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A Sociological Perspective Of The American Education System, Duskin Hobbs

Social Sciences

The intension of this research project is to provide a critical analysis of the modern American school system, the policies that created and maintain it, the extensive effects of its practices, and the future of education under such a system. I will begin by tracing the evolution of the current order and discuss the impacts of government educational initiatives such as No Child Left Behind (George W. Bush) and A Race to the Top (Barack Obama) among others. To support these examples I will use secondary statistical research data, scholarly journals, government sources, and other forms of evidence. In this …

Navigating With Trust: A Proposal For Transforming Public Sector Schools Towards Learning Organizations In Pakistan, Zubeda Bana

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

While working with teachers, teacher educators, educational leaders and principals of schools and teacher education colleges throughout the country, I am informed that the most significant factor for transforming public sector schools is winning the trust of teachers. Teachers, no matter how they are recruited and what their current competencies are, have become part of the work-force in public sector schools. It is observed that the school administrators have exhausted their trust and treat all kinds of teachers including good and committed teachers, with the same administrative approach which places them in odd situations, wherein they start losing their own …

Gender Equality In Primary Schools In Sub-Saharan Africa: Review And Analysis, Robert Osadan, Irish A. Burrage

Wagadu: A Journal of Transnational Women's & Gender Studies

Developing countries like those in Africa’s Sub-Saharan region struggle with gender inequality issues in primary schools, an impediment that keeps these countries from progressing economically as well as socially. Despite the struggle, international awareness coupled with continuous initiatives of various international groups like United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative, UNESCO’s Education for All, plus other government organizations, find concrete ways to permanently and effectively address gender disparity in education.

Identifying The Impact Of Universal College Testing On State Academic Testing At The Eleventh Grade, Kristi N. Thompson-Gibbs

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the Universal American College Test (ACT) administration as part of a required high school assessment program on eleventh-grade students’ achievement on state level assessments. The study focused on four groups of eleventh-grade students. The first group, eleventh-graders who scored met on the 2010 NeSA Reading assessment and did not participate in the district implementation of the Universal ACT but took the 2010 ACT (n = 103). The second group, eleventh-graders who scored exceed on the 2010 NeSA Reading assessment and did not participate in the district implementation of the …

The Influence Of No Child Left Behind (2001) On The Leadership Of Elementary School Principals In Massachusetts: Highlighted Responses From Asian American Principals, Wesley P. S. Manaday

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the influence of the No Child Left Behind Law (NCLB), one of the most influential educational reform acts in the U.S. and the Massachusetts Education Reform Act (MERA) upon the role of principals in elementary schools throughout Massachusetts. The thesis covered the leadership practices pre- and post- NCLB Federal Law of 2001, the leadership roles of principals, their decision making, and the types of practices they developed as a consequence of NCLB. In addition, principal's backgrounds and cultural influences on their leadership were specifically highlighted in the role of mainstream and non-mainstream principals of ethnic groups …

Gamification Of Education: A Review Of Literature, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah, Qing Zeng, Venkata R. Telaprolu, Abhishek Padmanabhuni Ayyappa, Brenda Eschenbrenner

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

We synthesized the literature on gamification of education by conducting a review of the literature on gamification in the educational and learning context. Based on our review, we identified several game design elements that are used in education. These game design elements include points, levels/stages, badges, leaderboards, prizes, progress bars, storyline, and feedback. We provided examples from the literature to illustrate the application of gamification in the educational context.

