Education Commons^™

A Study Of The Student Retention Programs At Two Different Institutions Of Higher Learning In The State Of Arkansas, Roxanne (Woods) Bradow

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative multi-case study was to determine how two universities in the state of Arkansas with differing student demographics approach the problem of student retention in order to increase their graduation rates. College student retention has long been a concern in the United States and in the state of Arkansas. Providing a well-educated workforce is the only way either can thrive in the future knowledge-based economy. The research of Astin (1993), Tinto (1993, 1999, 2005, 2006), Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, Whitt & Associates (2005), Pascarella & Terenzini (2005), and others has shown that students choose to discontinue their …

Effects Of Project-Based Learning Professional Development On 21st-Century Skills, Debra Sue Atwell

Dissertations

This research project was designed to add to the limited available research concerning effects of project-based learning professional development on 21st-century skills within rural Arkansas settings. The researcher sought to determine if high school teachers, trained in project-based learning in the NTN model, perceived they taught and assessed their students’ 21st-century skills differently than high school teachers not trained in project-based learning under the NTN model.

This casual comparative study was conducted in 20 school districts in Arkansas with a total student population of approximately 11,646 from 6th grade to 12th grade. The 21st-Century Teaching and Learning Survey was used …

Effects Of Response To Intervention On Academic Achievement In High School Literacy And Mathematics, Scott Embrey

Dissertations

This study examined the effects of a multi-tiered Response to Intervention (RTI) framework on literacy and math in an effort to determine the potential benefits in a secondary setting. Specifically, this study compared literacy and mathematics achievement for 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students, as measured by end-of-course exams, between a secondary school utilizing RTI and a secondary school not using RTI. Furthermore, the disaggregated test scores based on gender and socioeconomic status were analyzed from each school to determine the disparity in academic performance between groups of students, referred to as the “achievement gap”.

A quantitative, causal-comparative strategy was …

Effects Of The National School Meal Option, Provision 2, On Academic Achievement In Literacy And Mathematics, Suzanne Bailey

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to provide research-based information to educational leaders to assist them in making informed decisions relating to the participation in the National School Lunch Special Assistance Provision 2 Meal Option in the state of Arkansas. This study consists of four, rural Arkansas elementary schools that are all at a 70% or higher free-reduced meal status for the qualifying student population. Data were collected from the 2010 ACTAAP test scores from 193 Grade 4 students in literacy and mathematics from the four Arkansas elementary schools. Demographics from the four elementary schools were similar based on free-reduced …

The Development Process For A Self-Sustainable School-Based Health Center For A School District In Western Arkansas, Jared A. Cleveland

Dissertations

This qualitative case study examined the development and implementation process of a school-based health center (SBHC) in a school district in Western Arkansas. Researchers and health professionals agree that children who are in good health are in a better position to learn (Allensworth & Kolbe, 1987). Little (2009) noted student health, being an underlying factor in educational achievement, is garnering educator focus to improve academic success.

SBHCs are developing across the country as potential solutions to improve children’s access to quality health care (Allison et al., 2007). SBHCs provide opportunities to remove barriers like geography, transportation, and cost for impoverished …

Effects Of Direct Instruction Versus Reading First On Reading Comprehension Of Students In Southwest Arkansas, Judith A. Jenkins

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to add to the limited available research concerning the effectiveness of supplemental reading programs such as Reading First and Direct Instruction on reading achievement for students in elementary and middle grades. Particularly, in the first and third hypotheses, the independent variables were reading program (Direct Instruction versus Reading First) and ethnicity (Hispanic versus Non- Hispanic) on reading comprehension for third and eighth grade students. In the second and fourth hypotheses, the independent variables were reading program (Direct Instruction versus Reading First) and gender (male versus female) on reading comprehension for third and eighth students. …

Predictive Effects Of Absence, Gender, And Lunch Status On Math And Literacy Achievement, Megan Witonski

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if any predictive effects exist between absence, gender, lunch status, and math and literacy achievement on exams. While research supported the predictive effects of absence, gender, and lunch status on achievement there was inadequate data to determine which predictor played a more significant role.

