Education Commons^™

Understanding The Student Perspective Of Teacher-Student Engagement In First-Year Studies Courses, Anton R. Reece

Doctoral Dissertations

Higher education institutions continue to seek high impact retention methods to address student attrition, particularly during the first year of college. First-year studies courses represent a major institutional intervention and retention resource designed to help higher education institutions meet the unique academic and social needs of students transitioning from high school to college. Teacher-student engagement is considered to be an essential part of student retention efforts. However, most of the research on teacher-student engagement has focused on pedagogical strategies and the teachers’ perspectives of engagement. What is lacking in the literature are studies of students’ perspectives of classroom engagement. This …

Comparing Their Stories: A Narrative Inquiry Of African American Women Of The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (1960-1966) And Contemporary Student Activists (2002-2012), Tracia Nikole Cloud

Doctoral Dissertations

This study is a collection of oral personal experience narratives from four self-identified Black female student activists – two from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) (1960-1966) and two from the contemporary movement (2002-2012). I investigate general aspects of their experiences of being Black, female, students and activists within the context of their communities and educational institutions. My research questions are: 1) What were/are the cultural and historical factors that drove/drive each woman to activism? 2) How did/have women develop(ed) ways of knowing about self and community through activism and education? 3) How do Civil Rights activists (1960-1966) and contemporary …

Insights Into The Beliefs And Practices Of Preservice Elementary Mathematics Teacher Educators: A Naturalistic Inquiry, Linda Ann Arnold

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this naturalistic inquiry was to explore and analyze aspects of the reported beliefs and practices of a group of preservice elementary mathematics teacher educators. Until now, researchers have had little understanding of beliefs and practices of teachers in elementary mathematics methods classrooms, despite the fact that teacher educators’ beliefs and practices have profound effects on what happens in thousands of classrooms every day. The qualitative research in this study offered insights with the potential to inform higher educational practice in regard to the preparation of elementary mathematics teachers and mathematics teacher educators. Participants were six professors and …

African American Oral Histories Of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Public Schools During The Early Days Of Desegregation, 1955 – 1967, Lorena B. Whipple

Doctoral Dissertations

Many traditional historical texts of the United States are missing the voiced presence of African Americans. Existing historical texts concerning desegregation in the South, and particularly in Tennessee, are missing African Americans’ experienced perspectives during racial desegregation in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The intention of this dissertation is to use oral history as a methodology to document the memories of seven African Americans who participated in the racial desegregation of Oak Ridge, Tennessee public schools. Critical race theory is the interpretive lens used to analyze the interviews. The oral historical accounts contained in this study suggest African Americans have a unique …

Decision Utility Of Productivity Indicators At The Campus Level, Ryan Sheffield Otto

Doctoral Dissertations

In today’s higher education environment, costs are increasing, tuition is increasing, subsidies are decreasing, student attrition is extensive, and global competition is increasing. These and other internal and external factors in higher education have created a mounting interest in productivity indicators, the ratio of outputs divided by inputs (Hanushek, 2007; Harris, 2010; Levin, 1993; Massy, 2011; Massy & Wilger, 1992; NCHEMS, 2010; Vedder, 2004). Leaders in higher education as well as external governing bodies are increasingly using productivity indicators to create systems of transparency and accountability. Despite the increased focus on productivity and productivity indicators, little has been done to …

Factors That Affect The Ability Of Novice Science Teachers To Teach For Nos Understanding, Bennett Alexander Adkinson

Doctoral Dissertations

Novice science teachers face a multitude of instructional, curricular, and institutional constraints that affect their classroom decisions. Emphases from their teacher training programs interact with and compete against the realities of professional teaching. This qualitative comparative case study attempts to look at the interactions of novice science teachers with the reform-based practice of nature of science (NOS) instruction. Teacher training programs teach their pre-service science teachers about NOS and try to emphasize the importance of NOS understanding on student scientific literacy, but little is known about how science teachers view and approach NOS once they are free from the constraints …

