Education Commons^™

Attitudes Of Employers Toward Exceptional Students (Ages 14-17) In Vocational Education Programs, Eunice A. Ervin

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The purpose of this study was to evaluate attitudes towards exceptional education students participating in vocational employment internships within Prince William County public high schools.

Availability Of Tuition Assistance Funding Effects On Educational Pursuits, Geneva M. Dooley

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to investigate how the availability of tuition assistance funding effects the educational pursuits of marines stationed at Marine Corps Base Quantico during fiscal years 2013 and 2014.

Socioeconomic Status And Study Abroad: Participation, Academic Performance, And Graduation, Steven Douglas Bell

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Research into retention, academic performance, and degree completion of study abroad program participants positively correlates with the assertion of Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, Whitt, and Associates (2005) that study abroad is a high-impact educational activity. Literature on study abroad participation, academic performance, and graduation status is limited. This quantitative study adds to the literature on study abroad, and specifically examines to what extent participation, academic performance, and graduation at four and six years for study abroad students differ by socioeconomic status.

The Change Process And Sustainability: The Experience Of School Administrators, Heidi R. Brezinski

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The aim of this study was to determine the perceptions and experiences of school administrators with change initiatives in their district to reveal the factors necessary for sustainability of effective change. The study was established on research concerning organizational change and change sustainability. For the purpose of this study, the research on organizational change was examined, while utilizing a lens of Michael Fullan’s Model for Change and Eight Elements of Sustainability. In this design, the perceptions and experiences of the school administrators within Coastal City School District were examined based on a 10-year timeframe of change initiatives within the district. …

Resiliency Of Community College Students With Adverse Childhood Experiences, Laura Elizabeth Brogden

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) as defined by Drs. Vincent Felitti and Robert Anda are prevalent in the general population of the United States. These childhood traumas are strongly related to risky behaviors and poor health outcomes. The results of childhood stress may influence students at community colleges. This study of community college students with identified adverse childhood experiences will describe their perceived experiences in community colleges as they relate to their success and completion. This study is done in a framework of resilience in order to identify factors which may be influential in students’ progress and completion. Keywords: community college, …

Two-Year And Four-Year Tertiary Education: Measuring Human Capital Effects On Economic Growth In Developing And Developed Countries With The Uzawa-Lucas Model, Darryl M. Tyndorf

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Tertiary education is believed to be a driver of economic development through the relationship between human capital development and economic output. Global massification efforts of tertiary education have led to increased global demand. Countries with limited tertiary education systems, like developing countries, have employed policies to increase domestic tertiary education opportunities instead of sending students abroad. Many tertiary education policies have focused on importing tertiary education from countries with established tertiary education systems. Import efforts first emphasized university models, but limited success prompted the import of more flexible short-cycle education modeled after the United States’ community college system. Limited empirical …

A Preliminary Study Investigating Motivational Factors Influencing Part-Time Faculty To Seek Employment At Community Colleges, Philip Eugene Pons Jr.

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover the motivational factors influencing part-time faculty employment within the community college through the perspective of the part-time faculty. The study was guided by the question “What are the motivational factors given by part-time faculty for seeking employment at the community college?” Further, the study examined these motivational factors for differences influenced by ages, gender, and employment status. A survey was distributed to a random sample of part-time faculty members at a community college in the Southeastern United States. Participants were asked to respond to some categorical demographic questions and scaler questions …

Relationships Among Student Identity Development, Sense Of Community, And Academic Adjustment In Community College Distance Learners, Lorrie Coe-Meade

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Student identity development is an important aspect of college life for traditional age college students and may influence learning. Sense of community in online courses may also promote learning. A non-experimental, correlational research design was used to determine how student identity development and sense of community independently and together predict academic adjustment. Traditional-age students, 18-25, from ten rural-serving, suburban-serving, or urban-serving community colleges in a Southeastern state in the United States who had taken distance learning courses and a minimum of twelve credits were administered three survey instruments during spring or fall semester. The Student Developmental Task & Lifestyle Assessment …

Experiences Affecting Associate Degree In Nursing Program Graduates’ Decisions To Pursue A Bachelor Of Science In Nursing Degree, David P. Bartos

