Digital Commons Network^™

Mesquite Leadership Academy: One Solution To The Administrator Shortage, Jeanne C. Stone

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to address the shortage of administrators in the Mesquite Independent School District. The school administrator has recently been described as an endangered species (Chapko and Buchko 2001.) Across the country, school districts are faced with the challenge of hiring and retaining competent principals and assistant principals. The Mesquite Independent School District in Mesquite, Texas found itself facing this same challenge in 2001, so much so that the district’s superintendent put it forth as one of the district’s four goals for the year: to build leadership capacity in the district. For a district as large as …

Developing And Using A Welfare Reform Model Of Social Work To Increase The Role Of Social Workers In Assisting Welfare Customers To Self-Sufficiency Through Employment, Jessie Jordan-Parker

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to increase and enhance the role of the Welfare Social Workers in providing case management services to Welfare customers. Welfare Reform (WR) Social Work positions were being eliminated because some thought that traditional social work models could not be adapted to the requirements of employment centered WR programs. This was thought because no research had been carried out and no data was available to indicate the efficacy of social workers or social work models in assisting those welfare customers to self-sufficiency through employment.

The writer developed a WR model of social work intervention. The model …

Effects Of A Violence Prevention Program On The Safe School Component Of School Climate, Vickie G. Tribble

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a violence prevention program at Robert Wood Johnson Memorial Comprehensive High School (hereafter referred to as Johnson High School) on the safe school component of the school climate through discipline data and perceptions of school personnel and clients about safety. Johnson High School, which is located near a large metropolitan area in the south, is a multicultural school with approximately 1,032 students. The school opened in 1972 with approximately 1,200 predominately Caucasian students. With the growth in the community over the last 30 years, there was a noted shift …

Providing A Curriculum In Kindergarten That Develops Reading Skills For Students Prior To Their Entrance Into First Grade, Linda J. Fouse

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This report describes programs and activities to assure the development of reading readiness skills in kindergarten students in a suburban elementary school. Kindergarten students were entering 1st grade with little or no reading readiness proficiency. This was apparent by their lack of skills on the 1st-grade entrance survey test developed by the 1st-grade teachers. This report examines research on reading techniques and the effects of early training on reading success.

Strategies included in this report are (a) early phonological awareness, (b) using both whole-language and skill-based instruction through a computerized program, (c) use of centers in the classroom, (d) peer …

Implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports At Aspen High School, Kendall Evans

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was a case study designed to describe, analyze, and evaluate the implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to reduce the incidents of problem behavior at Aspen High School. Data collected regarding discipline referrals to the office, during the years from September 1998 to May 2003 indicated that 84 individual students on average were referred to the office each year. In addition, students who were in the juvenile justice system represented a disproportionate number of discipline referrals to the office when compared to the percentage of the student body that they represented, and the educators at …

Desarrollo De Un Ambiente Virtual De Aprendizaje En Salud Pública, Mariano Fernández Silano

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Esta disertación aplicada fue diseñada para evaluar la contribución de los ambientes virtuales de aprendizaje, basados en la web, en la enseñanza de la salud pública. Se realizó un estudio descriptivo de la implementación de una asignatura del Curso de Ampliación de Conocimientos en Salud Pública. Este estudio aportó información relevante para la implementación y optimización de los cursos en la enseñanza de la Salud Pública. La Escuela de Salud Pública, dicta cursos de capacitación bajo la modalidad semi-presencial en el interior del país, con gran éxito. La alta demanda de cursos, la disponibilidad limitada de recursos humanos y financieros …

El Trabajo Pedagógico Colaborativo En La Educación Superior Mediado Por Herramientas Tecnológicas: Un Caso De Estudio, Pedro Méndez

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

El trabajo que se presenta a continuación tuvo el propósito de estudiar el trabajo pedagógico en colaboración en la educación superior mediado por herramientas tecnológicas. Se presenta un estudio de caso en una universidad venezolana, donde teóricamente se declara al trabajo en colaboración como parte de las actividades didácticas a desarrollar en una Maestría, sin embargo, éste ni se discute en teoría ni tampoco se implementa como práctica, generando un problema de desempeño en las funciones pedagógicas realizadas por los docentes y alumnos de dicho curso.

En este estudio se planteó una metodología de trabajo basada en proyectos y sustentada …

Development Of A Textbook With A Plan For Its Evaluation For The Acting I Course At Austin Community College, Jamee Kennedy

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this dissertation project was two-fold. First, the purpose was to develop a textbook for the Acting I course at Austin Community College that fully supports the required standardized curriculum created in 1999. Second, an evaluation plan for the textbook was developed to help determine the text’s validity.

The effectiveness of the text will be determined by the implementation of this plan. Based on the results of the evaluation plan, the administration at Austin Community College will make a recommendation to either adopt the text as is, modify the text, or to reject the text.

There were three …

Improving The Academic Achievement Of Sixth-Grade Students Who Do Not Perform At Grade Level In Mathematics, Eileen M. Bond

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to assist 6th-grade students who were not performing at grade level in mathematics. Students entered the 6th grade with a great disparity of skills and abilities in mathematics and then progressed through the middle school grades unable to complete tasks appropriate to their grade level as outlined by the state-mandated mathematics curriculum. These findings were documented both by report card grades and by standardized test scores.

