Digital Commons Network^™

Reducing Peer Victimization At A Southeastern Middle School By Utilizing An Anti-Peer Victimization Curriculum And Student Leader Peer Support, Arlene M. Mcdermott

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to decrease the high levels of peer victimization at a suburban middle school. Many students attending the institution were actively engaging in negative aggressive behavior such as bullying, teasing and isolating peers. They did not understand what types of behaviors constituted peer harassment or the affects it had on the aggressor, victim and general school climate. In addition, student leaders were not aware that they could act individually or as a collective body to help aid in its prevention.

The writer developed an Anti-Peer Victimization Curriculum that included a series of lessons, activities and strategies …

Improving An Alternative-To-Suspension Program To Reduce The Number Of Seventh-Grade Students’ Classroom Referrals, Timothy J. Butts

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

At Pines Middle School (PMS), seventh-grade student referrals for disruptive behavior were the highest of all three grades. This applied dissertation focused on reducing the seventh-grade referrals by improving the Pines Alternative-to-Student-Suspension (PASS) program.

Two research questions addressed (a) strategies to improve the program, and (b) outcome data for PASS participant treatment and nonparticipant control groups. A total of 216 respondents participated, 54 students and 54 parents each in the treatment and control groups. All parents completed the Homework Problem Checklist (HPC), and treatment parents and students completed the PASS Effectiveness Survey (PES). Student strategies included mentoring; lectures, discussions, role …

A Comparison Of Nondissection- And Dissection-Based Biology Programs, Kenneth T. Micai

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation describes the evaluation of a program that compares achievement of 10th-grade biology students in a suburban high school with a student population of approximately 2,800. The study evaluated two methods for the teaching of human systems. One methodology incorporated the use of a traditional dissection, and the other incorporated the use of a virtual dissection. The control group was taught using the traditional methodology of the dissection of a fetal pig. The experimental group was taught using a virtual dissection model.

Using a departmental exam, the control and experimental groups were compared on pretest and posttest scores. …

Utilizing Gendered Education In Middle School Language Arts Classes, Elizabeth Tharp Jones

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

When the Indiana state-mandated test scores were released in January 2002, Switzerland County Middle School students ranked in the bottom one third of the state in language arts. The administrators and teachers looked closely at the results of the state-mandated test. The rate of retention by gender was also tracked over a 3-year period. As the standardized test scores and retention data were reviewed, it was apparent that middle school boys were less successful in language arts and reading than girls in the same class. In order to address the problem in a manageable situation, the sixth-grade data were selected. …

Developing The Behavioral And Instructional Qualities Of An Effective Interactive Television Educator, M. Elizabeth Klein

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This study examines the implementation of distance education over a compressed video system in a public school district. It explores the progression of distance education initiatives developed by the school district, beginning with instructional television, to the present system that is capable of delivering two-way interactive video-conferencing to eight high schools over a wide area network. Properly implemented, this videoconferencing system should result in an expanded curriculum at the smaller high schools, and a greater variety of learning opportunities for students at all the high schools in the district.

Research identified the instructional practices that distinguish an effective interactive television …

Improving Mathematics Achievement Of At-Risk Students In Grade 5, Stephanie R. Pasley

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem of mathematics underachievement seemed to be especially severe for at-risk students in Grade 5 at the school of this researcher. There were many causes that lead to students’ deficient academic achievement in this subject: (a) the students’ lack of motivation for learning mathematics; (b) peer relations of students; (c) the lack of pedagogical skills; and (d) the insufficient promotions of parental involvement. There was a great need for motivational strategies to be infused into the curriculum if these students were to be brought to educational or mathematical resilience.

A multitude of solution strategies to improve the mathematics achievement …

The Effects Of Collaborative Planning On Teaching And Learning Of Information Literacy Skills, Suzanne Mize

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This investigation was conducted with 100 5th-grade students, 1 library media specialist, and 4 5th-grade teachers in order to determine whether collaboration between the media specialist and 2 classroom teachers caused an increase in information literacy scores in the 2 classes of 5th-grade students (50 students) over the information literacy scores of the control group of 2 5th-grade classes (50 students).

