Education Commons^™

An Investigation Of Fit Criteria Within Mg-Cfa For Examining Non-Negligible Measurement Invariance, Abdolvahab Khademi

Doctoral Dissertations

One desirable property of a measurement process or instrument is the maximum invariance of the results across subpopulations with similar distribution of the traits. Determining measurement invariance (MI) is a statistical procedure in which different methods are used given different factors, such as the nature of the data (e.g. continuous, or discrete, completeness), sample size, measurement framework (e.g. observed scores, latent variable modeling), and other context-specific factors. To evaluate the statistical results, numerical criteria are often used, derived from theory, simulation, or practice. One statistical method to evaluate MI is multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA) in which the amount of …

How Does Burnout And Self-Efficacy Effect Teacher's Perspectives And Implementation Status Of Evidence Based Behavior Management Practices?, Autumn Jillson

Doctoral Dissertations

Globally, school systems are struggling with the consequences of teacher burnout (Aloe, Amo et al., 2014). Student behavior has been consistently identified as one of the greatest stressor’s teachers deal with and is a significant predictor of burnout development (Chang, 2013). For the prevention and management of behavioral challenges, it is essential that teachers use evidence-based practices. However, research indicates that classroom management practices are frequently not implemented with sufficient implementation fidelity to be effective, even with didactic training by consultants (Briere et al., 2015). Burnout and self-efficacy are constructs that are rarely incorporated into the understanding of implementation efforts …

It’S All The Rage: An Animated Approach To Screening For Postpartum Depression, Amanda Gorham

Doctoral Dissertations

Postpartum depression presents a complication for mothers which can, in some cases, be severe and even life-threatening. Instruments commonly used to screen for this psychological condition have been challenged by an extensive body of literature, with many mothers being unidentified and even untreated for their symptoms. The presented research introduces a newly developed screening instrument for detecting probable postpartum depression using text-free scenario-based animations, based on the lived experience of the condition as qualified by empirical research and the existing body of literature. Developed items were controlled for quality via Think Aloud Protocol and alignment studies with subject matter experts …

Teacher Interactions, Teacher Bias And Child Behavioral Health, Ellen E. Edge

Doctoral Dissertations

TEACHER INTERACTIONS, TEACHER BIAS AND CHILD BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SEPTEMBER 2020 ELLEN ELLSBERG EDGE, BFA, THE COOPER UNION SCHOOL OF ART Post BA, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST M.ED, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Ph. D., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Claire Hamilton This study utilized a mixed methods study design to gain a clearer understanding of the thoughts and feelings of Lead teachers in Head Start programs who work with children with perceived behavioral health challenges. Utilizing a semi-structured interview, 11 teachers employed in a New England Head Start program were asked about their views associated with child behavioral health, …

An Assessment Of The Professional Development Of Special Education Teachers In Saudi Arabia, Raja Almutairi

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to assess the current state of professional development activities of Saudi special education teachers in comparison to the research-based professional development practices of special education teachers. A survey of professional development evaluation and job satisfaction that describe three components was electronically collected from 613 special education teachers who were actively employed in Saudi public schools during the 2019/2020 school year. The results show that participating in professional development activities contributed to the study’s special education teachers’ satisfaction with their teaching profession. Additionally, the findings suggest that improvements to the professional development practices that are …

Making Meaning In The Margins: Identities, Belonging, And Social Justice Commitments In A Cross-Race Intergroup Dialogue For Queer And Trans College Students, Nina M. Tissi-Gassoway

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative research study used constructivist grounded theory methods to explore the lived experiences of 11 queer and trans undergraduate college students of various racial and ethnic backgrounds in a cross-race intergroup dialogue (IGD) course. Using document analysis of course assignments and post-dialogue semi-structured interviews allowed for rich inquiry into how these queer and trans students made meaning of their intersecting identities, sense of belonging, cross-race relationships, and social justice commitments. This study contributes new knowledge about the meaning-making processes of queer and trans college students of various racial and ethnic backgrounds and the role that IGD plays in supporting …