Martin Buber's For The Sake Of Heaven: Prophetic Education, Joseph Lee Hall

Doctoral Dissertations

The author proposes to examine the ontological and epistemological foundations of Martin Buber’s novel, For the Sake of Heaven, in this philosophical study. He purposes to use what he finds to address questions regarding the ways that educational communities often ignore the underlying ontological narratives that are important to communities. After describing Martin Buber’s idea of dialogical relations, the author explores dialogical relations as a current running through the novel. Using the model of the epistemic commentary, he describes the Hasidic community of the character known as the prophet in the novel. Themes of ontology and epistemology are developed. The …

Examining The Systemic Effects Of Relational Trust And Network Trustworthiness On School Community: A Multi-Site Case Study Of Three Independent Schools, Stephanie Barnes Ogden

Doctoral Dissertations

Within the broader context of accountability imposed from beyond our schools, this mixed methods, multi-site case study investigated the development of relational trust and trustworthy relationships as internal accountability structures within three independent schools replicating responsible independence on the scale of the school as trustworthy freedom on the scale of the individual. Interviews, observations, artifacts, sociograms, and surveys were analyzed to identify teacher and administrator perceptions of structures supporting relational trust, accountability to community standards, and sustainable trust-based cultures. Survey data were also analyzed for corresponding evidence of organizational conditions associated with school improvement: teacher orientation to innovation, teacher commitment …

Understanding Contradictions In Teacher-Learner Identity, Digital Video, And Goal-Directed Activity In A Blended Graduate Reading Education Course, Jennifer K. Lubke

Doctoral Dissertations

More teachers are experiencing professional development within blended/virtual learning communities, which I consider a fruitful avenue for expansion of new literacies in K-12 classrooms. However, new literacies challenge traditional structures in education even as new rules of corporate-sponsored reform and high-stakes accountability serve to reinforce these structures. Within this context of contradictions, a cohort of teachers from a rural, remote county in the southeast United States participated in a blended learning environment in their final semester of graduate-level coursework in Reading Education. Some of the teacher-learners, whose own attitudes and motivations toward technology were as diverse as the tools themselves, …

A Multi-Case Study Of Teens Who Write Outside Of School For Their Own Purposes, Paula Jill Henderson

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the phenomenon of the teen writer as defined as one who answers readily to the label of writer and who reports writing regularly outside of school for his or her own purposes. The research questions guiding this work are: (1) What do these young people write on their own time and for their own purposes? and (2) Why do young writers choose to write and how do they value and understand their own writing practices? In this multi-case study, seven teenage participants were interviewed twice, invited into any of three focus groups …

Predictive Validation Of The Monitoring Instructional Responsiveness: Reading (Mir:R): Investigation Of A Group-Administered, Comprehension-Based Tool For Rti Implementation, Kelli Caldwell Miller

Doctoral Dissertations

Monitoring Instructional Responsiveness: Reading (MIR:R), a group-administered measure designed to determine at-risk status for reading fluency and comprehension, was administered to 494 third-grade students to determine the relationship between MIR:R static and slope scores and student performance and non-proficiency status on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) Achievement Test, reading composite. Correlation coefficients defining the relationship between the total MIR:R static score (the Comprehension Rate score) and student performance and non-proficiency status on the TCAP are .60 (p < .01) and .52 (p < .01), respectively. When the relationships between MIR:R slope and TCAP performance and non-proficiency status were investigated, weaker correlations were obtained-- .22 (p < .01) and .20 (p < .01), respectively. Results from a step-wise multiple regression equation revealed that the MIR:R Comprehension Percentage component score provided moderate predictive validity for TCAP reading composite performance (9.4% age variance accounted for, p < .01); the Total Words Read component score was less predictive (1.1 % age additional variance accounted for, p < .05). When MIR:R component scores were entered into a logistic regression analysis, these scores predicted TCAP proficiency and non-proficiency status reasonably well; values ranged from 60% to 88% (p < .01). Apparently, both the Comprehension Rate total static score and the Comprehension Percentage component score provide solid predictive accuracy (p < .01); the slope and Total Words Read component scores are less predictive. Data support the utility of the MIR:R as a promising, progress-monitoring reading screener within a Response to Intervention/problem-solving model.

