Education Commons^™

The Relationship Between Hope And Self-Directed Learning In The Workplace, Vicki Martin Dieffenderfer

Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between self-directed learning and hope in the workplace. Participants completed two self-directed learning instruments, the Survey of Adult Learning Traits (SALT) (Hogg, 2008) and the Learner Self-directedness in the Workplace Scale (LSWS) (De Bruin & De Bruin, 2011), along with two hope scales, the Hope Trait Scale (Snyder et al., 1991) and the author-generated Workplace Learning Hope Scale. Correlation, ANOVA, and multiple regressions were used to test the relationship and differences between self-directed learning and hope, specifically within the domain of workplace learning. All instruments utilized in this study displayed sound internal consistency reliability. The …

Examining The Relationships Among Parents’ Perceptions Of Their Children’S Special Educational Needs, Their Beliefs About Parental Involvement, And Their Decision To Homeschool, Mary Lee Morse

Doctoral Dissertations

The school choice option of homeschooling has grown rapidly over the past two decades. An estimated 1.77 million K-12 students in the United States (3.4% of the total school-age population) were being homeschooled during the 2011-2012 school year. The purpose of this study was to gather data from homeschooling parents that would contribute to the understanding of parental involvement with school choice and of parental involvement with educational organizations. More specifically, this study determined the proportion of families in the sample (N = 333) who had children enrolled in public or private school before making the decision to homeschool …

Anesthesia Clinical Core Competencies And High Fidelity Human Simulation, Jeffrey Colby James

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to identify anesthesia clinical core competencies that are appropriate for evaluating proficiency utilizing High Fidelity Human Simulation (HFHS). This purpose was achieved by identifying the perceptions of nurse anesthesia educational program administrators and faculty regarding the anesthesia clinical core competencies that are appropriate for evaluating proficiency utilizing HFHS. Participants completed a 50-item web-based survey instrument and demographic questionnaire (Anesthesia Core Competency and Simulation Survey). High fidelity human simulation (HFHS) based evaluation of anesthesia clinical core competency proficiency can be a valuable tool for assessing anesthesia trainees, certifying nurse anesthetists, and recertifying nurse anesthetists. Evidence …

The Algebraic Thinking Of Mathematics Teachers In China And The U.S., Qintong Hu

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine U. S. and Chinese secondary mathematics teachers’ knowledge and beliefs. To give insights into cross-national differences in student achievement, this study investigated teachers’ content knowledge about quadratic equations and functions, teachers’ knowledge of students’ errors about quadratic equations and functions as well as teachers’ beliefs about students’ mathematical learning abilities.

Twenty Chinese high school teachers and twenty U.S. high school teachers participated in the study and finished the specific designed survey. The teachers’ responses were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Analysis results revealed that more Chinese teachers than U.S. teachers correctly employed a …

Teach For America Corps Maintenance Practices And Long-Term Educational Change, Ashlee Brook Anderson

Doctoral Dissertations

Teach For America (TFA), a non-profit organization that recruits top-performing recent college graduates and professionals into two-year teaching commitments in low-income urban and rural public school districts, remains a hot topic of research and debate in the education sector. With this dissertation, I explore how TFA is actively preparing its recruits (via its pre- and in-service support practices) for long-term investments in educational change, both inside the classroom and beyond. I do so via interviews with five TFA alumni (four identified by TFA and one by social media) who are no more than three years removed from the program and …

Reflections Of Parents And Teachers On The Process Of Daily Transitions Into Infant-Toddler Child Care, Linda Carol Traum

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study considered seven parents’ and three teachers’ values, beliefs, perspectives and meanings of within the context of daily home-to-child care transitions in one infant-toddler center in a Southeastern land-grant university early childhood laboratory school. Sociocultural and attachment theories anchored the study and the developmental niche conceptual framework informed the methodology. Primary methodologies included naturalistic observations, video tapes of transitions and parent and teacher interviews using the video stimulated recall interview (VSRI) method. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method, creating vignettes, and ensuring trustworthiness through the creation of thick descriptions, triangulation of data, and reflective journaling. Findings …

An Examination Of The Role Of Gender In Understanding Faculty Perceptions Of Student-Athletes At Ncaa Division I Institutions, Jana Thomas Spitzer

Doctoral Dissertations

Previous research has indicated that faculty hold negative perceptions toward male student-athletes. Studies have shown that faculty perceptions are most negative when the student-athlete competed at an NCAA Division I institution, in a high-profile sport, and was non-White. What remained unknown was the role of gender in understanding faculty perceptions of student-athletes. The current study considered this gap in the literature and determined if the gender of the student-athlete, the gender of the faculty member, or other characteristics of the faculty member influenced perceptions of male or female student-athletes. The study utilized the Situational Attitudes Scale (SAS) to compare faculty …

