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Towards 2030 : A Framework For Building A World-Class Post-Compulsory Education System For Wales, Ellen Hazelkorn

Reports

This report is being produced at a significant and opportune juncture in the development of education in Wales, across the UK, and internationally. Around the world, education is widely recognised as bringing “significant benefits to society, not only through higher employment opportunities and income but also via enhanced skills, improved social status and access to networks.”2 Yet, today, globalization, technological and demographic change, and the combined effects of the prolonged nature of the Great Recession, resource absorption challenges, and accelerating economic competitiveness are placing considerable pressures on education to deliver and demonstrate better value and benefit for citizens and society.3 …

A Correlational Study Of Self-Regulation And Fine Arts In Education, Rachel D. Hendricks

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Self-regulation positively relates to student behavior and achievement, and fine arts participation has demonstrated similar improvements in behavior and achievement. It was hypothesized that participation in school-based fine arts would positively correlate with self-regulation, and the intensity of students’ fine arts participation would also correlate with self-regulation. Students aged 15 to 19 were administered a self-regulation questionnaire. Responses from students currently participating in fine arts were compared to students with no fine arts participation to find if a relationship exists between fine arts and self-regulation. This study found no significant relationship between fine arts participation and self-regulation, and no significant …

Educational Methods For Inverted-Lecture Computer Science And Engineering Classrooms To Overcome Common Barriers To Stem Student Success, Kathleen Timmerman

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

New educational pedagogies are emerging in an effort to increase the number of new engineers available to enter the workforce in the coming years. One of the re-occurring themes in these pedagogies is variations of the flipped classroom. Often the additional classroom time gained from flipping is used to reinforce learning objectives. It is hypothesized that it might be more beneficial to students if a portion of that time is used to address common non-cognitive barriers that prevent students from succeeding in the major. In a freshman Introductory Computer Science course, three different pedagogies are compared: a hybrid lecture-active learning …

Teaching Climate Change Concepts And The Nature Of Science: A Library Activity To Identify Sources Of Climate Change Misconceptions, Charity Flener Lovitt, Kristen S. Shuyler

Libraries

A library activity was developed in which students found information about climate science misconceptions from popular and scientific literatures. As part of the activity, students developed a rubric to evaluate the credibility and type of literature sources they found. The activity prepared students to produce an annotated bibliography of articles, which they then used to create a training document about a climate science misconception for staff at a local science center. Evaluation of annotated bibliographies showed that students were able to distinguish between popular and scholarly literature but struggled to identify primary and secondary sources within the scholarly literature. In …

The Impact Of Career And Technical Education On Career Readiness, Shaunna D. Finley

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the effects career and technical Education has on career readiness. Six hundred career and technical Education students in the state of Indiana participated in this study. There were four research questions developed to determine the significance of six variables: race, lunch status, special Education status, type of high school diploma, enrollment in Project Lead the Way, and career and technical Education concentrator. Statistical analysis of the data included finding the mean and standard deviation along with basic descriptive data. Durbin-Watson test, multiple regression test, Wald criterion, Nagelkerke R 2 , and …

Building Administrators' Literacy Expertise And Student Achievement, Tamara S. Swarens

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the building administrator on student achievement in literacy. Students from high-poverty backgrounds face many hardships in their personal lives which may dramatically impact their academic achievement. Achievement gaps are prevalent between students of poverty and students from more affluent backgrounds beginning in Kindergarten, and these gaps continue to grow over time. Effective school supports help to close these achievement gaps and this study examined if the building administrators experience can overcome the barriers for students of poverty. A survey was created to quantitatively measure building administrators understanding of best …

A Study Of An Innovative Business School Curriculum, Robert D. Schuttler

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A concern of business Education in colleges and universities for many years has been the preparation of young men and women for the professional business world. Business curricula have adequately addressed the technical aspects of business preparation but have fallen short of the development of 21st century skills such as teamwork, communication, technical literacies, achieving high productivity, higher-order thinking, creativity, and risk taking. Innovative Curriculum College (ICC), the invented name of a Midwestern college, has introduced and is implementing an innovative curriculum that features the development of 21st century skills within the confines of core and upper-level academic classes. This …

A Comparison Of Views On Teacher Leadership From Nationally Board Certified Teachers And Teachers Who Are Not Nationally Board Certified, In Illinois, Catherine Eads