Analysis Of The Role Of Homework In Predicting And Improving Exam Performance, Charles E. Galyon

Doctoral Dissertations

Homework is one of many factors thought to improve students’ academic performance, given that homework provides a means for students not only to master course content, but also to develop valuable study habits, improve their time management, and learn to work independently. Unfortunately, college students commit considerably less time to homework than is conventionally thought necessary, and their answers to homework questions frequently indicate an erroneous and/or incomplete understanding of the course material. The current study examined relationships between potential predictors of and trends in exam performance in a large undergraduate educational psychology course. The relationship between homework completion, homework …

Using Mobile Technology To Improve Autonomy In Students With Intellectual Disabilities In Postsecondary Education Programs, Catherine Caudle Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

Nationwide there are approximately 200 postsecondary education programs that provide inclusive college experiences for young adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) (Grigal & Hart, 2010). To navigate college campuses, the greater surrounding community, and ultimately competitive employment, young adults with ID need literacy, communication, and navigation skills. The purpose of these two studies was to investigate the effects of mobile technology to improve the autonomy of students with ID enrolled in a postsecondary education program. The purpose of experiment I was to examine the effectiveness of three different communication applications (i.e., text, audio, and video) to send and receive text messages …

Work, Life, And Community College Faculty: Understanding Community College Work/Life Balance Issues Through Socialization Theory And Academic Discipline, David S. Key

Doctoral Dissertations

Research has established that college faculty at research institutions often struggle to maintain a balance between their personal and professional lives (Drago & Williams, 2000; Mason & Goulden, 2002, 2004; Quinn, 2010; Sorcinelli & Near, 1989; Ward & Wolf-Wendel, 2004). While some work/life research has focused on two-year faculty, the research on community college faculty and work/life balance issues has often proved contradictory (Lester & Bers, 2010; Perna, 2001; Sallee, 2008; Townsend & LaPaglia, 2000; Wolf-Wendel, Ward, & Twombly, 2007). Furthermore, little is known about how community college culture and discipline affect the ability of two-year faculty to balance their …

Understanding The Career Development Of Underprepared College Students, Amber Nicole Hughes

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the career development of underprepared college students through a framework of Relational Career Theory. Demographic information was reported for the population to help better understand these students. Specifically, the constructs of family influence, locus of control, and career decision-making self-efficacy were explored as they relate to perceived success in college. Finally, gender differences for each construct were also examined. The demographic information collected supports reported statistical information about this group in that students of a minority status and first-generation college students were overrepresented in the population. No significant relationship between the RCT …

Tennessee Educator Acceleration Model: Teacher Perceptions Of One Policy Implementation, Renee Melinda Moran

Doctoral Dissertations

Teacher effectiveness has become a national conversation and an issue that is debated in both public and educational arenas. Recently, the notion has arisen to quantify teacher effectiveness through the measurement of both teacher and student performance. This study focuses on one state’s initial attempt to implement a policy reform that measures a teacher’s performance both qualitatively, through scored classroom observations, and quantitatively, through student achievement scores. Ultimately, the idea is that these scores could then be used to make important decisions about salary, retention, and tenure. Using qualitative ethnographic research procedures within a framework of critical theory, I studied …

Exploring The Phenomenon Of Severing Goverance Ties With The State Baptist Convention At Mississippi College And Georgetown College, Alan Glen Medders

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the factors that influenced the board of trustees at Mississippi College and Georgetown College, KY to sever governance ties with their respective state Baptist Conventions and to describe the impact of the decision on the college administration, academic operations, lay governance structure and denominational relationship on the two institutions. The research questions guiding this study were:

1. What were the factors that influenced the decision-making process to make a change in governance relationship between the institution and the state Baptist convention?

2. What has been the impact of the decision to sever …

The Impact Of Beliefs And Curricular Knowledge On Planning For Science: A Multisite Case Study Of Four Teachers, Jessica L. Horton

Doctoral Dissertations

This descriptive multisite case study details how the beliefs and curricular knowledge of four science teachers in a southeastern school district affected their planning for science instruction.

