Education Commons^™

The Role Of Virtual Communication Platforms In Academically Supporting Post-Secondary Students, Eldora M. Fosmire

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

While many consider college students to be digital natives, who are at ease with multiple forms of technology, many of these students do not adapt these skills for academic purposes. Retention concerns for college students often prompt support staff to seek out and adopt technology approaches to promote completion. This study provided a virtual learning platform to deliver academic support and sought to promote learning community interaction for rural and urban post-secondary students. A subset of vocational major programs that prepare students for employment after completion served as a participant pool. However, participants in the study chose not to use …

Special Education Teacher Turnover & School Leadership, Patricia Moore

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Turnover and retention among special education teachers (SETs) continues to be a problem for many school districts. Studies suggest that the leadership approach of school leaders is a key factor influencing SETs’ decision to stay or leave their jobs. This qualitative phenomenological case study was designed to gain a better understanding of eight SETs’ experiences with their school leadership. In-depth one-to-one interviews, focus group interviews, and participant journaling were employed to collect rich narratives of SETs’ lived experiences. The data gathered from this study clearly showed that servant leadership, in which leaders are attuned to the emotional and professional needs …

Teacher Retention Rates: Variables That Play A Role In Low-Performing Schools With High Minority At-Risk Populations, Christine Gray

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Educational leaders are concerned about teacher retention rates. More teachers are leaving the profession and fewer colleges are enrolling students into their teacher preparation programs (Sawchuk, 2016). This study focused on potential correlations between the dependent variable of teacher retention and 3 independent variables: induction and mentoring programs, incentives, and a school’s socioeconomic status. The author conducted the study in a school district in Florida that contained low-performing schools with high-minority at-risk populations. Data collection involved emailing a survey based on Giacometti’s (2005) instrument to 1,359 members of the district’s teacher’s union, with 401 completing the survey. The author used …

Advanced Systemic Process Approach Vs Michigan Department Of Education Non-Systemic Process Approach To School Improvement, Diane P. Fleming

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The author of this correlational study examined the differences in academic achievement and school improvement between Michigan schools accredited by AdvancED, which uses a systemic process approach for school improvement, and schools accredited by the Michigan Department of Education, which does not use a systemic process approach. The data for the study was a random sampling of Education YES! self-reports, fed by the School Systems Review (SSR) completed by Michigan-accredited schools and the Interim Self-Assessment (ISA) completed by AdvancED-accredited schools. Schools that follow a systemic process were more likely to be successful than schools that do not. In addition to …

Educating Educative Mentors: Video As Instructional Tool, Melissa Meetze-Hall

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

New teachers rarely come to their first years of teaching with the expertise of a veteran teacher. Because teachers need to deliver impactful instruction, the education community has expanded induction initiatives that support new teachers. Understanding how induction mentors develop expertise in feedback and reflection can guide efforts to foster the development of mentor practice. This qualitative case study focused on the use of video and self-reflection to support mentor development practices within a regional induction program in Southern California. The study explored the experience of induction mentors who used both video-aided self-reflection and video-aided peer feedback during the 2017-2018 …

Correlation Between Instructional School Culture And Student Achievement In An Urban District, Wayman Graham

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The Teachers Talent Toolbox needed a tool that could compile usable information on any given learning institution through data collection and analysis and provide usable qualitative and quantitative data that could be used to identify the causes of low achievement and provide necessary interventions within the school to improve student outcomes. To answer this need, the Instructional Culture Index/Insight Survey was developed by the New Teacher Project in 2016 and has been widely used and implemented in many schools and districts. This survey instrument was validated and deemed reliable by the RAND Corporation also in 2016. The purpose of this …

A Phenomenological Study On Leading Transformational Change And Building School Culture In Elementary Schools, Tamera Jones

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This study followed a phenomenological qualitative approach to understand the complexity surrounding the experiences of the elementary school principals, build understanding around how they describe their daily life of school, and how they lead transformational change and build school culture. I sought to understand the associated skills, knowledge, and behaviors that elementary school principals employed and how the relational and collegial theories of transformational, instructional, and servant leadership were applied by elementary principals in leading transformational change and building school culture. Five key themes provided insight into the experiences of these elementary principals, the associated skills, knowledge, and behaviors that …

Evaluation And Implementation Of An After-School Program For Elementary School Students, Connie Lawler

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this 20-week language-based afterschool program was to develop a group of Hawaiian students’ English cognitive language skills while they learned a second language at their local youth center. The context, input, process, product evaluation (CIPP) model approach was used to evaluate the impacts of a structured language-based afterschool program. A diverse sample of participants was evaluated through semi-structured interviews, surveys, class observations, feedback, and the students’ academic progress. After the collected data were triangulated, it was learned that the language-based afterschool program has a positive outcome, which denotes a statistical significant improvement regarding the students’ English language …