The Impact Of Acute Bouts Of Two Types Of Physical Activity On Cognition In Elementary School-Aged Children, Aslynn Courtney Halvorson

Masters Theses

Purpose: To determine the effect of acute bouts of two types of physical activity on cognition in elementary school-aged children. Methods: Subjects were 21 6-11 year old children (8.8 ± 1.6 years) who were free of any cognitive or learning disabilities or delays. Children participated in three randomly ordered conditions. The control condition included watching 20 minutes of TV while seated, the cycle condition included 20 minutes of cycling on a pediatric cycle ergometer at 60% of estimated heart rate maximum, and the play condition include 20 minutes of semistructured free play activity. After each condition, the children completed 2 …

The Benefits Of Ffa Membership As Part Of The Three-Circle Model In Agricultural Education, Chelsea Brooke Rose

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to understand the benefits of membership in the Future Farmers of America (FFA) student leadership organization among Tennessee FFA members by surveying members attending Camp Clements FFA Leadership Training Camp. The study focused on the fulfillment of FFA members’ basic human needs as defined by Abraham Maslow (1943). The three needs on which this study focused are: love and belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization (1943). The study found that a majority of FFA members’ three basic human needs are met due to their involvement in career development events, leadership positions, and other FFA activities. Of …

Adult Attachment, Emotional Intelligence, And Resilience As Correlates Of Social Engagement, Academic Engagement, And Confidence Of Persistence In College Students, Yacob Tewolde Tekie

Masters Theses

The current study investigated freshmen university students (N = 210) to examine the role of attachment style (anxiety, avoidance), emotional intelligence (repair, attention, clarity) and resilience in predicting student adaptation to college (academic, social, personal and academic engagement). Four multiple regression analyses were conducted for each subscale of adaptation to college. The results indicated that; a) emotional intelligence (attention, clarity) and resilience significantly predicted student academic adjustment; b) emotional inelligence (repair) predicted student social adjustment; c) emotional inteligence (clarity), resilience, and adult attachment (anxiety) significantly predicted student personal adjustment; and d) emotional intelligence (repair, clarity) and resilience, significantly predicted …

Strategies For Developing A Sustainable Learning Society: An Analysis Of Lifelong Learning In Thailand, John A. Henschke Edd

IACE Hall of Fame Repository

Today's world may be characterized as the dawn of the new millennium of the learning society, where knowledge is considered as a country's most valued asset and primary source of power. In the increasingly intense competition among international communities, Thailand has been respected for advancing the concept of transforming communities, cities and regions into learning societies engaged in a sustainable development strategy which promotes the continual learning of individuals - the smallest unit of society. The learning society approach aims to balance economic, social, natural and environment aspects and resources of society; and is transforming the Thai people into knowledge …

Cyberbullying, Bullying, And Victimization Among Adolescents: Rates Of Occurrence, Internet Use And Relationship To Parenting Styles, Michelle Pearl Black

Doctoral Dissertations

Cyberbullying has evolved from the increasing use of technology, specifically electronic communication and social networking. Cyberbullying is defined as a means of bullying in which peers use electronic devices "to taunt, insult, threaten, harass, and/or intimidate a peer" (Raskauskas & Stoltz, 2007, p. 565). This could occur through a number of different electronic formats or devices such as email, social networking sites, cell phones, etc. In this study, participants included a total of 77 students attending a Southeastern Tennessee City Middle and High School. This included 23 seventh-grade students, 31 eighth-grade students and 23 ninth grade students. Participants were administered …

Reflective Practice, Collaboration, And Stakeholder Communication: Where Does The Field Of Evaluation Stand?, Tiffany Lee Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

The current study provides insight into the state of the field of evaluation regarding practitioners’ understanding and application of reflective practice (RP), one of six essential competencies in program evaluation identified and discussed by Stevahn, King, Ghere, and Minnema (2005). Specifically, the purpose of this study was to determine how professional evaluators view RP, the extent and manner in which they engage in RP behaviors, and how evaluators conceptualize whether RP efforts affect, if at all, the evaluation process. Through a snowball sample, nineteen highly experienced evaluators took part in an hour long interview. These interviews with evaluators who have …

The Georgia School Improvement Specialists: A Qualitative Study Exploring Their Roles With Principals Of Middle Schools Identified As Focus Schools, Jessie Adelaide Beaumont

