Digital Commons Network^™

Teaching Children Road Safety Through Storybooks: An Approach To Child Health Literacy In Pakistan, Haris Ahmad, Rubaba Naeem, Nukhba Zia, Asher Feroze, Amarah Shakoor, Uzma R. Khan, Asad Mian

Department of Emergency Medicine

Background: Road traffic injuries (RTIs) commonly affect the younger population in low- and-middle-income countries. School children may be educated about road safety using storybooks with colorful pictures, which tends to increase the child’s interest in the text. Therefore, this study assessed the use of bilingual pictorial storybooks to improve RTI prevention knowledge among school children.
Methods: This pretest-posttest study was conducted in eight public and nine private schools of Karachi, Pakistan, between February to May 2015. Children in grades four and five were enrolled at baseline (n = 410). The intervention was an interactive discussion about RTI prevention using a …

A Paut Neteru Journey: An Autoethnographic Study Of A Black Female Charter School Leader Using An Africentric Approach, Patricia Linn Williams

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation seeks to examine the obstacles and experiences of a Black female charter school leader using an Africentric approach to educating Black children, and ways in which social and material inequalities may have shaped her journey. A conceptual framework that blends African-centered pedagogy, African womanism, and transformational leadership is used to guide this qualitative autoethnographic study. Use of the autoethnographic method provides an opportunity to examine the relational dynamics of the experiences of this Black female charter school leader in the cultural context of the Black community and neoliberal education. Data analysis is captured from autobiographical storytelling within three …

Public School Teacher Support Of Transgender Students, Phoebe Singletary

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Using qualitative interviews, this study explored public school support of transgender students using questions concerning their knowledge, ideas of what inclusion looks like, level of preparation for teaching transgender students, and openness to learning new information concerning best practices. This study aims to fill gaps in the existing research concerning experiences of transgender public school students, examining teacher support for the sake of helping determine policy steps and education that would best help transgender students looking for inclusive education. Emerging themes included generalized acceptance, fear of teaching outside curriculum, emphasis placed on student needs, and teachers' desires to learn more. …

An Exploration Of The Instructional Strategies And Personality Traits Utilized By Highly Effective And Successful Teachers, Brent Kinsey

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the instructional methods and personality traits of highly effective and successful teachers. Three research questions guided this study: How do highly effective teachers recognized as Teacher of the Year candidates define highly effective teaching? What are the instructional methods used by highly effective teachers? And what are the personality traits exhibited by highly effective teachers? Five highly successful teachers, chosen by their recognition as teachers who were candidates for the Indiana Teacher of the Year award, were selected for this study. Once the selection of the five candidates was completed …

Impact Of Music Mnemonic Strategy On English Foreign Language Acquisition Of Middle School Students In Korea, Yeonhee Chae

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of thisDissertation was to examine the impact that musical mnemonic strategies have on the vocabulary knowledge and retention rates for learners in South Korea who are learning English as a foreign language. The study attempted to determine if learners who were placed in a class that utilized musical mnemonic strategies in the classroom environment will retain more vocabulary than those learners who were placed into a classroom that used traditional rote memorization tactics that did not include songs or other media. There were 31 participants that took part in this study. The study had two groups one of …

University Students’Willingness To Assist Fellow Students Who Experience Alcohol-Related Facial Flushing To Reduce Their Drinking, Lanyan Ding, Lok-Wa Yuen, Ian M. Newman, Duane F. Shell

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This study explored bystanders’ willingness to help a friend who flushes when drinking to reduce his/her drinking. Alcohol-related facial flushing is an indicator of an inherited variant enzyme, aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), that impairs alcohol metabolism and increases drinkers’ lifetime risk of certain aerodigestive cancers. Individuals who flush should reduce their alcohol exposure, but they may continue to drink if social pressures and rules of etiquette make not drinking socially risky. The analysis used data from 2912 undergraduate students from 13 universities in southwestern, central and northeastern China from a survey asking how they respond to someone’s flushing in various scenarios. …