A quantitative, regression strategy was used to analyze data from students in a rural school in northwest Arkansas. All students in this rural district who had taken the Arkansas Augmented Assessment in math and literacy required under the Arkansas accountability requirements comprised the sample for this study. The …

Impact Of Victimization Of Bullying On Attitudes Of Middle School Students In Ncsa Schools In Arkansas, Bradley D. Gist

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to add to the limited research with regard to bullying in private schools in general and specifically to member schools of the National Christian School Association (NCSA). Middle school students in grades 6, 7, and 6 were given a survey concerning bullying and bullying behavior in their schools. The effects by grade level of students in rural school settings versus urban school settings were determined with regard to the responses of the survey in four areas: prevalence of bullying, willingness to seek help, aggressive attitudes about bullying, and the overall results of the survey. …

Effects Of Computer Assisted Tier Ii Interventions By Gender On Math And Reading Achievement For Remediated Students, Kathi (Lutz) Sweere

Dissertations

Response to Intervention (RtI) is a current reform initiative being examined by educators, politicians, and proponents of differentiated education. RtI has tiers of intervention designed to meet the various academic needs of all students. RtI has been developed as an educational methodology to increase student achievement through various problem-solving techniques, through the implementation of specific interventions based on each student’s individual needs, and through data-based decision making regarding the interventions used. The implementation of RtI requires schools to shift current educational paradigms of how services are delivered to students.

This quantitative causal comparative study compared the effectiveness of PLATO alone, …

Effects Of Early Grade Retention Versus Social Promotion On Student Achievement, Rena' Taylor

Dissertations

This quantitive, non-experimental study examined the effects of retention versus social promotion in the early grades on later academic achievement as measured by the Arkansas Augmented Benchmark Exam for 4th grade students in a large Central Arkansas school district. Student achievement was studied based on gender and socioeconomic status on both literacy and math achievement scores.

The independent variables were socioeconomic status (free/reduced lunch versus regular pay lunch) and gender (male versus female). The dependent variables were math and literacy achievememnt scale scores as measured on the Arkansas Augmented Benchmark Exam at the 4th grade level. The four hypotheses were …

Factors That May Have Predictive Effects On The American College Test, Beth Stewart

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if any predictive effects exist between lunch status, grade point average, Arkansas state mandated accountability exams, and academic achievement measured by the ACT. Although literature supported the predictive effects of grade point average and lunch status on ACT, there was inadequate data to determine which predictor played a more significant role.

A quantitative, regression strategy was used to analyze students’ academic achievement in four southwest Arkansas schools, all belonging to the same educational cooperative. All students in these districts who had taken the ACT during the school years of 2006-2010 and took …

Effects Of Physical Education And Athletics Enrollment On Student Achievement, Eric Saunders

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to add to the existing research concerning the effects of physical activity on academic achievement. The effects by gender of students enrolled in two or more physical activity classes in grades 9-11 versus less than two on academic achievement as measured by the overall composite, English, Math, Reading and Science scores on the ACT for eleventh-grade students were analyzed.

This quantitative, causal comparative study was performed in a rural high school in Arkansas. The high school had an approximate 800 student population of which 20% were categorized as free and/or reduced lunch. The Universal …

Effects Of Poverty Funding On Math And Literacy Achievement In Arkansas, Karen L. Cushman

Dissertations

This research project was designed to provide a foundational study of the effectiveness of a state categorical fund directed at poverty students called NSLA funding on literacy and math achievement in Arkansas. Poverty funding for students in Arkansas is realatively new and there have not been any studies to examine the impact of this funding to date. Literacy and math achievement scaled scores were evaluated for one year for fourth, sixth, and eighth grades by four NSLA levels, NSLA level 1, NSLA level 2, NSLA level 3, and NSLA level 4.