Making Meaning In The Anthropocene: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Investigation Of College Student Response To Planetary Ecological Crises, Kristen Nelson

Doctoral Dissertations

Higher education, with its core purpose in the generation and transmission of knowledge, has a particular role to play in society’s response to the global ecological crisis. Yet a key question is whether higher education is part of the problem or part of the solution. Sustainability educators insist that higher education, if it is to adequately address these challenges, must shift away from “mechanism” – a rationalist worldview that historically has shaped higher education’s culture and practices – toward an integrative worldview and epistemology that will guide teaching and learning in the new millennium. Emergent pedagogies and student development theories …

The Design Discourse Of Professional Instructional Designers, Katherine L. Bevins

Doctoral Dissertations

The design discourse of professional instructional designers (IDs) exposes the inner workings of instructional design because collaboration is integral to instructional design practice. Despite the importance of collaboration, there has been little examination of the collaboration in Instructional Design and Technology (IDT). To examine IDs’ collaboration, I examined the design discourse of IDs in design meetings with clients through a content analysis of their discourse. Analysis revealed areas of design expertise that frequented those discussions. I collected audio recordings of five discussions between one or more IDs and a client. Overall, six IDs and five clients participated in this study. …

The Lived Experiences Of Graduate Student Veterans Enrolled In Cacrep-Accredited Counseling Programs: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Gerald Spangler

Doctoral Dissertations

Student veterans (SVs)are a population of students studied extensively at the undergraduate level. These students possess military traits and characteristics that influence their academic experiences. Existing research focuses on these experiences to better understand and assist in fostering academic persistence. However, there is gap in literature that explores the lived experiences of graduate SVs. This literature is even more pronounced when narrowed to graduate SVs enrolled in Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Therefore, this study sought to address this gap and gain a better understanding of graduate SVs and their academic experiences that lead to …

Factors Predicting Turnover Of International Science And Engineering Faculty At Us Research Universities, Lauren Longino Jacobs

Doctoral Dissertations

In today’s global knowledge-economy, US research universities seek to attract and retain the best and brightest faculty in the world to increase the university’s intellectual capital and compete on a global scale. Increasingly, universities hire talented international faculty to fulfill these needs, which is especially prevalent in the science and engineering fields (S&E). International faculty benefit US universities in areas of research and scholarship as well as increased diversity and internationalization of the campus, however, not all international S&E faculty are retained. In fact, higher turnover has been found among international S&E faculty than their domestic peers (Kim, Twombly, & …

The Strength Of Self: An Examination Of Self-Directed Learning And Self-Regulated Learning Among Master’S Students, Holley Marie Linkous

Doctoral Dissertations

There is a lack of understanding of the difference between self-directed learning and self-regulated learning. Though both theories have been found to be important learning processes for achieving learning goals, there is little evidence to identify how the two directly compare. Self-directed learning and self-regulated learning can both be defined as learning processes as well as a collection of characteristics of an individual (Brockett & Hiemstra, 1991; Efklides, 2011). There are metacognitive components to these learning processes (Saks & Leijen, 2014; Zimmerman & Moylan, 2009). It can benefit scholars to know how these two concepts within a structured, complex, high-demand, …

An Investigation Of How Institutional And State Characteristics Influence Community College Award Rates, Jacob A. Kamer

Doctoral Dissertations

Community colleges are an essential element of the American postsecondary landscape and workforce preparation. In 2017, over six-million students, which represented roughly one-third of the total undergraduate enrollment in the United States, were enrolled in community colleges. In the past ten years, the importance of community colleges in the economic need for greater postsecondary credential attainment has been underscored by state policies and national initiatives. The wide variation in both the nature of community colleges and the students they serve makes examining the outcomes of these institutions difficult and oftentimes imprecise.