Emotional Intelligence And Transformational Leadership Of K-12 Principals, Christopher A. Kates

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine whether or not a K-12 principals self-reported emotional intelligence predicted associated certificated teachers perceptions of transformational leadership. Transformational leadership has been validated across a multitude of settings and contexts, including schools (Bass & Avolio, 1994). However, the scientific integrity of emotional intelligence is debated by psychologists (Van Rooy & Viswesvaran, 2004). The study sought to discover whether or not emotional intelligence was an antecedent of transformational leadership. The data analysis involved descriptive data regarding the emotional intelligence levels of K-12 principals in Indiana and teachers perceptions of their principals transformational leadership. …

Prinicpals' Knowledge Of Special Education Implementation, Carol Wetherell

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine principals knowledge of special Education policy under the guidelines set forth in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA, 2004) and the method by which knowledge of policy and practice was learned. Specific focus areas included the six pillars of IDEA: (a) free, appropriate public Education, (b) individual Education program, (c) least restrictive environment, (d) nondiscriminatory identification and evaluation, (e) procedural safeguards, and (f) parent participation and shared decision making. Principals in Indiana were surveyed over their implementation knowledge of the six pillars. The research design involved a two-part survey …

Percieved Barriers To Developing A Successful School-Based Mental Health Program, Danielle C. Peterson

Doctorate in Education

For students to be successful in school, all their needs must be met. Mental and emotional well-being are core conditions for overall health necessary to lead a happy and productive life, to form healthy relationships, and to successfully adjust to change and overcome difficulties (Burton, Pavord, & Williams, 2014; Minnesota Department of Health, 2002). School-based mental health (SBMH) is one method for schools to make a positive change on the mental health status of children. The prevalence of mental health disorders in youth is increasing at an alarming rate. One in five students in America’s public schools have significant mental …

“Go Set A Mockingbird” – What Lee’S Novels Teach Us About Race, Julia Cicero

2019

“Go Set a Mockingbird” investigates the parallels between the fictional world of Harper Lee’s work and the real world in order to shed light on the persistence of racism in our nation. My research explores the racist implications embedded in Lee’s classic work, To Kill a Mockingbird, especially in light of the publication of her newest novel, Go Set a Watchman. By looking at the two in tandem, it becomes clear how little society has changed from one era to the next. Furthermore, I argue that Jean-Louise’s ideological development over the course of both novels shows the extent …

Conversations On Critical Thinking: Can Critical Thinking Find Its Way Forward As The Skill Set And Mindset Of The Century?, Maura Sellars, Razia Fakir Mohammad, Linh Bui, John Fishetti, Sarfaroz Niyozov, Ruth Reynolds, Nisha Thapliyal, Yuling Smith, Nosheen Ali

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

The capacity to successfully, positively engage with the cognitive capacities of critical thinking has become the benchmark of employability for many diverse industries across the globe and is considered critical for the development of informed, decisive global citizenship. Despite this, education systems in several countries have developed policies and practices that limit the opportunities for students to authentically participate in the discussions, debates, and evaluative thinking that serve to develop the skill set and mindset of critical thinkers. This writing examines the status of critical thinking in four different contexts across the globe as reflected in educational policies and academic …

A ‘Better’ Education: An Examination Of The Utility Of Boarding School For Indigenous Secondary Students In Western Australia, Mary-Anne Macdonald, Eyal Gringart, Terry Ngarritjan Kessaris, Martin Cooper, Jan Gray

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Over the past 10 years, great improvements have been observed in the Year 12 attainment rate of Indigenous Australians. This has been due, in part, to government funding of programmes aimed at improving education opportunity for Indigenous Australian students, including funding of scholarships for students from remote areas to attend boarding schools. The current qualitative study investigated the perspectives of school leaders and Indigenous secondary students across the Australian state of Western Australia, on the utility and impact of this boarding provision. Students identified that boarding education allowed them to achieve a dual goal of meaningful career pathways and improved …

It's A Dangerous World In There: Leadership Methods And Actions Of School Administrators During Emergency Situations And Times Of Crisis, James J. Drake

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Over the past twenty years, shootings and other violent incidents, acts of terrorism such as the attacks of September 11, 2001, and natural disaster events such as hurricanes or floods have occurred with increasing frequency. Situations like these pose significant challenges for school administrators when a normally-peaceful educational environment is quickly transformed by significant acts of aggression from within, or by external threats that impact the educational domain with little or no advance warning.