Constructive Visualization, Samuel Huron, Sheelagh Carpendale, Alice Thudt, Anthony Tang, Michael Mauerer

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

If visualization is to be democratized, we need to provide means for non-experts to create visualizations that allow them to engage directly with datasets. We present constructive visualization a new paradigm for the simple creation of flexible, dynamic visualizations. Constructive visualization is simple—in that the skills required to build and manipulate the visualizations are akin to kindergarten play; it is expressive— in that one can build within the constraints of the chosen environment, and it also supports dynamics — in that these constructed visualizations can be rebuilt and adjusted. We describe the conceptual components and processes underlying constructive visualization, and …

Case Studies On Art Education In Egypt, Mahitab Hamama

Theses and Dissertations

Art education, art class in particular, is not given as much attention as core subjects at schools in Egypt. The research examines two private language schools in Cairo and how they handle art education. It compares the teaching and viewpoints of art teachers at both schools as well as those of students. The research will address the following questions: (1) whether art education is neglected in private language schools in Egypt; and (2) if special attention is given to art education curriculum and teaching methods. This study is a qualitative one; data sources such as key informant interviews and document …

Farming: It's Not Just For Farmers Anymore, Jennifer Schmidt

Pomona Senior Theses

Agricultural education, originally the province of land grant institutions, has recently entered the liberal arts curriculum. This represents a profound shift from the origins of agricultural education, when it was intended primarily as vocational training for future farmers, and has important implications for the future of the American food system. The first chapter of this thesis addresses the history of agricultural education: what was it originally like, and why did it come to be heavily criticized in the late twentieth century? Formal agricultural education changed significantly in response to these criticisms, making it more environmentally sustainable and bringing it into …

Affecting Attitudes Towards Science, High School African American Students, Charles Brett Anderton

Theses and Dissertations

Racial minorities, women, and people with disabilities are underrepresented in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Attitude towards science has been shown to be a reliable predictor of science achievement. Project-Based Learning (PBL) has been shown to improve attitude towards a topic. The sample selected consisted of 113 African American high school students (68% to 32% female to male ratio) from Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. A quasi-experimental research design which consisted of pre and post intervention measures of participants’ attitudes towards science was utilized in this study. Overall, Phase 1, a week-long residential camp, saw greater increases …

Influence Of Entrepreneurship Education On Entrepreneurship Development In Post-Secondary Education, Kenneth Newbold

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Entrepreneurship education programs have expanded across post-secondary education in the past thirty years, leading to an increased need to further understand the impact entrepreneurship education has along the construct of entrepreneurship development. Three related studies comprise this research and were conducted to investigate the effect entrepreneurship education has on entrepreneurship development. Students, existing entrepreneurs, and alumni were surveyed in these three studies to compare differences between participants and non-participants in educational experiences. The present research builds upon the existing body of knowledge and seeks to provide research and psychometric contributions to the field by studying specific educational interventions and modifying …

Higher Education Institution Choice Behaviors Of International Students On U.S. College Campuses, Anil Tan

Theses & Dissertations

The economic, social, and personal value of education has been realized as motivating factors for seeking a better education overseas by individuals. In addition, political, economic, and educational conditions of home countries impact individuals’ decisions to study abroad. There were over 4 million tertiary students studying outside their home countries in 2011. Nearly 820,000 of those students were studying in higher education institutions in the United States. Students from China, India, and South Korea comprise nearly 49% of the international students in the United States. The increase in the number of students studying overseas and their valuable contributions develop a …

Antonio T. De Nicolás: Poet Of Eternal Return, Christopher Key Chapple

Research Resources

This book includes essays in honor of Professor Antonio de Nicolas.

The Effects Of Universal Design For Learning On The Academic Engagement Of Middle School Students, Kimberly M. Johnson-Harris

Dissertations

A multiple baseline across participants design was used to examine the impact of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), implemented as a total framework, on the academic engagement of middle school students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD), and students who are at-risk for academic failure due to behavior problems, who are included in general education classes. Five teachers from two middle schools participated in professional development on UDL and UDL lesson plan design and then implemented UDL lessons in their classes. Data were collected on the fidelity of UDL implementation, student academic engagement during lesson plan implementation, and teacher acceptability …

Calculator Usage In Secondary Level Classrooms: The Ongoing Debate, Nicole Plummer

