Education Commons^™

California Community Colleges Child Development Laboratory Schools, Shari Yates

Dissertations

Community colleges in California are the primary source for preparing the early childhood care and education (ECE) workforce. The California child development lab school mission is to prepare ECE practitioners, provide a laboratory where college students can study and research child development/education, and offer a service to children and families. There are many benefits that are derived from laboratory schools but many community college lab schools have been reduced and/or closed over the past three years. The purposes of this Delphi study were (a) to examine the most pressing issues, problems and barriers facing California community colleges child development labs …

Digital Finger Painting: A Qualitative Exploration Of The Tablet Computer And Its Artistic Implications In An Early Childhood Setting, Sarah Nicole Ackermann

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to better understand the implications of the tablet computer for learning and, specifically, in the art classroom. A qualitative study was designed following grounded theory measures for data analysis in order to explore timely questions regarding the tablet computer and how young children react to such technology as a drawing tool. An early childhood center was accessed for this research, and 30 children between the ages of three and five years old consented to participate. Four educators and 35 parents were also enlisted in an effort to elicit substantive perspectives regarding the tablet and …

District Within A District: De Facto Segregation And White Flight Into And Out Of The School District Of University City (1967-1991), Carlos Javier Diaz-Granados

Dissertations

This auto-ethnographic study explores the impetus behind racial transition in the school district of University City between 1967 and 1991. Factors contributing to the exodus of White families and the influx of Black families are examined through a lens of Critical Race Theory. Exclusively White through the mid 1960’s, The School District of University City was nearly 80% Black by the mid 1980’s. A great deal of this transition was related directly to neighborhood patterns occurring in and around the community. Extensive research for this study utilized the oral histories of former students, parents, staff members, board members, and community …

Schisms In Schooling: Domains Of Power As Seen From Our Students, Kristen Michelle Taylor

Dissertations

This study investigated the dynamics of power available to students who are assigned to participate in small group instruction as an intervention to low academic scores. It proposes that student experiences of the phenomenon of small group instruction are not currently present in the research literature concerning low student performance in public education, and therefore the research literature is incomplete. A case study was conducted at a public school in St. Louis, Missouri, which resulted in a case of two teachers and five students recruited to participate. Through document analysis, classroom observations, and participant interviews, the participants provided data from …

Proprioception And Developmental Motor Training: A New Treatment For Chronic-Phase Stroke Patients

Dissertations

With stroke occurrence increasing, along with survival rate, it is imperative to find ways of treating the chronic-phase of stroke. The purpose of this study was to determine if either or both of two interventions, or their combination, could improve functional performance in patients at least four years post-stroke. One intervention was resistance strength training while the other consisted of neurodevelopmental activities that parallel those used with developing children. Six participants, four male and two female, ranging in age from 23 to 60 (M age 44.5), were randomly assigned to one of the interventions. Participants ranged in stroke types and …

Family-Of-Origin Characteristics Of Men Who Engage Regularly In Sexually Addictive Behavior, Mark Stephen Pfuetze

Dissertations

The present study surveyed men to assess whether any correlations existed between a man’s sexually addictive behavior and how his family-of-origin addressed sexuality along with demographic factors. A total of 374 male participants (18 years or older) provided complete data sets via the online survey located on SurveyMonkey. The main research question for this study was as follows: Is there a relationship between demographic variables or family factors: (a) negative attitudes and communication about sexuality in one’s family-of-origin, (b) exposure to sexual stimuli in one’s family-of-origin, and (c) open sexual discussion in one’s family-of-origin, and sexual addiction. All three of …

Teacher Leadership: Developing The Ability Of Teachers To Move Forward Independently—A Delphi Study Of Selected Secondary Teachers In Riverside County, California, Marilyn M. Saucedo

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the key learning opportunities necessary to build teacher leadership, the most difficult barriers to overcome, and the most important facilitators as identified by teacher experts. This study also sought to determine the best approaches to implementation of identified learning opportunities, the most effective approaches for overcoming identified barriers, and the most effective approaches for implementing facilitators that support teacher leaders.

