Education Commons^™

A Bifactor Approach To Dimensionality Assessment, David Michael Dueber

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Bifactor confirmatory factor analysis models and statistical indices computed from them have previously been used to provide evidence for the appropriateness of utilizing a unidimensional interpretation of multidimensional data. However, the ability of bifactor indices to aid in the assessment of subscore strength has not been investigated.

A simulation study was conducted to relate bifactor indices to the strength of subscores corresponding to specific factors. The bifactor indices OmegaHS and ECV_SS were found to be strongly predictive of subscore strength conditional upon OmegaS. The number of factors was also found to play a minor role in this relationship. Cutoffs …

Bridging The Gap: Effects Of Dual Credit College Algebra On Postsecondary Education Outcomes, Karen S. Heavin

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

The contraction of the blue-collar economy is slowly rendering the high school diploma obsolete as an entry-level requirement for middle class employability. Over the last 40 years, jobs requiring some sort of postsecondary education or post-high school credential increased from 28% to 62%, while lower-skilled jobs, traditionally filled by high school graduates or those without a high school diploma, decreased from 72% to 38%. As automation slowly replaces the blue-collar workforce, it is critical that our educational system provides all students the necessary tools to successfully complete a postsecondary degree or credential.

This study examined two groups of graduating high …

Leading Well: Anesthesiology Program Directors As Servant Leaders And Their Development Of Resident Wellness Programs, Amy Noel Dilorenzo

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Anesthesiology residents are at significant risk of developing serious issues during training including burnout, depression, and substance abuse. Recent accreditation requirements mandate that these well-being issues be addressed by residency training programs. Program directors, as the leaders of residency programs, are charged with protecting the wellness of residents and leading wellness initiatives. The program director role can be well-described in a servant leadership construct because they are charged with caring for the individual needs of their residents.

This dissertation is a report of a mixed-methods study that explores anesthesiology program directors’ self-perceptions as servant leaders and their efforts to lead …

Assessing The Effects Of An Authentic Project-Based Intervention On Secondary Students’ Understanding Of Ecosystems And Their Attitudes Toward And Interests In Stem, Kenneth Rolland Thompson

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

There is a need for secondary schools to provide more authentic, hands-on experiences in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and specifically, project-based investigation (PBI) environments in the classroom that focus on real-world problems relevant to students’ experiences, interest, and lives that manifest the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) following practices they prescribe. This study investigated how, to what extent, a contextualized aquaponics PBI (APBI) 10-week model unit affected high school students’ attitudes toward STEM in general, and aquaculture and aquaponics in particular, and interests in future STEM-related disciplines and/or STEM career pathways. This study also measured changes in students’ …

Predicting Pre-Service Teachers’ Self-Efficacy In Content Area Reading: A Multiple Regression Analysis, Fatih Destebasi

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

The main purpose of this study was to predict secondary and middle school pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy in content area reading by using demographic, academic achievement, literacy methods courses, faculty support, preparedness for content area reading, and attitudes toward teaching reading in content classrooms as variables. Based on that purpose, this study was guided by the following research question: What are the predictors of secondary and middle school pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy in content area reading among variables from verbal persuasion of teacher education faculty, preparedness for content area reading, attitudes toward teaching reading in content classrooms, number of literacy method courses, …

Assessing The Performance Of Two Procedures For Detecting Differential Item Functioning Within The Multilevel Partial Credit Model, Carol Hanley

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This is a simulation study that evaluates the performances of two models for the detection of uniform differential item functioning (DIF). Simulated data are generated by a multilevel partial credit model (MLPCM). The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy of two DIF detection procedures, hierarchical ordinal logistic regression (HOLR) for multilevel data and multilevel generalized Mantel-Haenszel (MGMH: French & Finch, 2013; French, Finch, & Imekus, 2019). Conditions manipulated were the number of participants per cluster (20, 40), number of clusters (50, 100, 200), DIF magnitude (0, .4, .8), and magnitude of intraclass correlation coefficient (.05, .25, .45). …

“Checking Off Boxes”: Teachers Describe Civic Education In World History: A Mixed Methods Study, Carly Claire Muetterties

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Scholars have long identified fostering democratic citizenship as a primary purpose of public schooling in the United States, meaning schools should intentionally prepare students with the knowledge and skills needed for active, informed democratic civic life. Furthermore, global interconnectedness has reshaped needed knowledge to participate in civic life. History is often identified as subject content well suited to address civic education and prepare students for citizenship. Though scholars point to a connection between world history and civic education, there is little empirical research studying how civic education informs teachers’ curriculum and instruction in world history. The purpose of this explanatory …

