Education Commons^™

An Examination Of Physical Exercise And Its Impact On Augmenting Self-Determination Levels Of College-Aged Students, Kenneth William Kirsch Jr

Theses and Dissertations

Research has demonstrated a positive link with motivation, physical exercise, and academic success. A current trend within higher education has been to increase student retention as well as deemphasize physical education. Students, who possess a higher degree of self-determined behavior, sustain greater overall success. Administrators have intensified efforts focusing on student retention; however, little research exists connecting physical exercise with self-determination and how these elements could provide solutions to address this problem. Motivation is an element, which drives people to accomplish a task and has the propensity to change when engaged in physical exercise. The motivational reasons why people participate …

A Preliminary Evaluation Of An Academic Support Program, James Colin Bumby

Theses and Dissertations

The responsibility for graduating students is a school responsibility. A large urban Midwestern research university created the Nursing Endeavor Program (NEP) to ensure that students from underserved minorities, first generation, and/or low income are enabled to graduate successfully. There is a 100% retention rate for the period from admission to the nursing major in the junior year; however, in the pre-nursing years, the retention rate is only 50%. The role transition from pre-nursing student to student nurse can be challenging and stressful. A qualitative phenomenographic research approach was utilized to identify the factors facilitating and the factors hindering this transition. …

Promoting Meaningful Learning Through The Use Of Concept Maps, Duaa Amr Hafez

Theses and Dissertations

Background and significance: There have been dramatic changes in the healthcare system with the high use of technology. The healthcare needs of patients have increased due to the chronic diseases, and an increase in the number of the older population. These changes require nurses with high levels of thinking, knowledge and skills. It is vital to reconsider the teaching and learning methods used in nursing schools to ensure graduating nurses are capable of working in these challenging environments. The purpose of this naturalistic inquiry descriptive study is to explore the experiences and perspectives of undergraduate and graduate nursing students and …

Realizing The Ideal School District Size: How District Size Affects Achievement And Expenditure, James L. Hayes Iii

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine what size district (or range of sizes) better fosters an environment conducive for high student achievement and low district expenditure. The ideal district size debate goes back centuries, with the initial efforts to reform small districts that had their start in the early 19th century as rural single room schools. Literary work on this topic is quite polarized, without a clear and modern consensus. This study contained a quantitative study using a correlational research design to explore the affects of district size on student achievement and district expenditure.

The Impact Of A Values Clarification Process On The Factors Associated With Retention Of Historically Underrepresented Students At A Public University, Jose Antonio Aviles

Theses and Dissertations

The literature examining the retention of students of color is very much like a puzzle. Many scholars have contributed to the puzzle attempting to make a complete body of knowledge regarding student departure. However, a void in the literature seems to be the role of students' values in the retention puzzle, specifically, whether the process of clarifying personal values would affect the retention of students of color in higher education.

A transitional summer bridge program was modified using a conceptual framework anchored in the examination of espoused values versus values in use. The model was developed using Argyris and Schon's …

Audio Books’ Impact On Students’ Reading Experiences, Anne W. Hartell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of audio books on students’ reading experiences in a public elementary school in rural upstate South Carolina. This study was conducted to address the problem of practice reported by teachers as low motivation and engagement during independent reading in classrooms that contributed to negative experiences during independent reading. This action research study utilized interviews, a focus group, a survey, and classroom observations to gather qualitative data on the reading experience before and after the introduction of audio books from three resources. Adult support, access, interest, focus, and difficulty were themes …

The Perceptions Of School Counselors, Special Education Teachers, And Principals On Their Preparedness To Be On Anti-Bullying Policies Actors For Students With Disabilities, Sara J. Pearson

Theses and Dissertations

Effective bullying prevention programs are essential for schools, particularly with respect to students with disabilities (SWD). Improving the preparedness of counselors, special education teachers and principals can advance efforts to recognize and to address the bullying of students with disabilities. Unfortunately, schools’ disciplinary processes and procedures are often complex and diffuse, and school stakeholders often know little about preventative methods for bullying and supportive measures for the victims. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of counselors, special education teachers and principals in middle schools on their preparedness to be effective anti-bullying policy actors. This research is …

The Impact Of Scaffolding On The Historical Thinking Skills Of Middle School Students, William R. Cox

Theses and Dissertations

This work is dedicated to some incredibly important people in my life. First, to my students everywhere, you have challenged me to become a better curriculum leader and a better historian. Many of you have inspired me beyond anything that you can imagine. Second, to my colleagues, you have helped create a drive inside of me to seek the best in my students and myself. You have also put up with my seemingly unending impromptu lectures about the newest thought I had on pedagogy.

Finally and most importantly, to my family, it is you that I owe an indescribable debt. …

The Impact Of Number Talks On Third-Grade Students’ Number Sense Development And Mathematical Proficiency, Nicole D. Gaillard

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study employed a mixed-methods design to examine the impact of a number talks intervention on the number sense development and mathematical proficiency of students in one third-grade mathematics class. The number talks strategy was also studied to determine its impact on third-grade students’ development of a productive mathematical disposition. Number sense is “a person’s general understanding of numbers and operations along with the ability and inclination to use this understanding in flexible ways to make mathematical judgments and to develop useful strategies for handling numbers and operations” (McIntosh, Reys, & Reys, 1992, p. 3). This eight-week study …

The Play’S The Thing: Engaging 6th Grade Social Studies Students Through Movement, Karen Clinkert Paggi

Theses and Dissertations

This paper is a description of a proposed action research study driven by a problem of practice. The problem for this action research is that the teacher-researcher’s sixth-grade social studies students lack critical thinking skills. Critical thinkers are engaged and learners who analyze complex issues and challenges within society. The teacherresearcher observed her students performing well on standardized benchmarks that rely on recalling facts, while simultaneously struggling to analyze explicit and implicit information from primary and secondary sources in order to make relevant and logical conclusions. After observing sedentary teaching practices in her classroom, the teacherresearcher began to review a …