Education Commons^™

Impact Of Lesson Study On Teachers’ Beliefs, Professional Knowledge, Collaboration, And Instructional Planning, Megan Houtchens

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies: Doctoral Research Projects

The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to create a lesson study framework that content and grade level teams of teachers can use to develop and implement their own professional learning connected to student learning goals over the course of a school year. The knowledge claim (McNiff, 2017) for this study is lesson study will result in changes in teachers’ knowledge and beliefs about their content, pedagogy and student learning, in teachers’ collaborative capacity, and in the teaching and learning resources that are used to support student thinking (Lewis et al., 2009). Three teams of content specific teachers …

The Relationship Between School Growth In Achievement And Professional Learning Communities Among Elementary Teachers, Jennifer Jackson Pennell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the relationships between school growth, teacher collaboration, collective teacher efficacy, teacher perceptions of Professional Learning Communities (PLC,) and Free and Reduced Lunch rates (FRL) within a school district where the implementation of a PLC model was optional. Results demonstrated that FRL is by far the strongest predictor of English Language Arts or mathematics growth. Collective teacher efficacy and teacher collaboration were positively correlated. PLCs and teacher collaboration were also positively correlated. Results inform educators and policy makers about how collaboration between teachers and equity issues both impact school growth and student learning.

Is A Picture Worth A Thousand Numbers? An Exploration Of Understanding And Recall Of Data Presentations, Holly L. Roof

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation reports results of a study with a quasi-randomized experimental component and a protocol analysis, or think aloud, component. The experimental component was designed to determine if people with no statistical training and people with some statistical training differed in their understanding and recollection of statistical information with varying degrees of complexity. Information was presented using data visualization techniques based on cognitive theory and compared to presentations using APA-style numerical tables of statistical output. The focus was on using empirically-supported graphical displays in PowerPoint presentations such as one might see at a research conference. Classroom groups of beginning and …

Alliances And Accomplices Rise: A Critical Look At A Partnership With A School Serving An Indigenous Community, Alicia Brianna Saxe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Conventional research in the social sciences roots itself in the colonial surmise behind the supremacist ideologies of Western and White knowledge, ways of living, people, and institutions. The well-established hegemony of the Western positivist research paradigm encourages a paternalistic and asymmetrical researcher-researched relationship, which reserves “legitimate” knowledge creation for an elite few. In this way, research traditions have largely functioned to uphold the status quo, especially when conducted with Indigenous peoples. Community-based research challenges the positivist empire by emphasizing community knowledge in researcher-community collaborations for the sake of taking action on community-identified issues. Mutually-beneficial researcher-community partnerships are especially relevant to …

Don't Let Their Future Blow Away: An Integrated Methodology To Inform School Leaders Of The Dimensions And Determinants Of School Vulnerability Leading To Disaster Learning Loss, Kaleen Daneil Weiland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School leaders play a key role in the critical functions of emergency response in a school system, including purposefully sustaining safe, secure, and healthy learning environments for all students before and after a disaster. Despite these values, school leaders remain underprepared and often unaware of the vulnerabilities associated with weather, climate, and other disaster events and the potential threat that climate change poses to both student achievement and access to education. This study presents school-leaders with a landscape-scale geospatial vulnerability assessment of school districts exposed to, or threatened by, hurricanes in order to improve mitigation efforts in schools. In this …

Exploring The Moderation Mechanisms Of The Association Between Acculturative Stress And Social Self-Efficacy Among Asian International Students, Jinzhao Zhao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Asian international students account for 70% of international students in the U.S., which makes 4.3% of total population enrolled in American universities and colleges. They experience stress related to adapting to mainstream culture in the U.S. (i.e., acculturative stress), which negatively impacts their mental health and view of self. The negative impacts also include willingness and ability to perform social behaviors and to maintain interpersonal relationships (i.e., social self-efficacy). Previous acculturation studies proposed from a theoretical perspective that several factors may alleviate the negative impact of acculturative stress and enhance Asian international students' social self-efficacy. These factors include acculturation orientation …