This causal comparative study was conducted with data from …

The Effects Of Content Enhancement Routines By Gender On Literacy Achievement In Arkansas Schools, Kimberly Renee Calhoon

Dissertations

This research project was intended to provide further insight into the impact of the methodologies utilized in the Arkansas Adolescent Literacy Intervention (AALI) on student achievement and teachers‘ practices. The purpose of this study was to determine by gender the effects of classes whose teachers utilized the Content Enhancement Routines versus classes whose teachers did not utilize the Routines on literacy achievement for sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students in three regions of Arkansas. In addition, another purpose of this study was to determine how teachers feel about using the routines in their classrooms and how effective they felt the …

Effects Of Toyota Family Literacy Program On Reading Achievement Of Kindergarten, First, Second, And Third Grade Students By Gender And Grade Level, Regina Renae Stewman

Dissertations

For the last 15 years, federal legislation has required that public schools involve parents in their child‘s education. Yet, there has been no solid definition for parent involvement (also known as family literacy) and limited research on family literacy. This mixed study examined the influence of Toyota Family Literacy, which focuses on Hispanic immigrant families, on the literacy achievement of students in kindergarten through third grade, as well as parental efficacy in helping their child succeed in school, in three Northwest Arkansas Schools. The study examined student literacy achievement by gender and grade level using the Developmental Reading Assessment 2 …

Effects Of Single-Sex Classrooms Versus Coeducational Classrooms On Math And Literacy Achievement, Constance Matchell

Dissertations

This research project was designed to add to the limited available research concerning the effectiveness of single-sex education within a public elementary school setting. Following the first year of implementation of a single-sex classroom pilot program, the effects by gender of classroom grouping (single-sex education versus coeducation) on reading and math achievement were investigated for three consecutive grade levels from second grade through fourth grade.

This research project was designed to add to the limited available research concerning the effectiveness of single-sex education within a public elementary school setting. Following the first year of implementation of a single-sex classroom pilot …

Effects Of After-School Programs On Math And Literacy For Fourth And Sixth Grade Students, June Elliott

Dissertations

The general purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if participating in after-school programs affected students’ math and literacy achievement in four elementary schools and two middle schools located in a school district in central Arkansas. The study investigated this phenomenon as it related to gender at two different grade levels. The independent variables were participation in after-school programs (participated versus no participation) and gender (male versus female). The dependent variables were math and literacy achievement measured by the state’s Augmented Benchmark Examinations. A review of the literature identified the various aspects after-school programs including the need for such …

Perceptions Of Mentoring And Induction In The State Of Arkansas, Bruce W. Bryant

Dissertations

This study examined the perceptions of novice teachers and mentors concerning the Arkansas model of mentoring. The independent variables of roles of the teachers (mentor teacher versus novice teacher) and gender (male versus female) were compared among the dependent variable for the overall score and its component parts that measured attitudes represented by scores related to activities, funding, time, and use of Pathwise®. A sample of teachers in Arkansas public schools who were employed as novice teachers (n = 160) or as mentors (n = 158) who have been involved in the process as outlined by the Arkansas Department of …

Principals Perceptions Of Factors Affecting Teacher Collaboration In Secondary Schools, Lonnie E. Myers

Dissertations

This qualitative multi-case study examined how various practicing secondary principals in the Northwest Region of Arkansas perceive teacher collaboration within secondary schools. Job-embedded opportunities for teacher collaboration have been cited as successful ways for promoting teacher learning, which in turn will promote increased student learning (Little, 1990). Researchers and theorists cite properly supported collaboration as key to lasting school improvement (DuFour & Eaker, 1998; Fullan, 1997; Little, 1990). In order for the practice of collaboration to be embedded in secondary schools, a culture must be created within a supportive environment to support the collaborative efforts. DuFour and Eaker (1998) credit …