Doctoral Dissertations

While educational initiatives have used external consultants to effect change since the 1950s (Sulla, 1998), understanding their roles and their work has become increasingly important in helping low-performing schools facilitate change and guide the school improvement process (Brady, 2003; Mass Insight Education, 2012; Toppings, 2013). The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study is to identify and explore the roles Georgia’s school improvement specialists serve when working with principals of middle schools in Focus School status. The benefits and challenges of the school improvement specialists supporting principals with school improvement efforts are identified as well. This study will be framed in …

Speaking Volumes: Professional Growth In Book Studies, Elizabeth Smith Blanton

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative dissertation is to provide a description of the professional book study experience and gain insight into its use to support teacher professional development. Research on the use of professional book studies has been conducted in colleges, and by university researchers in public school settings. There is also a large field of research on leisure book clubs, providing insight into their popularity. Little research exists, however, on professional book studies from the point of view of the educators who were the participants. This qualitative case study examined the perceptions of 12 educators who voluntarily participated in …

More Myself: Exploring Students' Perceptions Of Self-Authorship Development, Benjamin B. Stubbs

Doctoral Dissertations

Increasingly, the challenges of modern adult life include the responsibility for ambiguous tasks, the need to work as a team with diverse others and the expectation to make important decisions in the face of competing interests. Research suggests that individuals able to meet these challenges demonstrate self-authorship, a way of knowing that allows them to exert control over their lives. Existing research provides insight into college students’ self-authorship and the influence of situational, environmental and personal factors on self-authorship development. However, the literature has yet to explore students’ own understanding of their self-authorship development. The purpose of this study was …

Predicting High-Stakes Tests Of Math Achievement Using A Group-Administered Rti Instrument: Validating Skills Measured By The Monitoring Instructional Responsiveness: Math, Jeremy Thomas Coles

Doctoral Dissertations

Three universal screeners and nine progress monitoring probes from the Monitoring Instructional Responsiveness: Math (MIR:M), a silent, group-administered math assessment designed for implementation with an RTI Model, were administered to 223 fifth-grade students. The growth parameters of the overall MIR:M composite and two global composites (math calculation and math reasoning) identified significant variation in student growth, within significant linear and quadratic trajectories. However, there were significant differences in the nature of the growth trajectories that have applied educational implications. In addition, growth parameters across the three composites provided significant predictive potential when using the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) Achievement …

Examining The Process Of Identification In The Mathematics Classroom And The Role Of Students’ Academic Communities, Richard J. Robinson

Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this research was to provide insight into the identities students develop as they interact in a high school mathematics classroom. A normative divide developed which eventually split the classroom into two distinct academic factions: those who resisted the emerging local definition of what it meant to do mathematics and those who did not resist (i.e. complied or identified). A secondary purpose of this research was to understand the role of students’ academic communities in mathematics identity development. Student narratives helped uncover mathematical spaces outside the classroom that each developed their own unique definition of what it …

Critical Social Justice In Teacher Education: Beginning Teachers' Pedagogy And Practice, Brittany Alexis Aronson

Doctoral Dissertations

Teaching for social justice is an attempt by classroom teachers to promote equity within their classrooms. Researchers have analyzed the impact of pre-service teachers’ readiness to address social justice issues in their classrooms upon exiting their teacher preparation programs. However, despite reports of already practicing K-12 teachers’ attempts to teach for social justice in their classrooms, there is little connection to teacher education programs and/or the impact of teacher practice in the classroom.

This ethnographic qualitative study addresses the research gap by highlighting the understandings and experiences of four intern teachers simultaneously enrolled in a teacher education program while participating …

Peace Under Pressure: Portraits Of Christian Leadership In College Basketball Coaches, Charles Henry Wilson Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations

NCAA Division I college basketball coaching is a high-stakes, high-reward profession. This study is based on three premises: (a) there is increasing pressure on college basketball coaches to win immediately and win consistently; (b) coaches are expected to maintain their integrity; (c) the pressure to win immediately and win consistently can influence some coaches to compromise their integrity. Given that context, the purpose of this study was to investigate and illuminate the lived experience of Christian head men’s and women’s basketball coaches at public, NCAA Division I institutions. This study was guided by two guiding research questions: (a) What is …

Families Of Struggling Readers In The Accountability Era: A Collective Ethnographic Case Study Of Literacy Engagement And Interaction In The Home And School, Sarah Lynn Swauger

Doctoral Dissertations

This collective case study uses ethnographic methods to explore the literacy engagement and school interactions of two families of struggling adolescent readers within the accountability era following the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, a time period where there have been as yet few studies (e.g. Compton-Lilly, 2009) focused on family literacy. Formal and informal interviews with students and their guardians as well as observations and document analysis were the main data sources. Results illuminated the influence of school policies and curricula on students’ families’ interactions and identities (Tajfel & Turner, 1986). The researcher found that families lacking cultural …