Restorative Injustice: A Study Of Failed Implementation Of Restorative Practices At An Urban High School, Paul Gerard Cama

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The restorative justice process utilizes various intervention strategies created by indigenous tribes throughout the world, as an alternative to procedural justice (Zehr, 2002). In modern education, restorative justice was incorporated into the public-school system, where it has evolved into a preemptive measure to combat punitive discipline policies that is often seen as both racially insensitive and detrimental to the learning of students. The purpose of this study was to examine the implementation process of a school based restorative justice program at an urban high school and focused on how these interventions were implemented, what resources were allocated, and how it …

Improving Beginning Teacher Effectiveness: The Most Important And Difficult Competencies And How They Differ In Low-Income Schools, Jessica Anne Lerner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests teacher quality is a significant factor predicting student achievement, especially for low-income students. However, there is insufficient research about which teaching competencies warrant emphasis during pre-service training. The purpose of this study was to investigate consensus among expert educators on the importance and difficulty of teaching competencies for beginning teachers, and whether the importance and difficulty of those competencies differ in low-income school settings. Thirty-one academic and practitioner experts in beginning teacher development participated in the study. Participants rated 8 of 25 teaching competencies as very important and very difficult for beginning teachers. Results indicate broad consensus among …

A Comparison Of Bayesian Estimation Techniques In A Multidimensional Two-Parameter Partial Credit Item Response Model, Peiyan Liu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bayesian estimation methods have shown better performance than the traditional Marginal Maximum Likelihood (MML) estimation method for parameter estimation in relatively simple item response models. However, extant literature is lacking on the investigation of Bayesian parameter estimation approaches for a multidimensional two parameter partial credit (M2PPC) model, therefore this simulation study investigated the performance of two Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms: Gibbs Sampler and Hamiltonian Monte Carlo-No-U-Turn-Sampler (HMC-NUTS) for M2PPC models' parameter estimation. It compared the estimation accuracy and computing speed in different combinations of situations, including prior choices, test lengths, and the relationships between dimensions.

The datasets …

Teachers And Creativity In The Classroom, Krystal Dawn Flanders

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fostering creativity within the classroom can have numerous positive and lasting effects that support students in becoming adults who are inquisitive, curious, critical thinkers, as well as risk takers (Amabile & Kramer, 2012; Beghetto, 2015; Craft, 2003; Csikszentmihalyi, 2013; Hennessy, 2017; Piirto, 2004; Starko, 2018). Sternberg (2007) argues that, since the world is changing at a faster pace than ever before, students will need to continuously deal with new and unusual tasks and situations. Although the research identifies the importance of creativity in the classroom, the research also finds a trend in teachers' limited understanding of what creativity is and …

Interrogating Racialized Scripts: Parents And Students Organized For Leading Educational Justice, Stefanie Iona Gurulé

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative critical case study portraiture examines several racialized scripts found in family engagement, educational leadership, and social justice literature regarding under-resourced parents and students of color as leaders for educational justice. These scripts, or dominant narratives, discuss racially-minoritized parents and students as deficient in character and culture. They also deem that educational leadership for social justice is too complex an issue for these parents and students to have any positive effect. Therefore they are viewed in the literature as being only passively active in their own education. Analyzing a successful and authentic parent and student activist organization that focused …

The Intersection Of Mindfulness, Teacher Efficacy And School Climate: A Pilot Study, Sarah K. Killion

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Burnout, teaching self-efficacy, and school climate are hot topics in education. Daily stressors create feelings known as burnout, including emotional exhaustion, detachment from teammates, and a decline in feelings of professional competence. The alarmingly high rate of educator turnover illustrates a critical juncture in education. Therefore, interventions are required to improve a teachers' ability to manage student behaviors, provide quality instruction, maintain student engagement, and sustain an atmosphere of collegiality with teammates and administrators.

