in this report. The theoretical base for this study centered on the work of R. M. Ryan and E. L. Deci (2000) in the areas of motivation and self-determination, the self-determination theory. Moreover, the social cognitive career theory (R. Lent, S. W. Brown, & G. Hackett, 1996) provided a strong theoretical base in the areas of career and …

Improving Adolescents’ Reading Achievement By Offering Increased Time To Read And Teaching Reading Strategies, Susan Albright Currie

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This study was designed to increase student reading achievement of 6th-grade students at Sparkman Middle School by offering increased time for reading with availability of student preferred genres and the use of selected reading strategies.

Participants selected for this study consisted of 6 teachers and 48 sixth-grade students who scored in the 1-3 stanine cluster on the Stanford Achievement Test, Ninth Edition. Additional time was built into the school’s daily schedule for independent reading of self-selected genres and individual student-teacher interaction. Students were then trained, through direct instruction and teacher modeling, to incorporate strategies during reading activities. Sixth-grade teachers participated …

Using The Writing Process And Continuous Assessment To Improve Student Compositions, Constance M. Goines

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This dissertation described an intervention program that was designed to improve the quality of writing in an inner city school in the southwest United States. It was an ethnically and linguistically diverse Title I learning community of about 300. The program targeted 44 second semester 3rd graders who would be first semester 4th graders following the July summer break. Two fourth grade teachers, both with at least four years of experience and extensive writing process training, implemented the program at both grade levels.

The focus was to raise writing scores, as measured by the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) …

A Northwest Florida School District’S Response To Chartered Public Schools, Vivian L. Green

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to examine the impact of charter schools on a school district and to develop a strategic marketing plan for the School District of Okaloosa County. With the proliferation of charter schools, home schools, and other schooling options within the School District of Okaloosa County, the typical orientation of school staff members at traditional public schools must be broadened to include marketing of the school and its services.

The researcher developed a strategic marketing plan for targeted schools within the School District of Okaloosa County. Development of the plan included the following planned solution interventions: (a) …

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. …

Improving The Reading Comprehension Achievement Of Third Grade Students, Delores L. Bedar

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Students at DePriest Elementary School were performing poorly on standardized assessments in reading comprehension. The possible causes of low student performance were (a) teachers’ beliefs and practices, (b) the reading curriculum, (c) students’ lack of knowledge as to how to read for meaning, and (d) the lack of parent involvement in their children’s schooling.

This dissertation examined the improvement of students’ reading comprehension performance through the use of strategic reading instruction, professional development of teachers, and parental involvement. It examined whether instructing students in the use of comprehension strategies improved their reading comprehension performance.

A reading comprehension strategies curriculum model …

An Investigation Into The Effects Of Collaborative Co-Teaching On The Achievement Of Eighth Grade Students With Learning Disabilities, Karen Culmo Fontana

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of co-teaching on the academic achievement of eighth graders with learning disabilities. Although much has been written on the logistics of starting and maintaining co-teaching relationships between teachers of students with and without disabilities and teachers of students with exceptionalities, there is less written on the effectiveness of co-teaching on the achievement of students with learning disabilities. Using a one group pretest-posttest design, the study was designed to determine if attendance in co-taught English and math classes would contribute to an increase in written language, math and self-concept scores. The …

Aligning Standards Successfully In A High School Science Curriculum, J. Harrison Goodwin

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This dissertation describes the process of aligning the science curriculum of Chapman High School with the South Carolina Science Curriculum Standards. This was necessary due to the state requirement that students pass an exit examination in science beginning with the graduating class of 2005.

The passage of the South Carolina Education Accountability Act of 1998 required that students pass an exit examination in science beginning with the graduating class of 2006. The act also required that students take end-of-course examinations in certain science classes beginning with biology in the school year of 2003-2004. This exit examination and the end-of-course tests …

Attendance: The First Step Towards Success, Steven W. Green

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Student achievement is clearly the purpose of schools, and in today's world of high stakes testing, accountability has certainly been an educational buzzword. However, there are many factors that impact student achievement levels with many of these factors being out of the control of teachers and administrators. One factor on which school officials can have an impact is student attendance.

In the past at Dobson High School in Mesa, Arizona, student attendance was addressed in two ways: first, absences, were documented and recorded; second, punishments were applied after students accumulated too many absences. This was a cold and reactive process …

Phonemic Awareness And Beginning Literacy Skills In Lower Socioeconomic Native American Kindergarten And First Grade Students, Ellen-Sue Diamant

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was conducted on a Native American Indian Reservation in rural, northwest Montana. Ninety-six percent of the student body is Native American and mixed descent. According to tribal and Bureau of Indian Affairs unpublished data files, the reservation has a 95% unemployment rate. This reservation has poverty levels and lack of academic achievement typical of many lower socioeconomic status areas.

