Education Commons^™

Influences Of Probability Instruction On Undergraduates' Understanding Of Counting Processes, Kayla Blyman

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Historically, students in an introductory finite mathematics course at a major university in the mid-south have struggled the most with the counting and probability unit, leading instructors to question if there was a better way to help students master the material. The purpose of this study was to begin to understand connections that undergraduate finite mathematics students are making between counting and probability. By examining student performance in counting and probability, this study provides insights that inform future instruction in courses that include counting and probability. Consequently, this study lays the groundwork for future inquiries in the field of undergraduate …

Integrating Technology To Engage Students With Ebd: A Case Study Of School Leader Support, Sara C. Heintzelman

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

The purpose of the study was to examine the role of leadership and school culture on the integration of technology to support instruction for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). A multiple embedded case study design was used to describe how a school leadership team supports a school culture for technology integration within classrooms where special education teachers integrate technology to engage students with EBD. The primary case of school culture includes a comprehensive description of how the school leadership team supports a culture for technology integration within classrooms. Embedded cases within the primary case describe how special education …

Assessing Stem Literacy In An Informal Learning Environment, Maureen Ann Lafemina Cavalcanti

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This mixed methods study investigated methods for assessing STEM literacy amongst middle grades students participating in an informal learning environment, specifically, a summer STEM camp. Adopting a situated perspective on STEM literacy, this dissertation employed psychometric techniques and discourse analysis to answer the overarching research question: How can STEM literacy amongst middle school students be assessed in the context of a summer STEM camp? An integrated review of literacy within and across STEM disciplines first offered a new direction for conceptualizing STEM literacy. With this understanding, subsequent research methods applied novel approaches for investigating STEM literacy in the context of …

Instructional Coaching And Its Effects On Middle School Mathematics Teachers’ Perceptions Of Coaching And Content Knowledge: A Mixed Methods Study, Jamie-Marie Miller

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Instructional coaching has been a professional learning opportunity that many school districts have employed to support teacher practice. Pairing instructional coaching with on-going workshops is a relatively new approach to professional development. Participants for this study include fourteen middle school teachers that teach either mathematics or collaborate with special needs students. This study examines the effect that pairing instructional coaching with on-going workshops (with a primary focus on proportional reasoning) has on participants’ content knowledge and their perceptions of coaching. Drawing on Wenger’s community of practice theory and post-modern theory of power, this study employs mixed-methods design. Pre- and post-tests …

By Need And By Name: School Leaders Fostering Environments For Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, Rebecca G. Roach

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Children raised by their grandparents are a steadily growing demographic in schools throughout the United States. When parents are unable to care for their children, grandparents sometimes assume the role of primary caregiver. This is especially true when they are faced with the threat of placing their grandchildren in the foster care system. More often than not, these grandparents are not adequately prepared for the challenges of raising children who have lost their parent through death, drug abuse or incarceration and few resources exist to guide elementary school principals to engage this demographic. Regardless of the growing numbers of caregiving …

Toward Assessment Leadership: Study Of Assessment Practices Among School And Classroom Leaders, Carrie Elizabeth Eubank Morris

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Traditionally, models of instructional leadership espouse data-informed decision making in response to student assessment outcomes as one of the core school leader behaviors. In recent years, rising expectations from accountability policies and related assessment practices have myriad implications for school districts, specifically in the areas of standards-driven reform, student assessment systems, and professional development models. As a result, demands on schools to collect and use student assessment data to inform curricular and instructional decisions has expanded. While principals are typically held responsible for school improvement efforts, more contemporary models of instructional leadership incorporate teachers as classroom-based leaders of assessment practices …

The Superintendent’S Feed: An Analysis Of Superintendents’ Engagement In Political Discourse On Twitter, Todd M. Hurst

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

The modern school superintendent fulfills a unique role in the American public education system. He or she is structurally empowered as the de facto head of the local educational system, thereby granted with a certain amount of trust and authority regarding educational issues. At the same time, the superintendent is, in most cases, an employee of a politically appointed school board. This construction creates a dynamic wherein the superintendent is both the leader of a highly structured, bureaucratic system, while at the same time an employee of a largely lay, often elected, group of citizens.

The position of the superintendent …

Exploring Leadership Behaviors Exhibited By Evaluation Team Leads During Innovation, Chithra Adams

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Leading innovation is a difficult process because it is replete with tensions and paradoxes. Innovations require leaders to switch leadership styles depending on the context and the phase of innovation. This study used two leadership theoretical frameworks, transformational and transactional leaderships, to understand the leadership behaviors used to promote and manage the process of innovation.

The purpose of this study was to explore leadership behaviors exhibited by evaluation team leaders during the process of innovation. The focus of the study was on leadership behaviors and study participants are individuals who identify as evaluators who led a team of two or …

Spatial Reasoning And Understanding The Particulate Nature Of Matter: A Middle School Perspective, Merryn L. Cole

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This dissertation employed a mixed-methods approach to examine the relationship between spatial reasoning ability and understanding of chemistry content for both middle school students and their science teachers. Spatial reasoning has been linked to success in learning STEM subjects (Wai, Lubinski, & Benbow, 2009). Previous studies have shown a correlation between understanding of chemistry content and spatial reasoning ability (e.g., Pribyl & Bodner, 1987; Wu & Shah, 2003: Stieff, 2013), raising the importance of developing the spatial reasoning ability of both teachers and students.

Few studies examine middle school students’ or in-service middle school teachers’ understanding of chemistry concepts or …

Classroom Influences On Third Grade African American Learners' Mathematics Identities, Oliver Thomas Wade Roberts

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Students’ mathematics identity has become a more prominent concept in the research literature (Jackson & Wilson, 2012). The experiences of African Americans are still underreported, with African American elementary students receiving the least attention. This dissertation uses a case study method to explore two learners’ experiences. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore African American third grade students’ classroom interactions with mathematics in order to better understand factors that promote positive mathematics identities.

This research study explored the mathematics classroom influences on three third grade African American learners’ mathematics identities in a K-8 school in a north central …

Understanding And Promoting Parent-Child Sexual Health Communication, Shannon Phelps

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Parent-child sexual health communication (PCSHC) can have a positive impact on adolescents’ sexual health choices, outcomes, and capabilities for communicating with others about sexual health. Many parents are hesitant and feel unprepared for and uncomfortable with communicating about sexual health with their children. Other parental factors as well as child factors can impact the quality, frequency, coverage, and effectiveness of PCSHC. Some adolescent sexual health outcomes have improved, however, teen birth rates in the United States are elevated compared to other developed countries and half of all sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnoses are made to adolescents and emerging adults. This …

Global Competence Survey Development, Kathryn Brantley Todd

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

The research objective for this dissertation study was to build a preliminary survey that would, in its final form, allow educators and administrators to establish baseline information on individuals’ global competence characteristics prior to instruction, cross-cultural experience, international study or collaboration. A secondary aim concerned length: The intent was to keep the eventual final survey at 15 minutes or less to make it adaptable to a variety of settings. The researcher extracted terms and phrases from existing global competence definitions (e.g., Boix-Mansilla, Jackson, Asia Society & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2011; Hunter, 2005), related literature (e.g., Lambert, 1994), …