Contingency-based, situational leadership has proven to be effective when used in both educational and non-educational settings during normal, non-emergency periods. The purpose of this study is …

An Analysis On English Comprehension, Samuel Black, Jerry Rylance, Matthew Sielaff, Aaron Gorman

Math 365 Class Projects

Books and Buddies is a program run by Spread the Word Nevada (StWN) designed to help students who struggle with reading. As part of the program, students are given pre and post tests which measure comprehension, accuracy, and words correct per minute (WCPM).

A data set was provided that included students' scores on the pre and post test, as well as some general demographic information. A Python program was created to perform linear regressions on subsets of the data, measured on the three attributes listed above. The data was also divided into various categories for the sake of the regressions. …

Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions Of Children Living In Conditions Of Poverty, Terri J. Robinson

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzed elementary teachers’ perceptions of their challenges working with children who live in conditions of poverty. This study found that teachers often work with children from very difficult situations, including exposure to alcohol, drugs, violence, and abandonment. This study found that no matter the challenges teachers encounter daily, they remain motivated, dedicated and determined to take the necessary steps to meet the needs of their students. One way they do this is by using Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, which attempts to include various aspects of their students’ daily lives and interests in the curriculum. The teachers in this study …

Girlsread! Girls’ Rights: An Empowerment Curriculum, Natalie Jackson Hachonda, Nicole Haberland, Barbara Mensch, Pamela Nyirenda, Diana Bulanda-Shalala

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This curriculum guide is designed to help female mentors in the GirlsRead! program in Zambia to directly engage girls in critical thinking about gender inequalities and discrimination, and help them build the assets and confidence needed to act on their own behalf and as progressive voices in their communities. GirlsRead! participants are girls in grade 7—the last year of primary school—when they are at high risk of leaving school. The curriculum includes 19 sessions that cover a range of topics from gender equality to sexuality to rights, in meetings that provide a space and opportunity for girls to regularly interact …

Skill Retention After School-Leaving: Analysis Of Data From The Malawi Schooling And Adolescent Study, Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Barbara Mensch, Stephanie Psaki, Monica J. Grant, Christine A. Kelly, Paul C. Hewett

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The skills young people develop in school provide an essential foundation that can either be reinforced or deteriorate depending on the strength of the foundation and opportunities after leaving school. This brief describes findings from an analysis of a longitudinal data set of Malawian adolescents aged 14–17 attending school when first interviewed in 2007. The study investigated whether literacy and numeracy skills at school-leaving—among those who dropped out before completing secondary school—were retained several years after. Results show a significant gender difference in skill level after school-leaving for English skills, even after controlling for initial skill level and grade attainment, …

Pronunciation Instruction Can Improve L2 Learners' Bottom-Up Processing For Listening, Elizabeth M. Kissling

Latin American, Latino and Iberian Studies Faculty Publications

Listening is widely regarded as an important skill that is difficult and necessary to teach in L2 classrooms. Listening requires both top-down and bottom-up processing, yet pedagogical techniques for the latter are often lacking. This study explores the efficacy of pronunciation instruction (PI) for improving learners’ bottom-up processing. The study recruited 116 relatively novice learners of Spanish as a foreign language and provided the experimental groups with brief lessons in PI emphasizing segmental or suprasegmental features followed by production-focused or perception-focused practice. Learners’ bottom-up processing skill was assessed with a sentence-level dictation task. Learners given PI on suprasegmental features followed …

