Digital Commons Network^™

Searching For Ourselves: African Cultural Representation In Children’S Books In The United States, And Implications For Educational Achievement, Lulama Moyo

Sustainability and Social Justice

Using documentary and discourse analysis of children’s literature I explore the extent to which there is a multicultural gap in children’s literature to reveal the prevailing challenges of the colonized and Eurocentric values embedded in the contemporary education system that supports the monocultural socialization of young children in their early formative years. I translate my research through examining four thematic ways on how the multicultural gap is manifested which are subject matter, the lack of African writers, degree of complexity of diasporic experiences, and confronting whiteness. By focusing more specifically on the gap in African diasporic children literature, I review …

Predicting Success In A Counselor Education Graduate Program, Ranleigh J. Mcadams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the predictive value of Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) scores and undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) upon students’ success in a counselor education graduate program. Graduate programs must weigh the benefits of various entrance criteria to predict successful completion. Data for the study consisted of 233 students who had been admitted to a graduate program, and had either successfully completed the program through graduation or had been unable to graduate through personal attrition or removal by the faculty. The relationships between the independent variables and the dependent variable of program graduation were analyzed using correlations and models of …

An Examination Of Texas Agricultural Education Regarding Absence Of Diverse Students, John D. Denson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to investigate reasons for, and issues regarding, the lack of diversity in the department of agriculture and the Future Farmers of America (FFA). Data for this research were collected, studied, and analyzed. Data were examined to identify explanations for the lack of interest in agriculture among diverse students, and the lack of interest among school administrators and teachers to encourage studies in agriculture among the diverse. The analysis of data verified the existence of a real need for more disquiet in the differences of attitudes among diverse students regarding agriculture and agriculture programs, such as FFA. …

The Benefits Of Music In Child Development, Dulce-Paola Ixtupe

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Music is a subject that does not limit children to simply having fun, although “fun” is an essential component when trying to engage children in learning activities. Music further enhances a series of transferable skills and can help children with their learning experience in other subjects. By being part of a fun activity such as music, children are able to acquire affective, cognitive, and evaluative skills, which will further reinforce a variety of areas of their development. When engaged in an activity where recognition and expression of feelings are required, they learn that having feelings is perfectly normal and that …

Teacher Retention In Rural Schools Nested In Large Districts: An Ethnographic Qualitative Study, Sandra Gomez Cerda

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the retention of teachers that work in large school districts with rural schools. The study examined: 1) the general characteristics of large school districts that have small rural campuses that retain and recruit teachers; 2) what draws teachers to teach in rural schools in large school districts; and 3) what factors contribute to decisions to stay at rural schools in large school districts. The author offers recommendations to retain teachers in rural schools nested in large school districts.

Existing Con El Lobo, Traversing La Frontera Con Mis Nepantla Coyotes, Y Buscando La Vida Del Zorro: An Autoethnographic Exploration Of A Chicano In Academia, Ernesto Fidel Ramirez

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is the experience of my life, an evolution of pláticas I have had con mis coyotes, my Nepantlero guides. I am one Chicano navigating through the mechanisms of a coercive and hegemonic system which limits our advancement in the academy. My ontology, epistemology, and axiology stem from my cultural and family foundations which I explore through the application of Testimonio. The dissertation consists of several chapter, first a description of the theoretical underpinnings which bolster my approach. I then guide you in a journey along a path of my discovery. My approach to how this study will be …

Strategies Of Reading As A Second Language Instruction Across Curriculum In Secondary Grades, Anisa A. Ben Idris

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explored what themes of best practices teachers report using in real classrooms to teach reading skills to ESL students across curricula. It examined teachers’ applications of the following five themes in their instruction as a regular routine described as best practices in the literature for teaching diverse students: (1) providing comprehensible input, (2) teaching learning strategies of metacognition to bridge the gap between school literacy practices and home literacy practices (3) lowering the affective filter, (4) implementing formative assessment, and (5) cooperating between teachers and ESL facilitators. The study involved teachers from two high schools in one school …

