Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Education Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 17 of 17

Full-Text Articles in Education

K-12 Teachers’ Perceptions Of Preparedness And Training To Provide Instruction And Support To English Language Learners, Rebecca Doxsee Apr 2023

K-12 Teachers’ Perceptions Of Preparedness And Training To Provide Instruction And Support To English Language Learners, Rebecca Doxsee

Ed.D. Dissertations

The increased number of English language learners in the general education classroom created the need for teachers to be knowledgeable about how to instruct and support English language learners. Due to the minimal extant literature related to K-12 teachers’ preparedness and training, specifically regarding English language learners, the purpose of this qualitative, interpretive study was to examine the perceptions of Tennessee K-12 teachers related to preparedness and training to provide instruction and support to English language learners in the general education classroom. I emailed the questionnaire to 63 potential participants and received questionnaire responses from 44 (69.84%) K-12 teachers. I …


Investigating Evidence-Based Practices And Interventions Using Multifaceted Learning Theory For Students In A Special Education Self-Contained Classroom, Adam Maitland Feb 2023

Investigating Evidence-Based Practices And Interventions Using Multifaceted Learning Theory For Students In A Special Education Self-Contained Classroom, Adam Maitland

Ed.D. Dissertations

Teachers working in a special education self-contained classroom were required to implement evidence-based practices and interventions, rarely researched in a school setting, with fidelity to meet the needs of students with intellectual disabilities. Evidence-based practices and interventions for students with intellectual disabilities were researched in clinical settings with one to three student participants and without a common evaluation tool. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to use the Tennessee Educator Acceleration Model General Educator Rubric to investigate how experienced teachers used multifaceted learning theory when implementing evidence-based practices and interventions in a diverse special education self-contained classroom to …


Tennessee Rural Middle School Teachers' Perceptions Of Academic Goal Setting For Students, Amy Woolum Feb 2023

Tennessee Rural Middle School Teachers' Perceptions Of Academic Goal Setting For Students, Amy Woolum

Ed.D. Dissertations

Since the 1960s, business leaders and educators used the idea of goal setting theory as a guide to success. Teachers who implemented goal setting strategies contributed to student success and achievement. During my study, I found little existing literature focused on academic goal setting implementation for students in Tennessee rural middle schools containing grades six through eight. The purpose of this qualitative interpretive study was to investigate Tennessee rural middle school teachers’ perceptions about implementing academic goal setting for students. I sent an online Google Forms questionnaire to 117 certified and licensed teachers in varying Tennessee rural middle schools. After …


Racial Acceptance And Behavior Incidents While Being Educated In An Elementary Dual-Language Classroom, Heather Hodal May 2022

Racial Acceptance And Behavior Incidents While Being Educated In An Elementary Dual-Language Classroom, Heather Hodal

Ed.D. Dissertations

Districts and schools are not looking at the data on racial judgments, segregation, and neighborhood quality, along with children’s friendship choices, open-mindedness, and social emotional factors to fully understand and educate others on the benefits of multiculturalism. This case study describes the impact that English-only classrooms and two-way dual language classrooms have on racial acceptance and behavior incidents for kindergarten, first, and second graders in a school located in a Midwest suburb. In utilizing The Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach & Ruffle, 2000) and Office Discipline Referrals (ODRs) to determine specific behavior problems and the Modified Subtle and Blatant Prejudice Scale …


An Examination Of Clergy Preparation In The Church Of The Nazarene, Thomas D. Taylor Jan 2022

An Examination Of Clergy Preparation In The Church Of The Nazarene, Thomas D. Taylor

Ed.D. Dissertations

This study explored the influence of the evolution of post-secondary educational delivery modes on the preparation of ministers in the Church of the Nazarene. The purpose of this study was to examine the trends, outcomes, and efficacy of multiple educational delivery modes for ministerial students in the Church of the Nazarene in order to recommend strategies to enhance the preparedness of clergy for ordination and ministry. The study examined the relationship of the multiple educational delivery modes to student attitudes and perceptions about preparation for ordination, perceived competencies of the formational objectives and curricular objectives, and ministry (career) outcomes of …


Teacher Perceptions Of The Impact Of Vertical Non-Permanent Surfaces In Mathematics Classrooms, Michelle Mikes Jan 2021

Teacher Perceptions Of The Impact Of Vertical Non-Permanent Surfaces In Mathematics Classrooms, Michelle Mikes

