Education Commons^™

Elementary Administrators' Exploring The Factors That Promote Or Inhibit Reading Achievement, Ashley Holder, Linda Wilson-Jones, Brian Phillips, Paris Jones, Jerry D. Jones

Journal of Research Initiatives

The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that promote or inhibit the reading achievement of elementary children. The participants for this study were administrators who were employed at eleven Title I schools in North Carolina. The study used a qualitative design and collected data by phone interviews with elementary administrators.

Several recurring themes and patterns surfaced from the data gathered from the eleven participants. However, the overarching themes that promoted reading achievement were (a) family support, (b) early literacy exposure, and (c) teacher effectiveness and expectations. The reoccurring themes that inhibited reading achievement were (a) lack of …

Elucidation Of Effective Professional Development Experiences: Addressing Inclusion For Students With Autism, Jennifer Lee Suppo

Journal of Research Initiatives

Open interviews were conducted with a special education teacher and a general education teacher. The overall guiding question was to provide elucidation of what is needed in a professional development program to meet the needs of both the general and special education teachers who teach children with a diagnosis of autism in an inclusive setting. Overall, the themes of diversity, knowledge and collaboration emerged as important variables for professional development experiences. Furthermore, in-depth knowledge and flexibility arose as important qualities of the facilitator of a professional development experience. Implications are a set forth for the expansion of the study and …

The Benefits Of Constructing An Effective Internship Program, Danielle Harrison

Journal of Research Initiatives

The internship program offers opportunities for learners to fulfill their scholastic, professional, and personal interests through a contractual agreement. The various stakeholders within the internship experience are vital and should be aware of the internship program structure. The goal is to prepare the intern for life outside of the collegiate experience and to transition from novice to expert. To ensure best practices while creating, implementing, and maintaining experiential learning programs, the need for an effective program structure is addressed in this paper.

Work-Related Stress And Burnout Factors Of Principals In Regional Greece: A Historical Perspective, Christos Leventis, Evangelos C. Papakitsos, Konstantinos Karakiozis, Argyrios Argyriou

Journal of Research Initiatives

Work-related stress and burnout is a reality in modern society, because the lack of time and the high work demands seem increasingly intensified. Thus, the study of working conditions and the factors that affect the physical and mental health becomes even more imperative. Professions that are particularly stressful are those where there is daily contact with people, for example, doctors, nurses, social workers, or school leaders. Besides administrative and official duties, modern principals perform additional functions such as the organization and management of schools, the coordination of people who are involved in the teaching and operational process and they intervene …

Undergraduate African American Males’ Narratives On The Personal Factors Influencing Retention In The Social Sciences, Dorrance Kennedy, Linda Wilson-Jones

Journal of Research Initiatives

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of undergraduate African American social science majors on the personal factors that influenced their retention in higher education. This was a qualitative study with 15 African American males who were enrolled in three universities in the University of North Carolina system. The data were collected using face-to-face interviews of approximately 45 minutes duration that took place on two separate occasions. They appeared eager to discuss their experiences as freshmen and the factors that influenced them to return to the university a second year. The main findings from this study were …

“This Is Not What I Expected”: Knowledge Reconfiguration In Preservice Teachers, Franco Zengaro, Sally A. Zengaro

Journal of Research Initiatives

The aim of this qualitative case study was to investigate how two preservice teachers reconfigured their role as teachers during their practicum. We collected data through interviews, field observations, and documentary notes gathered at an urban school across four months. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method. The results revealed three themes: (1) Blaming vs. Connecting, (2) Idealism vs. Realism, and (3) Retreating vs. Reconfiguring. The findings of this study indicated that placement was influential for the two preservice teachers. This case study shares valuable information regarding the importance of connecting preservice teachers with quality teaching practicum experiences aimed …

To Game Or Not To Game? How Using Massively Multiplayer Online Games Helped Motivation And Performance In A College Writing Course: A Mixed Methods Study, Papia Bawa, William Watson, Sunnie L. Watson

