Education Commons^™

Exploring Ways To Support Preservice Teachers' Use Of Udl In Planning And Instruction, K. Alisa Lowrey, Audra Classen, Anne Sylvest

Faculty Publications

There is limited research documenting current efforts to support preservice teachers to use the universal design for learning (UDL) framework in authentic teaching experiences. To increase knowledge on the effects of preparing preservice teachers to incorporate the UDL framework, researchers examined the effects a UDL professional development seminar that was delivered during the student teaching phase had on eight teacher candidates during their K–12 placement. Using a concurrent triangulation mixed-method design, researchers examined lesson plans, video footage of teaching, teacher candidate reflections on their teaching sample, and university supervisor measures of the same sample before and after the UDL seminar. …

Clinical Preparatory Simulation Project For The University Of Southern Mississippi Doctor Of Nursing Practice Nurse Anesthesia Program, Chigozie Ndugba

Doctoral Projects

The purpose of this DNP project was centered around teaching methodology and learning exhibited by an educational simulation. This approach supports the concept of replication, interaction, and pedagogy that enhance learning. In what is to follow, both the simulation objectives along with the rationales will be addressed. Then, the practical step-by-step simulation elements are explained. The educational and clinical evidence-based research is discussed further along, which gives insight necessary to foster learning and secure long-term retention.

The purpose of this DNP project was to improve health care by producing SRNAs with fundamental basics prior to entering the clinical setting to …

Social-Emotional Difference Given Disability, Grade, And School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports, Edith A. Hayles

Dissertations

Students with disabilities as a group remain behind in academic achievement when compared to students without disabilities. Without the right school-based interventions, many students with disabilities will experience academic failure, disciplinary infractions, social isolation, self-doubt, school disengagement, and school dropout. Additionally, social-emotional intervention helps older students to improve executive functioning, develop self-regulation skills, and score better on achievement tests than the students not receiving any social-emotional programming. Moreover, students enrolled in schools that implement evidence-based educational interventions to facilitate students’ social-emotional competencies demonstrate more positive behaviors and social-emotional interactions. Students with social-emotional competencies have also described feeling safer and happier …

Social And Literacy Development Of School-Based Pre-Kindergarten Students, Stewart Smirthwaite

Dissertations

In order to meet the demands of college and career ready standards, students are expected to enter kindergarten knowing more than ever before. A need exists to examine data that provides evidence of desired social and literacy outcomes for students in kindergarten. In order to address the need for further study of school prekindergarten opportunities for young children, two different sets of data were collected, examined, and discussed. Literacy proficiency was measured by using data from the Mississippi K-3 Assessment Support System’s (MKAS²) Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA). Social competence was measured using the Behavior Assessment System for Children, …

Curriculum Infusion Through Case Studies: Engaging Undergraduate Students In Course Subject Material And Influencing Behavior Change, Ellen J. Bass, Holly A. Foster, Douglas W. Lee, Susan E. Bruce, Reid Bailey

Faculty Publications

This study investigated infusing health promotion topics into an engineering course via problem-based case studies and lecture to assess student learning and self-reported behavior. Junior-level systems engineering students in two sections participated: one section with 52 students and one with 36. One section received a celebratory drinking case; one received distracted driving case and a lecture about hazardous drinking. Student ability ratings related to the course subject matter generally improved with both cases. The lecture appeared to enhance health promotion knowledge. Students self-reported behavior change with both cases. Case studies as a form of curriculum infusion for health promotion topics …

The Influence Of An Electronic Attendance Monitoring System On Undergraduate Academic Success, Charles Childress

Dissertations

Investing in human capital development increases education levels, workplace skills, and boost individual abilities. Undergraduate students who attend class and perform well are more likely to get jobs, due to their development of workplace skills. State governments, as the funding bodies for public universities, are finding it beneficial to increase the number of college graduates because a citizenry that is prepared for the job market is ultimately good for the state. States recognize that an increase in education can produce job opportunities for citizens. University administrators can employ tactics to increase graduation rates, one of which is monitoring students’ class …

Teachers' Confidence And Preparedness For Teaching Mobile Learners, Kelley Kirk Gonzales

Dissertations

Mobile devices, such as tablets, laptops, and Smart phones have changed the landscape of education requiring teachers to integrate technology in the classroom. The integration of mobile devices in the classroom is referred to as mobile learning, and requires teachers to be confident and prepared in their ability to teach mobile learners. This study was an attempt to explore and examine teachers’ confidence and preparedness in teaching mobile learners and close some of the gaps in the research. A quantitative method of investigation and analysis was used for this study to draw conclusions relative not only to teachers’ confidence and …

A Study Of The Teaching Beliefs Of Globe Teachers, Laila Ali

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the teaching beliefs of GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) teachers, and to analyze their pedagogical practices. This study contributes to bridging the gap between our understanding of teachers’ beliefs of teaching science with inquiry and practicing science in class with inquiry. A descriptive research approach was used for both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Data was collected from seventy-two trained GLOBE teachers across the U.S. using Qualtrics.com.

