Education Commons^™

Underserved And Underrecognized: Elevating Teaching Strategies, Special Education Eligibility, And Educational Outcomes For Grade 2-6 Girls On The Autism Spectrum, Jessica T. Ford

Doctorate in Education

This study involved a qualitative exploratory case study research design and employed in-depth online interviews as the primary data collection method. Participants were former or current special education teachers in Minnesota who had worked with Grade 2-6 girls on the autism spectrum and were sourced from professional networks, educational associations, online platforms, chain sampling, and snowball sampling. This study sought to elucidate the reasons behind the underidentification of girls eligible for autism spectrum special education services, streamline their qualification process, reveal practical educational strategies for academic, emotional, and social support, and furnish accessible resources and training alternatives for classroom teachers …

Cultivating Workplace Creativity: A Qualitative Case Study Of Leader Perceptions And Practices, Karen Davis Platt

Doctorate in Education

Creativity is vital to corporate success in a global economy and contributes to employee work satisfaction. Grounded in constructivism, this dissertation advances arguments regarding how organizational policies and leader practices can support workplace creativity. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gather insights into leaders’ perceptions of how creativity is fostered in the workplace and develop recommendations to support knowledge industry leaders in cultivating creativity. Findings are based on 10 semi-structured interviews from leaders in one large, knowledge industry corporation headquartered in the United States' mid-Atlantic region. Leaders shared their beliefs and experiences related to creativity in the …

Strategies To Enhance Effectiveness Of School Boards In Governance, Brian Gersich

Doctorate in Education

School boards and superintendents play an important role, providing oversight of the educational services for students in a community. This study sought to understand how public school boards govern a district with their respective superintendents, including if and how this may be evolving. Through this research, I wanted to contribute to the discussion around effective school district governance and management with modernized challenges including an increased focus on social and community cultural issues and the post-pandemic era.

This qualitative study involved interviews with ten school board members currently serving in districts from the Southwest Twin Cities area. Findings indicate the …

Educator Preparedness To Leverage Assistive Technologies In The Classroom, Sean Masterman

Doctorate in Education

The fourth industrial revolution (4IR) is driving a compelling need for pedagogical change, yet there is disjuncture between the capacity of emerging technologies to address this need and their actual use in the American classroom. These technologies can enable personalization to meet each student’s individualized learning needs. Educator preparedness is the first step toward embracing and integrating the broad capabilities of emerging technologies to help build the future workforce. This qualitative, phenomenological case study assessed the preparedness of middle school general educators in two Minnesota school districts to leverage assistive technologies (ATs) to improve student learning from the perspective of …

Math Vocabulary & Number Sense: Instructional Strategies For Upper Elementary English Learning Students In The Math Classroom, Matt J. Cavanaugh

Doctorate in Education

Recent studies show that English learning students are a growing population within the United States school system. Language barriers have been shown to negatively influence reading scores as well as math scores, and math scores are a predictor of future academic success in many subject areas. This qualitative action research study demonstrates the difficulties many upper-elementary English learning students have understanding number sense (numeracy) in a math classroom setting in Minnesota, United States. The purpose of this study was to explore whether intentional teaching of math vocabulary could alleviate the difficulties upper-elementary English learning students have in understanding, applying, and …

Hmong Parents' Perspectives On The Effectiveness Of Hmong Language And Culture Programs, Lia Vang

Doctorate in Education

In this dissertation, I examined Hmong parents' perspectives on the effectiveness of Hmong language and culture (HLC) programs in helping their children maintain the Hmong language and cultural practices. It was guided by three research questions that sought to uncover Hmong parents' experiences with heritage language shifts (HLS), their perceptions of their children's experiences, their perceived effectiveness of Hmong language and culture programs, and the roles they believe home and school play in the language and culture maintenance process. Drawing from a phenomenological research approach, narratives from semi-structured interviews with nine Hmong parents from two Hmong charter schools brought forward …

The Murder Of George Floyd: A Case Study Examining How The Policing Of Black Men And Grassroots Activism Influence The Will Of Black Women To Lead, Ella Gates-Mahmoud

Doctorate in Education

This study's objective investigates the viewpoints held by Black women in two urban areas of Minnesota about the social upheaval that followed the murder of George Floyd in 2020 for using a counterfeit $20 bill. In the last decade, police killings of innocent Black people in the United States have received more attention, and Floyd's death is only one example of this phenomenon. In the U.S., the likelihood of a police officer taking the life of a Black man is higher than that of a White man. Between 2013-2019 there have been 1,641 fatal shootings of defenseless Black men by …

Prioritizing Prosocial Behavior For Preschool Children: How Are Parents Affecting Psb Development?, Deborah Zupito