Assessing the performance of community colleges and determining what …

Betwixt And Between: Qualitative Examinations Of Leaders’ Internal Processes Of Transition, Margaret M. Ritchie

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines alternative forms of school governance from the personal perspectives of leaders, reflecting upon their transition through the organizational governance change. The effects of moving from a local governance authority to a five school multi-academy trust was both thrust upon the leaders who participated in this study as they, in turn, thrust the change upon others. This new vision of schooling rippled throughout the schools involved, the community in which the schools are located, and the greater local authority that did not embrace this change. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine alternative forms of school …

Women In Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathematics (Stem): Pre-College And College Factors Of Success, Jada Russell

Doctoral Dissertations

Scholars have reported that the competitiveness and innovation of the United States’ workforce in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics [STEM] fields are critical to maintaining our nation’s security and economic edge (Chen, 2009; Carlone & Johnson, 2007; Espinosa, 2011). Indeed, STEM is one of the fastest growing fields in the employment industry, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce (Langdon, et. al, 2011), and between 2008 and 2018, the number of STEM jobs is expected to increase 17%. Fostering learning pathways for all individuals interested in pursuing careers and education in STEM disciplines is necessary for us to meet the …

Teaching Stories In Online Police Firearms Training Videos: Analysis Of Content And Messages Carried, Alan Alfred James Bailey

Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify teaching stories in freely available online police firearms training videos and examine the manifest or latent messages they may carry for a law enforcement audience. The literature recognizes that “well told stories have educational power” (Rae, 2016, p.2) and that adult educators traditionally use stories to teach (Clark & Rossiter, 2008) including some police academy trainers (Ford, 2003). However, there is less appreciation of story’s role in the informal learning setting of online videos that might influence the thinking and behavior of viewers. Randomly selected videos were analyzed to identify the …

The Social Side Of Retention: Examining The Social Integration Of African American And Latinx Students And Their Retention To Graduation, Ashley Taylor Redix

Doctoral Dissertations

While the rate student enrollment in U.S. institutions of higher education is steadily increasing, retention and graduation rates do not reflect these increases, in turn leading to an ever-present gap in educational attainment (Bailey & Dynarski, 2011; Fischer, 2007; Kuh, Cruce, Shoup, Kinzie, & Gonyea, 2008; Morley, 2003; Museus & Quaye, 2009; Zarate & Burciaga, 2010; Zhan & Sherraden, 2011). The gaps in educational achievement are disproportionately larger for the African American and Latinx student populations compared to their Caucasian and Asian peers (Bailey & Dynarski, 2011; Fischer, 2007; Morley, 2003; Museus & Quaye, 2009; Zarate & Burciaga, 2010; Zhan …

A Meta-Analysis Of Gender Gap On The Fci In High School And College Introductory Physics Courses In The Us And International Countries., Polin Yadak

Doctoral Dissertations

This meta-analysis synthesized research on gender gap in the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). The main goal of the present meta-analysis was to identify the moderator variables that mediate effect size differences. Furthermore, the statistical significance of the average effect sizes was investigated. The inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis resulted in 22 empirical research articles that studied gender gap and reported the number of male and female students in the study. The included articles reported multiple studies; therefore, there were 34 studies on pretest and 43 studies on the posttest FCI. The average effect size for the pretests was 0.62 and …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Thompson’S (2105) Survey Of Language Usage And Spanish Of Heritage Learners Placement Program Exam At The High-School Level, Elizabeth Villanueva

Doctoral Dissertations

Language placement test serve with multiple purposes to measure the language abilities and performance of language learners to place them in the most appropriate language course with curriculum that best meets the language needs. There is the need to assess appropriately the Spanish heritage language learners’ (SHLLs) abilities at the high-school level. Therefore, this mixed-method study investigated how Thompson’s (2015) modified Yes or No 10-question Survey of Language Usage (Survey) and the three part Spanish for Heritage Language Learners Placement Program Exam (Placement Test) could be used effectively with three Spanish class levels of HLLs at the high-school level to …

Critical Followership: Faculty And Leader Relations Impact On Leadership Turnover At A California Community College, Erik William Christianson

