Education Commons^™

Teacher Quality And Teacher Preparedness In Public Secondary Schools: Evidence From Sass 1999-2000, Xuejin Lu

Dissertations

Resource equalization represents the historical and theoretical basis for American school finance and its ideals continue to dominate discussion and practice. During the last decade and a half, the national aspiration for equitable distribution of school finance resources has started a transformation into a derivative notion of adequacy. This equity policy derivative embraces the idea of sufficiency, which in turn implies a standard. The concept of educational adequacy has grown to mean the achievement of high absolute standards. Equity (equalization) theorists measure resource level on a relative basis; each student relative to all others. Adequacy adherents measure student achievement against …

The Transition From High School To College : A Single-Case Study, Margaret R. Hay

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to use quantitative and qualitative data to describe the transition recent high-school graduates made to a small, rural community college. Both the students’ academic preparation and their own perceptions about their preparedness for college were described.

Method. Data from the transcripts of high-school graduates were examined using Chi square, tests of independent means, and analyses of variance to test the relationship to placement in developmental classes. The data included senior year course selections, the number of units taken in math, English, and textbook-dependent courses, and grade point averages in math, English, and textbook-dependent …

Preparing Teachers To Use Technology: The Webquest In The Secondary English Language Arts Methods Classroom, Melinda C. Dobson

Dissertations

This study focuses on why and how English language arts methods instructors can integrate WebQuest development into their courses. Behavioral, cognitive, and constructive learning theory are established as a theoretical basis for introducing the WebQuest into the English language arts methods curriculum. Practicing teachers are surveyed about their WebQuest-use to identify positive and negative outcomes of the activity. National and international standards the WebQuest fulfills are identified. This study focuses on how to integrate technology in general into the methods course and then documents the development of the researcher's WebQuest and that of three different secondary English language arts methods …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Followership Modalities And Leadership Styles Among Educators At Selected High Schools In Jackson, Mississippi, Joyce Elaine Johnson

Dissertations

Problem. The purpose of this study was to explore the nature of the relationship between followership modalities and leadership styles. High-school teachers and principals in the Jackson Public School District in Jackson, Mississippi, participated in the study.

Method. Methodological triangulation that combined quantitative and qualitative methods served as the study's research design. A 45-item Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ Form 5x-Short), developed by Bass and Avolio (1995), and a well-established measure of leadership style, was administered to the principals.

A 20-item, self-diagnostic questionnaire, developed by Robert Kelley, designed to measure followership modalities, was administered to the high school teachers who …

Differential Perceptions Of Teachers And Students About The Teaching And Learning Of History In Secondary Schools Of Trinidad And Tobago, Stephen Joseph

Dissertations

Problem. Students at the upper secondary-school level sometimes experience difficulties understanding basic historical concepts as well as appreciating the relevance of history as a subject in the school's curriculum. While these students are capable of formulating perspectives of their own, teachers often find it necessary to guide students' thinking toward an accepted paradigm (scholarly concept) of history. The problem is that there are mismatched paradigms that teachers need to bring together in order to establish a foundation for a scholarly approach to history.

This study seeks to identify different conceptual frameworks that exist in students' thinking about history. It …

An Examination Of The Perceived Need And Recommended Competencies For A Secondary School Principal Internship Program In The Seventh-Day Adventist Educational System, Robert L. Caskey

Dissertations

Purpose. The of this study was to examine the perceived need for, the recommended competencies of, and the delivery systems suggested, for a secondary school principal internship program in the Seventh-day Adventist educational system.

This study evolved from the belief that the significant turnover of principals represents a challenge for Adventist education. Because of this, the supply of qualified and experienced candidates is not available in sufficient numbers to meet the current personnel needs for secondary school administrators.

The review of related literature traced the history of principal internship training in the public school system from the early 1800s to …

An Autobiographical Study Of My Beliefs, Attributes, And Practices As An Instructional Support Consultant, Jennifer Wilcox Dove

Dissertations

Problem . People ask what I do as an instructional support consultant. Over time, I have created my own approach to instructional support. This study uncovers the beliefs and attributes that drive my practices as an instructional support consultant, as well as those that comprise my model of instructional support.