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reform movements in K-12 schools in the United States have grown in urgency over the past 25 years. The urgency for reform was spurred by, A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform (National Commission on Teaching, 1996). Following the report educators in K-12 schools became more accountable due to the No Child Left Behind Act (2001). As a result, the National Commission on Excellence in Education recommended the establishment of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. This group developed the optional certification of National Board Certification of teachers. The purpose of this study was to investigate National …

Impacting Factors On Elementary Students Who Have High Levels Of Success In School While Living With Low Socioeconomic Status, Casey Patterson Smitherman

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to deliver a better understanding of an impoverished students perspective of school success and, in particular, what factors lead students to be successful. In an effort to better understand why some students beat the odds, I met with groups of fifth and sixth grade students who have experienced school success on a variety of measures to hear directly from these preadolescents about what they believed has fostered their success. Three overarching themes emerged from the focus groups held at two different intermediate level schools in metropolitan suburban districts in Indianapolis, Indiana (a) …

Effects Of Peer Mentoring On High-Achieving, Low-Income First Year College Students, Ronda D. Taylor

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ThisDissertation examined the impact a peer mentoring program had on student success as it related to self-efficacy and level of engagement. Unfortunately, graduation rates have fallen dramatically or have remained stagnant for many years. Institutions of higher Education are feeling the pressure from the government, employers, and students to improve their retention and graduation numbers. By enacting a peer mentoring program, especially for first-time, low-income students, students may be better equipped to navigate the higher Education system, have a support mechanism on campus, and be connected to various campus resources. Through peer involvement, level of engagement, and a better connection …

The Indiana State Senate Internship: A Quality-Of-Life Perspective And Its Place As An Innovative Education Model, Jeff Papa

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The gap between the expectations and norms of higher Educational institutions and post-graduation employers can sometimes be wide. Internships and other experiential endeavors can help bridge this gap and provide a link between the two spheres, possibly with each component reinforcing the other. This paper examines in detail one such program: the Indiana State Senate Majority Internship Program, and relates how the experiences of this program compare to predictions and suggestions found in relevant literature.

A Comparison Study Of Poverty Students' Istep+ Growth Model Scores Based On Schools' Socioeconomic Status Levels, Brian L. Kehrer

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there is a significant difference in the English/language arts and mathematics 2014 ISTEP+ median growth model scores between students of poverty based on their schools socioeconomic status (SES) level. The study examined if student enrollment size, percentage of minority students, and special Education student percentage serve as predictors of the schools ISTEP+ growth model score within different poverty levels. The study used Indiana public schools that contained students in Grades 4 through 8 who qualified for free and reduced lunches (FRL). The levels of SES were based on the schools …

Factors That Most Influence Elementary Teacher Morale, Suzanne Michelle Marrs

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the factors that most influenced elementary teacher morale. It examined the relationship between individuals and school morale and looked at factors that most influenced elementary teacher morale. Is there a relationship between the 11 set morale factors and personal morale? Is there a correlation between personal morale and perceived school morale? Is there a difference in personal morale based on years of experience? Is there a difference in morale between Title I and non-Title I schools? Is there a relationship between school morale and central office, the school board, and the …

Age Of Kindergarten Entry And Rate Of Specific Learning Disabilities, Elizabeth A. Crum

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Kindergarten age eligibility requirements vary from state to state; however, school districts typically admit children into kindergarten in the fall following a student’s fifth birthday. Research on the outcomes of five-year-old children and children whose entry was delayed until age six is contradictory. The current study was conducted to add to the existing literature to assist families and policy makers with decision making regarding appropriate kindergarten entry age. The sample included 541 second through seventh grade students from a small rural school district. Actual and predicted counts of students who were later found eligible for specific learning disabilities were examined …

Improving Information Literacy Through Wikipedia Editing In The Chemistry Classroom: Lessons Learned, Ye Li, Charity Flener Lovitt, Anne J. Mcneil, Kristen S. Shuyler

Libraries

Assignments in which students edit Wikipedia may help students learn about the complexities of information creation and production, while engaging them in researching and writing about topics related to class content. This chapter presents two case studies that illustrate how Wikipedia-based activities can be designed to achieve both chemistry and information literacy learning outcomes. In both examples, faculty partnered with a librarian to implement the Wikipedia editing assignments. Through these experiences, those involved learned about Wikipedia and its community, and identified promising practices for project requirements based on formal and informal assessment and observations. Reflections are offered on the value …

The Impact Of Rhythm And Gender On Spelling Output Of Iranian Efl Learners: A Cross-Sectional Study, Peyman Nouraey, Amin Karimnia

