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The Perceived Influence Of Divergent Parent And Teacher Perceptions Of Student Abilities On Students And The Establishment Of Effective Family-School Partnerships, Kara Ann Lasater

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the essence of parent, teacher, and student experiences when parent and teacher perceptions of student abilities diverge; of particular importance was the perceived influence of these divergent accounts on students and the establishment of effective family-school partnerships. This purpose was achieved through a qualitative investigation of parent, teacher, and student experiences when parent and teacher perceptions of student abilities diverge. Analysis of data collected from 10 in-depth interviews with students, parents, and teachers revealed five themes and one subtheme related to discrepant parent and teacher perceptions of student abilities. These themes …

The Recruitment Of African American Graduate Students At The University Of Arkansas, 2000-2010, Rhonda F. Gray

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose for conducting this qualitative study was to identify how the U of A approached the recruiting of African American graduate students over a ten year period of time. Based upon best practices for recruiting African American graduate students which was identified in current and scholarly literature in the field, the study examined the recruiting practices at U of A from 2000-2010. The personal interview was the instrument of choice, and within this time period, 40 interviews were conducted. The participants included the chancellor, college deans, faculty, graduate coordinators and recruiters from the various departments and colleges which offered …

Comparing The Impact Of Traditional And Modeling College Algebra Courses On Student Performance In Survey Of Calculus, Jerry West

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Students in higher education deserve opportunities to succeed and learning environments which maximize success. Mathematics courses can create a barrier for success for some students. College algebra is a course that serves as a gateway to required courses in many bachelor's degree programs. The content in college algebra should serve to maximize students' potential in utilizing mathematics and gaining skills required in subsequent math-based courses when necessary. The Committee for Undergraduate Programs in Mathematics has gone through extensive work to help mathematics departments reform their college algebra courses in order to help students gain interest in the utilization of mathematics …

Perceptions Of High School Students Of The Impact Of A School Uniform Policy, Stacy L. Gregory

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

High schools are tirelessly pondering ideas of enhancing the learning environment by increasing academic engagement and safety. This phenomenology study was designed to report and analyze the perceptions of selected students about their academic engagement and safety while attending one high school. Data for this study were obtained through interviews that were conducted on two levels: focus group and individual interviews. The results indicate that uniforms by themselves have little to do with a student's academic engagement. Students believe that their teachers play a big part in the way that they participate in educational tasks. They also believe that engaging …

The Impact Of State Characteristics On College Graduation Rates At Land-Grant Institutions, Melissa Bridges

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As our nation's economy has become increasingly knowledge-based, an educated citizenry is paramount to maintaining a competitive edge in a global marketplace. Thus, college participation and completion have emerged as the gateway to survival and growth for individuals, states, and the nation, making college completion rates a top priority. Stakeholders have begun to equate graduation rates with institutional quality and performance and often use such data to make judgments, create policies, and allocate funding. However, graduation rates are not fully understood and numerous scholars urge caution when interpreting and utilizing single outcome measures. The purpose of this cross-sectional ecological study …

Bullying Prevention And Boyhood, Katharine B. Silbaugh

Faculty Scholarship

A desire to reduce bullying in schools and to create safer and healthier school cultures has driven an anti-bullying movement characterized by significant reform in school programs and practices, as well as legislative reform and policy articulation in every state. A desire to improve school outcomes for boys has generated a number of programmatic proposals and responses in public and private education. Most notably, single-sex programming in public schools has been facilitated by the 2006 change to Title IX regulations setting out the criteria for permissible single-sex public school programs. These two recent movements in K-12 schooling spring from new …

Teacher Perceptions Of Working With Children With Specific Special Education Exceptionalities In The General Education Classroom, Kimberly Geneva Fisher

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which general education teachers in elementary schools believe they are prepared to teach children/students with specific special education exceptionalities in the general education classroom. The study addresses the exceptionalities of: autism, speech/language disorder, specific learning disability, and emotional disability and using a multiple method quasi-experimental design that yielded quantitative and qualitative data. The study used an original instrument entitled the General Educators Preparedness for Inclusive Education (GEPIE). The instrument used a vignette/scenario design to assess levels of perceived preparedness. Third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers in South Mississippi were …

A Historical Snapshot On The Progression Of Educational And Social Opportunities For Mexican American Students In The San Benito Public School System, 1909-2009, Marco Antonio Lara, Jr.