Method . Using a narrative autobiographical approach, I analyzed early experiences that provided a foundation for beliefs I have about teaching and learning. With the help of close colleagues, I analyzed my current beliefs,attributes, and practices. I wrote stories using my journals and conversations I had with close colleagues. I …

The Relationships Between Student Diligence, Student Support Systems, Other Related Variables And Student Academic Outcomes In High Schools In Grenada, Christon Arthur

Dissertations

Problem. The Ministry of Education on the Caribbean Island of Grenada has been seeking to find ways to improve students' academic performance. The Ministry's emphasis has been on finding ways to make students more responsible for their education and at the same time trying to examine the level of educator support and parental support students receive. This emphasis on the level of educator and parental support that students receive was due in part to the findings of Hinds et al. (1999) that students in the Eastern Caribbean rate the support from parents and educators as being very important to …

Implications Of Changing To 4 By 4 Semester Block Scheduling For Secondary Students With Learning Disabilities, Sandra Kay Wayne

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of changing from a traditional schedule to a block schedule on selected school-related behaviors and measures of secondary students with learning disabilities and their regular education teachers. Areas of impact that were addressed included school performance measures of student success rates, attendance rates, and discipline referrals as well as affective measures of levels of students' active engagement in learning activities, the variety of teaching and learning modes used, and the amount of individualized teacher attention given to students.

The research population consisted of six high schools in south and central …

Selected Roles/Functions Of Technical/Vocational Education Administrators In Barbados And The Need For Further Preparation And Continuing Professional Development, Cecil I. Cummins

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the roles/functions of technical/vocational education (TVE) administrators in Barbados and to ascertain their personal needs for further preparation and continuing professional development.

The population for the study consisted of 115 TVE administrators from the Ministry of Education, tertiary institutions, vocational centers, Grammar schools, and Newer secondary schools. The survey method was used to gather the data. All respondents were asked to complete a 87-item questionnaire which described various roles/functions associated with the administration of TVE programs under eight major categories. For each role descriptor, respondents were asked to indicate how important it …

Vision And The Ideal Teacher: Implications For Educational Practice, Rosalind Victoria Aaron

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to describe how and why teachers with a vision of an ideal teacher have chosen teaching as their profession and to articulate how that vision has influenced their educational practice.

Procedure. This study was conducted in the classroom setting using qualitative methods. The qualitative techniques were informal and formal interviews, non-participant observations, and personal journal entries.

Conclusions. The findings of the study revealed that the three teachers do have visions, which they clearly articulated. Their visions resulted from their interaction with others, but specifically with some of their former teachers. As new ideas, …

An Analysis Of The Expressed Needs For Vocational Education In Secondary Schools In Barbados, Jonathan H. Lewis

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the views held by administrators, teachers, students, and parents regarding the expressed needs for vocational education in secondary schools in Barbados.

The survey method was used to gather the data. All respondents were asked to complete a 42-item questionnaire. The population sample was 762, which was made up of 122 administrators, 224 teachers, 274 students, and 142 parents. The data were analyzed using the t-test and one-way analysis of variance.

The major findings in the study were: (1) All groups were homogenous in their response and expressed a strong need for all …

An Assessment Of Vocational Technical Education Students' Literacy Levels And Awareness Of Employer Expectations, Toni Woolfork

Dissertations

This is a correlational study designed to determine the readiness of high school students to pursue employment upon graduation. The study consisted of 137 subjects in grades 10-12, enrolled in 11 vocational education classes within the Kalamazoo Public School System in Kalamazoo County. Subjects were administered both a literacy instrument designed to measure literacy levels; and a self-awareness inventory, designed to obtain demographic information and to assess each subject’s knowledge or awareness of employer expectations as well as skills necessary for the workplace. Each teacher also complemented an inventory, which allowed the researcher to determine the similarities between subject’s and …

A Study Of Group Attitudes Toward The Professional Status Of Teachers In Selected Adventist Elementary And Secondary Schools, Edward Joseph Kunitz

Dissertations

Problem. It was not known to what extent groups associated with Adventist education supported the professional role orientation of teaching which in turn affected the work behavior and morale of teachers.

