Digital Commons Network^™

The Experiences Of African-Born Women Faculty And Administrators At Colleges And Universities In The United States, Oyibo H. Afoaku

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to document the experiences of African-born women faculty and administrators at colleges and universities in the United States. The study explored the factors that motivated African-born women to immigrate to and extend their stay in the United States beyond completion of their Education; factors they perceive as constraint on their quest for self-empowerment and identity as foreign students, college instructors, and/or administrators, and parents; and factors that have enabled them to adapt to their host culture and achieve their Educational and professional goals even though they had to contend with multiple challenges associated with …

Myers-Briggs Type Inventory And Alternative School Educators, Heidi Lynn Gutwein

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if a dominant MBTI preference in Indiana alternative school teachers predicted overall school quality within their respective schools. This study examined all four dichotomies: Extraversion-Introversion (EI), Sensing-Intuition (SN), Thinking-Feeling (TF), and Judgment-Perception (JP) as predictors of school quality. Factors that determine the quality of the alternative school are based on the average score of three areas of state-collected, outcome-based data specific to Indiana alternative schools (students who made adequate progress, students who obtained a high school diploma, and students who attained their individual service plan goals). Each participating Indiana alternative school …

Performance Pay And The Impact On Teacher Motivation, David E. Marcotte

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether teacher motivation has been impacted by performance pay in Indiana public schools. The study examined the differences in perceptions among teachers by position type, certification, years of experience, school socioeconomic status, school accountability grade, and district geographic location. Based on the overall findings, performance pay has not influenced the motivation of teachers in the public schools in Indiana. Performance pay has not contributed to an increase in motivation for teachers to change or perform their work. However, when the specific demographic categories were analyzed, slight differences were found. First, there was …

Principal Leadership In High-Achieving, High-Poverty Schools, Thomas F. Balitewicz

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine the unique qualities of principal leadership that may help explain high student achievement in high-poverty schools. Through this qualitative study, and through semi-structured interviews, the perceptions of key staff members, including the principal, in four high-achieving, high-poverty high schools were explored to make these determinations. The public schools in these studies were located throughout the state of Indiana and represented both rural and urban districts. The topics of the related literature reviewed included leadership, principal leadership, the effects of poverty onEducation, and the effects of principal leadership on achievement. In …

Investigating Teacher Perceptions About Reading Cbm With Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing Elementary Students, Melody E. Marley

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As many deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students struggle to attain reading achievement at levels similar to their hearing peers, it is imperative that educators consider efficient methods to monitor DHH students reading progress. This mixed-method study investigated teachers perceptions regarding administration and usage of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) data to monitor effectively the reading progress of students who are DHH and develop quality individualized education programs (IEP). The study was conducted with teachers serving DHH students in first through fifth grades at a Midwest School for the Deaf. Results were analyzed utilizing a variety of methods to report adequately all findings. …

Revealing The Concealed: An Examination Of College Students' Perceptions Of Personal And Campus Safety Regarding Concealed Handguns On Campus, Jason T. Spratt

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore how the presence of concealed handguns on public higherEducation campuses impacts students' perceptions and behaviors. A survey instrument was used to explore students' perceptions of safety and behaviors as they relate to the presence of concealed guns on campus. Purposive and convenience sampling was used to select student participants. For this study, a total of 2,060 surveys were completed and used for analysis from students at a large public university in an urban, Midwestern setting. A review of prior literature found that the current study represents the largest study conducted at a …

University Faculty Comfort In Using Handheld/Mobile Technology To Communicate With Students, Balaguruprasad Narayanan

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to ascertain prevalent perceptions among instructors pertaining to their proficiency and the importance of including the use of handheld technology in communication with students. Specifically this study aimed to investigate the differences of perceived efficacy pertaining to proficiency of technology use and importance of technology use by respondents as affected by subject area taught, gender, age, experience of office productivity tools use on handheld technology, frequency of office communication tools use on handheld technology, self-perceived rank of office productivity tools use on handheld technology, self-perceived rank of courseware tools use on handheld technology, and …

The Impact Of Principal Leadership Behaviors On Indiana Teacher Stress Levels, Rex M. Ryker