Mindfulness is a concept that is best understood as moment-to-moment, non-judgmental awareness cultivated through the practice of meditation and calming activities. These interventions are being utilized …

Telling Our Stories: Exploring The Path Toward Successful Mathematics Degree Attainment At An Under-Resourced Predominantly Black Institution, Lauren E. Mckittrick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The under-representation of Blacks in mathematics related professions stems from an American educational system of inequity. Many Black students, including a substantial proportion of those who enroll at Predominantly Black Institutions, attend elementary and secondary schools in under-resourced districts with limited access to quality teachers and rigorous, culturally-relevant instruction that would adequately prepare them for college attainment in mathematics.

The primary research question guiding this study was: What are the challenges and opportunities associated with building and sustaining a successful mathematics degree program at an under-resourced Predominantly Black Institution? Concurrently, this interpretive case study examined and documented the experiences of …

Surveying The Soul: Shaping Auto-Criticism With Reflective Arts-Based Inquiry To Assess A Female Doctoral Experience, Monica Fain Rezac

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an arts-based auto-criticism assessing the author's experience in her doctoral program. It is also perhaps the first dissertation elaborating on a method called auto-criticism, as derived from educational criticism and connoisseurship. The process of inquiry is rooted in arts-based methods of representation and theories of educational criticism and critical theory in the humanities. Philosophical approaches to artwork and the use of it in these methodologies was inspired by the independent arts practices of intuitive artists. The purpose of this project is for the author to develop, articulate, and create a sense of what auto-criticism entails in the …

Critical Consciousness Of Educators: The Development And Psychometric Validation Of A Measure Using Structural Equation Modeling, Melissa Peterson Schneider

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines a measure of critical consciousness (CC) of educators created by the author, based on the concept of CC as seminally developed by Paulo Freire. A three-factor conceptual model and measurement scale are developed and validated through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Findings and limitations are discussed, as well as implications for the fields of CC measurement and development in educators.

A View From Within: University Honors Programs And African American Women At A Predominantly White Institution, Janell Lindsey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

American higher education undergraduate honors programs are respected for the work they do to encourage college students to push themselves towards achievement in learning during their time earning an undergraduate degree. The social movements of the mid-20th century forced open the doors of predominantly white institutions (PWIs) to African American students. Since that time, the number of African American students attending PWIs has increased; however, the research that focused on African American women in higher education, and more specifically honors programs, has not been a significant topic of study. The findings indicate that being the only female person of color …

Utilization-Focused Evaluation: Exploring The Academic Self-Efficacy Of Paramedic Students In A Hybrid Learning Program, Amy Connerton

Higher Education: Doctoral Research Projects

The purpose of this study was to conduct a utilization-focused evaluation of the paramedic hybrid learning program at Colorado Mountain College, a rural community college. The study examined the relationship between student academic self-efficacy (SASE) and learning in a hybrid program and the effect of SASE on program satisfaction. Data were collected through multiple methods, including a questionnaire of program graduates from 2014 to 2018, interviews of seven past graduates, and a focus group involving eight stakeholders. These data were carefully analyzed for accuracy and then coded for relevant elements. The findings, evaluated in relation to two guiding research questions, …

Orientation For College Success: A Utilization-Focused Evaluation Of The Student Orientation And Registration Program At The Steamboat Springs Campus Of Colorado Mountain College, Jacquelyn B. Brazill

Higher Education: Doctoral Research Projects

Successfully transitioning into postsecondary education can be challenging for new college students, particularly for students who are academically or socially underprepared for college. Transition programs can assist students with this process, thus increasing the likelihood of student retention. The author of this paper conducted a Utilization-Focused evaluation of the Student Orientation and Registration (SOAR) program at the Steamboat Springs campus of Colorado Mountain College with the intention of improving the program. The study examined the program through the lens of students’ perceptions of their academic and social preparation for their first semester of college after attending the SOAR program.