Methodology: Consistent with a Delphi method, the instruments used within this study collected perceptual data from an expert panel of high school teachers from Riverside County, California, through an electronic format …

Technology Integration For Common Core State Standards Implementation: Developing Differentiated Professional Development Based On The Concerns-Based Adoption Model, Tami Boatright

Dissertations

Teachers must learn how to integrate technology for CCSS implementation in an educational environment tasked with preparing 21st century students to not only survive, but thrive in a knowledge-based global society. The changes required for 21st century learning to prepare 21st century students is transformational in nature and represents a paradigm shift for many teachers. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the differences in teachers’ Stages of Concern with integrating technology for implementation of CCSS according to age, gender, and years of teaching. In addition it was the purpose of this study to use information obtained from …

Retired African American Female Urban Middle Schoolscience Teachers Beliefs And Practices, Frances Mary Whitney

Dissertations

The purpose of this paper is to give a voice to a dedicated group of professionals who unselfishly labored twenty-five plus years educating the children of America’s poorest taxpaying citizens. These retired African American female urban middle schools sciences teachers’ (RAAFUMSST) explain the experiences that gave them the fortitude to stay in the urban school systems until their retirement. The goal is to give you a glimpse into the distractions, challenges, and victories they encountered as they strove to teach science in an overcrowded, underserviced, and depressed urban school district of a major city. Most times sacrificing self for service, …

Effects Of The Preparation And Perception Of Middle School Teachers On The Infusion Of Multicultural Education, John Mccraney

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the difference of how teachers perceive multicultural orientation, multiculturalism and cultural relations, multiculturalism and perceived sense of community, and multiculturalism and sense of responsibility based on gender, experience, and racial identity. The subscales on the Multicultural Emphasis Inventory (MEI) measured the teachers’ perceptions. The sample included middle school teachers in a large urban district in central Arkansas.

A quantitative, non-experimental research used four one-way analyses of variance to determine whether the evidence existed to reject the formulated hypotheses. The independent variables were as follows: gender for Hypotheses 1-4, teacher experiences for Hypotheses …

Honors Program As A Predictor Of College Readiness Of Private School Students In Arkansas, Jonathan G. Jones

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to add to the research available related to college readiness. Each of the four hypotheses were constructed to determine the predictive effects of academic program type (honors or regular) over and above the predictive effects of gender, Plan test scores, number of times the ACT was taken by individuals, and longevity in years on mathematics, English, science, and reading performance measured by ACT scores for 12th grade students in a private Christian school in Arkansas. A review of the literature identified the various aspects of college readiness, the characteristics of effective programs for college …

Read180 Computer Software By Gender And Ethnicity On Reading Achievement For Identified Special Education Students, Sherrie Bayles

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to conduct an independent study to determine the effectiveness of the READ 180 reading intervention program when implemented with middle and junior high school students with disabilities. To address the first and third hypotheses, gender (male versus female) and change over time (fall, mid-year, and at the end of the school year) served as the independent variables for sixth/seventh and eighth/ninth grade students with disabilities, respectively. For the second and fourth hypotheses, ethnicity (White versus all non-White students) and change over time served as the independent variables for sixth/seventh and eighth/ninth grade students with …

Differences In Mathematics And Literacy Achievement Between African American Males And Other 11th-Grade Students, Jeffery Flanigan

Dissertations

The gap in school performance between African American students and students of other subpopulations has shown up in a range of academic success measures including course grades, test scores, course selection, and college graduation rates (Johnston & Viadero 2000); college and high school grade point averages [GPAs] (Banks & Banks, 2004); and dropout rates (Gordon, 1999; Green, 2001; Irvine & Armento, 2001; Jencks & Phillips, 1998; Kober, 2001; Lee, 2002). These indicators all point to a disturbing pattern in the educational system and beg the question: What is going on with the education of African American males in the United …

A Co-Teaching Program Evaluation In A School District In Missouri, Tanya Marie Deering

Dissertations

This study was a program evaluation on the co-teaching model within the Smallville School District (a pseudonym) measuring its effectiveness defined by the perceptions of leaders in the field of special education. This study filled the gap of previous co-teaching studies by investigating a rural school district, across all buildings. The researcher selected the tools of classroom observations; convenience sample interviews; administrator, teacher, student, and parent surveys; and secondary data from High Quality Professional Development (HQPD) and the school budget. The researcher collected data with surveys, observations, and interviews to determine the perceptions of all stakeholders involved in the co-teaching …

An Examination Of How Feminist Perspectives And Generational Differences Lnfluence The Leadership Practices Of Women Administrators In Higher Education, Marlene Kowalski-Braun

Dissertations

This study explored how feminist perspectives and generational differences influence the leadership practice of women administrators in higher education, specifically, how they lead and create institutional change. It examined the experiences of seven women who identified as feminists, who were part of Generation X, and who were at the mid-level, aspiring to senior-level, or in senior-level positions.