The Effects Of School Leaders’ Support On Teachers’ Integration Of Technology In Catholic Schools, Donna Reeves Brown

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This mixed methods study examined the effect of school leaders’ support of teachers’ personal and professional technology use, support of teachers’ technology integration, and support of teachers’ current instructional practice on teachers’ technology integration. In 2018, over six hundred teachers and sixty-five leaders from a Catholic diocese in the southeastern United States participated in the LoTi Digital Survey for Teachers and the LoTi Digital Survey for Leaders. In this two-phase study, data from these surveys were used in phase one to examine the degree to which each of the school leaders’ measures of support affected teachers’ technology integration. Using …

Advanced Multilevel Models For Comparing Group Characteristics: The Case Of Sex Differences In Reading Achievement, Rongxiu Wu

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

To help improve and advance research methodology when comparing the group characteristics, two advanced multilevel models were developed and introduced, which would allow a deeper and more refined look at the issue of sex differences in reading achievement.

The first model is a restricted multilevel model for the examination of institutional effects on multiple groups of individuals. The goal of this multivariate multilevel model with individuals nested within institutions was to estimate the institutional effects on multiple groups of individuals. With the employment of 2009 OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data, an application was illustrated to examine whether …

Ionic Bonding Curriculum Unit: An Electrostatic Framework, Mary Frank Lamar

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This mixed methods study compared two groups of high school students’ understanding of the ionic bond and the dissolving process. A 5 lesson curriculum unit was developed using Taber’s electrostatic framework (1997) focusing on the electrostatic forces between ions compared to a molecular framework (business-as-usual) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013). The lessons were developed to integrate spatially integrated experiences. Experimental (new curriculum unit) and business-as-usual (criss-cross method) students had their spatial skills tested before and after learning about the ionic bond using the Purdue Spatial Visualization-Rotations Test (PVST-Rot; Bodner & Guay, 1997). Students’ content was …

A Comparative Study Of Leadership Styles In International Special And General Education Schools In The United Arab Emirates, Kaitlin M. Jackson

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This study attempted to identify leadership styles of school leaders in international special and general education schools in the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, this study sought to explore the influence of various demographic factors on perceived leadership styles. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Avolio & Bass, 2004) was given to teachers across eight schools for the purpose of obtaining their perceived rating for leadership behaviors of school leaders at equivalent levels. Descriptive statistics were examined to identify prevalent leadership styles and trends in the demographics of survey respondents. Hierarchical linear models were conducted to determine the statistical significance of leadership style …

Google Docs-Mediated Small Group Writing In Arabic As A Foreign Language Classes: Interaction Patterns, Written Text Quality, And Students’ Perceptions, Maher Alkhateeb

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This study used an exploratory holistic single case study design to understand how Arabic as a foreign language (AFL) students completed a small group writing assignment using Google Docs. More specifically, this study investigated the interaction patterns that emerged between the students throughout the writing process, and if a relationship existed between the emerging interaction patterns and the holistic quality of the final written text. This study also explored the content focus of students’ comments and students’ perceptions of Google Docs-mediated small group writing.

Informed by the sociocultural theory in language learning and by drawing on Google Docs comments and …

Stretching The Dollar: Exploring The Lived Experiences, Multiple Identities, And Class Politics Of Poor And Working-Class Women At The University Of Kentucky, Rachael Deel

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

In the climate of prioritizing retention and pressure to move an increasingly diverse undergraduate population towards degree, it is critical that educational research consider the multiple, overlapping identities of students and how that influences their experiences on campus. The number of low-income students entering four-year institutions is growing each year, including at the University of Kentucky. This study aims to extend our understanding of social class beyond the material and focus on the affective dimensions of class including language, comportment, and leisure activities in an effort to better understand how poor and working-class women contend with the constraints they encounter …

Sexual Health Education In Kentucky's Public High Schools, Marjorie Stanek

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This dissertation seeks to enhance the understanding of sexual health education efforts, as they currently exist in Kentucky’s public high schools. It will include an examination of the factors that influence the provision of sexual health education in Kentucky schools, including relevant legislation, directives from the Kentucky Department of Education, and the presence of site-based councils within the Commonwealth. Additionally, the suggested curriculum elements from the Kentucky Department of Education’s Academic Standards, which were implemented during the 2019-2020 school year, will be compared to those established within the National Sexuality Education Standards (NSES), which serve as a gold standard …

Can Less Be More? Study Load And Its Effect On Science Achievement Among Chinese Eighth-Grade Students, Xian Wu