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers continue to report high levels of stress (Kyriacou, 2011; Metropolitan Life Insurance & Harris Interactive, 2013; Richards, 2012) and principals serve as potential stressors by providing leadership in an era of accountability. Although effective principal leadership behaviors have been identified to improve student achievement, minimal research exists on the impact of principal leadership behaviors on teacher stress levels. This quantitative study examined the impact of select principal leadership behaviors on 3,004 Indiana K-12 public school teachers' perceived stress levels. Through an electronic survey consisting of a researcher-designed principal leadership composite survey (PLCS) and the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS; …

The Impact Of 1:1 Ipad Devices On Student Engagement In The High School Classroom, Jennifer L. Middendorf

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A technology initiative was adopted in a Minnesota suburban school district integrating 1:1 iPad devices into the elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine the impact 1:1 iPad devices had on student engagement within the high school classrooms. The research questions focused on how educators are using the 1:1 iPad adoption to impact student engagement, the most and least effective iPad engagement strategies found within the 1:1 adoption, and the perceptions of students and teachers regarding the engagement strategies employed when using iPads in a 1:1 adoption. Through quantitative student …

2014-2015 Farquhar Forum, Farquhar College Of Arts And Sciences

The Farquhar Forum College Magazine

No abstract provided.

Don’T Let Me Down: An Autoethnography Of An Urban Teacher, Jacqueline R. Arriaga

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students in urban schools who are negatively impacted need stability and continuity the most. However, at least half of new teachers leave their profession within five years. In order for this situation to change, support is needed for new teachers and encouragement is needed for experienced teachers.

The purpose of the study is to offer a first-hand description of factors that affect the profession of teaching and especially teachers who may be wondering how to stay in teaching for more than five years. Veteran teachers gain the opportunity to reflect, validate, and (probably) celebrate their own journey through this profession. …

Praxis: Gender Matters In Counselor Education And Training: Increasing Gender Awareness In Counselor Education And Training, Reiko Miyakuni

Counseling Faculty Research

Western society defines male and female sex from physiological attributes (e.g., genitals and chromosomes), this dichotomous view of gender is referred as gender binary.

Problems with Gender Binary

• Variations in sex and gender do not fit in the male/female, masculine/feminine dichotomy (Wiseman & Davidson, 2011).

• Diamond (2002) defined, “gender” is the social and cultural expectation of how females and males should identify themselves, how they think, behave (e.g., ‘typical’ female/male acts in a feminine/masculine ways) and feel (e.g., prefers heterosexual attraction). This gender binary socialization pressure restricts individuals’ potential.

• “Behavior does not have gender, but in today’s …

Development Of The Differentiated Instruction Assessment, Bonnia Cook Fouts

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this work was to develop a reliable and valid instrument for assessing what educators know in order to implement effective differentiated instruction (DI). Construction of the Differentiated Instruction Assessment involved five steps: (a) a list of potential items was composed via the domain-sampling theory of instrument development based on a content analysis of relevant literature, (b) three expert participants on DI completed a retranslation task on the list of potential items, (c) a second retranslation task was conducted on a group of four different expert participants, (d) a test-retest analysis was conducted, and (e) data were collected …

The Role Of School Counselors And Guidance Programs As Perceived By School Leadership: A Quantitative Study Focusing On The Actual And Preferred Activities Performed By School Counselors From A Principal's Perspective, Deborah Lynn Brown

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) developed a comprehensive framework that clearly defines the school counselor role and functions. Indianas Gold Star Initiative aligns with the ASCA national model for best practices in school counseling. Counselor Education programs train and educate counselors to function within the national and state standards. However, this alignment in defining the school counselors role and function has not trickled down to the building level as school counselors are still performing non-counseling duties. The disconnect lies with the authority responsible for assigning responsibilities for faculty and staff, the school administrator. It is not clear if school …

A Historical Document Analysis Comparing High School Academic Eligibility Standards To Ncaa Academic Standards In 2014, Ashley N. Gard

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The challenges faced by student-athletes are a growing concern in todays society. Beyond heightened academic requirements, student-athletes face a multitude of tasks including weight training, practice, film review, and travel for competition. This makes the student life very complex. Jolly (2008) indicated that as student-athletes progress through their Educational experience, they experience higher structured time demands in regard to their sport participation, this being very true for college freshman. Venezia and Jaeger (2013) noted that "many studies over the past ten years have documented the disconnect between what high school teachers teach and what postsecondary instructors expect with regard to …