Quantitatively, the pedagogical beliefs of GLOBE teachers were measured using the Beliefs about Reformed Science Teaching and Learning (BARSTL) questionnaire. Differences between …

A Retro Development In Education: Evaluating The Feasibility Of Integrating Place-Based Education Into Mississippi Curriculum Standards, Colby K. Mcclain

Honors Theses

This thesis evaluates the feasibility of integrating place-based environmental education activities from Think Green, Take Action: Books and Activities for Kids into the Mississippi Department of Education’s (MDE) Frameworks for Science and Social Studies for K-5. As children develop and experience the world, their ability to understand and interpret the surrounding environments expand; however, Mississippi schools are not focused on experiential environmental education, even though experiencing and understanding the surrounding environment is vital in fostering eagerness to learn. Due to a growing disconnect between humans and the natural world, this thesis examined 37 place- and environment-based activities for children, sixteen …

Classroom Organizational Structure In Fifth Grade Math Classrooms And The Effect On Standardized Test Scores, Dallas Marie Lane

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between the classroom organizational structure and MCT2 test scores of fifth grade math students. The researcher gained insight regarding which structure teachers believe is most beneficial to them and students, and whether or not their belief of classroom organizational structure differs based on the number of years of classroom experience and/or degree held.

The results of this study showed no significant difference in the standardized test scores of students in a self-contained classroom compared to the students in a departmentalized classroom. Though there was no significant difference …

Identity Crisis: Understanding How American Males’ Self-Perception And Experiences Impact Their Educational Attainment, Jo Yarketta Hawkins-Jones

Dissertations

If you google African American males, the top results include the following words and phrases: poverty, incarceration, locked out of employment, struggle in the classroom, and high school incompletion. Likewise, research continues to show that disadvantages in education and in African American communities are responsible for many Black males’ poor academic achievement and social outcomes. However, there is one key element missing from majority of the research on Black males, their perspectives.

This dissertation addresses how the personal and educational experiences of low-income African American males, who dropped out of school, influenced their self-perceptions and decision regarding their educational attainment. …

Gameful Design In The Development Of Asynchronous Online Discussion Activities: A Case Study, William Michael Trest

Dissertations

This study investigates Gameful Design as a method to improve the development and implementation of Asynchronous Online Discussions in online learning environments. A qualitative methodology, an instrumental case study design, was used to examine the effectiveness of this design method by exploring the experiences of the participants and the meaning they gave to those experiences. Data was collected through observation, discussion transcript analysis, and pre/post-course interviews. Validity was strengthened by triangulation of these sources.

The findings showed that gameful design was an effective method to encourage the development of a connected and engaged learning community within an online class and …

Depictions Of The Middle Class In Magnolia Award Nominees, 2013-2015, Anna K. Rawls

Honors Theses

This study’s purpose was to research depictions of the middle social class in Magnolia Award nominees from the years 2013-2015. A flexible approach to qualitative content analysis that incorporated both deductive and inductive analysis was utilized to identify new frames, or portrayals, of middle class characters in this set of books. As a result of this analysis, several new frames of middle class characters were identified including young characters facing adult problems, being victims of teasing, and experiencing low levels of self-esteem. Additionally, a frame previously noted by Forest (2014b) that shows characters achieving upward mobility, or “rags-to-riches,” was found …

An Evaluation Of Two Peer Literacy Strategies For The Development Of Reading Comprehension In Third Grade, Low-Income Students, Olivia L. Herring

Honors Theses

Generally speaking, low-income students fall behind their peers when it comes to reading and comprehension. Comprehension is a necessary tool for success, both in school and beyond, and must be taught effectively to these struggling students (Beirne, & Velsor, 2012). Studies have shown the benefit of student discussion and utilization of peer reading strategies in the fostering of comprehension. This study will compare students’ success after reading passages using two peer reading comprehension strategies: Paragraph Shrinking (a component of Peer-Assisted Learning) and Reciprocal Teaching. There are many questions to explore: After using both strategies, does either one encourage greater independent …

Supplemental Action Learning Workshops: Understanding The Effects Of Independent And Cooperative Workshops On Students’ Knowledge, Kathryn M. Morris