The Quiet Discrimination Of Lowered Expectations: A Study On The Independent Living Needs Of Severely Disabled Individuals In Kansas, Joe Dalgarn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increasing the independence of individuals with severe disabilities is of increasing concern to schools and federal agencies. Improving quality of life for high needs individuals with disabilities is an objective of transition programs, which allow consumers to adapt from one aspect of life to the next. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between variables (a) vocational assessment and exploration; (b) workplace readiness training; (c) independent living skills; and (d) self-advocacy and self-care and the independence level of individuals with severe disabilities residing and receiving their education within an institutionalized setting. Finally, this study will examine the …

Factors Contributing To The Problem Of Student Absenteeism In A Rural School, Angela Denean Durborow

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Student attendance would seem to be a vital link in measuring student success in school. If students are not in school, they miss instruction from the teacher. Without instruction it seems incredibly difficult to complete the work needed to pass classes and be successful in school. The research explored the problem of practice of student absenteeism in a rural school. The study was conducted using mixed methods research methodology, specifically a sequential mixed methods research design. The research questions were as follows: (1) What explicit or implicit messages are parents and the school sending about school attendance? (2) What is …

A Path To Academic Success: Learning Disabilities, Finding A Way, John S. Cooper

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will highlight the difficulties students with learning disabilities have in the post-secondary environment. Special interest is given to how colleges and universities help these students become successful and graduate from college. Two universities are examined, the University of the Ozarks and the University of Arkansas. Each school has its own programs that provide accommodations to students with learning disabilities. The thesis will follow a student from each university, as they attend classes and Social activities.

Bridging The Gap: An Exploratory Study On Classroom-Workplace Collaborations, Katelynn Dixon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

“Bridging the gap” between theory and practice has historically been challenging. There is a definite lag between textbook knowledge and “real-world” application. For decades colleges have been adopting different Executive-In-Residence (EIR) models to help with this concern. Various EIR models include bringing industry professionals into the classes as guest speakers, hosting a series of one-on-one meetings, and conducting seminars and workshops. There is little to no research on EIRs in the Hospitality and Tourism field. In today’s modern time, the hospitality industry is a forerunner in the service industry, thus making this research extremely beneficial to the body of knowledge …

Error Analysis: A Case Study On Non-Native English Speaking College Applicants’ Electronic Mail Communications, Casey Kraichoke

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to discover major writing problems international college applicants make when composing electronic communications by analyzing the nature and distribution of their writing errors. Additionally, the researcher seeks to discover if there is a relationship between non-native English speakers’ (NNS) writing errors and demographics, which include: gender, country of origin, country of origin’s official language, program level, and program of study. The researcher hypothesizes that countries with English as an official language and the language of instruction in higher education are the most significant predictor of non-native English speakers’ writing errors in terms of count …

On The Right Track: Exploring Influences Contributing To Successful Track-Switching Of Indians Working For A U.S. Company, Rose-Marie Speck

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore how Indian managers assessed the influences leading to their transition from technician to manager when working for a company in the U.S. This study was based on interviews with fifteen Indian managers who had track-switched from a technical job to a management position in the U.S. in a U.S. company. The interviewees were asked five questions about what they believed made them successful in track-switching, and the consensus among interviewees was that for a technician to track-switch effectively, the technician had to have excellent technical skills. In addition to technical skills, the …

Assessing Organizational Health Literacy At An Academic Health Center: A Quantitative Research Study, Latrina Y. Prince

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Inadequate health literacy is a national health problem that affects about 90 million Americans. Health literacy is the degree to which a person is able to make good health decisions based on his/her ability to read, understand, and use health information and services. Organizational Health Literacy (OHL) is the degree to which an organization considers and promotes the health literacy of patients by providing easy to read, understand, and use health information and services. Since it is difficult to determine which patients have inadequate health literacy, a recommended intervention for addressing health literacy is to use OHL practices at all …

Measuring Racial Competence In Athletic Academic Support Staffs, Aquasia Thornhill