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study investigates the barriers Mexican American students encountered in educational and social opportunities within the San Benito Public School System from 1909 to 2009. This qualitative research study was organized chronologically by collecting information on the city, school district, and students who attended the San Benito Public School System. Personal and telephone interviews, as well as emailed questionnaires/surveys were used to gather firsthand information from former students, and current/former teachers, administrators, and board member of the district. A review of school board minutes, high school yearbooks, newspaper articles, books, and other related materials were also included for use in …

Efficacy Beliefs Of Beginning Hispanic Teachers And The Organizational Health Of Schools In A South Texas School District, Gisela S. Saenz

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This quantitative study examined the relationship between teachers’ sense of efficacy and school organizational health. Teachers’ sense of efficacy was measured using three dimensions of teacher efficacy: efficacy in student engagement, efficacy in instructional strategies, and efficacy in classroom management. Organizational health was measured using dimensions of school health for elementary, middle, and high school including: academic emphasis, institutional integrity, collegial leadership, resource influence, teacher affiliation, morale, principal influence, resource support, consideration, and initiating structure. The sample consisted of 498 beginning Hispanic teachers with one to five years of teaching experience. The sample included, 255 elementary, 126 middle school, and …

La Joya Isd Fine Arts: Teaching Mexican Identity Through Music And Dance, Katrena H. Henry

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The La Joya Independent School District has made a serious effort to cultivate and promote mariachi, conjunto, and folklórico programs at the middle school and high school level. Students give numerous performances throughout the year and these programs have exposed thousands of people to the music and traditions of Mexico and the border region. What draws so many students to these particular programs in La Joya ISD? What sense of "Mexican identity" do these programs create for its participants? Through observing various performances, interviewing educators, students, and community members, I explore why these programs are considered essential by the school …

Teacher Perception Of School Culture And School Climate In The Leader In Me Schools And Non Leader In Me Schools, Brian Patrick Barkley

Dissertations

In 1989 Dr. Stephen Covey wrote The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People which revealed seven habits that people should integrate into their lives that would help them on the two levels of relationships. First, it would help people to establish a better relationship personally. Secondly, it would help people to improve their relationships with other people. The book was originally written for adults; later Sean Covey, son of Dr. Covey, wrote a version of The Seven Habits that was geared toward teenagers. But the question of whether these adult lessons can be taught to five year olds was taken …

Teacher Attitudes Of Inclusion And Academic Performance Of Students With Disabilities, Jonathan Earl Sutton

Dissertations

Since the integration of the inclusion model, supported by the IDEA (1997), within public schools, teacher resistance and frustration has risen (Hardy, 1999). The climate of general education teachers’ classrooms furthermore, has not been the same (Liu & Meyer, 2005). Key elements ensuring success of inclusion and the implementation of inclusive education are the views, perspectives, and attitudes of the personnel who have the responsibility for implementing it; the teachers (Shade & Stewart, 2001). Avramidis and Norwich (2002) argued that successful implementation of any inclusive policy or programming is extremely dependent upon the educators being receptive and positive. Hines (2011) …

The Effects Of Race And Gender On The Satisfaction Levels Of Entering And Advanced Level Doctoral Students, Tiffany Nicole Labon

Dissertations

Doctoral education is an aspect of higher education that can be both rewarding and challenging for anyone who attempts the journey. Thelin (2004) stated many graduate students obtain the necessary skills that their individual fields of study require in their master’s and doctoral programs of study. Levine (2005), however, has found that the levels of satisfaction between what students expect and what they receive are at odds at many colleges and universities around the country. Thus, the need to assess graduate programs and services regarding satisfaction is warranted.

The purpose of this study was to compare the relationship of overall …

The Impact Of Technology Attitudes And Skills Of Rural Health Clinic Nurses On The Level Of Adoption Of Electronic Health Records In Mississippi, Jennifer Lynn Styron

Dissertations

The evolution of health information technology continues to reform the delivery of efficient, safe, and equitable healthcare in the United States. One such example is the emergence of electronic health records (EHRs) and the discerning emphasis placed on using this technology in meaningful ways. While the integration of EHRs into daily practice impacts all healthcare professionals, nurses remain a prominent driver in the successful adoption and usage of these systems. It is therefore imperative to understand the impact of nurses’ technology attitudes and skills on the level of EHR adoption in Mississippi.