Phenomenology was the qualitative methodology used in this study to uncover how these women made meaning of their feminist and generational identities. The approach was grounded in feminist methodology and utilized feminist standpoint theory to legitimize women as “knowers.” It drew on a …

Utilization-Focused Evaluation Of A School District Leadership Pipeline, Whitnee Shaffer

Dissertations

The Future Leaders Academy is a program for aspiring leaders that is directed by the Hillsborough County Public Schools Leadership Development Department. The research in this paper demonstrates the views of the cadre members that have completed the program. The research provides data and information as to their responses to the effectiveness of the program and whether it was beneficial to be a part of this leadership program. The following details the rationale for the research and the results of the surveys from the cadre members.

Increasing Student Achievement In English Language Learners Through Dual Language: A Policy Advocacy Document, Melissa Durrance

Dissertations

English language learners (ELL) represent the fastest growing population of learners in our schools. A substantial and continuing education achievement gap exists between ELLs and English speaking students and an alarmingly disproportionate number of ELL students contribute to the dropout rate. As educators, it is imperative that we provide educational programs to help reduce the achievement gap. All students deserve an education that will enable them to be productive citizens and that will provide them with the skills needed to enter either a career or an institution of continuing education upon graduation. As a solution to the increasing dropout rate …

A Support Framework For Virtual Learners: A Policy Advocacy Document, Donna Davis Nicolodi

Dissertations

The goals of my three-year doctoral program are imbedded in my professional and personal desire to offer students the best possible options for learning. Professionally, I endeavored to improve and advance the quality of online education in my school district. Personally, my goal was to learn about recent advancements in the educational modality I have so passionately embraced for the past nine years. My vision was that my research would directly impact the expansion and improvement process of the virtual education program locally and add to the body of research referencing online and blended learning. Professionally, I have witnessed the …

Teacher And Evaluator Perspectives On The Teacher Evaluation Process For Teachers Of English Language Learners: A Policy Advocacy Document, Nancy Martinez

Dissertations

The focus of this study is on teacher evaluation systems. I examine the various teacher evaluation system currently implemented in Florida. These teacher evaluation frameworks approved by the Race to the Top initiative use protocols that do not provide opportunities for differentiating instructional practices specific to English Language Learners. The results from this analysis in combination with the wealth of research available on instructional practices for ELLs suggest a need for a change. This paper supports the need for a revision of the current teacher evaluation frameworks to include differentiation of ELL-specific indicators in the current teacher evaluation system that …

Teacher And Evaluator Perspectives On The Teacher Evaluation Process For Teachers Of English Language Learners: A Change Leadership Plan, Nancy Martinez

Dissertations

This paper examines the need to add indicators to the current teacher evaluation system that are specific to English Language Learners (ELLs). Florida teacher evaluation protocols do not specify ELL-specific instructional strategies. This study explores perceptions of ELL teachers and school administrators on the fairness of current evaluative practices for ELL teachers. I considered research that supported the need for differentiated instruction for ELLs. I used the diagnostic framework by Wagner et al. (2006) to identify “arenas” of change: culture, context, conditions, and competencies. I used these arenas to present the existing situation in a school district. I then presented …

The Game Of Chess: A Conduit To Increase Student Academic Achievement In Pinellas County: A Policy Advocacy Document, Douglas Williams

Dissertations

The research about chess and education is very compelling. The usefulness of chess as an educational activity is particularly valid among children whose minds are entering the cognitive phase of abstract thinking. However, chess is useful among all age groups. Chess has been shown to improve cognitive abilities among educationally low-functioning students, and it has been shown to help students academically when traditional methods have failed to produce the desired outcome. Most people think of chess as a game, and I think the time has come for educators to think about chess in a different light. It is a game, …

How Do Middle School Core Content Area Teachers In A Title 1 School Use Cooperative Learning In The Context Of High Accountability For Student Proficiency: A Multiple Case Study, Martha Cunigan-Wells

Dissertations

This action research case study describes how content area teachers in a middle school with low reading achievement levels utilize cooperative learning and curriculum integration (with a focus on the integration of literacy skills and thinking skills) in their content area given the current context of accountability for student mastery of tested core content outcomes. The participants were four urban middle school teachers from the core areas of science, social studies, mathematics, and language arts who had varying levels of training and experience with cooperative learning and curriculum integration. Data sources included audio-recorded pre-conferences, video-taped classroom observations, audio-recorded post-conferences, and …

Teacher And Administrator Perceptions Of The Implementation Of The Teacher Incentive Fund (Tif) Grant In Mississippi Pilot Schools, Albert William Carter

Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to assess administrators and teachers’ perceptions of the key components of the Mississippi Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grant in Mississippi pilot schools. The study examines the difference in perceptions between administrators and teachers. The study also investigated if there was a relationship with the TIF grant and student achievement by comparing the percent of students who scored a minimum of proficient on the MCT2 in TIF schools before and after the grant. Achievement was also examined by comparing percent of proficiency of TIF schools with comparable, non-TIF Mississippi schools.

