Education Commons^™

A Narrative Inquiry On Experiences Of Title Ix Coordinators In The Southeastern Conference, Laura Bryant

Doctoral Dissertations

There is a lack of understanding about the leadership experiences of Title IX Coordinators in higher education. Title IX Coordinators are not only compliance officers; they are campus leaders, positioned within the university’s organizational structure with the authority to impact their institution around the issue of discrimination on the basis of sex. Currently, there is a lack of scholarly research about the experiences of Title IX Coordinators as they work to create and sustain living, learning, and working environments free from sexual misconduct. Therefore, the purpose of this narrative study is to understand the stories of Title IX Coordinators in …

The Lived Experiences Of Black Women Tenured And Tenure-Track Faculty In Business Schools At Predominantly White Institutions, Janice Branch Hall

Doctoral Dissertations

Changing college-student demographics and the diversification of higher education requires an understanding of Black women’s experiences. Their visibility adds value to all higher education stakeholders and mobilizes students of color beyond the margins (Hasnas, 2018; Vargas, 1999). Researchers reported that Black women faculty have trouble offering the academy their unique perspectives due to isolation and tokenism (Diggs, Garrison-Wade, Estrada, & Galindo, 2009; Niemann, 2016). As a result, a further exploration of their experiences and a further examination of their perspectives are necessary from their points of view. While an abundance of research is available on the lived experiences of Black …

Teacher Practices With Adaptive Math Technology: Sitting In The Driver’S Seat Of A Self-Driving Car, Jennifer Longnecker

Doctoral Dissertations

The 21^st century has seen adaptive math technology (AMT), often formatted as digital game-based learning, integrated into a greater number of elementary classrooms as students have more access to devices than ever before. This study explores the practices of power users, teachers who are highly effective users and integrators of that technology. Specifically, the top ten percent of users of the adaptive math program, DreamBox, were surveyed (n = 117) about their practices and routines when integrating the AMT. The results of this study contribute to teacher practices for integrating this technology into the K-5 classroom. The findings …

The Design Discourse Of Professional Instructional Designers, Katherine L. Bevins

Doctoral Dissertations

The design discourse of professional instructional designers (IDs) exposes the inner workings of instructional design because collaboration is integral to instructional design practice. Despite the importance of collaboration, there has been little examination of the collaboration in Instructional Design and Technology (IDT). To examine IDs’ collaboration, I examined the design discourse of IDs in design meetings with clients through a content analysis of their discourse. Analysis revealed areas of design expertise that frequented those discussions. I collected audio recordings of five discussions between one or more IDs and a client. Overall, six IDs and five clients participated in this study. …

The Lived Experiences Of Graduate Student Veterans Enrolled In Cacrep-Accredited Counseling Programs: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Gerald Spangler

Doctoral Dissertations

Student veterans (SVs)are a population of students studied extensively at the undergraduate level. These students possess military traits and characteristics that influence their academic experiences. Existing research focuses on these experiences to better understand and assist in fostering academic persistence. However, there is gap in literature that explores the lived experiences of graduate SVs. This literature is even more pronounced when narrowed to graduate SVs enrolled in Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Therefore, this study sought to address this gap and gain a better understanding of graduate SVs and their academic experiences that lead to …

Factors Predicting Turnover Of International Science And Engineering Faculty At Us Research Universities, Lauren Longino Jacobs

Doctoral Dissertations

In today’s global knowledge-economy, US research universities seek to attract and retain the best and brightest faculty in the world to increase the university’s intellectual capital and compete on a global scale. Increasingly, universities hire talented international faculty to fulfill these needs, which is especially prevalent in the science and engineering fields (S&E). International faculty benefit US universities in areas of research and scholarship as well as increased diversity and internationalization of the campus, however, not all international S&E faculty are retained. In fact, higher turnover has been found among international S&E faculty than their domestic peers (Kim, Twombly, & …

The Strength Of Self: An Examination Of Self-Directed Learning And Self-Regulated Learning Among Master’S Students, Holley Marie Linkous