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The present study aimed at investigating the probable effects of gender and rhythmic methods on the final output of Iranian English as a Foreign Language (henceforth EFL) learners with special reference to their spelling skills. In this regard, 108 Iranian EFL learners studying at three different levels were divided into two groups of genders, each consisting of 54 students. Primarily, the students were taught the new English vocabularies using both rhythmic and non-rhythmic methods of spelling. After the trainings, participants were given a test consisting ten marks of spelling in search for the effect of a) gender of the learners …

Investigation Of Hypothetico-Creative Reasoning Skills Of Teacher Trainees In Terms Of Their Thinking Styles, İsmail Gelen, Volkan Duran, Bayram Ozer

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Thinking styles more boradly intellectual styles refers to people’s partly fixed, relatively stable and innate preferences about information processing and handling with the tasks that they may confront (Zhang & Sternberg, 2005). Sternberg’s (1988) introduced of the theory of mental self-government, where intellectual style specifies 13 thinking styles that fall along five dimensions of mental self-government: (a) functions, (b) forms, (c) levels, (d) scopes, and (e) leanings of government as applied to individuals (Zhang, Sternberg, Rayner, 2002: 14).Hypothetico-Creative reasoning model developed by Duran (2014) can be defined skills including logical and creative thinking skills in 12 dimensions. This study, is …

An Inquiry Into How Principals Make Decisions In Secondary Schools, Stacy L. Mason

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Principals are decision makers (Hoy & Miskel, 2001; Lunenburg, 2010). Daily decisions are made along a wide spectrum of issues all of which impact students in some way, shape, or form (Wiseman, 2005). Principals must consider all stakeholders in all decisions made and bear in mind what is in the best interest of students (Queen & Queen, 2005). The purpose of this study was to ascertain if leadership style, mindset, and self-efficacy impacted principal decision making. A quantitative study was conducted to determine if relationships existed between the predictor variables of leadership style, mindset, self-efficacy, gender, years of experience, or …

Methods Of Academic Dishonesty In Online Distance Education: The Technology Arms Race, Robert C. Deadman

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The presence of online distance Education in higher Education presents a challenge in maintaining academic integrity and preventing academic dishonesty. While academic dishonesty has been a continuing issue in face-to-face courses in higher Education, the advent and abundance of online distance Education provides an opportunity to increase exponentially the occurrence of academic dishonesty. Faculty members and staff (n = 25) have implemented various methods of preventative course design and administrative policies in order to minimize academic dishonesty, but students still commit academic dishonesty taking advantage of new technologies and methods. This research discovered the technology arms race is on for …

Reading And Math Interventions At The Secondary Level: A Research Brief, Ashlee Lester, David Naff

MERC Publications

Starting in the early 2000’s with the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act, federal and state education authorities promoted the use of accountability policies that require schools to meet certain measures of academic progress overtime. Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) and Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs) have become the new measure of school success. These policies rely heavily on students’ Math and Reading achievement at particular benchmark grades, leading local educational agencies (i.e. school divisions) to place increased emphasis on the reading and math results of state-mandated testing. In Virginia, pressures to meet AYP and AMOs by improving school performance on the …

Why The American Superpower Has Mediocre Educational Rankings, Madeline R. Hays

UROP Posters

Although education holds implications for economic growth, scientific progress, and political participation, the United States remains on the lower end of educational quality compared to other industrial and first-world nations. Despite substantial efforts by the American government to mend this issue, reforms have yielded minimal improvement in results. Identifying the reasons for the declining nature of US education is essential in understanding how to improve the current academic state. Why has there been a decline in education quality in America compared to other first-world countries since World War II? In order to distinguish the characteristics correlating with low-achievement in the …

Predicting Mathematics Teachers' Acceptance Of Reflective Blogging To Improve Instruction, Diana Sue Fesmire

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An internal district audit identified that a rural, socioeconomically disadvantaged Southwestern school district has a lack of congruent and consistent implementation of the Common Core State Standards in mathematics. Innovative and cost-saving avenues for professional development (PD), such as reflective blogging, foster teacher learning to reconcile the enacted curriculum with the intended curriculum. This correlational study investigated the predictive power of technology acceptance and motivation constructs on reflective mathematics teachers' social media use intention and participation in informal, virtual Communities of Practice (vCoP). The framework that guided this study is the unified acceptance and use of technology and self-determination theory. …

Taking Teacher Quality Seriously, Derek W. Black

Faculty Publications

Although access to quality teachers is one of the most important aspects of a quality education, explicit concern with teacher quality has been conspicuously absent from past litigation over the right to education. Instead, past litigation has focused almost exclusively on funding. Though that litigation has narrowed gross fundinggaps between schools in many states, it has not changed what matters most: access to quality teachers.