The media specialist collaborated with 2 5th-grade teachers, creating an integrated unit and combining an existing subject unit with a technological approach. The media specialist acted as a facilitator and consultant, assisting the teachers and the 2 experimental classes …

Increasing The Retention Rate Of First-Year Teachers, Juanessa D. Shipman

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to provide an on-site mentor to first-year teachers in an elementary school. This school system was faced with a teacher shortage; in fact, the nation faced a national teacher shortage. Studies proved that both urban and rural areas have the hardest time recruiting and maintaining effective teachers. They usually hired whoever was available because the need was so great. The goal was to support new teachers in this setting so that they would not leave the profession.

The researcher served as an on-site teacher mentor for 6 first-year teachers. The on-site mentor coached and supported …

Development Of A Counseling Services Resource Web Site With Plans For Implementation And Evaluation, Diana L. Mccullough

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

At Irvine Valley College (IVC), student services counselors lacked proficiency in technology and a common online resource. Thus, counselors could not provide students with timely, accurate information. This project developed (a) a Counselors’ Resource Extensive Web Site (CREWS), (b) a Web site implementation plan, and (c) a Web site evaluation plan.

Five research questions addressed (a) appropriate content for the CREWS, (b) CREWS Web site design criteria, (c) training needed by counselors, (d) a CREWS implementation plan, (e) a CREWS evaluation plan. Development, research, and evaluation methodologies were used in 22 procedures. These comprised literature reviews, analysis of sister colleges’ …

The Effect Of Pediculosis On Student Attendance And Performance, Gwendolyn Jarvis

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this study was to improve attendance and achievement by combating the pediculosis problem at an urban public school in Ohio. The study involved 37 students who were absent an abnormal amount of time due to the impact of pediculosis on their health. Of these 37 students, all were excluded from school at least once, and 14 of the students mis sed 2 or more days. One student missed 47 days and another missed 70 days of instruction due to pediculosis. During the 2001-2002 school year, approximately 5 to 10 students were excluded every day due to pediculosis …

Increasing Reading Levels Of Below-Level Readers: A Vocabulary-Focused Intervention Program, Christopher Blair

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to increase the reading level of below-level readers who attend a small rural school through an interventional vocabulary instruction program at Clio Elementary School in Clio, Alabama. The school had an enrollment of 135 students in Grades kindergarten through Grade 8.

The targeted group in this program consisted of 18 Grade 6 students who attended Clio Elementary School. The program provided the students with explicit vocabulary instruction for 1 hour per day, 5 days a week for 24 weeks. The components of the vocabulary instructional program consisted of various types of research (e.g. correlational, descriptive-interpretive, …

Development Of An Orientation Seminar For Displaced Workers Returning To The North Carolina Community Colleges With A Plan For Implementation And Evaluation, Kathryn Geisen

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Central Carolina Community College at Lillington, North Carolina is a 2-year public community college. The problem is that Central Carolina Community College has had dislocated workers attending classes. Academic failure has resulted in 59% of these students withdrawing. High attrition has led to a loss of full-time equivalent students because the college is unable to meet their special needs.

In response, an orientation seminar was developed with a plan for implementation and evaluation. The primary methodology was development and secondary was evaluation.

In this project, 4 research questions prompted procedures that were needed. These research questions for this project required …

An Evaluation Of The Online Learning Program At Middle Georgia Technical College, Ivan Allen

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to evaluate the Online Learning Program at Middle Georgia Technical College, a public technical college in Georgia. Despite the continued proliferation of Internet-based distance education courses at Middle Georgia Technical College, many questions continued to arise about the quality of the program. The Middle Georgia Technical College Online Learning Program had never been evaluated to determine its quality, and the purpose of this study was to accomplish an evaluation of the program.

Subjects in this study included faculty, administrators, and students who participated in the Online Learning Program. The author developed two surveys based on …

Moving Toward A Strength Perspective: A Case Study Of Counselor Change, Candis Carr

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

According to their mission statement, employees of the Family and Youth Counseling Agency, Inc., (FYCA) operated on the assumption that all individuals possessed the ability to solve their own challenges and live full and healthy lives when support was available. In practice, however, agency counseling reflected a deficit-based, hierarchical framework, wherein counselors expanded on clients’ deficits and failings, defined the goals of counseling, and regarded counselors as more knowing than clients about how best to change. By discrediting the client’s voice, counselors failed to put into action the agency’s guiding principle.

