Education Commons^™

An Assessment Of Improvement Challenges & Lessons Learned From Feeding Students Of A Large Urban School District During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jamar King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative dissertation study took place in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to examine the work of school food service professionals as this has implications for all school food service staff. Specifically, this study focused on the role of the cafeteria managers, through their practices, beliefs, the support needed, and challenges they faced during a complicated reality of meeting student needs, and to contribute to the improvement practices in school food service for future emergencies. The research questions, methods, and data analysis are framed using the first three principles of Improvement Science described …

Feel My Story: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Latinx Counselors-In-Training Experiences With Psychological Safety, Felishatee Rodriguez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used in the current study to examine how Latinx counselors-in-training (CITs) define and experience psychological safety in their classroom environments while enrolled in CACREP-accredited master’s degree programs in the United States. In the present study, IPA was employed to make sense of the participants’ detailed narratives and discover how Latinx CITs interpreted and made meaning of their experiences with psychological safety in classroom environments. Serving as the theoretical framework, Latino Critical Theory was used to weave together and validate the cultural components of Latinx CITs’ accounts as they orchestrated themselves through their CACREP-accredited master’s …

The Impact Of Antecedent Physical Exercises On Increasing On-Task Behaviors And Decreasing Restricted And Repetitive Behaviors In Elementary Students With High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder In Saudi Arabia, Shadi Albadawi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Physical exercises (PEs) are one of the most used approaches by researchers to treat restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) and enhance on-task behaviors in students with high-functioning Autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Although PEs is recognized as Evidence-based Practices (EBPs) for students with ASD in the United States of America (USA) that are based on moderate evidence, it is important to conduct more empirical studies to explore its effects on individuals with ASD from different populations in the KSA. The current study used a single-subject, multiple baseline design across subjects to examine the effect of antecedent structured physical exercises (teaching soccer …

Thirdspace Leadership: Depicting Fbcoai Leaders’ Transitional Identities And Expe- Riences Of Breaking “Fbcoai Bamboo Ceiling” In Chinese Immersion Programs, Shengnan Yue

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explores how the transitional identities and experiences of Foreign Born Chinese Origin Asian Immigrant (FBCOAI) leaders influence their leadership practices in American Immersive Chinese Language Program. In the Chinese immersion programs, FBCOAI leaders are those with ethnicity Chinese who entered the United States during adulthood, and immigrated during their adulthood. This study is to explore the Thirdspace leadership, an actual-and-virtual place, where the FBCOAI leaders reconcile their professional development and leadership into practice. FBCOAI leaders are bilingual, experiencing a transitional stage of immigration status, and geographical/cultural/occupational changes. This study stands on “an-Other” perspective to know the FBCOAI …

Implications Of Individuals With Music Learning Experience Using A Segmented Multimedia Lesson In A Non-Music Discipline, Cheryl Farren Tkacs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate how prior music learning experience relates to learning with multimedia resources in non-music disciplines. Specifically, whether years of music learning experience, type of music learning experience, or type of multimedia were associated with task scores and task duration in a non-music discipline. The study revealed the transferable benefits of music learning experience to learning outcomes in other disciplines. Encouraging music studies as part of the base curriculum is thus strongly encouraged. However, as years of music learning and the presence or absence of segmenting in multimedia learning resources were not found to …

Adaptive Microlearning: An Empirical Study Among The Students In The Rural Areas Of China, Jingwei Liu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Through multiple educational reforms, China has pursued developing well-rounded learners with solid content knowledge, higher-order thinking skills, and the ability to transfer knowledge to real-world problem spaces. The imbalance of learning resources between urban and rural China, however, has caused disadvantages for learners in rural China to gain access to quality educational opportunities necessary for becoming well-rounded learners. Luckily, the quickly growing Internet service coverage in rural China makes educational interventions possible. Online intervention aiming for many qualities of well-rounded learners, such as deeper learning, is particularly promising.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of adaptive …

Synchronous Virtual K-12 Teachers' Use Of Multimedia Principles In Electronic Slide Design, Lisa Beaulieu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hundreds of thousands of K-12 children in the United States are enrolled in online K-12 virtual schools that consistently report poor academic outcomes. There is a need to assess how well instructors in a synchronous online environment present new material to learners in a way that best aligns with how the brain manages and integrates new information into long-term memory. Online K-12 teachers use PowerPoint to design Electronic Slide Presentation (ESP) decks, which are used as their main form of instruction with their students during synchronous classes. The Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML) provides a set of principles which …