The writer developed a cross-age tutoring program that paired 6th-grade students with 8th-grade students who were trained as tutors. The program was executed as an extra-subject period to provide …

Establishing A Culture Of Reading At The Middle School Level To Improve Reading Achievement, Neal W. Clark

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Based on an analysis of the Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT), 30% of 6th-8th graders at Wheeler County Middle school were not meeting state reading standards. Based on evidence from questionnaires and surveys to administrators, parents, students, and teachers, students spent little time reading and have poor attitude toward reading. Students at Wheeler County Middle School simply were not reading enough to build a sufficient vocabulary or an effective level of reading comprehension. Thus, the problem on which this study focused was how to get students to read more and be more positive about reading.

The intervention for this study …

Development Of A Sports Management Option To The Associates Degree In Health And Exercise Science At Camden County College, With A Plan For Implementation And Evaluation, Nicholas J. Dicicco

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The department of health and exercise science at Camden County College (CCC) offers certificate, and degree programs. The degree program is its largest. The problem is that the curriculum in this program has not evolved to keep pace with advances in the field. This has led to a disconnect between the four-year institution program offerings in this field, and the program offerings at CCC, a trend of declining enrollments, and the loss of credits upon transfer by students in the degree program.

As a response to this problem, a sport management option to the curriculum was developed, along with a …

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 …

The Creation And Implementation Of A Teacher In-Service Training Program To Change Classroom Strategies Of Teachers Of Learning Disabled Students, Samuel R. Barfell

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation describes a setting in an Indiana non-public school with a student enrollment of 590 students and 40 instructional faculty members. Approximately 13.3% of the student population struggled with some degree of learning deficiencies or disabilities and performed poorly in the traditional classroom.

The school does have a resource room called the Talent Development Lab where students receive academic assistance. Although students have experienced great and quantifiable success in the Talent Development Lab, there is a gap between what happens in the Lab and what happens in the classroom. The problem is that teachers have not accepted their …

Inservice Needs Of Online Adjunct Instructors, Judy Donovan

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation examined the inservice needs of adjunct online instructors in higher education, and offered training based on their self-reported needs and interests. One of the goals was to have the participants learn ways to improve their feedback to students. Another goal was to investigate the interest in staff development of online faculty. Online instructors often have an initial training course or workshop before beginning to teach online. Although this may teach the basics, enough to allow them to manage, it usually does not cover the finer points of the course management system, nor does it cover much pedagogy …

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? …

Increasing The Use Of Spatial And Musical Intelligences To Demonstrate Understanding Of Learning In Middle-School Students, Tempest Diane Booth

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was implemented to provide opportunities for nonexceptional middle-school students to demonstrate understanding of learning in the content area using the spatial and musical intelligences. The subject site emphasized more traditional learning strategies thus fewer opportunities existed for students to demonstrate content learning through the music and spatial intelligences.

An after school enrichment study was provided to give students opportunities to demonstrate understanding of learning using the spatial and musical intelligences. An effort was made to minimize traditional practices and place greater emphasis on creative teaching and learning experiences. The eight month study met twice weekly for one …

Addressing The Training Needs Of Educational Professionals Related To Students With Special Needs, Sue E. Bast

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was developed to provide a solution to the problem of the lack of training for teachers, regular and special education, related to students with special needs. Though the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act specifies that training should be provided to staff working with students having special needs, on-going trainings were not occurring in this writer’s district. Teachers expressed frustration and negativity related to having students in their class who have special needs. Often this was due to the fact that they had not received any training in their undergraduate courses.

To address this problem, an in-service of …

Declining Enrollment: Recruitment Efforts To Reverse This Trend, Queen A. Morrow

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to recruit high school students for enrollment in courses offered at Bibb County Career Tech Center (BCCTC) and ensure program completion by students enrolled at BCCTC. An analysis of enrollment patterns for the 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 indicated that enrollment had steadily declined. Interview and survey data yielded numerous reasons for the enrollment decline, such as inadequate public relations, early release programs by the high schools, and apathy on the part of the students.

Interventions to reverse the declining enrollment trend included launching public relations enhancement programs. Brochures that clearly depicted objectives and possible job opportunities …

The Development Of A Specialization In Student Services For The Graduate Leadership Studies Of Nova Southeastern University, Sandrine Lavallee

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this project was to give students an opportunity to select and thoroughly explore student services as an area of academic and professional interest by developing a doctoral specialization in student services. There were seven questions prepared, researched, and answered for this project:

1. What does the literature indicate as the current trends in student affairs?

2. What specific courses are offered in existing student affairs doctoral programs?

3. What are the established criteria for study guides in GLS?

4. What are the critical elements of a doctoral specialization in student services?

5. How should the critical elements …

A Study Of The Impact Of Training On The Ability Of Infant And Toddler Caregivers To Provide Safe, Healthy Environments For Young Children, Amy S. Hood

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was written to study the skills and abilities of infant/toddler caregivers in out-of-home child care settings within a local 10-county area. Child-care settings have demonstrated low quality of care for these very young children. The training materials that were used locally with new employees in child-care did not include age-specific information regarding the development of children less than three years of age. The resource agency did not include sufficient information regarding infants and toddlers in their materials.