Ed.D. Dissertations

The historical, traditional mathematics classroom of students sitting in rows receiving information from the teacher and working individually was still prevalent in the 21st century. Many teachers had resorted to student-centered activities to engage passive students, but the minimal progress of math achievement of United States students denoted a need for the reform of the traditional mathematics classroom. In this multi-site, multi-case qualitative study, I explored teacher perceptions of the use of vertical non-permanent surfaces on the impact of engagement, including the use of formative assessment and feedback with mathematics students, and the lesson structure of 360 Degree Math. The …


Middle School Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Influence Of High Stakes Testing On Instructional Practices And Student Learning And Engagement In Rural Southwest Virginia, Kelli Mooney Jan 2021

Middle School Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Influence Of High Stakes Testing On Instructional Practices And Student Learning And Engagement In Rural Southwest Virginia, Kelli Mooney

Ed.D. Dissertations

In this qualitative study, I examined teachers’ perceptions of the influence of high stakes testing on instructional practices and student learning and engagement in middle schools in rural Southwest Virginia. Fourteen middle school teachers from three middle schools completed questionnaires, and seven teachers submitted lesson plans as part of this study. I analyzed the data and determined teachers expressed negative perceptions of the effects of high stakes testing on student learning and engagement. Teachers also stated high stakes testing limited instructional practices used in classrooms. Teachers perceived current instructional practices were not conducive for active student learning and engagement; however, …


The Impact Of Teacher Methodology Training For Higher Education Faculty Members, Nicole Baker May 2020

The Impact Of Teacher Methodology Training For Higher Education Faculty Members, Nicole Baker

Ed.D. Dissertations

Many college programs are designed to graduate individuals who are experts in their field of study, but not necessarily individuals who are trained in how to teach. This quantitative, quasi-experiment study examined college faculty member’s level of training in the area of teaching practices and methodology. The relation to student satisfaction, current course performance, attendance, the belief in the need for training, and faculty member’s sense of efficacy in teaching was explored. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to organize the data using a one-way ANCOVA to analyze the impact the level of training had on …


The Exploration Of Multicultural Pedagogy On Rural Student Global Literacy And College Preparedness, Katelyn E. Kreis May 2019

The Exploration Of Multicultural Pedagogy On Rural Student Global Literacy And College Preparedness, Katelyn E. Kreis

Ed.D. Dissertations

The study of the effectiveness of multicultural pedagogy on student global literacy and college preparedness is a topic of concern for educators and students. Multicultural education is a multifaceted pedagogical approach in which educators provide diverse experiences for students to learn to work within the global society. The purpose of this research study was to explore the influence multicultural pedagogy has on rural student global literacy and college preparedness. The quantitative approach examined: differences between urban and rural samples, multicultural pedagogy, global citizenship, college preparedness, U.S. interconnectedness, and confidence of new literacies between students in a traditional instructional setting (N …


Teacher Perspectives Of Their Implementation Of Guided Reading Instruction, Kristi Presley Jan 2019

Teacher Perspectives Of Their Implementation Of Guided Reading Instruction, Kristi Presley

Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of guided reading in the classroom and the perception teachers had related to their own self-efficacy in their implementation of guided reading instruction. Using an interpretative qualitative methodology, this researcher interviewed twelve teachers in Tennessee concerning their implementation of guided reading instruction in their classrooms. This researcher designed and utilized a Guided Reading Fidelity Checklist for the purpose of analyzing the collected data. This researcher identified misalignments regarding the fidelity of the implementation of guided reading instruction. The findings of this study demonstrate a need for teachers to have further …


Exploring Higher Order Thinking Strategies In Georgia's Top Performing Middle Schools, Karen Kister Jan 2019

Exploring Higher Order Thinking Strategies In Georgia's Top Performing Middle Schools, Karen Kister

Ed.D. Dissertations

Developmental psychologists defined adolescent cognitive development as a period of time when individuals learn to mentally separate from adults and establish a self‑sufficient identity capable of the autonomous thought necessary to apply higher-order thinking. In contrast, college professors of the millennial generation stated that students demonstrate increased immaturity levels inconsistent with those of prior generations. Hence, the focus of this study was to examine the higher-order thinking strategies that teachers of adolescents have implemented within the five top performing middle schools in the state of Georgia. The findings offered a potential coexistence of higher-order thinking abilities and autonomous behavior and …


The Impact Of Online Instruction On Fourth Grade Students’ Reading Self-Efficacy And Achievement, Chad E. Wickard May 2018