According to district records, the mean Iowa Test of Basic Skills (Riverside Publishers, 1998-2000), reading stanine has been less than the 4th stanine for at least the past ten years. Scores in the 5th stanine are considered proficient. …

Improving Student Behavior And Decreasing The Rate Of Violence-Based Suspensions Through The Use Of Peer Mediation, Anthony Threets

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to improve student behavior and provide a reduction in violence-based suspensions through the use of peer-mediation. Students at the secondary grade levels were being removed out of their regular classroom at an alarming rate because of their disruptive behavior. School administrators had few alternatives except to suspend or place these disruptive students in “In School Suspension”.

The writer implemented a peer-mediation program to provide another alternative to allow students involved in conflicts to remain in their regular classroom These students were given the opportunity to work through their own conflicts with the assistance of other …

An Early Intervention Program To Teach Readiness Skills To At–Risk Kindergarten Students, Marcell E. Hooks

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was implemented as a developmentally appropriate total language arts program to teach readiness skills to kindergarten children at risk of failure. Assessment data for the past 2 years showed literacy deficits among kindergarten students at Bouchet.

Possible causes for early reading difficulties included (a) insufficient teacher training on how to work with children who are low achievers; (b) insufficient parental involvement in the educational process; (c) lack of early literacy experiences, exposure, and skills; and (d) lack of opportunities for collaborative student learning.

The researcher conducted workshops for three kindergarten teachers, the teacher assistant, and parents on …

Third Grade Struggling Readers And Fast Forword, Jeannie Gallo

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation utilized an adaptive computer training program known as Fast ForWord as an intervention to improve the literacy skills of struggling, below-level third grade readers at Smyser Accelerated School. The intent of the intervention was to improve students’ phonemic awareness, reading comprehension, and spelling skills on standardized tests and to improve classroom performance grades in reading and spelling.

A large number of students in third grade are not able to achieve at or above level on the reading comprehension test of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. It was believed that a high mobility rate in second and …

An Intervention Reading Program To Increase Reading Skills In 18 Months From Cmt Proficient To Grade-Level Performance, Anthony J. Cordone

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This project addressed the creation of a reading intervention program at Bailey Middle School that improved the reading skills of the students identified by the Connecticut Master Test (CMT) as performing within the proficient level. Over the past 5 years, 60% of the Grade 6 and 49% of Grade 8 students consistently scored within the proficient level. This researcher created a program that, within 18 months, increased the reading skill needs of those students so that they improved or met the Grade 8 CMT goal levels.

This applied dissertation reviewed current programs, staffing requirements and skills, staff development, strategies, and …

Block Scheduling Versus Traditional Scheduling: A Comparative Study Of The Academic Achievement Of Seventh Graders, Grace W. Reese

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This study compared the academic achievement of 7th-grade students using a block schedule with the academic achievement of 7th-grade students using a traditional schedule. The goal was to determine what impact, if any, block scheduling had upon academic achievement. The sample included 7th-grade students at Semmes Middle School in the Mobile County Public School System in Mobile, Alabama.

The 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 Stanford Achievement Test, Ninth Edition (SAT-9) test results in reading, mathematics, and science, which are required of all students in Grades 3-8 in the Mobile County Public School System, provided the necessary data.

A t test was used …

Developing A Comprehensive System Of Care For Children In Placement With Relatives: Collaboration, Organizational Culture And Family Roles In Local Service Development, Patricia Gartman Hardt

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

In this applied dissertation, the researcher addressed the problem of high retention and administrative promotion rates of 7th-grade students in a rural public school in northern Alabama. A variety of strategies were used to improve student learning, student self-esteem, homework completion, and parent involvement.

