Education Commons^™

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 …

Academic Match And The Tennessee Promise: Rural High School Counselors’ Perspectives, Charles Painter

Ed.D. Dissertations

The number of Tennessee students increasingly enrolled in postsecondary institutions since the introduction of Tennessee Promise (TN Promise); however, program requirements coupled with counselor behaviors related to TN Promise may lead to academic undermatch. This researcher used a qualitative research design to investigate the responses of high school guidance counselors in rural school districts in East Tennessee. Eight high school counselors participated in the study. Data analysis revealed that high school counselors encourage all eligible students to enroll in TN Promise without considering academic match. High school counselors used implicit actions and activities to enroll students in TN Promise. High …

Boredom Proneness And Character Strengths Related To Academic Achievement In Adolescence, Bonnie Iannaccone

Ed.D. Dissertations

Abstract

Susceptibility to boredom can interfere with students’ ability to achieve their academic potential, with enduring negative consequences. In the present study, the researcher investigated differences in boredom proneness and character strengths in adolescent high school students and the ability of boredom proneness scores and character strengths to predict academic achievement. Results indicated that 9 of 10 students were moderately or highly prone to boredom. Students’ whose top character strength was humility were more highly prone to boredom than students’ whose top-ranked character strengths were bravery, prudence, or curiosity. From boredom proneness and character strengths data the researcher concluded that …

The Relationship Between Students' Act Math Subscores And High School Math Course Completion In Tennessee, Jacob Carver

Ed.D. Dissertations

In 2009, President Barack Obama and legislators passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which financed the Race to the Top Fund. To receive funding from the Race to the Top, Tennessee educators and legislators implemented the Tennessee Diploma Project in 2009. The Tennessee Diploma Project increased graduation requirements for students in terms of coursework and assessments. Tennessee educators and legislators anticipated the increased graduation requirements would increase students’ achievement and ACT scores (college readiness skills). In mathematics, the graduation requirement increased from three high school math courses to four high school math courses: Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, …

Effects Of Restorative Practices On Students With Disabilites: A Quantitative Study, Tammy Potter

Ed.D. Dissertations

From the enactment of the Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994 to the time of this study in 2019, school discipline has been a growing concern as more and more students fell victim to the negative impacts of zero-tolerance discipline policies commonly utilized in U.S. public schools. School discipline continues to be a mounting concern, as each year, more students are suffering the negative impacts of zero-tolerance discipline policies. There has been growing concern that students with special needs are particularly vulnerable due to the exclusionary nature of dealing with behavioral issues that are often a manifestation of the student’s disability. …

Examining Predictor Measures For Students' Testing In The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, Shannon Siebe

Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between both student achievement and growth in 9th and 10th grade English and math courses and achievement on International Baccalaureate English and math exams. The researcher examined student end-of-course exam scores, student growth values, and International Baccalaureate English and math exam scores from an International Baccalaureate World School across 4 graduating cohorts, including 305 students. The researcher concluded that while 9th grade math end-of-course exam achievement does not significantly predict International Baccalaureate math exam scores, student growth in 9th grade math does. The researcher also concluded that Advanced Placement Language …