The Impact Of Online Instruction On Fourth Grade Students’ Reading Self-Efficacy And Achievement, Chad E. Wickard

Ed.D. Dissertations

This quantitative, quasi-experimental study examined the relationships between self-efficacy and reading achievement as mediated by an online instructional delivery system called MobyMax® over a period of time between a pretest and a posttest. The sources of self-efficacy were also investigated for the individual contribution of each of the four sources; process accomplishments or mastery experiences, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, and physiological states. Finally, the current study explored the relationships across gender and ethnicity (White, Black, Hispanic, and other). Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to organize the data using a mixed factorial ANOVA to analyze the interventions’ …


New Teacher And Mentor Contact: An Examination Of Type, Frequency, And Duration, Tiffany R. Lowery May 2016

New Teacher And Mentor Contact: An Examination Of Type, Frequency, And Duration, Tiffany R. Lowery

Ed.D. Dissertations

This study focused on three aspects of a new teacher mentor program in a Midwestern elementary school district. The researcher sought to determine whether the type, frequency, and duration of contact between new teachers and their mentors affected the overall usefulness of the mentor program. Within the study, the following types of contact were included on the survey tool: face-to-face contact, email, observation, or other. Frequency was measured by the number of days per month that the new teacher met with the mentor. Duration was measured by the amount of time, in minutes, spent in face-to-face conversation with the mentor. …


Alternative Assessments And Student Perceptions In The Foreign Language Classroom, Robin Barnard Bachelor May 2015

Alternative Assessments And Student Perceptions In The Foreign Language Classroom, Robin Barnard Bachelor

Ed.D. Dissertations

The paradigm shift in education with the implementation of the Common Core State Standards has created the opportunity for foreign language educators to evaluate appropriate and beneficial assessments for their students. This study investigated how first-year students in a Midwestern high school perceived three different alternative assessments in the foreign language classroom: Dynamic Assessment, Task-based Assessment, and Formative Assessment using self- and peer-evaluation. The researcher correlated the perceptions to the students’ assessment scores. Additionally, the researcher compared final exam scores of the control group to those of the experimental group. The results indicated that the experimental group students favorably perceived …


Stop The Madness! College Faculty And Student Perceptions Of Classroom Incivility, Christina M. Nutt May 2013

Stop The Madness! College Faculty And Student Perceptions Of Classroom Incivility, Christina M. Nutt

Ed.D. Dissertations

Classroom incivility is causing major concern, nation-wide, to college administrators, faculty, and students. The damage caused by student incivility has been associated with a decrease in student learning, the deterioration of the classroom learning environment, lower faculty morale, and reduced student retention rates. The purpose of this quantitative non-experimental fixed research design was to explore and compare college faculty and student perceptions of type and frequency of classroom incivilities at a private college in order to provide a foundation for the development of strategies to reduce uncivil behaviors and increase student success. Study results demonstrated that faculty members and students, …


The Effects Of Charismatic Communication Training On Leader Communication Effectiveness, Paul Fabbi May 2013

The Effects Of Charismatic Communication Training On Leader Communication Effectiveness, Paul Fabbi

Ed.D. Dissertations

This study investigated whether a two-hour leadership course in charismatic communication would result in improved leader communication effectiveness. Ninety two organizational leaders participated in the study, as well as 955 of their followers. Leader participants were divided into experimental and control conditions and a pretest-posttest research design was used to evaluate the effects of training on leader charismatic communication self-efficacy and charismatic communication behaviors. Follower perception of leader communication effectiveness was evaluated using a simple time series design. Results indicated those in the training condition had significantly greater charismatic communication self-efficacy and behavioral ability than those in the non-training condition. …


By The Book: Spiritual Formation And Conduct Codes At Selected Christian Universities, Gerald A. Longjohn Jr. May 2013

By The Book: Spiritual Formation And Conduct Codes At Selected Christian Universities, Gerald A. Longjohn Jr.

Ed.D. Dissertations

This study investigated the integration of spiritually formative goals with student conduct codes at selected Christian universities. Utilizing a case study methodology, this study incorporated content analysis of university documents and focus group interviews with campus stakeholders to assess the formulation, revision, communication and enforcement of the campus policies. Qualitative data analysis software, NVivo, was used as a means of coding and tracking themes from a wide range of data sources. Campus results from the Student Satisfaction Inventory were incorporated as a means of triangulating the data. This study concluded that the participating universities were extensively integrating previously researched spiritually …