Participants selected for this applied dissertation consisted of 4 teachers, 1 counselor, and 15 seventh-grade students who did not meet the criteria for promotion to the 8th grade at the close of the 2001-2002 school year. Students were trained through direct instruction and teacher modeling to incorporate class wide peer tutoring 2 or 3 times per …

Implementation Of Measures That Establish An Atmosphere Of Safety, Order, And Discipline On School Grounds, Robert N. Baldwin

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to determine the effects that specific interventions have on student behavior change regarding drug and alcohol use on school grounds. A change in leadership philosophy, drug and alcohol survey results, and school community input were the impetus for a study as to the effectiveness of interventions of behavioral indicators. The researcher was clearly interested in systematically reducing alcohol and other drug use on school grounds in order to promote an environment of high-level learning. School accountability was focused on increasing student achievement levels in English language arts and math. A review of related research substantiated …

An Analysis Of The Developmental Education Program At Bevill State Community College, Teresa L. Johnson

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to conduct a gap analysis, using a formative evaluation model, to compare the components of the developmental education program at Bevill State Community College (BSCC) to components of effective programs. The problem was that at least 40 percent of the students who complete the developmental education program at Bevill State Community College never enroll in college level courses. This analysis determined changes which could be made to increase the effectiveness of the program at BSCC. Eight procedures were completed to answer seven research questions.

The results of the study showed twenty-three areas which need to …

Implementing Study Groups To Improve Reading Achievement Scores Of Jensen Elementary School Students, Margaret Gayle Woodall

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was conducted to provide an historical review and assessment of the implementation of teacher study groups at Jensen Elementary School for the purpose of improving student reading skills during the 1997-1998 school year. The reading study groups were grade level groups that met monthly to participate in team learning (Senge 1990) by obtaining new information, revisiting information from a 4-day district in-service session, discussing strategies, problem solving, sharing successes and supporting one another.

The evaluation of the initiative consisted of a formative evaluation to determine if the program was implemented and a summative evaluation to determine if …

Evaluation Of The Math Project At Horace Mann High School, Lula Brooks Reeves

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation studied the improvement of student course grades through the math program in 10th grade at Horace Mann High School, Gary, Indiana. In order to improve students' outcomes, strategies using Performance Based Learning, small group instruction and student collaboration were implemented.

The Math Project was implemented with 10th-grade teachers who agreed to participate in this study. The students in the study were a heterogeneously mixed group of students with common scores from the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress (ISTEP+/state competency) test at the 8th-grade level, common socioeconomic status according to the Federal Lunch Program guidelines, and common …

Meeting The Psychological Needs Of School-Aged Native Students In An Extreme Geographic Region, Deborah Diette Wilson

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to meet the psychological needs of a unique Native population through a continuum of services and the utilization of technological platforms. The host community has experienced significant historical events including the exclusion in full participation education and the provision of educational curricula by individuals lacking the cultural competency base to provide appropriate educational experiences sensitive to Native learning styles. Psychological services were dictated by Federal and State mandates and consisted solely of educational and ability testing for the purpose of special education eligibility determination. As a result, school-aged Native students experienced significant social and emotional …

Distributed Sensor Network For Civil Infrastructure Health Monitoring, Jose Humberto Mata Hernandez

Masters Theses

"This thesis focuses on the development of a robust, low power consumption and cost effective wireless data acquisition, system to be used for civil infrastructure health monitoring. The complete solution that has been developed for this application integrates micro-electromechanical sensing elements (e.g. PVDF sensor); a wireless data acquisition system based on a Bluetooth-enabled radio, a microcontroller with analog to digital conversion capabilities, a power source including a solar cell array for long term operation, and a weatherproof enclosure for on-site installation. The complementary part of the solution is a weatherproof On-site Remote Access Point (ORAP) which collects, stores, and transmits …

Novel Concepts For Monitoring The Stability Of Open Pit Mine Highwalls Using Radar Interferometry And Spectral Imaging, Jami Girard Dwyer

Masters Theses

"Ground control problems at surface mining operations can occur for a variety of reasons. The geologic setting, rock strengths, joint spacing, orientation, pore pressures, and many other factors contribute to slope instabilities that range from small rock falls to massive slides of material. While much of this ground movement can be predicted or controlled, each year many completely unexpected failures occur. This poses serious safety and economic issues for the mining industry, since any unanticipated movement of the ground increases the potential for significant property damage, injuries, and even death. In the United States alone, 70 people died in slope …

Dsp Processor Based Vision Processing And System Integration For Control Of Laser Aided Manufacturing Process (Lamp), Srinivas Musti

Masters Theses

"This thesis presents the research and development of a real-time vision system and integration of various subsystems to build the hybrid system for the Laser aided manufacturing process (LAMP), being developed at the University of Missouri--Rolla. A description of the real-time control architecture, showing the interaction of the real-time controller with various sensors and subsystems to monitor and regulate the process is presented.

Control of melt pool geometry is important for ensuring the final product quality since the bead size significantly influences the joint strength. However, during the deposition process, impurities and the plume present around the pool complicate the …