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative research study explored those experiences that influenced associate degree in nursing (ADN) graduates’ decisions to pursue a bachelor of science in nursing degree (BSN) after they had graduated from a two year nursing program at a state community college in a Southeast region state. The research design used was phenomenological research tradition, using semi-structured interviews to identify participants’ experiences, and Moustakas’ phenomenal data analysis to analyze the collected narrative data to determine themes from the acquired experiences. ADN registered nurses (RN) who had graduated from a specific state community college nursing program participated in this study. Life experiences …

An Evaluation Of Game Fiction-Enhanced Training: Using Narrative To Improve Trainee Reactions And Learning, Michael Beaumont Armstrong

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Gamification is growing in popularity in instructional contexts like education and workplace training, but it is unclear which game elements are specifically conducive to improve learning outcomes. Narratives, which represent one way the game element “game fiction” is commonly implemented, have been used to improve learning outcomes over expository texts in the context of psycholinguistics, whereas the Technology-Enhanced Training Effectiveness Model (TETEM) proposes that certain individual differences impact the relationships between technology-enhanced training and learning outcomes. From this theoretical basis, this study gamified a training session with game fiction in order to improve reactions to training and learning over the …

Pedagogy At Play: Gamification And Gameful Design In The 21st-Century Writing Classroom, Danielle Roney Roach

English Theses & Dissertations

The language used to discuss play in current academic spaces tends to center around formal games (and computer games in particular in the 21st century classroom). Scholarly conversations tend to distort the actual practices that occur in classrooms and subsequently limit the scope of any investigation of the pedagogical function and outcomes of those practices. This project explores the use of play and games in the classrooms of nine composition instructors. From these stories, this project begins to map out a taxonomy in order to begin building toward a pedagogy of play for 21st century writing classrooms. Using a multiperspectival …

An Exploration Of Infant And Toddler Child Care Consultation: A Multiple Case Study, Christine Marie John

Communication Disorders & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative, multiple case study was an exploration of the professional development (PD) experience of consultation as it occurred within infant and toddler child care settings. Consultation is dependent upon the establishment of a relationship between the consultant and the consultee and offers opportunities for professional growth and enhanced quality child care. This researcher followed four infant and toddler child care consultants working with child care centers through a quality enhancement PD program in a Mid-Atlantic state. Within each of the four participating centers, a member of the administration and one infant and/or toddler caregiver along with their consultant contributed …

Perceptions Of Impediments To The Advancement Of Women Leaders In Community Colleges, Teresa Alley Yearout

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

As community college presidents, chief operating officers (CEOs), and other senior level administrators plan to retire, the critical demand for qualified leaders brings greater focus on previous trends and current statistics in community colleges leadership. These findings provide evidence of the continuing underrepresentation of women in senior level leadership positions. Further investigation examines women leaders’ perceptions of the barriers or impediments to their advancement into these leadership positions. The purpose of the current study was to examine the perceptions of impediments of women community college leaders in a variety of institutional settings (rural, suburban, urban).

The literature provided an inventory …

Institutions Of Higher Education And Cultural Heritage Tourism: A Case Study Of The Crooked Road, Virginia's Heritage Music Trail, Terence Michael Gilley

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The southwest region of Virginia has an unstable economy, which cycles through periods of growth and decline. The strategic plans for southwest Virginia propose cultural heritage tourism as a sustainable industry for economic development of this rural region. Institutions of higher education provide education and training for a qualified workforce and community service. This qualitative, single case study on The Crooked Road, Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail examines the roles of institutions of higher education with regard to cultural heritage tourism for sustainable community and economic development in rural areas. The data sources for this study are the administrators of …

Training Needs Of A Worldwide Military Exchange Salesforce, Chelsea Camarda

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to determine the training needs of a worldwide military exchange salesforce to enhance their ability to train store personnel on product knowledge and customer service at military exchange stores.

Relationship Between Central Virginia Community College Respiratory Therapy Technology Program Students Entrance Gpa And Their Graduation Success, Wendy Ayers

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to determine the relationship between Central Virginia Community College (CVCC) Respiratory Therapy Technology Program students entrance GPA and their graduation success to determine if minimum entrance GPA should be increased from 2.0 to 2.5.