Empowering Parents To Encourage Children To Read Beyond The Early Years, Margaret K. Merga, Saiyidi Mat Roni

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Enjoyment of reading books is related to reading proficiency, and fostering students’ enjoyment of reading is imperative to support continued reading engagement. However, not all students understand that reading is important, and not all students are regularly engaged in recreational reading. Children typically read for pleasure less often as they age, leading researchers to seek effective ways that social influences can support them to be lifelong readers beyond the early years. Parents can play an important role in communicating the continued importance of reading and fostering positive attitudes toward reading. However, after independent reading skill acquisition, parents may become a …

Predictors Of Noncompliance To Antihypertensive Therapy Among Hypertensive Patients Ghana: Application Of Health Belief Model, Yaa Obirikorang, Christian Obirikorang, Emmanuel Acheampong, Enoch Odame Anto, Daniel Gyamfi, Selorm Philip Segbefia, Michael Opoku Boateng, Dari Pascal Dapilla, Peter Kojo Brenya, Bright Amankwaa, Evans Asamoah Adu, Emmanuel Nsenbah Batu, Adjei Gyimah Akwasi, Beatrice Amoah

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This study determined noncompliance to antihypertensive therapy (AHT) and its associated factors in a Ghanaian population by using the health belief model (HBM). This descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at Kintampo Municipality in Ghana recruited a total of 678 hypertensive patients. The questionnaire constituted information regarding sociodemographics, a five-Likert type HBM questionnaire, and lifestyle-related factors. The rate of noncompliance to AHT in this study was 58.6%. The mean age (SD) of the participants was 43.5 (±5.2) years and median duration of hypertension was 2 years. Overall, the five HBM constructs explained 31.7% of the variance in noncompliance to AHT with a …

Our Solar Siblings: A High School Focused Robotic Telescope-Based Astronomy Education Project, Michael Fitzgerald, David H. Mckinnon, Lena Danaia, Ross Cutts, Saeed Salimpour, Mariana Sacchi

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In this paper, a robotic telescope-centric high-school level astronomy education project, Our Solar Siblings (OSS) is outlined. The project, an LCO official education partner, was formed as an institution-independent non-profit collaboration of volunteers officially in 2014, although the first version of the curriculum materials and approach was initially first designed in 2010. We outline the five goals of the project and the three approaches (formal classroom, independent student research and providing support to similar endeavours) we implement to try and achieve these goals. The curriculum materials, a central part of the project, are outlined as are their connections to various …

Role Of The Commission On Higher Education In Promoting Quality Education, Cecilia F. Malolos, Tereso S. Tullao Jr

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

Quality education is seen as an important contributor to the country’s economic development. The role of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in promoting this quality education is embodied in its legal mandate. As a government agency mandated to ensure that the delivery of quality education is observed by schools of higher learning to ultimately attain the national development goals and improve the economic condition of the Philippines, CHED was given enough authorities to perform its bi-focal roles of being regulatory or developmental. Acknowledging the significance of accreditation in promoting quality education, quality assurance activities and the different accrediting bodies …

Law Enforcement Formal Academic Educational Hiring Requirements And Deputy Sheriff Disciplinary Issues, Chase Dennis Wetherington

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a lack of research as to what impacts law enforcement disciplinary issues. This is important due to the recent emphasis of officer performance and accountability. In 2008, the Southeast Sheriff's Office (SSO) increased their formal academic educational hiring requirement from a high school diploma to 60 college credits. The impact of this increase has never been analyzed. The purpose of this study was to determine through the theoretical lens of Kohlberg's 6 stages of moral development if an increase in the formal academic educational requirement influenced the number of deputy sheriff disciplinary issues. A quantitative nonexperimental study was …

Impact Of A Practicum In Education Course Designed To Recruit Stem Majors Into A Teacher Education Program, Rebecca A. Spencer

Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that the most efficient way of improving students’ performance, in mathematics and science, is by recruiting and retaining highly qualified mathematics and science teachers. This study augments the body of research aimed at the recruitment of STEM majors to the field of education. The purpose of this study was to determine how a practicum course, developed to recruit freshman and sophomore STEM majors into a teacher preparation program, impacted participants' perceptions of teaching as a profession. The impact of this course, which utilized a reflective cycle framework for evaluating participants’ reflections as the foundation of the program, was …

The Our Solar Siblings Pipeline: Tackling The Data Issues Of The Scaling Problem For Robotic Telescope Based Astronomy Education Projects, Michael Fitzgerald

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In this paper, a pipeline designed to produce data products for education is described. The primary goal of the pipeline is to facilitate teacher usage of robotic telescopes in the classroom and to reduce administration time for project personnel. In so doing, it produces data products that are scientifically valid and robust using multiple different photometric measurement techniques to create catalogues of both instrumental measurements as well as calibrated measurements crossmatched to popular astronomical catalogues where standard stars are available. The main blocking factors that the pipeline addresses are outlined, an overview of the pipeline is provided and it’s future …

The Relationship Between Georgia Public School Educational Funding Sources And Academic Achievement, Rosalind Ray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, state educational finance systems are required to ensure that every student obtains an adequate and equitable education. The purpose of this quantitative study was to evaluate the financial management aspect of public funding and the consequences of Georgia's reliance on local property tax revenue for financing its public school districts and attaining student academic achievement outcomes. The research questions examined whether there was a difference in student academic achievement levels of economically disadvantaged (ED) students based on the total 8th grade student population, annual property valuations, and median home sale prices during the 2006-2014 school terms. …

Measuring Third Grade Reading Performance With And Without Using The Study Island Program, Caprice Mitchell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The low test scores on third graders' Illinois State Assessment Test (ISAT) is a concern in the Allgood Elementary School community. Thirty percent of third graders are retained because they do not meet the standard on the ISAT. A technology-assisted reading program, Study Island, was implemented to increase reading proficiency. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was an improvement in standardized test performance after the implementation of Study Island for the academic school years 2009-2012. Dewey's theory of experience provided the theoretical framework for the study because when students are engaged in hands on experience in …

Black, Queer, And Beaten: On The Trauma Of Graduate School, Eric Anthony Grollman

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Two years after I graduated with a PhD in sociology from Indiana University, I started seeing a therapist again. At my in-take visit, my therapist invited me to return within a week. “Right now, you’re full,” he said, commenting on the numerous issues that I brought up in explaining why I was seeing a therapist. He did not mean “full of shit,” as in offering lies or irrelevant information; rather, he meant that I was “filled to the brim” of issues weighing on my heart, mind, and spirit. This was not news to me, but hearing him say “full” emphasized …

The Use Of Flipped Classroom Instructional Model In Teaching Mathematics In Higher Education: Instructors' Perspectives In Saudi Arabia, Saud Albishi

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary goal of this qualitative case study was to identify instructors perspectives toward the use of the flipped classroom instructional model in teaching mathematics in universities in Saudi Arabia. Many universities in Saudi Arabia use traditional methods of instruction. The flipped classroom instructional model is a more modern concept that promotes self-learning skills among students. The use of the flipped classroom instructional model has shown success in mathematics instruction elsewhere, but there is a paucity of research on the efficacy of the model in Saudi Arabia. To achieve the purpose of this study, a case research design was chosen. …

Challenges And Opportunities Facing Successful Women In Mocrocco, Maia Hallward, Cortney Stewart

Faculty Articles

Over a decade since the passage of a revised family status code (mudawana)in Morocco, the literature varies in its assessment of the code's impact on women's rights and opportunities. While some studies point to the formal support for gender equality reflected in the revised code, others note that Moroccan women continue to face challenges in the social and symbolic spheres. Drawing on interviews conducted by the authors with women leaders in Morocco in 2016, this paper investigates the opportunities and obstacles these women have encountered in their personal journeys. The paper explores the extent to which elite background, …