Journal of Research Initiatives

The use of Massively Multiplayer Online Games or MMOGs is receiving attention in the educational world due to increased availability of such games, a growing consumer base, and the proven benefits of video games as engagement tools. MMOGs that have been known to possess a significantly high capacity to keep users involved over sustained periods, which gives them the potential to enhance learning experiences and performances. However, most available studies on MMOGs do not discuss relationships between MMOG use and performance outcomes in Higher Education. Additionally, majority of such studies focus on examining a single MMOG, providing limited scopes of …

Special Education Was Called That For A Reason: Is Special Education Special Yet?, Virginia J. Dickens Ph.D., Cynthia T. Shamberger Ph.D.

Journal of Research Initiatives

The authors of this essay revisit what Special Education for students with disabilities in schools was intended to be in the post-Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) era. They highlight the similarities in pressures and concerns which have plagued, and still plague, the field of Special Education across the last two decades, including issues related to funding and teacher preparation. The authors challenge readers with the statement that, “Now is the time to ask hard questions about the efficacy of special education efforts.” To respond to the title question of the essay, they pose a set of questions based upon …

Book Review - Teaching African American Learners To Read, Tiffany A. Flowers

Journal of Research Initiatives

No abstract provided.

How Cinema Excerpts Enhance A Culturally Relevant Responsive-Value Driven Pedagogy, Sunni Ali

Journal of Research Initiatives

Abstract

Most certainly “good styles of teaching” match the needs of students. As technology distractions within society grow more and more tearing students away from a classroom’s pedagogy, it becomes even more important today for teachers to find effective ways to engage students. Cinema clips is one-way educators can apply a cultural value driven pedagogy to connect students to lessons. For one, the use of cinema clips allows teachers to use multi-media resources to translate or deconstruct a lesson through video and auditory mechanism. Furthermore, it offers a differentiated style of teaching for students. What makes the use of …

A Global Perspective Of Transformational Leadership And Organizational Development, Emetrude Lewis, Deborah Boston, Saundra Peterson

Journal of Research Initiatives

Grounded in transformational leadership theory (Northouse 2010) this paper presents an analytical perspective of global transformational leadership and its role based upon ideological issues in cultural relevance, ethics and social responsibility. Interests in global transformational leadership is increasing due to interdependence of cultural, global, economic, and political issues that require the collaboration and networking efforts of leaders. The researchers examine these issues and ideologies using a metacognitive lens for the purpose of furthering the research on global transformational leadership in leadership development and organizational leadership programs of study in higher education.

Leaders Yearning For Excellence: How Motivation And Self-Determination Benefits A Diverse Group Of Student Athletes, Michael E. Rutledge Ii

Journal of Research Initiatives

Many athletic departments within Predominately White Institutions (PWI’s) have a culmination of competition, academic support, and an abundance of campus support. With this, comes an expected tradition of athletic prestige. Winning athletic contests is culturally derived attitude. At the same time, improving academic motivation and success of student athletes should be an equally important, culturally derived attitude as well. Given the need to improve academic outcomes of diverse student athletes, the emphasis to improve holistic development is imperative in encouraging academic growth while leading student athletes to recognize, understand, and critique social situations.

This study highlights a diverse group of …

Educators Voices From Integrated Writing And Problem Solving Common Core Workshop, Karen T. Jackson, Penny Wallin, Anna K. Lee

Journal of Research Initiatives

This article provides an opportunity to discuss and examine information gathered during a focus group of K-12 educators involved in an integrated writing and problem solving workshop. Findings demonstrate that some educators are frustrated by the culture of testing versus the culture of learning that exist as a result of the Common Core Standards implementation. Educators are eager to learn and implement new ways of learning in order to promote deeper learning and critical thinking skills. Strategies and recommendations for providing support and resources for educators to meet the expectations to prepare students to be college and career ready are …