Enhancing Apprentice Training Through Supervision Of Work Experience, J. Scott Christman

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

To remain globally competitive, U.S. companies need to consider new strategies for developing a workforce. The apprenticeship model has been identified as a viable solution for companies to invest. The problem of this study was to determine if an apprenticeship experience was enhanced by the type of supervision given during the work-related component of a program. To aid current and potential companies offering apprenticeship programs, this study identified a population of apprentices (N = 877), tracked them from entry into the program until five years after graduating, and analyzed their outcomes relative to program completion, academic GPA, work-related GPA, …

Priming Middle School Females’ Engagement In Engineering And Technology, Mary Bonk Isaac

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to validate data collected between 2009-2013 via an instrument used to assess middle school girls’ identification with and interest in engineering and technology following the Society of Women Engineers’ WOW events. Recognizing the importance of measuring the impact of such mentored E & T activities on young females’ attitudes about and interest in STEM, and more specifically, engineering and technology, SWE outreach experts developed a participant survey based on event objectives and domain knowledge, but never rigorously examined whether it produced statistically valid data that could be used to draw inferences about girls’ propensity …

An Examination Of High School Intra-District Funding In Two Virginia School Divisions, Claire R. Le Blanc

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Most states allocate education funds by grant or category at the district level, and most districts distribute funds at the school level. 1 Differences between allocations from the states to the districts and distribution methods from the districts to the schools can lead to unintended consequences in funding equity. This may undermine the purpose of the funding policies developed by state legislatures. Most states use a formula that provides a foundation funding amount to the district for each student. In addition, most states typically provide supplementary categorical funding to the district based on demographic characteristics of students (such as free …

The Impact Of Design-Based Modeling Instruction On Seventh Graders' Spatial Abilities And Model-Based Argumentation, William J. Mcconnell

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Due to the call of current science education reform for the integration of engineering practices within science classrooms, design-based instruction is receiving much attention in science education literature. Although some aspect of modeling is often included in well-known design-based instructional methods, it is not always a primary focus. The purpose of this study was to better understand how design-based instruction with an emphasis on scientific modeling might impact students' spatial abilities and their model-based argumentation abilities. In the following mixed-method multiple case study, seven seventh grade students attending a secular private school in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States …

Program Standards For Establishing High Quality Postsecondary Trade And Industrial Education Programs, Beno Rubin

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The problem of this study was to develop standards that can be used as a basis for establishing high quality postsecondary trade and industrial education programs. There were two research objectives. These included: developing a set of program standards to be used to establish high quality postsecondary trade and industrial education programs and developing descriptors that can be used to assess achievement of high quality postsecondary trade and industrial education programs.

The Delphi technique was chosen for this study to generate consensus regarding the program standards. The panel of experts, comprised of postsecondary administrators of trade and industrial programs, was …

The Development Of Self-Efficacy For Trade And Industrial Career And Technical Education Teachers, Corey Mccray

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to review the development of self-efficacy for trade and industrial (T&I) teachers. Specifically, this study investigated how T&I teachers develop self-efficacy in classroom management, pedagogical practices, and content knowledge. Finally, the study reviewed key performance measures that indicate T&I teacher development of efficacious practices. Each performance measure was considered as it related to the aforementioned focus areas.

This qualitative study was informed by phenomenology. Twelve T&I teachers were interviewed in an effort to capture the essence of their experience as T&I teachers. The study was conducted at two career technical schools in Southeastern Virginia. …

Training Model For Incorporating Interactive Whiteboards Into The K-12 Classroom, Elizabeth G. Jamerson

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

School divisions have been implementing interactive whiteboards, as well as other instructional technologies, in ever-increasing numbers with the intent to improve student performance. The benefits of these technologies have been hotly debated, with some researchers claiming that interactive whiteboards improve student achievement, while others claim that the technologies have no effect on student progress. Other researchers concluded that interactive whiteboards are tools which can improve student achievement only if they are used effectively. Research has further suggested that teachers need high quality professional development that incorporates both formal and informal elements to assist teachers incorporate interactive whiteboards into the K-12 …

The Impact Of The C. L. E. A. R. (Challenge Leading To Engagement, Achievement, And Results) Curriculum Model On Reading Achievement At The Third Grade Level, Robin Gale Puryear