Doctorate in Education

Scholars and Early Childhood Education (ECE) professionals acknowledge the critical nature of prosocial behavior (PSB) skills in the lives of preschool-aged children. Research specifies that children lacking PSBs are socially and academically disadvantaged. Studies have shown that 30% of preschoolers exhibit negative emotional/social behavior, and 80% of preschool educators report negative social behaviors (NSBs) adversely affecting their jobs. It is well-researched that a child's earliest experiences shape social and emotional behaviors, explicitly parenting and the home environment; however, less research exists about parents' knowledge and perception of their role relating to PSB development in their child's life. This qualitative case …

Ela High School Teacher Beliefs About Academic Language Learning, Wendy Aro

Doctorate in Education

The enrollment of English learners (ELs) in K-12 schools in the United States continues to surpass all other student groups reshaping U.S. public schools (National Center for Education Statistics, 2017). Research suggests while learning English, ELs fall behind academically, which can determine how long an EL remains in an English learner program (Wixom, 2014). Educators and leaders are faced with the challenges associated with EL education including professional development, retaining EL specialized teachers, and designing, implementing, and evaluating EL service models. Other challenges include ensuring EL access to grade-level content standards while simultaneously developing the language of the subject area. …

High-Quality Parent Teacher Relationships: Collaboration That Creates Culturally Relevant Educational Experiences For Students Of Color, Kelly Kudla

Doctorate in Education

Effective parent teacher relationships (PTRs) have positive impacts on student academic and social achievement; however, families of color often face barriers which limit their access to these relationships. When barriers are removed and collaborative PTRs with families of color are established, teachers can more effectively create culturally relevant experiences for students. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the experiences of teachers that have participated in collaborative PTRs, with a focus on experiences that contributed to teachers’ abilities to establish and maintain partnerships with families of color, and how teachers utilize the knowledge and skills of families to benefit …

Bridging The Gap Between Doing Math And Teaching Math: Supporting Mathematically Competent And Confident K-6 Preservice Teachers., Athena Novack

Doctorate in Education

Teachers with math anxiety can inadvertently pass along their own anxiety to the younger generation, creating a cycle of math anxiety. This study aims to interrupt this cycle by learning more about math anxiety and self-efficacy of the preservice teacher. This sequential, mixed methods action research study sought to explore ways to decrease math anxiety and increase self-efficacy among preservice teachers by examining how the use of self-recordings and mircoteaching throughout a semester-long course for preservice teachers at a small midwestern university impacted their math anxiety and self-efficacy.

Using the abbreviated Math Anxiety Rating Scale (A-MARS) 20 participants realized an …

The Blaeser Training Taxonomy, Timothy Blaeser

Doctorate in Education

This research was undertaken to determine the efficacy of using andragogy, assessment, and quality control for training in a modern industrial workplace, with findings indicating that these modern training techniques can be implemented with success in this context. While andragogy, pioneered by Knowles, has been used in many areas of adult education, it has not been found to be commonly used in the industrial workplace. The study focused on Finnish trainers using the Blaeser Training Taxonomy – a training program utilizing elements of andragogy and assessment wrapped into quality control. Using a mixed methods questionnaire, trainers reported their training results, …

Artistic Leadership In Minnesota Community Theater, Darlene Olson

Doctorate in Education

Minnesota artistic directors working in community theater benefit the communities they serve. The purpose of this narrative research and case study was to understand how the artistic director furthers equity and diversity in their leadership roles. Artistic directors see their practice as transforming and supporting diversity. The artistic directors' voice and viewpoints were from their own contextual situation and experiences in the field of education, leadership, and theater arts practice. The primary unit of this interpretative study was the community theater sites, its context, and the artistic directors' leadership experience. The semi-structured interviews were scheduled via Zoom during the 2020-2021 …

Give Us A Chance: The Experiential Knowledge Of Educators Of Color Pursuing An Administration License, Diana Salinas Brown

Doctorate in Education

An educational workforce which is representative of the student population it seeks to serve is critical to creating equitable learning opportunities in the increasingly diverse United States. Both students of color and White students must see themselves represented by their educators, and research suggests all students benefit from having teachers of color. Furthermore, it is important for students to see educators of color leading in positions of power. Unfortunately, the current proportion of administrators of color in the field of education in Minnesota, like many states, does not come close to the proportion of students of color in the state’s …

A Study Of The Impact Of Culturally Responsive Positive Behavior Interventions And Supports In The Virtual Middle School Setting, Kari Hawkey

Doctorate in Education

A considerable amount of research regarding best practices for successful disciplinary practices and programs that schools utilize to address middle school student behavior exists. Two of the most often cited and recommended practices are the Culturally Responsive practices and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Research on how Culturally Responsive practices and PBIS are used in the virtual middle school environment was scarce. Middle school teachers participated in semi-structured interviews to determine whether or not, how, and to what extent Culturally Responsive practices and PBIS were implemented in the middle school virtual setting. The purpose of this study was to …