Digital Historians: Engaging Students In Historical Thinking Through An Interactive Website, Casey O'Donnell-Chavis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which students engage in historical thinking through the use of an interactive website, and how the students understood and experienced its various features and how they incorporated technology in their final video project. In the spring of 2022, five students participated in a class workshop focused on historical thinking using their Chromebooks. Following a week of learning about the five elements of historical thinking, students were asked to create a multimedia final video project on a historical figure of their choice. Two students completed the assignment. Thematic coding analysis …

Technological Content Knowledge And Technological Pedagogical Knowledge In Secondary Science Teachers: A Mixed Methods Analysis, Stefanie Graban

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers in K-12 education are increasingly using technology in their courses. However, teachers may struggle to implement technology effectively in their specific subject areas. Existing research demonstrates that there was a need to better support in-service science teachers’ technological content knowledge. Accordingly, the purpose of this practitioner research study was to examine how, why, and to what extent in-service secondary science teachers report using technology as part of instructional practices. The TPACK framework was used as the theoretical lens for a mixed methods study exploring secondary science teachers’ technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) and technological content knowledge (TCK). Multiple data sources …

Examining The Effects Of An Early Mand Training Intervention On Mand Acquisition In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd), Maram Alnahari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often show language delays. Their limited communication skill may lead them to engage in the same disruptive behavior that previously got them what they wanted. Verbal behavior (VB), specifically mand training (MT), is one of the early language intervention strategies used to target language development and facilitate functional communication with young children with autism. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of an early mand training intervention on mand acquisition in children with ASD. This study specifically targeted the application, the implementation, and their effects. A multiple baseline across participants research design was used …

Perspective Of Nyerere On Self-Reliance: A Transformational Rhetorical For Liberating African Identity In Tanzanian Context, Ayub Mwampela

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Julius Kambarage Nyerere (1922–1999) was the first president of Tanganyika in 1961 and the founding father of the United Republic of Tanzania, after having merged Tanganyika and Zanzibar in 1964. He died from leukemia on October 14, 1999, in London. He was 77 years old. Among the most memorable events in the life of Nyerere is his involvement in the struggle for the freedom of African people from foreign influences.

The goal of this research is to ask and answer to the following question: How does the perspective of Nyerere on self-reliance contribute to the effort of liberating African identity? …

What Does It Mean To Be Coherent? Mathematics And Science Teachers Consider Coherency In Curriculum Decision Making, Mona Baniahmadi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study investigates teacher and administrator perceptions of what it means for a curriculum to be coherent, strategies they have for establishing coherence of the diverse curricular resources available, and the difficulties teachers may face in understanding coherence and implementing potentially coherent curricula. This study uses the Danielson Model of Effective Teaching and the Tripartite Model of Curriculum as frameworks to examine the ways coherence is understood and implemented in the classroom. The study collected open-ended survey, focus groups, and individual interview data from 12 participants who identify as administrators, mathematics teachers, and science teachers in secondary grades at …

The Effects Of Digital Game-Based Instruction On Knowledge Acquisition And Retention Of Genetics Content, Brinley Kantorski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Digital educational games have been a part of the educational landscape since the early 1970s. Since then, there has been a proliferation in the quantity, format, type, and quality of digital educational games available to classroom teachers. Despite this, the body of literature surrounding the effectiveness of these digital educational games remains highly fragmented and lacks unifying themes. While some literature exists to support the use of digital educational games in immediate knowledge acquisition, little research has been done on how digital educational games impact the retention of knowledge in the long term. As such, this study examines how the …

Social Justice Informed School Counseling: A Conceptual Model For Promoting Academic Achievement And Equity Among Dual-Enrolled African American Students, Sylvester Hanner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To promote college enrollment, high schools may offer students the opportunity to participate in dual enrollment programs. Students who gain college credit while earning a high school diploma may be more likely to graduate college on time and at a lower cost (College Board, 2017). Despite the benefits of dual enrollment, African American students lack equitable access to dual enrollment programs. Additionally, when they are afforded access to participate in dual enrollment courses, they have a lower academic success rate when compared to White students (CCRC Fink, 2017).