Through the analysis of interviews, think-aloud planning records for one unit of instruction, and related documentation, categories were identified and connections drawn to how their beliefs and knowledge influenced planning for instruction.

The four teachers in this study jointly expressed certain beliefs about how students best learn science. They expressed beliefs that students best learn science through hands-on activities, through discourse, and by building the student’s knowledge base. The teachers also expressed beliefs …

Microwave-Enhanced Chemistry Of Organotrifluoroborates, Vitali Ilia Coltuclu

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation contains a summary of the research efforts focused on the utiliza- tion of microwave technology in organoborate chemistry. More specifically, the cen- tral topic is focused on the chemistry of potassium organotrifluoroborate compounds that have recently attracted a lot of attention as useful reagents for diverse transfor- mations in organic synthesis such as, cross-coupling, homocoupling, as well as 1,2- and 1,4-addition reactions. The use of microwave radiation in these and other reac- tions is particularly appealing for improving and facilitating synthetic procedures by reducing reaction times, minimizing by-product formation, and increasing reaction yields. In this dissertation, we combine …

Early Identification And Improvement Of Variables Related To Course Success, Carolyn Anne Blondin

Doctoral Dissertations

The process of identifying and improving factors related to early exam success or failure in an undergraduate setting (Ed Psych 210) was divided into 2 separate studies. The first study was a retrospective analysis of 2 years’ of data that compared high and low performers on the first course exam with respect to their subsequent success in the course. Mean comparison between initially high (N = 158) and low (N = 163) performers revealed significantly higher means for those in the former group across several academic variables (i.e., critical thinking, grade point average, subsequent exams, practice exams, quiz …

Three Studies Evaluating A Computer-Based Sight-Word Reading Intervention System Across Special-Needs Students, Jared Scott Yaw

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation includes three studies extending research on a computer-based sight word reading intervention across special needs students. In Study I, a multiple-baseline across behaviors design was used to evaluate automatic sight-word reading in a fourth-grade student with intellectual disabilities. Immediately after the intervention was applied to each of three lists of sight words, the student made rapid gains in her ability to read those words within 2 s.

In Study II, an adapted alternating treatment design was used to evaluate the effects of two computer-based flashcard interventions among four elementary students with disabilities. The two interventions were similar; with …

Academic Work Ethic: Predicating Student Assignment Choice And Evaluating The Academic Work Ethic-Student Measure, John Thomas Parkhurst

Doctoral Dissertations

There were several objectives associated with the following three-study dissertation. The initial study was designed to replicate and extend previous research on the partial assignment completion effect (PAC), effort, and students’ assignment choice behavior. Our focus was to determine if individual differences, specifically work ethic, may explain why some students chose to continue to work on a partially-completed assignment as opposed to completing a different, lower-effort assignment. Our experimental and correlational results extended research on PAC and effort by suggesting that individual differences in work ethic may influence students to choose to finish what they started, even when it requires …

Constructing Meanings By Designing Worlds Digital Games As Participatory Platforms For Interest-Driven Learning And Creativity, Vittorio Marone

Doctoral Dissertations

This study emerges from the observation of an increasing divide between generations: a lack of a shared ground that carries profound social, cultural, and educational implications. In particular, the broadening differences between academic and “grassroots” approaches to learning and creativity are transforming formal and informal enterprises into seemingly incommunicable realms. This clash between different (and distant) practices, inside and outside of school, is inhibiting the construction of a common language between teachers and students, and, more broadly, between generations, thus hindering the development of any educational discourse.