Doctoral Dissertations

There is a lack of understanding of the difference between self-directed learning and self-regulated learning. Though both theories have been found to be important learning processes for achieving learning goals, there is little evidence to identify how the two directly compare. Self-directed learning and self-regulated learning can both be defined as learning processes as well as a collection of characteristics of an individual (Brockett & Hiemstra, 1991; Efklides, 2011). There are metacognitive components to these learning processes (Saks & Leijen, 2014; Zimmerman & Moylan, 2009). It can benefit scholars to know how these two concepts within a structured, complex, high-demand, …

An Investigation Of How Institutional And State Characteristics Influence Community College Award Rates, Jacob A. Kamer

Doctoral Dissertations

Community colleges are an essential element of the American postsecondary landscape and workforce preparation. In 2017, over six-million students, which represented roughly one-third of the total undergraduate enrollment in the United States, were enrolled in community colleges. In the past ten years, the importance of community colleges in the economic need for greater postsecondary credential attainment has been underscored by state policies and national initiatives. The wide variation in both the nature of community colleges and the students they serve makes examining the outcomes of these institutions difficult and oftentimes imprecise.

Assessing the performance of community colleges and determining what …

Betwixt And Between: Qualitative Examinations Of Leaders’ Internal Processes Of Transition, Margaret M. Ritchie

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines alternative forms of school governance from the personal perspectives of leaders, reflecting upon their transition through the organizational governance change. The effects of moving from a local governance authority to a five school multi-academy trust was both thrust upon the leaders who participated in this study as they, in turn, thrust the change upon others. This new vision of schooling rippled throughout the schools involved, the community in which the schools are located, and the greater local authority that did not embrace this change. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine alternative forms of school …

Women In Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathematics (Stem): Pre-College And College Factors Of Success, Jada Russell

Doctoral Dissertations

Scholars have reported that the competitiveness and innovation of the United States’ workforce in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics [STEM] fields are critical to maintaining our nation’s security and economic edge (Chen, 2009; Carlone & Johnson, 2007; Espinosa, 2011). Indeed, STEM is one of the fastest growing fields in the employment industry, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce (Langdon, et. al, 2011), and between 2008 and 2018, the number of STEM jobs is expected to increase 17%. Fostering learning pathways for all individuals interested in pursuing careers and education in STEM disciplines is necessary for us to meet the …

Teaching Stories In Online Police Firearms Training Videos: Analysis Of Content And Messages Carried, Alan Alfred James Bailey

Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify teaching stories in freely available online police firearms training videos and examine the manifest or latent messages they may carry for a law enforcement audience. The literature recognizes that “well told stories have educational power” (Rae, 2016, p.2) and that adult educators traditionally use stories to teach (Clark & Rossiter, 2008) including some police academy trainers (Ford, 2003). However, there is less appreciation of story’s role in the informal learning setting of online videos that might influence the thinking and behavior of viewers. Randomly selected videos were analyzed to identify the …

The Social Side Of Retention: Examining The Social Integration Of African American And Latinx Students And Their Retention To Graduation, Ashley Taylor Redix

Doctoral Dissertations

While the rate student enrollment in U.S. institutions of higher education is steadily increasing, retention and graduation rates do not reflect these increases, in turn leading to an ever-present gap in educational attainment (Bailey & Dynarski, 2011; Fischer, 2007; Kuh, Cruce, Shoup, Kinzie, & Gonyea, 2008; Morley, 2003; Museus & Quaye, 2009; Zarate & Burciaga, 2010; Zhan & Sherraden, 2011). The gaps in educational achievement are disproportionately larger for the African American and Latinx student populations compared to their Caucasian and Asian peers (Bailey & Dynarski, 2011; Fischer, 2007; Morley, 2003; Museus & Quaye, 2009; Zarate & Burciaga, 2010; Zhan …

"Because It's Free": Interviews Of Successful Tennessee Promise Students On How They Value Their Community College Experience, Susanna C. Miller

Doctoral Dissertations

Tennessee Promise is a tuition-free community college scholarship program for high school graduates that was initiated in Tennessee in 2015. This program is part of the State of Tennessee’s Drive to 55 initiative, the goal of which is to have 55% of the state’s workforce with a post-high school credential by 2025. This qualitative study was designed to learn how students who used TN Promise and graduated between 2015 and 2019 value their community college education experience. The research questions are: 1) What value do TN Promise students place on their education given that it is tuition-free? 2) What are …