The …

Community Of Inquiry: Discovering Social, Cognitive, And Teaching Presence In A Hybrid Master Of Divinity Program, Vincent J. Tango

Higher Education: Doctoral Research Projects

This doctoral research project examines how students and instructors define and build community and ascertains what role community plays in student learning. This research was conducted utilizing a qualitative embedded case study at a private graduate theological school. The theoretical framework of Community of Inquiry (CoI) provided the foundation in which to discover the elements of social, cognitive, and teaching presence in student learning. This project elicited stories that reveal how community is at the center of the learning experience and that community building should be a priority in developing the curriculum. Three main themes emerged about building and sustaining …

Stories Of The 3%: Foster Care Alumni Narratives Of Resilience And Postsecondary Attainment, Molly Sarubbi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although education continues to be a pathway for social mobility, disparities remain in post-secondary attainment for traditionally marginalized populations such as the half-million youth in foster care (Children's Bureau, 2016). Due to multiple personal, social, and system barriers, only 46% of foster youth will earn a high school or GED diploma, and less than 3% will enroll in postsecondary education (Naccarato, Brophy & Courtney, 2010; Sarubbi, Parker, & Sponsler, 2016). Barriers impacting foster care alumni (FCA) have been widely documented, yet their narratives of resilience receive less attention. This study employs a participatory action research design in which FCA participants …

Assembling A Hispanic-Serving Institution: A Campus Landscape Analysis Of A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Brenda Lee Jimenez Sifuentez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Post-secondary educational spaces are often thought of as a backdrop to where education takes place. Architectural designs are seen as neutral sites; however, higher education institutions are sites of ideological production and therefore, fundamental exercises of power (Ford, 2017). The study of campus landscapes is relevant to uncovering and illuminating larger social issues of (in)equality in higher education. Literature regarding campus landscapes is scarce and this study seeks to demonstrate how the study of campus landscapes is both materially "real" and socially constructed. This study takes place at a four-year institution of higher education that has received the Hispanic Serving …

Preparing The Saudi Educational System To Serve The 2030 Vision: A Comparative Analysis Study, Wala'a Bunaiyan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Saudi Arabia's 2030 Vision (2019) aims to solidify the kingdom's influence in the Middle East while also diversifying the economy and increasing quality of life and access to opportunity for Saudis. One critical component of preparing Saudis for the job market is addressing low English language proficiency among students in the public school system (Rugh, 2002a, 2002b; Habbash, 2011; Elyas & Picard, 2011; Alrashidi & Phan, 2015). This study reviews existing literature on the Saudi Arabian educational system, the controversy surrounding English language instruction, and the importance of English for economic opportunity. Then, using transformative leadership (Shields, 2010) as the …

Letting The Village Be The Teacher: A Critical Ethnographic Case Study Of Community-Based Learning In Northern Thailand, Lauren Collins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper explores how three communities in rural Thailand are building global education program provision infrastructure as they respond to the desires of U.S. study abroad programs to place students in homestay experiences. The three communities profiled in this study are each seeking alternate paths that allow engagement with outsider visitors while minimizing unwanted impacts. Through my research, I challenge the hidden narrative in U.S. higher education practice and discourse that a study abroad destination's main value is as a site for the benefit of U.S. higher education students; a site where they can accrue cultural, social, and political capital. …

Latent Growth Curve And Latent Change Score Modeling Of Developmental Relationships Between Executive Functioning And Math Achievement In Early Elementary School, Kerry-Ann Lewis Pearcy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study compared latent growth curve (LGC) models and latent change score (LCS) models capabilities in modeling complex data in a development framework. Using the nationally representative ECLS-K:2011 dataset, LGC and LCS models explored the dynamic relationship between executive function and math achievement. The relationship between the two constructs has been extensively examined but little is understood about their dynamic relationship. The findings of this study indicated LCS to be more robust than LGC in modeling complex data and in examining dynamic relationship. The findings also suggested that one of the two executive functioning tasks, Dimensional Change Card Sort …

Rankism In Higher Education: A Critical Inquiry Of Staff Experiences, Erin M. Christensen-Mandel

Higher Education: Doctoral Research Projects

Missing from the discussions of inequitable treatment of employees in higher education are the experiences of staff members. In work interactions, staff are frequently treated differently (often as inferiors), depending on their level of education and their role in the hierarchy on the non-academic side of an institution (Anonymous, 2006; Young, Anderson & Stewart, 2015). This difference in treatment has been termed, “rankism” in the broad sense or “hierarchical microaggressions” for smaller incidents and is especially troublesome as higher education is presumed to create upward mobility and lead towards a more equitable society (Young et al., 2015).

