Education Commons^™

University Education For The Creation Of The Black Middle Class: Kigali, Rwanda, Chrystina L. Russell

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Drawing on theories documenting the advantages and disadvantages of the growing Black middle class, this dissertation examines how higher education functions in creating a middle class citizenry in developing countries. The underlying premise of this dissertation is understanding how technology and education operate in tandem to simultaneously alleviate and perpetuate economic as well as social inequalities. Therefore, this project will contribute to research on the growing Black middle class in the developing world, and will offer insight into a “blueprint” of how technology and education operate in tandem.

This dissertation is a case study—employing mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) approaches—examination …

The Development Of A Survey Instrument To Measure Transactional Distance In Secondary Blended Learning Environments, Dennis Lane

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The goal of this study was to develop a survey instrument to measure transactional distance in secondary blended learning environments. This study resulted in a 35-item survey instrument, the Blended Learning Assessment Scale of Transactional Distance (BLASTD), which was tested using a convenience sample of secondary students (n=222) at a secondary blended learning site. The research followed a methodology for scale development developed by Hinkin, Tracey, and & Enz, and was conducted through the following seven steps: (1) Item Generation; (2) Content Adequacy Assessment; (3) Questionnaire Administration; (4) Factor Analysis; (5) Internal Consistency Assessment; (6) Construct Validity; and …

The Effect Of Blended Learning On Math And Reading Achievement In A Charter School Context, Terry Chaney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In spite of its growing popularity, researchers have focused little attention on the effectiveness of combining traditional classroom instruction and online learning, a practice generally referred to as blended learning. The modest research on blended learning to date has tended to focus on higher education, leaving a significant gap in the research regarding K-12 education. Even less attention has been given to blended learning in charter school K-12 education. Framed within Vygotsky’s theory of social development, the purpose of this causal-comparative research study was to determine if there were any significant differences when comparing charter school students who participated in …

The Impact Of Blended Learning On Social Presence, Cognitive Presence, Teaching Presence, And Perceived Learning, Kyleigh Harrell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The quantitative study examined how blended learning influences high school learners’ social presence, cognitive presence, teacher presence, and perceived learning in comparison to online instruction. The study answered the following research questions: (a) Do differences exist among the social presence, cognitive presence, and teaching presence of high school students enrolled in a blended course as compared to those enrolled in an online course? (b) Does a difference exist between perceived learning of high school students enrolled in a blended course as compared to that of those enrolled in an online course? The researcher used a causal-comparative research design and tested …