Doctoral Dissertations

Community colleges are experiencing higher levels of executive leader (chancellor, vice chancellor, and dean) turnover than four-year universities. Many different factors account for the high turnover and low retention: the need for dynamic leaders, the leadership succession process, the lack of professional training and development, as well as stakeholders and outside forces. The relationship dynamic between faculty and leaders as a contributing factor has not been previously studied. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine leaders’ misperceptions of faculty’s needs. Surveys and interviews were utilized to cross-examine data and perceptions from faculty and leaders. Through the lens …

Uncovering Examples Of Humanizing Praxis And Pathological Violence In Special Education: District, Parent, And Researcher Perspectives, Andy W. Chung

Doctoral Dissertations

Students of color continue to be labeled with dis/abilities and funneled into segregated settings by special education staff (Annamma, Connor, & Ferri, 2013; Leonardo & Broderick, 2011). The purpose of this study is to highlight the kinds of experiences students and their family’s experience in special education related to humanization and violence. In addition to gaining a better understanding of how special education district staff are working to both reproduce and disrupt the violent exclusion of students of color, this dissertation aimed to center the experiences of parents and students who are being impacted by the exclusionary policies and practices. …

An Analysis Of The Yearly Dynamic Change Relationship Between Working Memory Ability And Mathematics Achievement Of K-5 Students Using The Grimm Et Al. (2012) Extensions Of The Multivariate Latent Difference Score Models, Wenyan (Emma) Jiang Erzincanli

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to conduct a secondary data analysis to examine the dynamic change relationship between working memory and mathematics over time, and to address the working memory training program issue by examining this dynamic change relationship across four different groups of students to provide evidence on how to help different types of students improve their mathematics achievement. To achieve this purpose, the ECLS-K:2011 longitudinal data set and Grimm, An, McArdle, Zonderman, and Resnick (2012) extension of the multivariate latent difference score models were used for the secondary data analysis. Working memory ability and mathematics achievement were …

Critical Cultural Perspectives On Teaching Arabic As A Foreign Language (Tafl): A Critical Ethnographic Investigation Of A Us College-Level Course, Shaimaa Moustafa

Doctoral Dissertations

A gap in the critical cultural research paradigm in foreign language teaching (FLT) and teaching Arabic as a foreign language (TAFL) at the college level in the U.S. context subsists. FLT and TAFL have been characterized by the prevalence of the communicative and proficiency-based pedagogies and their concomitant research frameworks. This prevalence is tied to the growing neoliberal and terror rhetoric in recent years (Kramsch, 2005; Bernstein et al., 2015). In the face of the latter, a need for critical cultural frameworks of teaching and research became plausible to deconstruct the different clichés and biases in the context of Arabic …

"Because It's Free": Interviews Of Successful Tennessee Promise Students On How They Value Their Community College Experience, Susanna C. Miller

Doctoral Dissertations

Tennessee Promise is a tuition-free community college scholarship program for high school graduates that was initiated in Tennessee in 2015. This program is part of the State of Tennessee’s Drive to 55 initiative, the goal of which is to have 55% of the state’s workforce with a post-high school credential by 2025. This qualitative study was designed to learn how students who used TN Promise and graduated between 2015 and 2019 value their community college education experience. The research questions are: 1) What value do TN Promise students place on their education given that it is tuition-free? 2) What are …

“If I’Ve Got God On My Side, I Can Do It”: A Phenomenological Investigation Of The Lived Experiences Of Spirituality For Lds Ncaa Di Student-Athletes, Matthew J. Moore

Doctoral Dissertations

The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of spirituality for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (DI) student-athletes who also identified as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Using an existential phenomenological approach (Thomas & Pollio, 2002), nine interviews were conducted with four self-identified female and five self-identified male members of the LDS Church who were current NCAA DI athletes at the time of the study; they participated in four different DI sports (cross-country/track and field, football, soccer, and volleyball) and attended five different DI institutions. Their mean age was …