To develop a strength-based practice, counselors met on a …

A National Survey Of Civil Rights Training Programs For Development, Implementation, And Evaluation Of Civil Rights Training For Wic Employees, Beverley Demetrius

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem was that the state of Georgia Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program was noncompliant with antidiscrimination laws and therefore, risked the loss of federal funds to operate the WIC Program. The purpose of this applied dissertation was to conduct a national survey of civil rights training programs with plans for development, implementation, and evaluation of training for Georgia WIC Program employees.

A combination of the development and evaluation methodologies was used to complete this study. The development methodology was used to develop the civil rights training program for Georgia WIC employees. The evaluation methodology that included process and …

Reducing Discipline Referrals At State Bridge Crossing Elementary School In Alpharetta, Georgia, Renay R. Dixon

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The major purpose of this study was to reduce the number of student discipline referrals in a suburban elementary school with a student population of approximately 830 in 2003. An analysis of the annual School Administrative Student Information System Discipline Report indicated that over the past two years (2000-2002), discipline referrals had increased by 44%.

The design most conducive for this applied research was a descriptive design. Pre- and postdata were compared to determine if there was a decrease in student discipline referrals. Data were gathered from students, parents of the 133 representative fifth-grade students, and teachers regarding the school …

Development Of A Marketing Plan For International Dual Degree Programs, Marla Friedman

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem was that the NSU Law Center needed to create means other than the juris doctor program to stimulate enrollment. The creation of dual degree programs was conceived with the intent to draw prospective students to apply to the Law Center. The global economy created a need for a multi-cultural and multi-lingual pool of lawyers. International dual degree law programs allow students to earn a law degree in the United States and another country by studying at a foreign law school while they are enrolled at the U.S. law school.

The research questions that were addressed included: (a) “What …

Teacher Education, Computer Technology, And Physical Education In Jamaica, Joyce Graham-Royal

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This study proposed an investigation into the use of computer technology in the teachers’ colleges in Jamaica. This paper examined the factors that promoted and/or contributed to the incorporation of computer technology in physical education teacher education programs in Jamaica and determined, within this context, how the diffusion of innovation in this program was encouraged to prepare students to use computer technology in instruction The diffusion of innovations theory (E. Rogers, 1995) was used to guide the examination and interpretation of perceived technological changes and barriers.

Lecturers in the 8 teachers’ colleges, 5 administrators of the Ministry of Education, Youth …

An In-School Suspension Model To Reduce The Out-Of-School Suspension Rate If Deployed At Pinecrest High School, Gwendolyn D. Harrison

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The primary goal of this study was to design an in-school suspension model that would reduce the out-of-school suspension rate if deployed at Pinecrest High School. An analysis of the data collected from the Systems Information Management Services (SIMS) indicated an increase in discipline referrals schoolwide, leading to out-of-school suspensions.

The desired outcomes of the in-school suspension model included (a) providing an alternative to out-of-school suspension, (b) identifying patterns aimed at behavior management, (c) communicating expectations about appropriate behaviors, (d) identifying character education, and (e) notifying parents of discipline policies and procedures. The development of the in school suspension model …

Image Is Everything: An Analysis Of One Urban Middle School’S Culture And The Development Of A Plan For Change, Thelma B. Jackson

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to examine the process used by 1 urban middle school to understand and to improve the school’s image, internally and externally through the collaborative efforts of administrators, school leaders, and beginning teachers. Parent surveys, teacher surveys, and a variety of negative media coverage validated a concern regarding the school’s culture, ability to sustain change, the public’s lack of satisfaction, and the propensity to attract undesired media coverage. The major concern was the school’s inability to maintain a professional learning community that focused on student achievement, staff collaboration, and marketing successes, rather than failures.

The research …

Improving Analytical Writing Performance Of High School Freshman Social Studies Students Through Uniform Writing Standards, Kimberly Ann Juirdano

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to improve the analytical writing performance of freshman students in their social studies classes. The field of social studies requires students to review documents and respond argumentatively to questions posed by their teachers. The freshman social studies teachers in this applied dissertation profess that freshman students had poor writing skills, and therefore were unable to effectively analyze and argue in written form.