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods study, employing a quantitative component, utilizing a quasi-experimental design, and a qualitative component, utilizing a post-positivist research paradigm and phenomenology research tradition, was to determine the potential impact of the C. L. E. A. R. (Challenge Leading to Engagement, Achievement, and Results) Curriculum Model on reading achievement at the third grade level. Additionally, the purpose of this study was to better understand both students and teachers perceptions of the C. L. E. A. R. Curriculum Model. Results indicated that there were no statistically significant findings between treatment group students and control group students, following an …

Signaling Instructional Video For Mathematics, Kimberly W. Milner

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Video provides an increasingly valuable medium for delivery of instruction in a growing number of content areas. Growth of online instructional applications has been prompted by expansion of the Internet and video streaming technology, adding to the need for design practices that produce more effective and efficient instructional videos. This study examined the use of signaling for multimedia to reduce cognitive overload and increase mental effort when learning mathematical concepts and procedures from instructional video. Signaling addresses the issue of directing the learner's attention by using visual or verbal cues that stress importance and organization (Mayer, 2009). Effectively signaled instructional …

The Effects Of Encoding Strategy Training On Foreign Language Learning, Olla Najah Al-Shalchi

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Vocabulary of a language makes up approximately 75% of comprehension (Nagy & Scott), and researchers agree that learning vocabulary is more effective when learners are given strategies to learn the vocabulary (Cheng, 2011; Lee, Lim, & Grabowski, 2010; Liu, 2010; Teow, Ismail, & Kabilan, 2010). Research will allow instructional designers to determine what strategies work best for different groups of learners while taking into consideration the amount perceived workload to ensure that it is not too much or too little.

The purpose of this study was to compare the keyword and context strategies with learners enrolled in various undergraduate Arabic …

Does Teacher Behavior Change In Middle School Math Classes When Teachers Receive Instructional Coaching Using Bug-In-Ear Technology?, Ellen L. Browning

Communication Disorders & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate if there is a relationship between the use of immediate feedback provided through instructional coaching and teacher behaviors shown to improve student achievement. Specifically this study used a time-series nonequivalent control group design to explore the relationship between instructional coaching using Bug-In-Ear (BIE) technology and teacher frequency of the following behaviors: (a) teacher use of technology-enhanced choral response as part of completed three-term contingency trials, (b) the high-access strategy of choral response versus the low-access strategy of call-outs and blurt-outs, (c) re-directs, reprimands, and behavior-specific praise statements. Measures of student engagement and …

Relationship Between State Educational Fiscal Effort And State Juvenile Incarceration Rates, Jessica Mcgrath Ellison

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The issue surrounding the effect of education funding using state per pupil index spending has been the subject of research studies in connection with various student outcomes since the advent of the Coleman report in 1966. Education is indeed an investment as it alleviates a myriad of social issues, but it needs to be made wisely. Included among social concerns is incarceration. Adults in prison show a disproportionate amount of illiteracy and most lack a high school education. An analysis of each state's educational fiscal effort, viewed as a ratio of gross per capita state product and per pupil index …

An Examination Of Factors That Influence Teacher Adoption Of Bring Your Own Device In The Classroom, Shawn Patrick Lloyd Hirano

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to examine if and how Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is implemented in secondary public schools by focusing on teacher adoption of BYOD in the classroom. Given the newness of BYOD, there is little research on how school districts have implemented this policy or why and how teachers have adopted the practice in their classroom. Using both Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this research investigated several key elements that could influence teacher adoption of BYOD: teacher characteristics, school culture, and professional development. The population for this mixed method study …

Community, Identity, And Transition: Student Veterans And Academic Writing At The Two-Year College, Mark Edward Blaauw-Hara

English Theses & Dissertations

Higher education is experiencing an almost unprecedented influx of student veterans. However, research is sparse on their transition to college, and, in particular, their experiences with college writing. Additionally, current scholarship focuses mainly on veterans at four-year schools. This dissertation describes six student veterans’ transitions to academic writing at the community college. Based on a case-study approach, the study seeks to identify key themes in student veterans’ experiences with learning and writing in the military and compare them to their experiences learning and writing in college. In addition to locating areas of disconnect, the study highlights typical strengths student veterans …