Investigating The Relationship Between Perceptions Of A “Good Reader” And Reading Performance Among Elementary And Middle School Students: An Exploration Study, Jamie A. Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships between student perceptions of a “good reader” and their reading performance. The study employed a causal-comparative and correlational design. Participants, elementary and middle school (grades 1-8) students (N= 100) attending an after-school program in the Southeastern United States, were administered the Student Perceptions of a Good Reader Scale (SPGRS) which includes two subscales: Perceptions-Decoding Efficiency (PerDE), and Perceptions-Comprehension (PerC). Additional measures included Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Growth Reading (MAP Growth, 2020) to determine reading comprehension and a curriculum-based measure of oral reading fluency (ORF) which determines words …

Promoting Personally Relevant Access To The General Mathematics Curriculum For Students With Intellectual Disability, Jennifer Elizabeth Cook

Doctoral Dissertations

Providing access to the general curriculum for students with intellectual disability (ID) has been a topic of debate in the field of low-incidence disabilities (e.g., Ayers et al., 2011; Trela & Jimenez, 2013). Researchers (e.g., Spooner et al., 2006; Trela & Jimenez, 2013) generally agree that students with ID should have access to the general academic curriculum, but some (e.g., Ayers et al., 2011) are concerned that adhering to a standards-based academic curriculum may not lead to independence. Trela and Jimenez (2013) proposed the term personally relevant to describe curriculum modifications for students with ID. Personally relevant modifications provide individualized …

Exploring Teachers’ Experiences Navigating The Inclusion Of Women In World History Situated Through A Professional Learning Community, Autumn Magliocca

Doctoral Dissertations

While the importance of including women’s history in the social studies curriculum has been examined, several scholars have identified potential reasons for the continued underrepresentation of women’s history. Few studies have explored the ways in which the reasons identified by scholars have manifested in teacher decision-making and classroom practice. This study sought to examine factors that influenced teacher curricular-instructional choices with regard to historical female perspectives paying particular attention to the qualities of a professional learning community and the role of personal teacher efficacy. This embedded case study investigated the experiences of four sixth grade world history teachers who participated …

Increasing Senior High School Students' Mathematical Problem-Solving Skills Through Improving Their Spatial Visualization Skills By Learning And Practicing Three-Dimensional Dynamic Geometry With Cabri 3d, Nurul Yaqin

Doctoral Dissertations

Problem-solving is one of the standards of mathematics processes developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Many research studies indicated that there was a relationship between mathematics achievement and spatial visualization skills. But the research results still didn’t indicate whether or not there was a causal mediation relationship between the achievement of learning-and-practicing three-dimensional geometry and mathematical problem-solving skills mediated by spatial visualization skills. Therefore, it’s still necessary for us to specifically investigate whether or not spatial visualization skills can be a medial factor between the increase of mathematical problem-solving skills and the effects of learning and practicing …

Expanding Access To Elite Institutions Through Community College Transfer: An Intrinsic Case Study Of Bucknell University’S Community College Transfer Initiatives, Catherine Sanchez

Doctoral Dissertations

Elite institutions of higher education have been under increased scrutiny for failing to provide equitable access, and rightly so. Recent research reveals that students from underserved populations are severely underrepresented at elite colleges and universities. These findings echo research conducted nearly fifteen years ago, indicating that despite class-based policy efforts, like need-blind admission and no-loan financial aid, little movement has been made to expand access to students who could benefit the most from an elite education. This lack of movement serves as the entry point for this study, which argued that if community college transfer is to make a difference …

Examining Instructional Shifts Within Dialogic Interaction In Japanese University Efl Education, Roehl Sybing

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents a study aimed at exploring the influences on language learners' contributions to dialogic classroom interaction in a Japanese university EFL (English as a foreign language) classroom context. Dialogic approaches to teacher discourse rely on the contributions of students to classroom interaction as well as the interpretive skills of teachers to facilitate understanding and co-construction of knowledge. However, the contemporary literature has reported on challenges involved in fostering mutual classroom dialogue with language learners, owing to challenges with linguistic and academic resources and differences in culturally informed perceptions regarding academic roles and expectations. This paper explores the need …