Education Commons^™

The White Gap In Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Towards Integrity: An Autoethnography Of White Racial Identity, Kelly Weingust

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

It has been over two decades since the theory of culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) was posed by Ladson-Billings (1995), yet little has changed in the lives of Black students and students of color. Across the literature, researchers revealed many White teachers lack awareness of self and others. This qualitative analysis utilized the narrative form and process of autoethnography to examine how my White racial identity evolved across context and time and how this racial identity impacted my teaching practice. This study began with journal entries of significant cultural experiences and events I recalled from early childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. I …

College Students And The Rhetorical Dissent Goal: Associations Between Dissent Goal, Dissent Target, And Perceptions Of Instructor Power, Martin Glenn Heator

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Some college students who experience discontent with the instructional experience engage in a complaining and problem-solving behavior called instructional dissent. Three types of dissent have been identified: rhetorical, expressive, and vengeful. Student perceptions of instructor power influence if and how students dissent. This study explored the relationship between instructor power and rhetorical dissent. Previous studies measured rhetorical dissent as a single variable incorporating the goal for dissenting and the target for dissent expression, using the instructor in the class as the only target. This study measured dissent goal and dissent target as separate variables and included the instructor in the …

An Investigation Of Middle School Mentoring Relationships Through The Lens Of The Developmental Assets Framework, Christopher Thomas Reinsma

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

School-based mentoring is a popular but relatively unstudied support intervention for students entering middle school. Mentoring research more generally reveals that relationship quality between student and mentor is foundational for achieving positive student outcomes. Using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design, the 20/20 Vision Project explored mentoring relationship quality and student outcomes for a group of 15 fifth and sixth grade students at an intermediate school in the upper Midwest. Students and mentors were matched in developmental relationships that focused on building developmental assets over the course of one school semester. Matched pairs met for 40 minutes, one time per week for …

Connecting Teaching Practice To Student Efficacy In Undergraduate Mathematics, Sandra Becker

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Academic efficacy plays a critical role in student success in math learning at all levels due to its impact on persistence, motivation, and academic performance. This research aimed to connect student efficacy with key aspects of the instructional environment in six undergraduate math classes. Student surveys indicated significant differences in mean efficacy between classes, as well as significant differences in student perceptions of teacher behavior between the efficacy groups. Findings from observations of the classes revealed that key aspects of the instructional discourse varied by efficacy group. Instructors in higher efficacy classes tended to have more personal connections with students …

Influence Of Choice On Motivation To Learn For Students With Autism: Effect On Student Interest, Writing Achievement, Latency, And Behavior, Theresa M. Haskins

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Improving learning outcomes and increasing motivation to learn for students with autism is a growing concern for educators today. While schools strive to fully include students with autism in general education classrooms, the number of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder continues to rise, increasing the need for effective interventions that educators can easily implement in their classrooms. This pilot study investigates the influence of choice on a second grade student with autism and his motivation to write. His teacher’s perception on the use and effectiveness of choice in her classroom is also examined. Using a single-subject baseline design, …

A Case Study Of The Implementation Of Positive Behavior Supports (Pbs), Craig Ross

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this single case study was to examine the significant personal, social, and environmental elements influencing effective second-year implementation of a specific school reform initiative, Positive Behavior Supports, in one alternative high school in southwestern Michigan. Data were collected in the form of artifacts, observations, surveys and interviews. All surveys and interviews were conducted by third-party assistants in the fall of 2009. The survey and interview data were provided to the researcher only after all identifying information had been removed so that the anonymity of participants was protected.

Multiple theoretical frameworks were employed in the analysis of the …

Ninth-Grade Interventions And The Impact On High School Graduation Rates, Shannon Mcbrady

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

There is a need to become economically sensible when deciding on new school initiatives and reforms. This is partly due to increasing accountability and tightening school budgets. Hertzog & Morgan (1999) found the freshman year sets the tone for a student‟s entire high school career. Yet, frequently, ninth-graders struggle to feel connected to school and therefore experience failure. Often times this period of failure is related to the developmental process the ninth-grader experiences. Many ninth-graders struggle in various areas including behavioral growth, social pressures, and adjusting to the rigidity of high school (Mizelle & Irvin, 2000). Researchers have found that …

International Students: Culture Shock And Adaptation To The U.S. Culture, Stefanie Theresia Baier

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Annually thousands of international students attend US colleges and universities which requires them to adjust to a new environment, often accompanied by a culture shock experience.

This study analyzes to what degree cultural background, gender differences, language proficiency, self-confidence/self-efficacy, and social support networks impact the adjustment process of international students to the US culture.

Forty-five international students attending a Michigan community college were surveyed and interviewed to assess the relationship among self-confidence/self-efficacy, cultural background, gender and social support networks. Western students reported more positive cultural adjustment (M=29.0) than non-western students (M=29.0). Males adjusted better (M …