The research questions …

Student Satisfaction With Canvas Use In Face-To-Face Courses At Colorado Mountain College, Chris N. Wenger

Higher Education: Doctoral Research Projects

By examining the relationship between the use of LMS tools and student course satisfaction, institutions can purposefully target areas most in need of improvement. The inconsistency in the application and use of LMS tools has resulted in a fragmenting of the student experience and has had a potentially negative affect on student attitudes toward its use. In order to address these issues and to support CMC’s mission, college leadership has created a minimum usage requirement for Canvas in all credit courses. This evaluation aims to provide insight for improving the use of Canvas tools and increasing student course satisfaction in …

The Role Of Higher Education In Rural Economic Development: A Program Evaluation Of The Colorado Rural Jump-Start Program, Maureen T. Stepp

Higher Education: Doctoral Research Projects

Since the financial crisis of 2008 and the subsequent recession, some urban and metro areas have experienced economic recovery, but not all geographic areas are recovering at the same pace. Federal, state, and local programs developed to help rural communities with their economic development efforts have failed to make much of a difference. In 2015, as a potential solution, Colorado spearheaded an initiative to incentivize economic development in rural communities. The Rural Jump-Start (RJS) Zone Act provides tax relief to new businesses and employees of those businesses, with the idea that because of these benefits, more businesses would retain, start, …

Reducing The Attainment Gap For Low Socio Economic Status Students: Concurrent Enrollment Program Evaluation Colorado Mountain College, Jeremiah Fernandez Johnson

Higher Education: Doctoral Research Projects

A gap in college degree attainment is growing in the United States as college tuition and fees have drastically increased creating many barriers for students in low socio economic status (SES) families. These barriers are just the beginning in the many hurdles low SES students face in entering a college pathway and persisting to completing certificates or bachelor’s degrees. The state of Colorado has addressed this equity gap in higher education by creating a state wide initiative they have called Colorado Rises. This initiative is centered on increasing college completion statewide to 66% by 2025. In order to achieve this …

Women Coaches Navigating The Leadership Labyrinth At A Division Ii Regional Comprehensive University: Queering Discourse And Narratives, Julie A. Wienski

Higher Education: Doctoral Research Projects

Representation by female head coaches in the NCAA is at an all-time low. This study analyzed an institution (LSU) where women’s representation and gender equity is higher than average. Using a qualitative inquiry approach applying Critical Narrative and Foucauldian Dispositive Analyses in a queering fashion, the study explored ways in which institutional (macro) discourses shaped individual (micro) daily narratives. The overarching goal for this study was to reveal themes, language and discourse informing women’s coaches’ recruitment, retention and persistence at an NCAA Division II and Regional Comprehensive University excelling in gender equity and inclusivity.

Findings indicated power-knowledge connections via Foucauldian …

The Racialization Of Relationships Between Higher Education Institutions And Cities: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Changing North Denver, Sabrina Carolina Sideris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Universities help shape the physical contours and the social fabric of cities. Historical forms of racial domination repeat themselves, reproducing spatial subordination. In the Globeville, Elyria, and Swansea neighborhoods in North Denver, residents who are mostly low-income immigrant families have in the past faced housing discrimination; air, water, and soil pollution; environmental racism; highway construction and expansion; school dilapidation; and social, political, and economic neglect for over five decades (Doeppers, 1967; Cram, 2013; EPA, 2019). As the City of Denver turns its attention to these three neighborhoods, re-investment could result in improved quality of life. Colorado State University (CSU), two …