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

The present study addressed a core research question of “Can less be more?” concerning study load, which has become increasingly worrisome and controversial around the world. This idea reflects the philosophy of pursuing efficiency and effectiveness on learning, namely that a lighter study load may result in more successful academic achievement. The study adopted the IPO (input-process-output) model to address five interrelated research questions: 1) What are the structural characteristics of study load? 2) Is there any individual difference in study load? 3) What are the characteristics of teachers and schools under which students tend to have a heavier study …

The Sound Of Leadership: The Self-Leadership Strategies Of Local Activist Musicians, John Hill

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Within this dissertation I focused on the examination of local activist musicians’ self-leadership strategies and the method in which they lead social change movements. Additionally, I sought to increase the understanding of charismatic leadership, self-leadership strategies of local activist musicians, and the method in which local activist musicians lead social movements. To my knowledge, no published studies have explored local activist musicians’ self-leadership strategies. Therefore, this study is significant because I (a) explored a term which lacks a unifying definition, charismatic leadership, (b) provided theoretical foundations for activist musicians and social change, and (c) explored the self-leadership strategies of …

Disassemble/Analyze/Assemble: How A Hands-On Engineering Project Affects High School Girls' Science/Engineering Self-Efficacy, Interest And Career Considerations, Jennifer Corbett Ferguson

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Engineering education as part of the K-12 curriculum can be an effective instructional tool and its benefits include improved science and mathematical achievement as well as an increased interest and understanding of the engineering field, especially for female students. However, there is a serious lack of research-based engineering curriculum being used at the middle and high school levels and lessons most often rely on building or construction competitions. Over the past decade or two, many well-known colleges have implemented a reverse engineering instructional unit known as Disassemble/Analyze/Assemble projects within their introductory engineering courses. These units have been shown to improve …

Understanding Education Abroad With Advanced Quantitative Methodologies: Student Profiles And Academic Outcomes, Jie Dai

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This three-study dissertation contributes to the research in the field of participation in education abroad, particularly as it relates to student profiles and academic outcomes. Through employing more robust methodologies across the three studies, this dissertation aims not only to understand what are the factors associated with education abroad participation and how these factors interplay with each other, but also to provide a less biased picture of the impact of participation in education abroad on postsecondary educational outcomes. The studies have implications for equitable and inclusive access to education abroad.

The first study begins with the question: who studies abroad? …

A Case Study Of A Stem Specialist Co-Teaching Model, Kristen Lynn Witt

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This research is focused on elementary science teaching and learning with support of a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) specialist because science tends to be nearly absent from self-contained classrooms in the primary grades. Research has established STEM education needs to increase, however, a key question for researchers remains who should teach science and how we can improve teacher efficacy for science education. The purpose of this study is to discover the impacts of a STEM specialist’s role on an elementary school’s daily science instruction. “Impact” refers to teachers, administrators, and student’s value in science education, teacher’s confidence in …

College Students Mandated To Substance Use Courses: An Exploration Of Age-Of-Onset, Perceived Norms, And The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Benjamin Neil Montemayor

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Every year, college campuses report alcohol and other drug (AOD) policy violations as the most frequent reason students receive disciplinary referrals and, thus, are mandated to programming. This dissertation focused on exploring characteristics of students mandated to intervention programming in order to provide recommendations for future programs. This dissertation includes three studies involving students enrolled in mandated intervention programming: (1) a systematic review of the effectiveness of mandated programs in reducing cannabis or other drug use, (2) an examination of the differences between early- and late-onset alcohol and cannabis users, and (3) an exploration of perceived norms, and the Theory …

The Agricorps Experience: A Phenomenology Of International Agricultural Educators, Kendall Mallory Wright

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

With the growing world population, agricultural education may play a role in increasing the production of agricultural products and services in developing nations by improving knowledge and participation in the agricultural field, specifically with regard to the nations’ youth. Few researchers have sought to understand how the experience of teaching agriculture abroad impacts the agricultural educator. The purpose of this dissertation was to understand the essence of an international agricultural educator experience. In this phenomenological study, I interviewed past AgriCorps fellows to examine the lived experiences of fellows, how the fellows were impacted personally and professionally, and the transformative learning …

The Development Of A New Instrument Comparing Teacher And Principal Perceptions Of School Technology Leadership, Garrick Grace

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Use of technology in education is rapidly growing in terms of dollars spent annually. With such enormous expenditures for schools, stewardship of human and capital resources via leadership feels vital. School technology leadership is a specialty area of educational leadership with a focus on how leaders address technology issues within their schools and guide others through successful implementation. As the body of research continues to grow, measurement instruments can assist researchers and practitioners in understanding the implementation and adoption of new technologies, and their relationship to leadership.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the current literature on school …