The writer developed new materials to be included in the new employee training sessions specifically for caregivers of children under …

Improving The Readiness Skills Of Kindergarten Students, Karen J. Jensen

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

At New Hope Elementary School, which included Kindergarten through Grade 8, students performed below the system average on standardized tests at every grade level. The eighth-grade students left New Hope Elementary School to attend ninth grade at New Hope High School. New Hope High School received ninth-grade students from only New Hope Elementary School. In 2001-2002, New Hope High School had the highest dropout rate in the system. The academic deficiencies at New Hope High School and New Hope Elementary School were traced to the kindergarten level. Students in kindergarten scored significantly lower than the system average on 2001 state-mandated …

Ninth-Grade Transition: A Program To Ensure An Effective Transition To High School, Steven Ellis

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Freshman performance at Hunt High School was unacceptable. The 1999-2000 school year records revealed that 16% of freshmen had a grade point average of below 1.0. A total of 68 students dropped out of school during the 1999-2000 school year; 33 of these students were freshmen. In addition, 35% of freshmen failed 1 or more subjects during the 1999-2000 school year. Freshmen were also 3 times more likely to be given referrals for discipline than older students and 4 times more likely to be suspended.

The writer first conducted a preliminary investigation to find answers to this problem. As a …

Hands And Hearts For Children: A Family/School/Community Partnership Initiative, Charla C. Evans

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation describes the efforts of a rural, Appalachian elementary school to improve the level of collaboration for family and community involvement through the application of a systemic and systematic planning process for partnership development. An analysis of available data and survey reports indicated that the school had a history of poor family involvement and negative perception in the community.

The author implemented a plan based on Lueder’s (1998) Self-Renewing Partnership Model over the 2001-2002 school year. The implementation provided for staff, family, and community training jointly and individually. It established a building action team for improvement composed of …

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 …

Implementing The Six-Traits Model And Step Up To Writing To Improve The Writing Skills Of Fourth Grade Students, Precious E. Broadnax

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to improve the pedagogy of writing in the elementary schools. Students in the 4th grade were being instructed in an inconsistent pattern of process and product writing strategies, and were not demonstrating adequate achievement. The 4th grade teachers were trained in the Six-Traits Analytical Assessment Model and Step Up to Writing techniques, but there was little evidence that the strategies were effective.

The researcher developed a writing intervention that involved a 9-week aggressive approach teaching a combination of Six-Traits and Step Up to Writing. There were 3 components of the treatment: (1) extended staff development …

Development Of A Plan To Address Evaluation Issues Associated With The Nursing Curriculum At Elgin Community College, Maryann K. Vaca

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

There were six research questions for this study. First, "What are the essential criteria/components of a systematic plan to address evaluation issues in the nursing curriculum?" Second, "What is the appropriate and valid format for a systematic plan to address evaluation issues in the nursing curriculum?" Third, "What types of data exist, where were the data located, how can the data be accessed for evaluation of the curriculum, and what essential data still needs to be collected?" Fourth, "What research techniques or strategies are most effective to evaluate the data collected on the nursing curriculum?" Fifth, "What types of recommendations …

Development Of A Weapons-Of-Mass-Destruction First-Responders Training Program For Peterson Clinic With Plans For Implementation And Evaluation, Angela M. Thompson

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem was that there was no valid training program in place to provide the Peterson Clinic first responders with the training they needed to respond effectively to a weapons of mass destruction (WMD) incident involving up to 300 patients. The purpose of this applied dissertation was to develop a WMD First-Responders Training Program for the Peterson Clinic with plans for implementation and evaluation.

A development methodology with a plan to implement and a plan to evaluate was used to complete this project. As a preliminary procedure, the needs assessment methodology was used to determine the training needs of the …

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 …

Improving Student Achievement By Infusing A Web-Based Curriculum Into Global History, Robert A. Scheidet

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The arrival of Internet use in today’s classrooms has moved the learning environment beyond the drill and practice use of computers. The creation of a web-based curriculum enables students to have access to the global network of multimedia information while being engaged in self-directed learning activities. This study investigated whether infusing web-based computer technology into the global history curriculum could increase the percentage of students achieving mastery level and increase student interest and motivation in schoolwork. Studies have shown that achievement does increase when computer technology is utilized in the classroom because it individualizes the educational process; incorporates constructivist learning …

Development Of A Strategic Plan For The Implementation Of A Baccalaureate Degree In Public Safety At St. Petersburg College, Carlene M. Peterson

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

St. Petersburg College (SPC) was established in 1927 as a junior college; the name was changed to St. Petersburg College effective June 6, 2001, in legislation designating SPC as a 4-year college. The problem was that the college was awarded the opportunity to expand its academic offerings and did not have a strategic plan for the implementation of a public safety baccalaureate degree. The purpose of the applied dissertation was to provide a degree path for current associate degree students and for public safety professionals to advance to administrative positions in public safety agencies.

Seven questions were developed for this …