Honors College Theses

With technology becoming more prevalent every day, it is imperative that students gain enough experience with different technological tools in order to be successful in the “real-world”. This thesis will discuss the debate and overall support for an increased usage of calculators as tools in the secondary level classroom. When the idea of calculators in the classroom first came to life, many educators were very apprehensive and quite hesitant of this change. Unfortunately, more than 40 years later, there is still hesitation for their usage; and rightfully so. While there are plenty of advantages of calculator use in the classroom, …

Connecting With Families Of Poverty Handbook, Rebecca Christine Oren

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project is to create a handbook describing services available in the Sumner School District and researched based practices for elementary administrators and teachers to use when working with students and families of poverty. The McKinney-Vento Act in the United States protects families to ensure that all students have immediate access to school-linked services, including free breakfast and lunch, as well as transportation needs for getting to and from school. This handbook includes descriptions and contact information for local support organizations that administrators and teachers can additionally partner with to create supportive learning environments within their school …

Promoting Diversity In The Universal : Rethinking Universal Design For Learning., Jill Sadowski

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Kindergarten Redshirting From A Parental Perspective, Kelli Dougan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Kindergarten redshirting is the term used to describe the phenomenon where a parent chooses to keep their child from attending kindergarten so that the child may gain a year's worth of maturity. This qualitative dissertation examines the decision making process undergone by parents who have redshirted their children. While some parents began the decision making process soon after their child's birth, every parent in the study considered the decision carefully. The study also provides an analysis of the outcomes the redshirting has provided for children as perceived by their parents. Parents rated the academic, Social and emotional effects of kindergarten …

Teaching The Universal Language Of Creativity: A Guide To Training., Carlie R. Arnone

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Teaching the Universal Language of Creativity: A Guide to Training.

The purpose of education in any regard is to provide knowledge and information, to teach something. Parents, educators, and professionals alike are experiencing some difficulty in education, in that they are not being properly taught how to nurture some particular needs of individuals with developmental disabilities, specifically on how to use creativity to do so. Educators, parents, and professionals in the field need to start advocating for a balance between strict regulations and creativity. In the recent years, there has been quite the push for creativity and innovation in businesses, …

Game Time: Choosing Apps And Games That Align To The Common Core, Ryan G. Zonnefeld, Valorie L. Zonnefeld

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

No abstract provided.

Retrospective Writing, Melissa B. Cavaliero

Senior Honors Projects

The past four years I have devoted my studies to science and mathematics. While I have loved studying these subjects, I wanted to take the opportunity of the Senior Honors Project to explore a different field. I chose the field of writing. Being able to tell a story is one thing, but being able to tell a story well and in writing is another. The focus of my project is retrospective writing. The six written essays will be from the age of five when I entered first grade through my college years. A series of pictures will correlate with each …

Competency-Based Education In Public High Schools, Angus M. Cantwell

Senior Honors Projects

Recent government-backed programs such as Race to the Top and No Child Left Behind have increased competition in schools in an effort to improve student and teacher performance. However, these programs have not had as drastic an impact as many had hoped, and the United States continues to toil in the middle of the pack educationally when compared with the rest of the world.

As many students have continued to struggle in school, many different ideas have been introduced into different levels of the education system in an attempt to raise scores and boost performance. One such idea is competency-based …

Perceived Vs Actual Clinical Performance Of Athletic Training Students, Joseph C. Rosauer

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Context: Research has suggested a knowledge gap exist within the healthcare community. Identifying potential knowledge gaps and the use of self-reflection can be used to decrease these gaps can affect patient outcomes. Objective: To determine if knowledge gaps do exist within athletic training student’s (ATS) clinical education. Design: Longitudinal non-experimental retrospective study. Subjects: 141 mid semester evaluations of sophomore ATS over a four year period. Main Outcome Measures: We assessed potential knowledge gaps of ATS in the clinical setting. We calculated the difference between a preceptor evaluation of the student and student’s self-evaluation using a One-way ANOVA. We also looked …

School Principals' Perceptions Of Bilingual Education And Their Relation To English Language Learners' 8th Grade Reading Performance On Staar, Imelda Mares