This quantitative study examined the technology attitudes and …

Educating Students To Become Culturally Competent Physical Therapists: Issues Of Teaching And Assessment, Lisa Jayroe Barnes

Dissertations

With the growing multicultural population within the United States, healthcare providers need to be prepared to care for and educate adult clients from various cultural backgrounds. The purpose of the study was to examine the teaching and assessment methods being used by faculty in the education of future physical therapists in teaching the construct of cultural competence, how these methods may vary according to the educational background of faculty in relation to the use of concepts specific to adult education that may lead to transformational learning, and faculty opinions about teaching and assessing this abstract construct.

Survey methodology was used …

Learning To Parent Again: An Investigation Of The Role Of Adult Education In The Phenomenon Of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, Deborah Annette Stover

Dissertations

This study examined the readiness for self-direct learning of parenting grandmothers. The researcher investigated whether parental self-efficacy beliefs and addiction beliefs were significantly correlated to parenting grandmothers’ readiness for self-directed learning as measured by the Oddi Continuing Learning Instrument. Parental self-efficacy beliefs were investigated using the Parental Self-Efficacy Scale. Using the Addiction Belief Instrument, the researcher investigated the overall correlation of addiction belief to readiness for self-directed learning. The research also investigated whether the following beliefs significantly correlated to parenting grandmothers’ readiness for self-directed: people with substance abuse disorders are unable to control their using and are responsible for their …

The Impact Of Smaller Learning Communities On 9th Grade Mathematics Student Achievement And Graduation Rates, Keisha Burney Cook

Dissertations

Many problems in public education, ranging from low student achievement to high dropout rates, are being attributed to large schools, especially large high schools. While large high schools may provide more varied curriculums, they are also more impersonal. This can be especially problematic for ninth graders who are making the transition to high school. One solution that has been implemented as part of educational reform is organizing large high schools into small learning communities. The purpose of this study was to determine if the existence of a smaller learning community has an impact on ninth grade students’ achievement in Georgia …

Gamification In Science Education: The Relationship Of Educational Games To Motivation And Achievement, Kelly Elizabeth Rouse

Dissertations

Community colleges have become increasingly more important in America’s higher education system. Part of this emphasis has been directly due to President Obama’s 2010 directive to produce a competitive workforce in the United States by increasing the community college graduation rate by five million over the next decade (Madhani, 2010). Community colleges allow open admission for students which permits marginally prepared students to enter. These students may lack motivation, which contributes to student attrition (Williams, 2010). The focus of this study is to examine methods that may improve student learning and motivation, which could ultimately lead to higher graduation rates. …

The Measurement Of Self-Directed Learning Among Postsecondary Disability Services Administrators, Lakeshia Marche Alexander

Dissertations

With increasing budget cuts, decreasing funds for training opportunities, and increasing demands for services for students with disabilities, there is a need for researchers to identify how DSAs prepare for and operate in their positions in disability services (Madaus, 1998). The researcher proposes that like many adults, DSAs may be engaging in self-directed study to gain the necessary knowledge and skills needed in order to perform their jobs effectively.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether a relationship existed between self-directed learner readiness and the number of learning projects completed by disability services administrators (DSAs) in the postsecondary …

The Role Of Service-Learning On College Students' Environmental Literacy: Content Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behaviors, Joanna Lynn Bush Singletary

Dissertations

This study evaluated the relationship of environmental service-learning on environmental literacy in undergraduates. The subjects were 36 undergraduates at a small liberal arts university enrolled in an environmental biology course.To determine the role of environmental service-learning on college students’ environmental knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and environmental literacy, this study utilized concurrent mixed methods approach for qualitative and quantitative analysis. A quasi-experimental repeated measures approach was the design of the quantitative component of the study.Data were collected on attitude, behavior, and content knowledge aspects of environmental literacy as measured by the Environmental Literacy Survey (Kibert, 2000). Hypotheses were tested by independent samples …

Impacting The Tdap Acceptance Rate Among Postpartum Women, Amie Burns-Scharnke

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Pertussis, also known as Whooping Cough, is a contagious disease that affects children more than adults, especially children under the age of 12 months. In the United States in 2009, there were more than 16,000 cases of pertussis in infants less than 6 month of age (National Network for Immunizations and Information, 2011). At a local Midwestern community hospital, a revised Tdap policy that consisted of an education component and standardization of when the vaccine was administered was implemented to increase the acceptance rate of Tdap vaccines among postpartum mothers due to their significantly low Tdap acceptance rate. The purpose …