Participant Career And Research Outcomes Of The Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Award, Samuel Held

Doctoral Dissertations

In 1991, ORAU created the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Award program providing seed money for research of early career faculty at ORAU member universities. The Powe Awards are intended to enrich the research and professional growth of young faculty and result in new funding opportunities. Eligible applicants are full-time assistant professors at ORAU member institutions within two years of their initial tenure track appointments. Awardees receive a one-year grant worth a total of $10,000. Four hundred sixty Powe Awards were made from 1991 to 2011.

This descriptive study presents a secondary data analysis of 258 survey responses received in …

Measuring Academic Leadership Effectiveness Of Hospitality And Tourism Academic Administrators: A Transformation Leadership Framework, James Edward Talbert Iii

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to extend the existing knowledge of academic administrator leadership behaviors that are necessary for effective academic leadership in hospitality and tourism higher education, as viewed through the transformational leadership framework. This study also investigated hospitality and tourism administrators’ previous industry experience, management experience, and management experience in the industry. This dissertation research was guided by three primary objectives. First, this study aimed to develop a model that measures hospitality and tourism academic leadership effectiveness. Second, this dissertation intended to explore the relationship among different leadership styles & leadership effectiveness. Third, this dissertation aspired to …

Shared Decision Making In Individualized Education Program Meetings: A Discourse Analysis, Elizabeth Price

Doctoral Dissertations

In response to federal and state special education mandates, there has been increasing focus on collaboration with caregivers and students in special education planning. Promising approaches include students making decisions about their future academic careers with educators and caregivers in Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. However, it is not clear from the research how the presence of the student contributes to decision making interactions. A discourse analysis of 63 middle school IEP meetings compared interactions with or without students present to explore how participants achieved decision making. Specifically analyzed, according to the Discursive Action Model (Edwards & Potter, 1993) and …

Site Supervisor Self-Disclosure: A Shared Experience, Jeffrey R. Sweeney

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined supervisor and supervisee perceptions of the purpose for using supervisor self-disclosure as an intervention in the counseling supervision process while also looking at supervisor and supervisee perceptions of the effects these disclosures have on the supervisee. The participants in this study were school counseling site supervisors and their supervisees enrolled in internship in school counseling at a CACREP accredited land-grant university in the southeastern United States. This study employed a collective case study design using multiple cases as sources for investigating the perspectives of both members of the supervisory dyad regarding the shared experience of a supervisor …

Communicating With Hispanic Parents Of Young, School-Age Children, Sarah Grace Williams

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Transformational Crisis? Thinking Within And Beyond The Limits Of Neoliberal Education Policy, Scott Ellison

International Education

Peters, M. A. (2011). Neoliberalism and After? Education, Social Policy, and the Crisis of Western Capitalism. New York, NY: Peter Lang

Global Perspectives On Peer Sex Education For College Students, Chandra R. Story, June Gorski

International Education

According to the World Health Organization, sexually transmitted diseases and infections continue to be a public health problem across the globe, with most infected persons being between the ages of 15 and 49. A large percentage of those affected by AIDS are 15-24 year olds, an age group which includes college students. Peer sex education is being espoused by non-governmental organizations and administrators as a viable solution to this problem. Peer education strategies and approaches to evaluation differ across programs. Some programs report increased efficacy for educators and trainees while other programs report increases in knowledge and changes in attitudes. …

Instructional Coaching In Guatemala: Reflection For Reform, Donald Wise, Jeff Zwiers

International Education

This article describes action research performed by Guatemalan instructional coaches during intensive professional development. The focus was on building coaches’ abilities to reflect on classroom teaching and cultivating habits of pedagogical reflection in their teachers. Coaches participated in four weeks of professional development courses, which included school visits, classroom observations, and video analyses. The courses prepared the coaches for a six-week online forum of field-based learning activities and action research. Preliminary results suggest that the coaches and their teachers improved their abilities to reflect on core principles of teaching and learning, but more work was needed in the areas of …

Building General Education With Hong Kong Characteristics, David Jaffee

International Education

Hong Kong is in the process of transforming their secondary and tertiary educational system. This includes the extension of the undergraduate degree from three to four years and the development of a General Education curriculum with an official launch date of Fall 2012. This paper examines some of the unique national forces prompting the educational reform, the process of building the General Education curriculum and courses at Hong Kong universities, the similarities and differences among the General Education programs, and the role of interdisciplinarity in course design and development.