The Four Transactional Distances Of The Apocalypse: A Critical Realist Case Study Of Higher Education During Covid-19, Lee Ann Dickerson

Doctorate in Education

The purpose of this comparative, longitudinal case study was to explore the distance operations system implemented in U.S. colleges and universities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Embedded in a larger two-year study of distance education in the U.S. before and after the health crisis, this study combined a grounded theory methodology with a critical realist approach to identify the components of the distance operations system and illuminate the generative mechanisms that promote or inhibit effective distance education. Primary data for this study consisted of interviews of faculty, staff, and administration of four higher education institutions at two collection points: first during …

Alleviating Oral Communication Anxieties In College French Classes: The Impact Of Professor-Student Connections, Claude Cassagne

Doctorate in Education

Oral communication anxiety (OCA) is a challenge for many college students studying a foreign language. This phenomenon has yielded many studies explaining OCA exists, relating it to personality traits and concluding educators play a large role in either reducing or aggravating such anxieties. However, research is lacking in the role professor-student rapport and connections play in affecting OCA. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study was to seek student perception on (through their worldviews), and recommendations for, professor teaching practices as it relates to anxiety and rapport-building. The participants are and were students of French in an undergraduate private liberal …

All It Takes Is One Person: First-Generation Hmong Women's Educational Experiences, Theresa Thao-Yang

Doctorate in Education

In this dissertation, I examined the educational and life experiences of 13 first-generation Hmong women and how their lived experiences impacted their earlier education experiences as well as their post-secondary educational choices and their children’s educational pathways. Drawing from a qualitative, narrative analysis approach to explore which educational practices support young immigrant women, this study highlights the determination and resilience in first-generation Hmong women’s lives by revealing the oppression and invisibility they faced. Through utilizing a life history approach with 13 Hmong women, this dissertation focused on three first-generation Hmong women’s complete life histories to examine the role schooling, family, …

The Impact Of The Online Learner Advising Model On Retention And Grade Point Average, Julie Delich

Doctorate in Education

As more students experience online learning environments, the academic community must invest more energy into improving retention of these learners. The purpose of this research was to study the impact of an advising model designed to support online learners, the Online learner advising model (OLAM). This study examined new student retention in the first 3 terms and GPA outcomes to measure the impact of the advising approach. OLAM was designed to address the specific needs of online learners through bringing together elements of proactive advising, shame resilience theory, and appreciative advising.

The sample was selected from Concordia University, St. Paul …

Coequal Responsibility For Feedback And Trust In Teacher Professional Development, Stefanie Whitney

Doctorate in Education

Instructional feedback offers a critical contribution to teacher professional development aimed at improving student learning outcomes. The most influential feedback comes from principals who have developed strong collegial relationships with teachers through observation-based understanding of their instructional practices, intentional interpersonal connection, and collaboration on shared goals. In essence, collegial relationships between principals and teachers nurture the development of trust, an essential element in the process of giving and receiving feedback. Unfortunately, instructional feedback has historically been delivered through teacher evaluations, which attempt to serve two contradictory purposes: To evaluate for retention and to nurture professional development. These dual purposes have …

Army Child And Youth Services Early Childhood Educators: A Mixed-Methods Assessment Of The Association Between Workplace Wellbeing And Turnover, Tamara Nuttall

Doctorate in Education

The Department of Defense operates the largest employer-sponsored childcare system in the United States. Army Child and Youth Services is the largest component of the military childcare system, employing over 5,400 early childhood educators who care for and teach soldier and Department of Defense Civilian children aged six weeks to five years old in child development center settings. Early childhood educators’ workplace wellbeing and turnover has long been the focus of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers alike. Despite extensive research examining these issues in the civilian childcare context, military-provided early education has heretofore been absent from the research literature. This globally …

A Case Study Regarding Induction Supports And Activities And Their Impact On Successful Teacher Retention, Alicia Ponds

Doctorate in Education

At the end of every school year, new teachers either stay or leave public classrooms. Multiple challenges drive these new teacher choices. State, district, and local administrators struggle to fill teacher vacancies. New teacher departures challenge schools with the maintenance of an attractive work environment and provision of quality student education. This case study shares how five successful Minnesota educators apply extrinsic activities and intrinsic supports to not only meet these challenges, but effectively respond to the 2019-2020 onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through research interviews, this qualitative study analyzes intrinsic supports and extrinsic activities in relation to positive teaching …

The Alignment Of Student Support Services In Minnesota Pre-K-12 Public Schools, Jacqueline Trzynka