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Critical Race Theory, a theoretical framework that has been gaining much recognition in sport literature, is a useful and beneficial tool in discussing race and racism. To better understand the context in which academic support staff appreciate the functionality and significance of race, the present study measures the racial competence of athletic academic support staffs. This research study explores the need to integrate a model such as Critical Race Theory that promotes “racial competency” among academic support staffs working closely with student-athletes of color, and measures Color-Blind Racial Attitudes that may have effects on the types of interactions individuals are …

Childhood Anxiety Within The Classroom: A Professional Development Experience For Educators, Madeline Garlough

Honors Projects

Education majors are required to complete a significant amount of coursework related to student behaviors and best practices regarding these behaviors. However, this coursework lies heavily on the side of disruptive and aggressive behaviors. Much less is taught about students who experience quiet conflict, despite childhood anxiety being one of the most prevalent disorders that children face. The purpose of this project is to provide teachers and future teachers with information about how to best assist these anxious students within the classroom.

Because of the nature of this project, it is also necessary to understand how teaching adults differs from …

Prevention Of Overuse Injuries In High School Athletes, Edna H. Wright

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Overuse injuries are a significant health problem that affects the health and well-being of adolescent athletes. Almost 50 percent of sports-related injuries in the adolescent population are considered overuse injuries and half of these injuries are preventable. Overuse injuries occur over time when repetitive demands, placed on the musculoskeletal system, result in tissue damage. The purpose of the DNP project was to educate high school coaches on the identification and prevention of overuse injuries in adolescent athletes. The project was designed with the goal of quantifying knowledge acquired by coaches participating in the project. Prevention and reduction of overuse injuries …

Tempered Experience: The Educational Foundation Of Democratic Ideology, Nicholas J. Schwarm

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

Democracy is a political ideology, one that requires a person to believe in that ideology for it to exist. The contemporary political landscape is dominated by democracies, and for this reason we need to understand how to build and sustain them. There needs to be a well-educated populace of citizens, who are able to engage in democratic actions, and aid the community. What they need is tempered experience, experience that is understood though the knowledge that a citizen already has.

A Study Of Parent Perceptions Of Advanced Academic Potential In The Early Grades, Jennifer L. O'Brien

Honors Scholar Theses

Parents are key stakeholders in children’s education; this project, which is part of a larger study about early identification of high potential, focused on parent awareness of the behaviors that indicate high potential and the kinds of resources that would support developing academic potential in the early grades (grades K-2). This project consisted of an online parent survey and a parent workshop with a card sort component in which parents indicated what kinds of resources would be priorities. The study took place in three school districts with large populations of families from low-income backgrounds. A total of 38 parents completed …

How I Made Peace: Dismantling Racism In The United States, Jennifer Serrato

Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day (2011-2017)

No abstract provided.

Education On Campus Waste Disposal, Catherine Johnson, Christina Fox, Alyssa Schutzenhofer, Courtney Wilber

Environmental and Sustainability Studies Undergraduate Projects

No abstract provided.

Pearl Of Africa: Condemnation And Celebration In Uganda, Marcella Am Mcgill

History Honors Papers

This research examines the intentions and consequences of the British colonial endeavor in the country of Uganda, East Africa. Focusing on issues of gender, education, and language, it provides a survey of the multifaceted implications of the colonial era. It is also based on two weeks of field research spent in country the previous summer, conducting interviews with educators and administrators as well as employees and volunteers of nongovernmental organizations. Finally, this project seeks to illuminate future possibilities and opportunities to continue this type of research as well as apply its conclusions to the modern world.

Teaching, Learning, And Assessment: Insights Into Students’ Motivation To Learn, Simon R. Walters, Pedro Silva, Jennifer Nikolai

The Qualitative Report

This study draws upon the perspectives of sport and recreation undergraduate students in New Zealand who were involved in the design of their own assessments, and discusses the implication of the teaching and learning environment on this process. In a previous study, student criticism had emerged of current teaching strategies and assessment methods at their institution. The purpose of this current study was to directly address some of these concerns and for lecturers and students to work collaboratively to develop a more learner-centred teaching and learning environment. Students from a second-year sociology of sport paper were invited to design their …

The Effects Of A Hpv Educational Intervention Aimed At Collegiate Males On Knowledge, Vaccine Intention, And Uptake, Mary A. Knudtson