Dissertations

Community colleges enroll more than half of the undergraduate population in the United States, thereby retaining students of varying demographics with extracurricular demands differing from traditional four-year university students. Often in a collegiate lecture course, students are limited in their abilities to absorb and process information presented by their instructors due to content-specific cognitive gaps between the instructor and the student (Preszler, 2009). Research has shown implementation of instructor-facilitated action learning workshops as supplemental instruction may help bridge these cognitive gaps allowing better student conceptualization and dissemination of knowledge (Drake, 2001; Fullilove & Treisman, 1990; Preszler, 2009; Udovick et al., …

A Comparison Of The Attitudes Of Administrators And Teachers On Cell Phone Use As An Educational Tool, Karen Smith Lockhart

Dissertations

Youth continue to make up the largest share of the cell phone market in the United States. In 2010, 58% of all 12 year olds owned their own cell phone. By 2015, 88% of teenagers owned a cell phone. Today’s teenagers are constantly on cell phones, using them to text, talk, access the internet, and take pictures. Technology is such a part of teenagers’ lives that they have been labeled by Marc Prensky and others as digital natives (2001). They have always had technology and cannot conceive of a world without it.

School systems have faced challenges with the new …

An Assessment Comparing Community College Students’ Computer Self-Efficacy And Task Based Computer Knowledge, Amy Nicholson Stewart

Dissertations

This quantitative research study explored the relationship between students perceived computer self-efficacy and actual knowledge of computer related skills in computer hardware/technology, windows, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and whether gender, race, and education level affected the research findings.

The participants in this study were students enrolled in an introductory computer concepts course at a community college located in the southeastern region of the United States. The computer course was a required for all students to receive an Associate of Arts and Associate of Applied Science degree. Data was collected in traditional face-to-face class sections and consisted of a pre- and …

Not Created Equal: The Effectiveness Of Two Types Of Educational Computer Games, Timothy Brent Dedeaux

Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to compare two types of educational video games based on Malone’s (1984) theory of challenge, curiosity, and fantasy. The participants were 136 students from a community college in the southeastern United States. The study used a quantitative approach with participants randomly divided into two groups, one playing each of the two games. Participants were given a brief introduction to a list of French phrases and words, took a pre-test, played the selected game, and then took a post-test to assess content knowledge gain. Brockmyer et al.’s (2009) Game Engagement Questionnaire was used to assess …

The Relationship Between Early Childhood Education And Student Success, Fina F. Gayden-Hence

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine whether differences exist in performance on high-stakes accountability tests in third grade and high school among seniors who attended preschool and those who did not attend preschool. Test performance was measured using 2006-2007 third grade Mississippi Curriculum Test (MCT) reading and math scaled scores, English II and Algebra I Subject Area Testing Program-2 (SATP2) scores, and ACT composite scores. The study further analyzed the difference among groups based on retention rates, gender, and socioeconomic status. The study also examined the beliefs of parents of preschool attendees about the impact of preschool on …

National Survey On Leadership Capacity And Scaling-Up Of Pbis Implementation, Julie L. Lowery

Dissertations

This study examined State Education Agency (SEA) efforts to scale up Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) implementation across K-12 public schools within the United States of America. The researcher used archival data to determine percentages of school within each state currently implementing PBIS and a survey method to determine each state’s status regarding standards of PBIS implementation and variables of leadership capacity. The survey instrument was the State PBIS Implementation and Leadership Survey (SPILS). The participants were SEAs from each state and the District of Columbia, as represented by PBIS Coordinators or other designated PBIS professionals. The purpose of …

An Analysis Of The Correlation Between Act Scores And One-To-One Computing, Jeffrey Brian Heath

Dissertations

This study examined whether a relationship exists between one-to-one computing and student achievement, specifically ACT scores. This study also examined whether relationships exist among teachers’ perceptions of one-to-one computing, teachers’ years of experience, subjects taught by teachers, teachers’ skill level in the use of a computer for instruction, and teachers’ perceptions of changes in ACT scores. The results of this study could help policymakers and educators with decisions regarding implementation of one-to-one computing programs.

The sample of schools for investigating the relationship between one-to-one computing and ACT scores consisted of 33 secondary public schools with one-to-one computing programs located in …

Determining The Academic Achievement Of English Language Learners (Ells) By Using Additional Measures Of Growth, Adriana Maria Marin

Dissertations

Accountability measures employed in the country to determine the academic achievement of all the student population rely solely on the results obtained on the standardized tests. Such measures have often placed English language learners’ (ELLs) at risk of academic failure despite the fact that research on second language acquisition (SLA) has stated the complexity involved in the learning/acquisition process of a target language. Scholars have also discussed the influence accountability measures and the issues with the validity of the tests implemented to assess ELLs may have on such results. Therefore, in an effort to obtain a more comprehensive idea of …

The Relationship Between Teacher Collaboration And Teachers' Level Of Knowledge, Implementation, And Confidence Related To Common Core State Standards For Literacy In History/Social Studies, Science And Technical Subject Areas, Talia Shaunte' Lock

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between elements of teacher collaboration and teachers’ level of knowledge, level of implementation, and level of confidence related to CCSS for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subject Areas in grades 6-12. The study included an extensive literature that included an introduction, pertinent literature and research regarding literacy in the 21^st century, CCSS, cross curriculum, teacher collaboration, the role of leadership, and the theoretical framework. The study also included the methodology, research results, the conclusions, recommendations for policymakers and practitioners, and recommendations for further research.