The participants in the …

Does Video Game Use Exacerbate The Relation Between Neurophysiological Deficits And Adhd Symptoms In Children And Adolescents?, James Kenneth Goodlad Iii

Dissertations

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is diagnosed based on behavioral symptoms but is thought to have a significant heritable neurological basis, and several brain structures have been implicated. Recent research has focused on the role of environmental factors that may influence the behavioral expression of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity in children and teens, particularly when a biological predisposition exists. This study sought to broaden the literature base by examining the extent to which one environmental factor—video game use—moderated the relation between neuropsychological deficits in attention and inhibition and the behavioral symptoms of ADHD. It was hypothesized that gaming frequency and duration as well …

Elementary Teachers' Sense Of Self Efficacy And Professional Development Experiences Of Teaching Informational Text, Mary Desiree Lee

Dissertations

According to the International Reading Association, becoming a successful citizen in one’s career and personal life requires the use of literacy skills (International Reading Association, 1999). However, students in the United States have scored low on the literacy portions of the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the ACT prompting the National Governor’s Association to author a set of standards with a goal of providing students a balance between narrative and informational text (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010). Scores were below the national average in the southeastern region of the United …

Exploring Perceived Norms And Protective Strategies: Self-Consciousness And Gender As Moderators, Jeremy James Noble

Dissertations

College alcohol abuse has been a staple in the college environment over the past 30 years (Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman, & Schulenberg, 2011) resulting in numerous negative consequences (Hingson, Edwards, Heeren, & Rosenbloom, 2009). Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) reduce the negative consequences typically associated with alcohol use (Martens et al., 2004). A positive relationship exists between perceived norms of PBS use and PBS use (Benton, Downey, Glider, & Benton, 2008), and an individual’s level of self-consciousness moderates the relationship between perceived norms and alcohol use (LaBrie, Hummer, & Neighbors, 2008). The relationship between perceived norms and PBS use under the conditions …

Relationships Between Participation In Extracurricular Activities, Act Scores, Gpa, And Attendance In Select Public High Schools In Mississippi, Lance Kelvin Reed

Dissertations

There are contemporary concerns about improving and sustaining positive student outcomes in secondary schools today. In light of student needs and limited time and resources available to address those needs, educational leaders are faced with making difficult decisions about what should and could be offered to students through their schools. In addition to the general curriculum, schools generally offer a variety of extracurricular activities. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between extracurricular participation and select student outcomes. The findings of this study can provide valuable insight to school leaders as they make decisions about how to …

Effective Instructional Strategies Utilized In Successful And High Performing Secondary Schools In The Southern Region Of Mississippi, Jeanifer Lynn Pearson

Dissertations

The schools in the United States have implemented measures intended to close the achievement gap for over fifty years (Solomon, 2009). The mandates handed down by the federal government cannot be altered. Therefore, schools are required to determine specific measures that increase student academic success. Prior research has demonstrated that schools can be successful if effective leadership at the district, school, and classroom level was present (Gregory, 2003; Johnson, Livingston, & Schwartz, 2000). At the classroom level, it was the leadership of the individual teacher to determine the creation of innovative techniques aimed at academic success of all students (Farr …

Development Of Workforce Skills: Student Perceptions Of Mentoring In First Robotics, Katie Joan Veal Wallace

Dissertations

In today’s global economy, new workforce competencies are needed for success at both individual and societal levels. The new workforce skills extend beyond basic reading, writing, and arithmetic to include higher order processes such as critical thinking and problem solving. Technical job opportunities have grown by approximately 17%, yet the United States continues to decline in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Further, U.S. students earn average or below average test scores when compared to other developed countries. Researchers cite the need to incorporate the learning of workplace skills into secondary education curriculum, and advocates call for new teaching …

Online Versus Face-To-Face Biology: A Comparison Of Student Transactional Distance, Approach To Learning, And Knowledge Outcomes, Mary Erin Riggins

Dissertations

Community colleges are among many other institutions increasing course offerings online, but there is still some concern about the quality of online learning. Educator concerns, a lack of empirical evidence on biology courses offered online, and the need for an equal opportunity for education support the need for clarification of the quality of distance education in biology, especially in the community college setting. Student attitudes, approaches to learning, and performance should all be studied in order to formulate a better evaluation of the quality and effectiveness of online courses (Svirko & Mellanby, 2008).

The purpose of this study was to …