This study provides insight into concepts related to African American students’ opinions, …

Examining Overrepresentation In Special Education Amongst African Americans Diagnosed With Emotional Disturbance In The State Of Pennsylvania, Krisa Franzetta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the disproportionality in special education, regarding African American students being overrepresented, specifically under the disability category of Emotional Disturbance (ED) within the state of Pennsylvania. Demographic information was collected with the use of secondary data provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, using 648 educational programs across 29 intermediate units. Data were analyzed with statistical representation of percentages as related to risk composition and the E-Formula. The results yielded an average risk of African American students being two times more likely to be diagnosed with ED than their White peers. Additional results from the calculation of the …

On Your Marks, Handset, Go: An Illustrative Case Study Of A Professional Development Initiative About Mobile Learning, Nichole A. Scarlett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Technology is shaping our personal and professional lives every day, yet many educators struggle with its implementation and therefore are not using it to the fullest potential. The purpose of this single-case study was to analyze how a teacher’s participation in a Professional Development (PD) initiative influenced the implementation of mobile technology in teaching and learning mathematics. Using the Teaching for Robust Understanding (TRU) framework (Schoenfeld et al., 2016a) and the Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition (SAMR) model (Puentedura, 2006) in this qualitative research, I employed a case study approach to understand the challenges faced by a teacher and ways of …

Hidden Amongst People: Experiences Fo Black White Biracial Individuals With Microaggressions, Horizontal Hostilities, And Identity Denial In Educational Settings, Deborah Luckett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative dissertation explores the dissonance between critical race theory and culturally relevant pedagogical practices in the context of non-binary identity formation and identity denial for Black White Biracial (BWBR) individuals. This positioned subject study examines stories of five adult female members of this population. Utilizing Bell’s Storytelling for Social Justice Model (2020) the study reveals the stock, concealed, resistance and, emerging/transforming stories of participants as they recall experiences with monoracially instigated microaggressions and horizontal hostilities. The model provides analytic themes to examine the dissonance. The following questions will be explored:

Primary Question: What socio/cultural interactions influence BWBR racial identity …

How And Why School Counselors Use Twitter: A Phenomenological Study, Danielle R. Schultz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School counselors are often isolated in their role because of the unique nature of their job. Lack of connection, lack of relevant professional development, role ambiguity, high stress, high student-to-school counselor ratios, and lack of professional connections are all contributors to school counselor burnout. School counselors use Twitter, a social media tool, for a variety of purposes. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experience of school counselors who use Twitter to illuminate how and why school counselors use Twitter. This study found that school counselors see the purpose of their Twitter use as professional advocacy, professional connection, and validation. …

Investigating Student Self-Beliefs And Learning Metrics In Online Courseware: A Quantitative Inquiry, Rachel Van Campenhout

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Online courseware is an emerging educational technology that has the potential to reach students at scale. Designed with cognitive and learning science principles, courseware utilizes effective methods to maximize learning outcomes for students. Mindset (implicit theories of ability) and self-efficacy are two widely researched self-belief topics which have been shown to influence student learning outcomes and self-concepts. These self-belief theories are not specific to a domain and therefore could be measured and analyzed in relation to student learning metrics from any subject. The purpose of this nonexperimental correlational research study is to investigate the relationships between student self-beliefs and key …

A Program Evaluation Of Teacher And Administrator Perceptions Of Technology Integration At The K-6 Level In The Seneca Valley School District And The Impact Of Covid-19, Bria Koch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Education and learning were upended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately 1.6 billion learners in more than 190 countries were impacted by the pandemic with 90 percent of countries adopting digital or remote learning policies (United States Department of Education, 2021). This program evaluation of teachers’ and administrators’ perspectives examined how well technology integration was taking place in K-6 grade classrooms in the Seneca Valley School District. Due to the interruption of traditional learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was an opportune time to examine both teachers’ and administrators’ perceptions about the district’s level of success at …