An Examination Of The Role Of Exercise In K-12 Principals' Professional Performance, Annette J. Zupin

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The demands of the school principal can be quite strenuous. Change is occurring at a rapid pace, and the challenging times require higher, sustained energy levels. Todays principals must possess a high degree of physical stamina within their schools to maintain productive workforces (Gupton, 2003). This quantitative study explored whether regular physical fitness exercise had a relationship with successful school leadership. Data analysis involved correlation and multiple regression. As a result of the inferential analysis, no statistical significance was found in any of the variables or combination of variables in relation to professional performance. Although it may appear that no …

Fatherless Homes And Implications On Student Achievement, Timothy James Garland

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there is a relationship between fatherly involvement in students' lives and select factors of student descriptors and school success. Specifically, the study sought to discover if there is a significant relationship between fatherlessness and student success and if there is a significant relationship between fatherlessness and select student descriptors. Descriptive statistics and linear regression were used to interpret and analyze the data for the study. There were 1,780 respondents who participated in the study. Respondents included seniors from rural, suburban, and urban public schools. In conducting this study, the …

Employers Perception On Readiness Of Recently Certified Athletic Trainers, Denny Wongosari

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Context: Currently, research on workplace readiness (WPR) within athletic training is lacking. Research on transition to practice suggests recent graduates, regardless or discipline, are not adequately prepared for the workplace. Likewise, employers of recent athletic training graduates also an insufficiency of workplace readiness. Objective: Our purpose was to observe employers' rating of newly certified athletic trainers (ATs) using the Work Readiness Scale (WRS) and foundational behaviors of professional practice. Design: Cross-sectional design. Settings: Web-based survey. Participants or other participants: We utilized a mixed model recruitment method consisting of identifying employers and collecting emails from job postings on the National Athletic …

Poverty And The Challenge Of Quality Primary And Secondary School Education Access In Mara-Tanzania, Agnes Bhoke-Africanus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although poverty draws global deliberations, still it continues to be a complicated parable, driving people to the scarceness of opportunities, resources and capability deprivation as a result of education limitation–leading to ignorance decease, again poverty, and its consequences. As I write, education has been promoted in Tanzania, and more children have access to education than ever, and yet, it doesn't warrant that children have a fair access to quality education. The marginalized children, including children from poor families, orphans, children with disabilities, street children, and nomadic children hang on struggling to access quality education.

The goal of this study was …

Pregnancy In The Classroom, Margaret Elizabeth Wu

Open Access Theses

This study examines the lived experiences of four high school teachers who have taught while they were pregnant. The teachers’ experiences are contextualized within a feminist psychoanalytic theoretical framework. Current maternity leave policy in the United States and popular culture texts provide additional contextualization for the women’s experiences.

A Case Study Of Leadership And School Safety During A School Crisis, Daniel Thomas Tanoos

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to provide a more comprehensive look at the role of district and building administrators in dealing with the safety and security of students and staff. I investigated how the district and building administrators created a climate of safety both before and after this tragic school shooting. I also looked at what these building and district school administrators are doing to prevent school shootings from occurring on their campuses. My interest in this topic stemmed from having been involved in a 2001 school-related shooting in a school system and community. Five overarching themes …

Highly Effective Instructional Choices Implemented In Schools, Stephen Jarrod Burns

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether teacher-influenced instructional choices that have an effect size greater than 0.5 serve as predictors for increased student achievement on standardized test performance. As demonstrated in Visible Learning (Hattie, 2009) the five teacher-influenced instructional practices selected to be researched in this study have shown in numerous studies to produce significant increases in language arts and math student achievement scores. The findings of this study revealed that both questions were answered by conducting a simultaneous multiple regression using SPSS to determine if there is a significant relationship between growth model data collected …

Educating Pastoralists And Extension Officers On Diverse Livestock Diseases In A Changing Environment In Tanzania, Christopher Gustafson, Elizabeth Vanwormer, Rudovick Kazwala, Asha Makweta, Goodluck Paul, Woutrina Smith, Jonna A. K. Mazet

