Education Commons^™

Peeling Back The Layers - Perceptions Of Parents Of Urban Elementary Students, Kellie Scruggs Baldwin

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the educational experiences of an identified urban elementary school in Central Virginia parents (similar to the researcher’s school’s parents) as lived through their own experience and how these educational experiences determine their academic parent involvement for their child. By examining parents’ educational experiences, educational professionals may be able to bridge the home and school communities and determine support needed to aid families in educating children.

Information Behaviors And Pedagogies Of Teaching Faculty, L. Katherine Glaeser

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

Rapid development in the information landscape (IL) has placed increased pressure on educational institutions to ensure that students are equipped with the skills needed to succeed. In order to overcome these challenges and transfer the necessary IL skills to students, faculty instructors must model the required skills in their own information dissemination practices, and adopt instructional methods that reinforce those skills and increase students’ opportunities to practice them. To achieve this goal, we must first understand the perspectives of the faculty, and the contexts in which information seeking and teaching occurs.

This study aims to learn what approaches teaching faculty …

Principal Preparation And Mentorship In Professional Standards For Educational Leaders, Caroline Whitney Rinella

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

The role of a principal looks very different from years ago and responsibilities principals are charged with have evolved significantly over time. In nearly all states, principals receive training and certification under the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSELs) with focus in the following areas: 1. Mission, Vision, and Core Values, 2. Ethics and Professional Norms, 3. Equity and Cultural Responsiveness, 4. Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, 5. Community of Care and Support for Students, 6. Professional Capacity of School Personnel, 7. Professional Community for Teachers and Staff, 8. Meaningful Engagement of Families and Community, 9. Operations and Management, and 10. …

The Impact Of Religiosity And Personality On Resilience And Coping Strategies, Leah Eldred

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

The purpose of the current study was to examine the impact of religiosity and personality on resilience and coping strategies amongst undergraduate college students. Participants completed four different questionnaires measuring religiosity, personality, resilience, and coping skills, as well as a demographic questionnaire. A two-way factorial ANOVA statistical analysis and correlation analyses were conducted. The findings indicated that participants who were pessimistic reported more use of maladaptive coping strategies than optimistic participants. The main implication of this study was that people who are more pessimistic can be taught how to utilize adaptive coping strategies rather than the maladaptive ones that they …

How Health And Physical Education Teachers Feel About The Virginia Communications And Literacy Assessment, Tc Thacker

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

In the Commonwealth of Virginia, in order to become a teacher, certain state-selected assessments must be completed. These assessments are required for every candidate who is pursuing a teaching career. One of these required assessments is the Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment (VCLA) and it was created to measure communication and literacy skills. The requirement of this test brought forth the question: how do Health and Physical Education teachers feel that the VCLA has helped prepare them for their current work? This question was explored using a qualitative approach which led to the examination of teachers beliefs in regards to …

The Effect Of Information Interventions On Retention Among University Of Lynchburg Students, Sara Mills

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

College retention rates are a frequently discussed topic amid declining retention and increasing time to degree completion. My research will evaluate whether a targeted nudging program has any impact on second-year students retaining to their third year at University of Lynchburg. Nudging defined as, “…any aspect of the choice architecture that alters people's behaviour in a predictable way without forbidding any options or significantly changing their economic incentives…” as discussed by Thaler and Sunstein (2008). I will analyze the outcome of nudging student behavior via weekly text alerts centered around Academic, Social, Career, and/or Financial information students have self-selected to …

A Wrap Around Poverty Intervention Model: Leveraging Social Capital Reduces Poverty, Robert James Cook

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

In 1964, the United States began to wage a war to end generational poverty using antipoverty policies and programs, with controversial results. The theory exists that wraparound (WA) poverty intervention programs are effective in helping participants develop relational assets (RA) and social capital (SC) to overcome the effects of poverty, yet few organizations are seeking solutions to chronic poverty using these methods. One such program is The Open Table (TOT). Their concept uses 6-9 mentors who meet weekly with a brother/sister for one year to help them identify and achieve their financial, educational, occupational, health and family goals. The Open …

Predicting Academic Dishonesty Using Personality, Impulsiveness, Morality, And Somatic Faking, Lauren Barbee

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Violations of academic honor are relative to many of the same factors that lead to dishonesty by individuals subject to the criminal justice system. Malingering is defined as the feigning of psychological or physical ailment for gain, which is a technique regularly used to exploit both academic institutions and the U.S. court system. While malingering in legal environments is generally to receive less harsh sentencing, access to drugs, or other benefits, the aim of faking illness in students is to avoid consequences for missing required classes or examinations. The purpose of this research is to identify the relationship between “faking-bad” …

Self-Determination And Academic Success Of College Students With Disabilities, Lindsay F. Farrar

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

Within education, there have been many legislative changes in the last several decades to promote equitable access for students with disabilities. However, many barriers still exist that prevent these students from being academically successful once they have gained appropriate access. Research in the last 10 to 15 years has consistently identified these barriers as well as pinpointed some predictors of success for students with disabilities. Much of this research acknowledges the importance of self-management, goal-setting, and self-determination, yet there is a gap in the body of literature that specifically links self-determination to academic performance within the postsecondary setting. This study …

Improving Student Success In Community Colleges: A Case Study Of One Virginia Community College, Kristin M. Ogden

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

The Gates Foundation’s Completion by Design Loss Momentum Framework (LMF) has been the catalyst for twenty-first century community college reform. This framework indicates the points in a student’s college journey as: 1) Connection – from interest to application; 2) Entry – from enrolling to passing program gatekeeper courses; 3) Progress – from program entry to completion of program requirements; and 4) Completion – completion of credential of value for further market value or labor market advancement. The Completion by Design Loss Momentum Framework focuses on student success by using a Guided Pathways approach through which incoming students are given support …

Belonging: A Grounded Theory Approach To Retaining First-Year Students In Women's Colleges, Marcia J. Thom-Kaley Edd

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

Existing theory regarding first-year retention is explored. The Holistic Systems Approach to retaining first-year students in women's colleges is developed and examined.