Perceived Levels Of Teaching Self-Efficacy Among Advanced Ces Doctoral Students Engaging In External Pedagogical Experiences, Erika Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study examined factors of internal preparation practices (i.e., coursework in college teaching, fieldwork in college teaching, and frequency of supervision) and external pedagogical experiences (i.e., holding a bachelor’s or master’s degree in teaching and adjunct faculty experiences in higher education) and their potential effects on teaching self-efficacy among counselor education and supervision doctoral students. This study identified both significant and non-significant relationships between the stated variables. Contrary to previous research (Suddeath et al., 2020), internal preparation practices did not significantly predict scores of teaching self-efficacy among this population. However, the findings suggest that participants holding a bachelor’s or …

Exploration Of Young Children And Families Use Of Technology In A Rural School District, Kim Dickert-Wallace

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the use of mobile technology with young children ages 2 to 5 in a small rural school district in southwestern Pennsylvania. Grounded in an understanding that family-child relationships are central to children’s development and school readiness, this study seeks to understand the ways families engage with children around technology use, how young children use technology, and how these habits compare to national data. The data also led to ways the school district might support families and young children using mobile technology in developmentally appropriate ways. Thirteen families that live in the Mountain Valley School district completed the …

Gauging The Utility Of A Learning Target Theory Of Action To Address Perceived Obstacles To Teaching And Learning During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Brian J. Pohland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study was guided by the following research questions: What instructional challenges did teachers face related to designing and delivering lessons remotely during COVID-19? How did those challenges impact teacher perceptions of self-efficacy for providing meaningful lessons for their students? What is the utility of a learning target theory of action for addressing teachers instructional practice challenges and perceptions of self-efficacy?

Six participants were selected from a convenience sample and asked to complete a survey with ten open-ended prompts. Their responses were analyzed by individual participant and also across participants through close reading strategies. The analyses revealed six common …

Exploring The Phenomena Of Faculty Who Utilize Contemplative Pedagogy In The Helping Professions, Christina Frasher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The phenomenon of faculty who utilize contemplative pedagogy in the helping professions is a topic rarely discussed in the literature. In my review of the literature, I have found only one dissertation on faculty perspectives, one dissertation on individuals in higher education, and one study that used the perspective of faculty as the primary data. While this information is valuable, it is not context-specific research on how faculty in the helping professions experience practicing contemplative pedagogy. At present, there are no studies that explore how faculty process and utilize contemplative pedagogy when teaching in the helping profession; this study contributes …

Isocrates's Place In Postmodern Advertising, Christopher Barkley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study in communication and rhetoric seeks to ascertain constructive applications for distinct advertising practices by examining Isocrates’s work and place in postmodern advertising. The focus uses 5 principles known to Isocrates which are: 1) commonwealths of households, 2) integration of reputation, elegance, substance and style, 3) education and public discourse, 4) phronesis and praxis, and 5) truth and verisimilitude. These 5 principles can form a constructive and practical advertising approach. This study is important. It examines Isocrates through the lens of advertising and extends the research done about him by leading Isocrates scholars who have looked primarily at his …

Trauma-Informed Teaching: Professional Development For School Staff, Heather Roesinger, Chelsea Williams, Tammy L. Hughes

Graduate Student Research Symposium

Trauma is defined as a response to a negative event that includes both an emotional and physiological component. Two thirds of children experience some form of a traumatic event by the age of 16 (Cavanaugh, 2016). Many youth with disabilities, particularly emotional and behavioral, have experienced trauma and show visible signs of difficulty in the classroom (Cavanaugh, 2016). Trauma-informed schools take a strengths-based approach and focus on building safe, positive environments and relationships. Research has provided evidence that a trauma-informed approach can be instrumental in supporting positive outcomes of children exposed to trauma, but school staff feel ill-equipped to support …

Trauma-Informed Programming For Incarcerated Youth, Chelsea Williams, Hailey Murray, Jay Moser, Heather Roesinger, Tammy Hughes

Graduate Student Research Symposium

According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (n.d.) “…more than 80% of justice-involved youth report experiencing trauma, with many having experienced multiple, chronic, and pervasive interpersonal traumas.” Justice-involved youth at the Academic Institute -- a school within Allegheny County Jail (ACJ) that is tasked with educating children who are incarcerated at the facility -- sought guidance on how to support youth who have a history of trauma. The curriculum from The National Child Traumatic Stress Network called ‘Complex Trauma: A Guide for Youth and Those Who Care About Them’ was implemented with 25 students in small groups. Psychoeducational materials …