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

East African pastoralists and their livestock are vulnerable to alterations in resource availability and disease transmission and frequently face poor access to livestock health services. Government veterinarians tasked with guiding health services must prioritize livestock health risks and allocate limited resources across disparate ecosystems with different disease threats. To identify livestock diseases of concern and strategies for improving herd health and resilience, we conducted community focus groups with pastoralists and interviewed pastoralist household leaders, village extension officers, and government veterinary officials in south-central Tanzania, an area experiencing rapid population growth and environmental change. All participants discussed pastoralist access to livestock …

Validating Indiana's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (Snap-Ed) Medium Term Surveyusing The Nih Nci Asa 24 Dietary Recall, Hannah Corrine Boeh

Open Access Theses

Indiana’s Family Nutrition Program (FNP) is a nutrition education program that offers education at no cost to participants who qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The medium term survey is a paper and pencil based tool that asks participants 17 questions about their usual dietary intake. This survey is completed by participants before and after receiving the Indiana FNP Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) four core lessons: MyPlate, Label Reading, Grains, and Fruits & Vegetables. In this study a convenience sample of 27 low-income adults completed Indiana’s FNP medium-term survey and multiple Automated Self-Administered 24 Hour Dietary …

The Effects Of Assessment Preparation For The Improvement Of Course Placement And Student Satisfaction At Tacoma Community College, Kari Twogood

All Graduate Projects

There is significant focus on graduation rates and persistence of students in higher education. Lengthy sequences of developmental education have been shown to have detrimental effects on the persistence and graduation rates of students. This study reviewed the research that has been performed concerning persistence in developmental education. A survey of incoming or current students was conducted to study the effects of offering an ACCUPLACER® preparation workshop at Tacoma Community College. The survey collected 733 unduplicated responses. The data indicated that students feel more anxiety as a result of attending the workshop prior to taking the ACCUPLACER® assessment. The data …

Discounted: Stories Of Formerly Gang Involved And Incarcerated Latino Males In Los Angeles County, Kristina Marie Alvarado

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Education gives an individual access to different ways of learning, thinking, and ultimately providing a source of power to better understand the world. Second and third-generation Latino males are faced with the generational impact of family gang involvement, violence, poverty, neglect, and emotional abuse in their daily lives at school and at home. This study provided an original contribution to the field of education due to its specific focus on the population of formerly incarcerated, formerly gang involved, later generation Latino males in Los Angeles. The narratives in this study shed light on their marginalization. The personal stories revealed the …

Designing Simulations For Athletic Training Students Through Interprofessional Teaching Collaboration, Kristin Tivener, Donna Gloe

College of Health and Human Services

No abstract provided.

Barriers To Academic Achievement For Foster Youth: The Story Behind The Statistics, Brenda Morton

Faculty Publications - College of Education

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the perceptions of former and current foster youth about the barriers they encountered during their K-12 education, and to learn how they overcame these obstacles and achieved academic success. The study included in-depth interviews of 11 participants, all of whom were current or former foster youth who were enrolled or had plans to enroll in a community college or 4-year university. The results of this study indicated that previously identified barriers to academic achievement were true for this group of participants, but that these topics or themes represented the effects …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Analysis Of The Relationship Among Teachers' Knowledge, Exposure, And Attitudes, Nicole Jones

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study explored teachers’ knowledge of the causes, characteristics, assessment, and treatments of autism spectrum disorder. This study also examined teachers’ experiences and perceptions of the causality of the disorder. Research questions included whether special-education teachers possessed more accurate knowledge of the disorder and if experience (professional and/or personal) with autism led to more internal causes of autism spectrum disorder. One hundred seventy-two educators who self-identified as a general educator, special educator, paraprofessional, or academic specialist completed a 24-question survey pertaining to the topic. Results showed that, although special educators scored significantly higher on their knowledge questions as compared to …

Nurturing Global Leaders: The Influence Of Global Education Culture At International House, Leslie A. Weigl

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

International House at the University of Alberta (I-House) is a living-learning campus residence that aims to build a strong community from an intentionally diverse population of international and Canadian students. With global education programming that focuses on leadership through community building, I-House creates opportunities for new leaders to emerge in a culturally complex environment that is thought to foster global leadership development. Eighteen I-House alumni and residents who were recognized for their leadership contributions were interviewed in-depth to determine whether and how their experiences at I-House contributed to developing their global leadership capacities and to offer insight into best practice …