In order to remedy the problem of poor analytical writing skills, freshman social studies teachers implemented interventions such as (a) the development and usage of a locally-constructed common rubric, (b) writing laboratories in …

Improving Classroom Management By Providing Continued Teacher Professional Development Training, Rosalynn L. Sanderlin

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to improve classroom management skills of teachers at James Madison Career Alternative School by providing continued teacher professional staff development. Teachers in the target group were experiencing difficulty establishing classroom behaviors that were acceptable and considered conducive to the learning environment. This study continued for 9 months beginning October 2002 and ending June 2003.

To help improve student achievement and create positive learning environments, the Teacher Expectation Student Achievement (Good & Brophy, 1978) staff development model was implemented as an intervention strategy in 8 middle school classrooms to reduce teacher referrals and classroom disruptions.

The …

Attitudes Of Professors Toward Instructional Technology In American Colleges Of Education Offering Graduate Degrees Via Distance Education, James L. Mowery

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to determine the attitudes of professors teaching advanced degrees via distance education towards the technology tools used for distance education. Today many courses taught via distance education are little more than correspondence courses that use e-mail to send and receive instruction, coursework, and tests. Should distance education attempt to replicate the face-to-face classroom or are simple chat rooms and discussion boards enough? This study provides a heretofore unresearched view of how selected professors feel about the technology.

A survey was conducted among a group of distance education professors from various colleges of education throughout the …

The Impact Of Congress, Public Opinion, And The Media On United States Foreign Policy: The Case Of The 1994 Rwandan Genocide, Matthew Bergbower

Masters Theses

This thesis analyzes U.S. foreign policy and presidential decision-making during an international crisis. I use a case study analysis of the 1994 Rwandan genocide to determine the impact of Congress, public opinion, and the media on President Bill Clinton's foreign policies during the crisis. To accurately analyze these relationships, I present data on Clinton's behavior and policies during the Rwandan crisis. I argue that in the initial stages of an international crisis Congress, the public, and the media will be more likely to approve of the president's polices while in the latter stages Congress, the public, and the media will …

The Impact Of Information Processing On The Rating Of Speeches, Ryan Wyckoff

Masters Theses

This paper takes a look at how information competency, information processing, and receiver apprehension, affect rating behavior when rating speeches. The paper is broken down into two studies. The first study looks at information competency, which is measured by the Information Competency Assessment Instrument, and how it affects rating behavior. The second study looks at information processing, which is broken down into three scales based on the Inventory of Learning Processes then each is analyzed based on rating behavior, and receiver apprehension which is measured using the Receiver Apprehension Test and how these two concepts affect rating behavior. Students were …

Culture, Hybridity And The Dialogical Self: Cases From The South Asian-American Diaspora, Sunil Bhatia, Anjali Ram

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

This article outlines a dialogical approach to understanding how South Asian-American women living in diasporic locations negotiate their multiple and often conflicting cultural identities. We specifically use the concept of voice to articulate the different forms of dialogicality--polyphonization, expropriation, and ventriloquation--that are involved in the acculturation experiences of two 2nd-generation South Asian-American women. In particular, we argue that it is important to think of acculturation of the South Asian-American women as essentially a contested, dynamic, and dialogical process. We demonstrate that such a dialogical process involves a constant moving back and forth between various cultural voices that are connected to …

Sanctions Under Rule 11: A Cross-Circuit Comparison, Jerold S. Solovy, Norman M. Hirsch, Margaret J. Simpson, Christina T. Tomaras

Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Distance Education Primer: Lessons From My Life As A Dot.Edu Entrepreneur, Linda C. Fentiman

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Through my experience in developing Pace's innovative distance education program, I have learned some critical lessons about the potential and perils of providing legal education via the Internet. In the belief that my experiences are generic, not dependent on a particular law school's context, I offer these observations to assist others who seek to launch distance education initiatives in the not-for-profit sector. The following is an account of my life as an educational entrepreneur.

Critical Geography And The Real World In First-Year Writing Classrooms, Matthew I. Feinberg

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

By helping students confront the ideologies that shape their physical and cultural experiences, critical geography in first year writing classrooms may be one means of collapsing the perceived distance between the classroom and the "real world."

Analyzing Dominant Cultural Narratives Of Religious Pluralism: A Study Of Oprah.Com, Patricia Webb, Zach Waggoner

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

This essay analyzes Oprah.com, the website for multimedia mogul Oprah Winfrey, to examine the tensions between dominate religious ideologies and pluralism in America.