Method. A Professional Role Orientation Scale (PROS) was responded to by 701 randomly selected subjects. The scale contained four criteria identifying professional aspects of teaching as a profession. Responses to the instrument were item weight analyzed and judged for point multiserial reliability before insertion into a BMDP statistical program. Four null hypotheses were tested using two-way ANOVA with the Scheffe test for multiple mean comparisons. Stepwise multiple regressions were …

The Effects Of Computer Assisted Instruction In Basic Skills Courses On High-Risk Ninth Grade Students, Thomas E. Dellario

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine the effects of computer assisted instruction (CAI) in basic skills English and mathematics courses on high-risk ninth grade students. Utilizing an ex post facto design, the study was undertaken to determine if CAI courses make any measurable difference in students' academic achievement. The study also examines three nonacademic concerns relating to the school-imposed, high-risk, label carried by these students: attendance, student behavior, and dropouts.

Data were collected from school personnel offices on 384 ninth grade students enrolled in four high schools of two urban school districts. Because of student drops from school, …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Oral Communication Apprehension And Cognitive Restructuring In High School Speech Class, Lolita Fox Balch

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a cognitive restructuring unit in the reduction of oral communication apprehension (CA) and the enhancement of semester grades in high school speech class. The unit was designed to raise self-acceptance, and thereby, self-confidence, especially in oral communication.

The experimental treatment method, cognitive restructuring (plus skills training), was compared with the skills training only traditional speech class method. Both treatment methods were reviewed, as well as inappropriate treatment methods for classroom and clinic.

Subjects registered in four different speech courses were randomly assigned by computer to classes which were then …

Motivation Of Secondary-School Teachers In The Lake Union Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists Based On Herzberg's Dual-Factor Theory Of Job Satisfaction And Motivation, Khillah Latif Khillah

Dissertations

Several studies in industry and public education have defined areas of job satisfactionand dissatisfaction. It appears that the Seventh-day Adventist secondary-school teachers are confronted with most of the same motivating factors as their counterparts in public schools. Job dissatisfaction can result in teacher mobility which may disrupt the operation of any school system.

The study population included all the secondary-school teachers for 1984-85 in ten Lake Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists senior academies. Herzberg'sinstrument to measure workers' motivation was modified and used for the collection of data; Chi-square and Spearman r tests provided tests of significance as well as rank …

A Study Of The Relationship Between High School Graduation Requirements And Student A.C.T. Assessment Scores In Public High Schools In The State Of Michigan, William M. Pritchard

Dissertations

The literature has pointed toward changes in high school curriculum as a contributor to the decline of standardized test scores during the 1960's and 1970's. During the past few years, many schools have increased graduation requirements in various subject areas in an effort to increase learning on the part of students. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the number of years of required study in various subject areas on student achievement.

The population that was studied included all public high schools in the State of Michigan. Two hundred thirty-eight schools were sampled from the population, …

Moral And Religious Problems And Attitudes As Expressed By Students In Seventh-Day Adventist Academies In The United States And Canada, Ingram Frank Du Preez

Dissertations

Problem. Adolescence is characterized by many problems of adjustment. Seventh-day Adventist youth cannot be expected to be immune to these problems. The purpose of the study was to ascertain the moral and religious problems and attitudes as perceived by students in Adventist academies. An attempt was also made to evaluate, from the students' viewpoint, the effectiveness of the provisions made by the academies to help meet these problems. Method Nineteen hundred and twenty students were chosen by a stratified random method from all enrollees in Seventh-day Adventist academies In the United States and Canada. Students were asked to respond to …

A Comparison Of The Values, Attitudes And Beliefs Of Mennonite Youth Who Attended A Church-Related High School And Those Who Attended Public High Schools, William D. Hooley

Dissertations

No abstract provided.