In this study I inquired into an online participatory space in order to …

Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions And Experiences Of Family Engagement: A Phenomenological Investigation, Tiffany Janise Dellard

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand pre-service teacher’s perceptions and experiences with family engagement in the education of students. The phenomenological method developed at the University of Tennessee was utilized to explore the following research questions: (1) How do pre-service teachers view the roles of parents in their interactions with teachers, administrators and other school staff to facilitate family engagement; and (2) What influences do pre-service teachers cite as helping to form their views of the role of families in the education of students the pre-service teacher’s experiences in the teacher education program as well as personal experiences …

Narratives Of Former Foster Youth In Higher Education, Kathleen Brien Douthat

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this narrative inquiry is to learn about the experiences of former foster youth in higher education. Nationwide, 26,547 youth emancipate from foster care each year. Former foster youth who continue with education beyond high school may elect to receive supportive services through the state’s independent living program. Although these services are intended to provide the necessary support while the youth completes a post-secondary degree program, research has shown that fewer former foster youth enter college and complete a degree than their non-former foster youth peers. Further, there has been very little research that explores firsthand experiences of …

An Investigation Of Faculty Development Center Staff Evaluators Perceptions Of Processes, Theory, And Models Used In Evaluating Faculty Development, Thelma Mae Woodard

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore evaluator perceptions of the processes they engage in when evaluating faculty development programs; their use of program theory; and the evaluation models they use to design faculty development program evaluations. Due primarily to the fact that most faculty development centers were established during the last twenty years, (Wright, 2011), previous research has shown a lack of widespread knowledge of program evaluation, and its application to faculty development interventions. Studies indicate a gap in the literature exploring program evaluation in faculty development centers from the evaluator’s standpoint. This study was interested in the …

A Study Of Graduate Student Grief And Prolonged Grief Disorder, Mary Alice Varga

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of grief among graduate students, the effects of their grief, types of support sought, and risk of prolonged grief disorder. A total of 1, 575 graduate students enrolled at a large public Southeastern university completed an online survey about their grief experiences. Students experiencing a significant loss also completed the Prolonged Grief Disorder Questionnaire. Findings revealed that approximately 25% of graduate students experienced the loss of a significant person in their lives within the past 24 months. Graduate students reported various grief effects, with emotional effects being the most significant. …

“Those Events Really Happened!” How Elementary Students Transact With History And Historical Fiction While Reading The American Girl Series, Sarah Lewis Philpott

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study examines how elementary readers transact with history and historical fiction while reading the American Girl series. A review of literature revealed a lack of educational research about the AG series and a need for research concerning how elementary students transact with historical fiction. The researcher attempted to answer the following questions:

1. How do fourth grade students transact with history while reading the AG series of historical fiction?
2. How do fourth grade students transact with the AG series of historical fiction?

The researcher interviewed, observed, and participated in a book club with seven public school females. Data were …

Undergraduate Perception Of Introductory Lecture And Laboratory Biology Instructors At The University Of Tennessee Knoxville, Katharina Denise Kendall

Doctoral Dissertations

Undergraduate students entering the higher education system are often unaware of the diverse teaching and learning community they will encounter, including the different instructor types who will teach their classes. In order to accommodate the growing numbers of enrolled students, the higher education system is increasingly reliant on contingent instructors such as non-tenure track faculty members and graduate teaching assistants (GTAs). This dissertation explores undergraduate student perspective of the different instructor types who teach introductory biology courses, with a focus on the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). The goal of this work is to provide insight regarding how perceived differences …

Overseeing Supervisees Treating Clients Exhibiting Suicidal Behaviors: Its Impact On Clinical Supervisors, Michael Girard Catalana

Doctoral Dissertations

Individuals at risk of suicide often seek mental health treatment (Brook, Klap, Liao, & Wells, 2006; Moscicki, 2001; Souminen, Isometsa, Martunnen, Ostamo, & Lonnqvist, 2004). The clinicians who treat these individuals experience significant levels of stress (Knox, Burkard, Bentzler, Schaack, & Hess, 2006; Ruskin, Sakinofsky, Bagby, Dickens, & Sousa, 2004). Clinical supervisors are an important resource for clinicians (Chemtob, Hamada, Bauer, Kinney, & Torigoe, 1988a; Kleespies, Smith, & Becker, 1990; Knox et al., 2006; Maltsberger, 1992; Ruskin et al., 2004). Researchers recently acknowledged that overseeing clinicians whose client exhibited suicidal behavior is also stressful (Catalana, 2012; Hoffman, 2009; Sanger, 2010). …