The Effects Of A Violence Assessment Checklist On The Incidence Of Violence For Emergency Department Nurses, Sarah Knapp

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Workplace violence (WV) is commonplace in American culture, and nurses working in emergency departments (ED) are not immune to its effects. Violence against emergency department nurses is prominent in current nursing literature, and a cause for major concern. Regrettably there is no consistent tool being used to assess for potential patient violence specific to the emergency department. Current assessment tools have been developed and are commonly used in the mental health arena. This evidence-based practice project concentrated on answering the clinical question of whether or not a violence risk assessment checklist reduced the incidence of violence and increased perception of …

Healthy Skin Is In: Effects Of A Multifaceted Sun Safety Program For Adolescents, Lindsay A. Munden

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Skin cancer is a common, potentially life threatening disease notably on the rise among young Americans. A substantial portion of lifetime exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, the greatest modifiable risk factor for skin cancer development, occurs during childhood and adolescence. Schools infrequently integrate sun safety education into the classroom and many lack essential sun safety policies. The purpose of this EBP project was to implement a multifaceted educational intervention providing middle school students with the knowledge behavioral skills needed to minimize the risk of developing skin cancer. The Health Belief Model and ACE Star Model of evidence-based practice guided this …

Long-Term Benefits Of Early Intervention Services: A Meta-Synthesis, Elizabeth Barnes

Special Education Masters Program Theses

The role of universal preschool programs is being debated in public and political arenas. There is concern that the cost of providing such programs is not in the public's best interest. While they are few, the longitudinal studies into the cost/benefit of such programs show that investments into early childhood interventions and education yield a return to students, taxpayers, and society. These benefits include: a savings in the cost of education through lower retention rates and special education placement, an increase in tax revenue through higher wages, and a savings through lower costs for the welfare and criminal justice systems. …

State Tuition Tax Credits: A School Choice Policy Recommendation, Andrew M. Butler

Senior Honors Theses

Public schools are afflicted by a litany of ailments ranging from the methodological to the practical. Public schools operate on a conflicted educational philosophy, are rife with inefficiencies, and result in educational monopolies. A state tuition tax credit system is the most advantageous policy option available in regards to education reform and school choice initiatives. This paper will examine some of the 11 state tuition tax credit programs currently in operation as well as other school choice options, and identify problems inherent in the public school system. State tuition tax credits are a superior educational policy option as compared with …

Leadership Education In Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (Lend) - Partnership With Community-Based Organizations (Cbos), Institute For Community Inclusion, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Interdisciplinary Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND), a Maternal and Child Bureau (MCHB)-funded program providing long-term, graduate level training to health professionals and family members.

The Gastón Institute’S Partnership With The Puerto Rican Cultural Center In Springfield, Ma, Gaston Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

No abstract provided.

The Living Labs: Nantucket Island, Anamarija Frankic, Robyn Hannigan, Sarah Oktay

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Living Labs are a practical response to growing environmental challenges, including habitat degradation, loss of biodiversity, and global climate change. Nantucket Living Labs develops and implements holistic solutions to environmental challenges right here and now. The School for the Environment (SFE) established this concept in Conjunction with the Nantucket Field Station, Nantucket Conservation Foundation and ReMain Nantucket, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting a year-round community in the town center.

Umass Boston School For The Environment: Educating The Next Generation Of Environmental Problem Solvers, Robyn Hannigan, Anamarija Frankic

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Environmental challenges do not recognize disciplinary, socio-economic, or geographic boundaries. To support the development of environmental problem-solvers we deeply engage undergraduate and graduate students in solving real-world environmental problems through innovation and sustainability-focused courses and research experiences. These experiences directly engage local communities in the development and implementation of environmental solutions.

Veterans Upward Bound: A Federally Funded Trio Program, Preparing Veterans For College At Umass Boston Since 1973, Veterans Upward Bound Program, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Veterans Upward Bound Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston provides a unique opportunity for men and women veterans of all ages to acquire the academic skills required for entry into higher education and/or to acquire the equivalent of a high school diploma.