Doctorate in Education

A significant amount of literature exists on student achievement, social emotional learning, student mental health, and related student developmental needs. There are recommendations and research about best practices and research around successful programs schools can utilize to address and support student needs. However, the author found in her research that there is very little, if any, research about how school districts organize and implement comprehensive systems to support these needs and even less about why they should. The research questions explore student support services structures, policies, processes and roles as they relate to supporting equitable student outcomes. The qualitative study …

Exploring Teacher-Parent Communication: A Qualitative Analysis Of Secondary Early Career Educators' Experiences, Kama J. Konda-Varilek

Doctorate in Education

Teacher-parent communication (TPC) is considered a professional responsibility for all teachers, yet it is most often associated with teachers of elementary-aged students; comparatively less is known about how secondary teachers communicate with parents or how they learn to do so. The qualitative study conducted in May 2020 used semi-structured interviews to examine how South Dakota secondary early career educators (ECEs) learned to communicate with parents and their experiences with TPC. The research questions focused on the definition of effective TPC, experiences from teacher preparation programs (TPPs) with TPC, experiences from in-service years and TPC, recommendations for preparing secondary ECEs for …

Teacher Of Color Retention: Stories Of Staying From Teachers Of Color In A Suburban School District, Andrew Beard

Doctorate in Education

A teaching force which is representative of the student population is critical to creating equitable learning opportunities in the increasingly diverse United States. Both students of color and White students must see themselves represented in their teachers. Additionally, it is important for all students to see people of color as educators as well as in positions of power. Unfortunately, the proportion of teachers of color currently in the field of education does not come close to the proportion of students of color in public schools in the United States.

While there are many aspects which add to the problem of …

Student Perceptions Of Mobile Phones As A Potential Academic Tool, Tyler Brackey

Doctorate in Education

Mobile phones offer many features and functions that could potentially enhance and expand student learning. However, practitioners and scholars have identified several concerning issues commonly associated with extensive student mobile phone use. Those who engage in discussions of the potential role for mobile phones in the learning process face a difficult task in deciding whether the advantages of mobile phone use for students in schools outweigh the disadvantages.

This paper aims to contribute to that discussion by offering the perspectives of 11th and 12th grade students in a rural Minnesota community. This study featured a mixed methods research design. In …

The Language Outcomes Of Hmong Dual-Language Immersion Program, Chao Vang

Doctorate in Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a K-12 Hmong dual-language immersion program on kindergarten through fifth-grade Hmong students’ academic performance in the category of reading Hmong and English. Moreover, the parents of those students were investigated concerning specific factors they used in choosing a dual-language immersion program for their child. Hmong bilingual students have different perspectives about their cultural identities, retaining the Hmong culture, and learning English when the Hmong language was used as the instructional language. It was also imperative to determine the most prevalent factor that parents consider when selecting a program with …

K-12 Latina Immigrant Leaders’ Experiences Within Minnesota, Gabriela Theis

Doctorate in Education

The purpose of this qualitative study, employing a case study design, from a population of K-12 leaders located in an urban area of the state of Minnesota, was to explore the phenomenon of Latina immigrants, all who were non-native English speakers, in K-12 leadership positions. Latina immigrants have not achieved proportionate representation in K-12 leadership positions in school systems in Minnesota which might be losing the opportunity to add the Hispanic leadership perspective to solve critical educational issues in the 21st-century educational system. Latinas, both immigrants and non-immigrants, are not well represented when compared with other racial groups. The following …

Feeling Like The Only: The Experiences Of Black Parents Navigating The K-12 Educational System, Logan Michael Schultz

Doctorate in Education

As researchers and educators focus on ameliorating racialized disparities in education, the research and media focus has often been on such details as test scores, graduation rates, and exclusive of parental voice (Golden, Koumpilova, & Webster, 2019). Some studies, for example, focus on quantifying the so-called “achievement gap” while other studies use suspension statistics to describe the schooling experience through numbers, instead of words (Maynard & Weinstein, 2019). In contrast, this dissertation focuses on learning from a perspective on which there has been historically less research focus: that of the experiences and perspectives of Black parents navigating the education system, …

Exploration Of Emotional Intelligence, Dpt Curriculum, And Student Success, Lyndsey Vandenberg Pt, Dpt, Edd

Doctorate in Education

Positive professional performance as a physical therapist requires a combination of both cognitive and non-cognitive traits. To date, there has been little-to-no literature on how Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs engage, refine and enhance students’ non-cognitive traits and abilities throughout a DPT curriculum. This dissertation had five foundational research questions that examined whether there was a statistically significant correlation between Emotional Intelligence (EI) and student success throughout a DPT program. Additionally, it explored how, when and where a DPT program embedded EI constructs in the 8-semester curriculum. The study took place in a private University in the Midwest and …