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This research examined school principals’ perceptions of bilingual education to determine whether perceptions were a function of gender, age, years of experience, level of academic knowledge of bilingual education, and language discourse or bilingualism. Moreover, this study explored whether principals’ perceptions of bilingual education were related to English language learners’ 8th grade reading performance as measured by the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). Thirty-one middle and high school principals in five school districts from south Texas and one district from southeast Texas responded to an electronic survey that solicited demographic information, perceptions of bilingual education, and academic …

Is Texas Measuring Up To Federal Expectations? An Examination Of The No Child Left Behind Legislation On Texas Region One Education Service Center District Schools, Maricela De Leon

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This research paper presented information on student performance results for school children in Texas Region One – Title I district schools. By using recent data on student performance from a seven year period, 2003 to 2010, between district schools in Region One, the findings of the results is reflected to answer the question on whether district schools in Texas Region One –Title I schools reflect the intended No Child Left Behind act performance indicators as identified in the 2002 legislation.

Benefits Of Using Reading Strategies In Elementary Bilingual Classrooms, Diana Arely Garcia

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This quantitative study focused on the benefits of reading strategies used by second grade students. What strategies they can use to comprehend tasks, what textual cues they attend, how to make sense of what they read, and what they do when they do not understand a word. In this study, a questionnaire was given to the students. The questionnaire had a list of reading strategies in which students chose the strategy they felt more comfortable to use whenever they needed in order to comprehend a text. The data collected was analyzed and served its purpose of helping one reach the …

Economic Growth And Education Reform In Developing Countries, Merlym M. Ramirez

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Developing countries have devoted to the implementation of education policies to improve the quality of education. The concern has originated from the fact that quality education produces the tools necessary to produce social mobility, reducing the inequality within a country and in turn increasing the economic growth. The attention on education quality has aroused conflicting opinions about whether to focus the educational policies in the lowest or in the highest achievers. Most policies focus on providing quality, basic education for all children, youth and adults arguing that basic education directly impacts all aspects of human development. On the other hand, …

Demonstrating Reflection: A Content Analysis Of Reflection That English Teacher Candidates Demonstrate In Writing, William Kerns

All Dissertations

This study is an analysis of the depth of reflection exhibited in written documents produced by English teacher candidates. Description and insights were drawn into the reflective thinking of the undergraduate teacher candidates in the context of teacher research essays that they produced. Reflection is widely viewed as enabling teacher candidates to make connections between actions and consequences as well as between theory and practice. Teacher education programs are encouraged by accreditation agencies to adopt a framework that helps teacher candidates to reflect on practice. However, there is no broadly accepted protocol in place for determining depth of reflection that …

Bicultural Self-Efficacy, Student Achievement, And Persistence Of Mexican American College Students, Richard Kirk

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This mixed methods study will explore the relationship of bi-cultural self-efficacy with student achievement and persistence for first generation Mexican American students enrolled at a two year college. The Bicultural Self Efficacy Scale for Minority Adults (BISES-MA ) will be used to collect quantitative data from a study group and control group. The study group will participate in a student success course using high engagement strategies developed by Advancement Via Individual Determination for Higher Education (AHE). Analysis of variance will be conducted to determine the degree of difference between the study and control groups on bicultural self-efficacy and student achievement …

Friedman's School Choice Theory: The Chilean Education System, Lucinda G. Arveseth

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

On May 21, 2011, precisely when the president of Chile Sebastían Piñera was ready to address the Chilean parliament regarding legislative initiatives for the upcoming year, more than 20,000 students gathered outside the parliamentary building calling on the government to address problems within the education system. Diego Vela, president of FEUC, a prominent student organization, stated the following: “Since it is a year with presidential and parliamentary elections, it opens up the opportunity to influence the main platforms and look for structural changes” (I Love Chile). President Piñera’s speech, however, ignored student demands, and consequently students intensified their campaign by …