It was discovered …

Developmental Education At The Community College: An Exploration Of Instructional Best Practices And The Relationship Between Integration, Student Involvement And Rates Of Completion, Beverly Gayle Strickland Lewis

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the developmental education process within the community college system in Mississippi. Tinto’s (1993) Integration Theory and Astin’s (1993) Theory of Student Involvement were employed as a framework to assess and understand the relationship between academic integration, social integration, student involvement, and rates of completion.

This concurrent mixed method study identified best practices related to the successful completion of developmental education courses from the vantage point of the faulty and administration at the community college. A total of ten faculty and administrators from five of the community colleges in Mississippi were given a …

Relationships Of Parental Homeschooling Approaches Including Technology Integration, Letitia Annette Walters

Dissertations

This study examined the factors influencing parental selection of homeschooling approaches for their children and the utilization of technology integrated. Factors explored were parental motivators for selecting homeschooling approaches, parental reasons for choosing to homeschooling, technology device usage, and instructional technology integration. The population consisted of parents with at least one year or more of experience in teaching homeschooling and the primary educator being involved in answering the survey. Participants in this study responded to items from a researcher-adapted questionnaire using. The majority of the participants were from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Kentucky. A Bachelor's degree was reported as the highest …

Perceived Attributes And Factors Influencing Instructors’ Using E-Textbooks In Higher Education, Sirui Wang

Dissertations

As digital content, e-Textbooks display text on the screen, integrate multimedia within textual components, and allow reading on portable devices; which make learning highly interactive, flexible, and immediately accessible, increase students’ engagements in learning, and make learning content portable, transferrable, and searchable. Those advanced features did not bring prosperity in using e-Textbooks in education. The adoption of using e-Textbooks in higher education is still far from its confirmation stage. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the perceived attributes of using e-Textbooks by instructors and their actual use of e-Textbooks in higher educational settings, to discuss …

Novelty Or Knowledge? A Study Of Using A Student Response System In Non-Major Biology Courses At A Community College, Tasha Herrington Thames

Dissertations

The advancement in technology integration is laying the groundwork of a paradigm shift in the higher education system (Noonoo, 2011). The National Dropout Prevention Center (n.d.) [JS1] claims that technology offers some of the best opportunities for presenting instruction to engage students in meaningful education, addressing multiple intelligences, and adjusting to students’ various learning styles. The purpose of this study was to investigate if implementing clicker technology would have a statistically significant difference on student retention and student achievement, while controlling for learning styles, for students in non-major biology courses who were and were not subjected to the technology. This …

Elementary Teachers' Sense Of Self Efficacy And Professional Development Experiences Of Teaching Informational Text, Mary Desiree Lee

Dissertations

According to the International Reading Association, becoming a successful citizen in one’s career and personal life requires the use of literacy skills (International Reading Association, 1999). However, students in the United States have scored low on the literacy portions of the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the ACT prompting the National Governor’s Association to author a set of standards with a goal of providing students a balance between narrative and informational text (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010). Scores were below the national average in the southeastern region of the United …

Relationships Between Participation In Extracurricular Activities, Act Scores, Gpa, And Attendance In Select Public High Schools In Mississippi, Lance Kelvin Reed

Dissertations

There are contemporary concerns about improving and sustaining positive student outcomes in secondary schools today. In light of student needs and limited time and resources available to address those needs, educational leaders are faced with making difficult decisions about what should and could be offered to students through their schools. In addition to the general curriculum, schools generally offer a variety of extracurricular activities. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between extracurricular participation and select student outcomes. The findings of this study can provide valuable insight to school leaders as they make decisions about how to …

Examination Of High School Students' Understanding Of Geometry, Brantley Grant Pierce

Master's Theses

Not every student learns geometry instruction the same. Inside today’s classroom, one will find a diverse collection of students with different learning styles, background knowledge, and cognitive abilities. Students with high cognitive skills may sit next to those who struggle to maintain the material of a single subject. It is the job of an educator to accept the students as they are and guide them through a successful academic journey. This process is called Differentiated Instruction. Gregory and Chapman, authors of Differentiated Instructional Strategies: One Size Doesn’t Fit All, state that the term differentiation is a philosophy that allows instructors …