This Article proposes a break from the traditional approach to litigating the constitutional right to education. Rather than constitutionalizing adequate or equal funding, courts should constitutionalize quality teaching. The recent success of the constitutional challenge …

Impact Of Music Education On Indiana High School Students, Jennifer M. Korfhage

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The field of music Education faces a host of challenges. Challenges have plagued music educators since the first accounts of music found in the school setting. The challenges require music educators and stakeholders to continually push for change in the field of music Education. This quantitative study examined the impact of music Education and participation on Grade 12 cumulative grade point average (GPA), student achievement using the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), and the Indiana Statewide Testing for Progress Plus (ISTEP+) end of course English 10, and Algebra 1 assessment (ECA) measures in Grades 9 through 12. The study examined whether …

The Illinois Teacher Pension Crisis Impact On Illinois Teacher Attrition, Zakry Standerfer

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the impact of the financial position of the Teachers Retirement System (TRS) of the State of Illinois, the Illinois budget condition, pension reform proposals in Illinois and the likelihood of teachers leaving their Illinois teaching positions. Teachers in the state of Illinois were surveyed over their levels of concern over TRS, the Illinois budget, and pension reform efforts. A literature review was completed that looked at pension plans, teacher pension plans, Illinois teacher pension plans, and the shortage of teachers in the United States. The research design involved a three-part survey …

The Effects Of Co-Curricular Involvement On First-Generation Community College Students, Cynthia Ragle

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the nature of the relationship between the participation in community college co-curricular activities and first-generation community college students academic success, satisfaction, and persistence. The study sought to answer the following research questions: (a) Is there a relationship between participation in co-curricular community college-sponsored activities and first-generation community college students cumulative GPA? (b) Is there a relationship between participation in co-curricular community college-sponsored activities and first-generation college students satisfaction with their college experience? (c) Is there a relationship between participation in co-curricular community college-sponsored activities and first-generation college students persistence? Data were collected from a sample of first-generation …

Moocs And The Online Delivery Of Business Education: What's New? What's Not? What Now?, Jonathan W. Whitaker, J. Randolph New, R. Duane Ireland

Management Faculty Publications

Although the past 2 decades have produced much promise (and accompanying research) on the use of information technology (IT) in business school courses, it is not entirely clear whether IT has truly "transformed" management education. There are compelling arguments on both sides. On one hand, advocates for the transformative role of IT can point to several success stories. On the other hand, skeptics of the role of IT in management education can also point to support for their view. This lack of consensus has led researchers in Academy of Management Learning & Education to call for scholars to confront the …

Arts And Elite Schooling: The Accumulation Of Advantaging Forms Of Cultural Capital, Hannah R. Macquarrie

Honors Theses

Very little attention has been given to how schools provide students with opportunities to accumulate advantaging forms of cultural capital through the arts. This project explores the arts as valuable forms of cultural capital and the role the arts play in the production of elites. Because it is widely acknowledged that when researching elites access may be limited, the research for this project was conducted online through publically accessible documents, like curricula, mission statements, facilities, extra-curricular offerings, and additional arts programming on school websites. The eight schools in this study reside in four different, elite towns, and there are both …

Racial-Coping Among African American Students In Academia, Angel Mims, Gwen Marchand

McNair Poster Presentations

African American students have generally fallen behind in their academic pursuits when compared to their non-black peers. While unacceptable, this continues to happen each year without effective intervention. Unfortunately, this issue is pervasive and complex, requiring additional research to find an effective solution. One factor that may contribute to this phenomenon is coping. Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping (1984) illustrates how coping responses yield direct outcomes. In an academic setting, coping may have a significant correlation with academic achievement among African American students when faced with race-related stressors. These racial-stressors combined with a school environment may …

In Pursuit Of Women Scientists: Using Science Plays To Promote Women Entering Stem Disciplines, Danielle Hartman

Theses and Dissertations

Higher education currently seeks to increase female enrollment in STEM. Women face many challenges attempting to breach this male dominated arena with misconceptions, gender stereotypes, and few female role models. With the recent trend in higher education to encourage more women to enter the STEM disciplines and K-12 schools cutting funding for arts programs, theatre may be losing its value in the education system. The value of interdisciplinary studies is beginning to be forgotten during the grade school years as school boards battle budget cuts, but we can remind society of it through science plays. Theatre artists use other disciplines …