Influences On The Sources Of Teacher Self-Efficacy In A Lutheran School, Kimberly Lavado

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Teacher self-efficacy influences teacher effectiveness and, in turn, affects student academic achievement. Improving teacher effectiveness can improve student achievement. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) measures student growth across the United States, and Lutheran schools consistently record strong achievement scores on NAEP. Exploring the influences on the sources of teacher self-efficacy in a Lutheran school can help deepen our understanding of the influences on teacher effectiveness. Guided by Bandura's social cognitive theory (1977), which asserts that an individual's belief in his ability to affect and control a desired outcome is impacted by mastery experience, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, and …

A Descriptive Case Study Of The Impact Of Leadership Style On Teacher Retention In A Title I School Campus In Texas, Twanna L. Mead

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This dissertation is intended to complement the conversation in the social sciences about the challenging role of campus principals and the influence they have on teacher retention and job satisfaction. School principals are held accountable for creating positive change within the campus, therefore they supervise the operational and instructional supervision of the faculty and staff.

This study explores the distinct role of principal leadership and its requirements. Leadership in a Title I school, involves demands that related to the school’s success. Leadership style has the power to arouse or impede teacher success. School leaders must know how to operate the …

Teaching Middle School Children Affected By Homelessness: An Interpretive Phenomenological Investigation Of Teachers’ Lived Experiences, Timothy B. Smart

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The human experience occupies the central role in phenomenological research. In this interpretive phenomenological study, the researcher recruited and interviewed secondary school teachers from three public urban schools in the Pacific Northwest in order to have them describe their lived experiences that relate to instructing students affected by homelessness. The researcher used two semi-structured, conversational interviews with six participants who reflected on how their classroom experiences influenced their teaching, engagement strategies, emotional states, and student relationships. The conceptual framework for this study included: Homelessness in America, public school setting, impact of homelessness, and teacher perspective. In this study, the researcher …

The Influence Of The Heritage Language On The Cultural Integration Of Second-Generation Hispanic Adolescents: A Phenomenological Study, Camille Schuler

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the influence of the heritage language on the cultural integration of 10 second-generation Hispanic adolescents, ages 15-19. Data were collected using in-depth interviews that asked participants to share their experiences with their heritage language, and in what situations they found themselves feeling more Hispanic, more American, and more bicultural, when speaking their heritage language. Participants also shared the formal course of language study they chose, such as Spanish, Heritage Spanish, and AP Spanish Language, why they chose it, and how that choice influenced their perceptions of the heritage language and their cultural integration. Berry’s (2005) Acculturation …

Principal Socialization: A Single Case Study Of Novice Charter School Principals In Los Angeles, Monique A. Woodley

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Charter school principals need to effectively manage their school and maintain student academic achievement. As a result of these demands, novice charter school principals must also receive support so that they can grow as professionals to develop a successful school. Van Maanen and Schein’s (1977) foundational theory on organizational socialization is utilized as a conceptual framework to demonstrate a need for novice charter school principal support. This is a single-case study that enlisted 12 participants to further investigate the type of support novice charter school principals in Los Angeles receive. This study identifies effective types of support. This single-case study …

A Phenomenological Study: How College Students With Adhd Are Affected By Fragmentation And Disassociation, Melissa Hood

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) struggle with more learning challenges than any other group of students; these individuals may experience spiritual fragmentation that impacts the effectiveness of academic program structure and learning outcomes. The purpose of this hermeneutic, phenomenological study was to explore college students with ADHD are affected by disassociation and fragmentation. The conceptual framework for this study was based on the constructionist theories of Maslow, Vygotsky, and Erikson. Purposeful sampling included 39 participants using a Qualtircs survey as the instrument. In addition, five of these parcipants were also interviewed. Data were analyzed through open, axial, and …

What Do The Voices Of Incarcerated Females Tell Educational Leaders About The Need For Mental Health Resources In Pk-12 Programs?, Phyllis E. Burger

Doctorate in Education

Statistical reports confirm that the female incarcerated population is not only increasing, but the frequency of mental disorders among this vulnerable population is accelerating. Women’s pathways to crime show that gender matters significantly in shaping criminality. The frequency of mental disorders among incarcerated females is much higher than that in the general female population; it is higher than that of incarcerated men. There is abundant literature about women in prison, however, little about the characteristics of females in county jails. The goals of this study were to understand both the demographics and characteristics of females in jail and responsive programming …