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States (US). In 2013, approximately 6% of 19 to 26-year-old males had received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine (Richman, Maddy, Torres, & Goldberg, 2016). Currently there is no known cure for HPV, however a prophylactic vaccination provides an efficacious method for protection against HPV related diseases. The purpose of the evidence-based project was to provide a HPV educational intervention to collegiate males and examine the effects of HPV knowledge, intention to vaccinate, and receipt of vaccination. The Health Belief Model was selected to …

How Yutori Education System Affected Japanese Society, Jieying Zhou

COLA Research and Creativity Conference

The purpose of this paper is to analyze how yutori education system affected Japanese society in different fields. Yutori kyoiku (relaxed education), which was announced in 1998, is a change that the government decided to give younger Japanese:an education system with lower pressure. It was used in all Japanese schools for about twenty years. Through the growth of people who had yutori education, more Japanese people started to realize there are several negative effects caused by this policy in Japanese society. This paper will focus on the failure of yutori education and why it brought a different result from people’s …

Poverty And Its Effects On Food And Education In Children, Shari Holland

COLA Research and Creativity Conference

Throughout time, there has been a gap between those who are rich in their economic means and those less fortunate. Exemplified by the infamous saying, “the rich get richer as the poor get poorer,” some claim that there is a trickling effect, where all the money trickles down to the poor, equalizing the economy. The individuals who are poor have less opportunities, which would decrease chances of success in life. The economic situations of the adults ultimately impact the most vulnerable, the children. Data from childstats.gov was used for this study and pertained to children living in three family situations: …

Girl Rising: Changing The World One Girl At A Time, Rachel Wadham

Children's Book and Media Review

In 2013, Tanya Lee Stone saw the documentary film Girl Rising and quickly realized that there was another format in which to tell the stories the amazing young women around the world who face obstacles to obtain a basic education, and thus this book was born. Building on the field notes, photographs, and raw footage provided by the filmmakers, Stone brings to life the lives of girls from India, Nepal, Egypt, Cambodia, and other countries where there are approximately sixty-two million girls who are not in school. Organizing the stories around three barriers to education access (modern-day slavery, child marriage, …

Increasing Global Context In Social Work Education: Role Of Internationally Experienced Faculty, Sarah Dababnah Phd, Mph, Msw, Sara Goodkind Phd, Msw, Caren J. Frost Phd, Mph, Jody K. Olsen Phd, Msw

Interdisciplinary Journal of Best Practices in Global Development

The infusion of global social work concepts into social work curricula enhances the educational experience and understanding of practice, policy, and research for students at all levels. Having faculty members who participated in global work augments the presentation of these concepts in ways that connect to student learning. Yet, no known research has investigated the role of internationally experienced faculty in promoting a global perspective in social work education and practice. One mechanism for obtaining global experience is through service in the U.S. Peace Corps, an organization that has been available for U.S. citizens to serve their country since the …

The Missouri Student Transfer Program, Howard E. Fields Iii

Dissertations

In 1993, the state of Missouri passed the Outstanding Schools Act. This law was created as a means to ensure that “all children will have quality educational opportunities, regardless of where in Missouri they live.” Section 167.131 of this law states that an unaccredited district must pay the tuition and transportation cost for students who attend an accredited school in the same or adjoining district. This portion of the law became known as the Student Transfer Program.

The Riverview Gardens School District (RGSD) was one of three unaccredited school districts in the state of Missouri in 2013. With close to …

Teacher-Led Professional Development In Arts And Culture: Promoting Teacher Ability To Engage Students Using Their Place, Sandra J. King

Education

This project is a piece of the SILKAT (Sustaining Indigenous and Local Knowledge, Arts, and Teaching) Grant that is funded by Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies. It describes the development of one of the professional developments modules as well as two of the cultural art units that make up the Professional Development Course and Cultural K-12 Art Curriculum that are being created for the Bering Strait School District as (BSSD) a part of this grant. The professional development module described leads teachers through learning the core practice of "engaging students with their place." This is extremely valuable in all areas, but …