“If I’Ve Got God On My Side, I Can Do It”: A Phenomenological Investigation Of The Lived Experiences Of Spirituality For Lds Ncaa Di Student-Athletes, Matthew J. Moore

Doctoral Dissertations

The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of spirituality for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (DI) student-athletes who also identified as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Using an existential phenomenological approach (Thomas & Pollio, 2002), nine interviews were conducted with four self-identified female and five self-identified male members of the LDS Church who were current NCAA DI athletes at the time of the study; they participated in four different DI sports (cross-country/track and field, football, soccer, and volleyball) and attended five different DI institutions. Their mean age was …

Investigating The Relationship Between Perceptions Of A “Good Reader” And Reading Performance Among Elementary And Middle School Students: An Exploration Study, Jamie A. Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships between student perceptions of a “good reader” and their reading performance. The study employed a causal-comparative and correlational design. Participants, elementary and middle school (grades 1-8) students (N= 100) attending an after-school program in the Southeastern United States, were administered the Student Perceptions of a Good Reader Scale (SPGRS) which includes two subscales: Perceptions-Decoding Efficiency (PerDE), and Perceptions-Comprehension (PerC). Additional measures included Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Growth Reading (MAP Growth, 2020) to determine reading comprehension and a curriculum-based measure of oral reading fluency (ORF) which determines words …

Promoting Personally Relevant Access To The General Mathematics Curriculum For Students With Intellectual Disability, Jennifer Elizabeth Cook

Doctoral Dissertations

Providing access to the general curriculum for students with intellectual disability (ID) has been a topic of debate in the field of low-incidence disabilities (e.g., Ayers et al., 2011; Trela & Jimenez, 2013). Researchers (e.g., Spooner et al., 2006; Trela & Jimenez, 2013) generally agree that students with ID should have access to the general academic curriculum, but some (e.g., Ayers et al., 2011) are concerned that adhering to a standards-based academic curriculum may not lead to independence. Trela and Jimenez (2013) proposed the term personally relevant to describe curriculum modifications for students with ID. Personally relevant modifications provide individualized …

Exploring Teachers’ Experiences Navigating The Inclusion Of Women In World History Situated Through A Professional Learning Community, Autumn Magliocca

Doctoral Dissertations

While the importance of including women’s history in the social studies curriculum has been examined, several scholars have identified potential reasons for the continued underrepresentation of women’s history. Few studies have explored the ways in which the reasons identified by scholars have manifested in teacher decision-making and classroom practice. This study sought to examine factors that influenced teacher curricular-instructional choices with regard to historical female perspectives paying particular attention to the qualities of a professional learning community and the role of personal teacher efficacy. This embedded case study investigated the experiences of four sixth grade world history teachers who participated …

Effective Art Education Practices: Evaluation, Policy, And Discourse, Heather Romaine Casteel

Doctoral Dissertations

With First to the Top legislation in Tennessee, art teachers are being evaluated annually with a one-size-fits-all measurement tool designed for all educators, regardless of the content or grade level they teach. The TEAM evaluation model is meant as both a means of accountability and professional development meant to improve teaching practices, and, hence, improve student learning (TDOE, 2012). Two policy documents, the TEAM rubrics and the NAEA Professional Standards for Visual Arts Educators (2009) provide teachers, school leaders, and policymakers with guidelines for determining the effectiveness of art teachers. The purpose of this study was to investigate how art …

The Impact Of Technology Access, Attitudes, And Use On Student Typing And Writing Performance, Carly Ann Chwat

Doctoral Dissertations

To gain more information about student writing and typing skills, typed and handwritten responses to narrative story prompts were compared. Across two passages, total words written and story readability were examined. In addition, the potential impact of previous experience with, and attitudes toward, technology that may affect student performance on computer-based assessments, were evaluated. This examination was completed by pilot testing a survey created for this study. Information about student use of, and attitudes toward, technology was gathered through this survey, which examined usage of technology and student endorsement of certain statements about their skills with technology.

Analysis of total …

The Effect Of Familiarity On Learning With Video Clips Containing Seductive Details, Jonah Lee Ruddy

Doctoral Dissertations

Seductive information included in educational lessons can arouse students’ emotional and situational interest. However, research on seductive details across instructional modalities shows both helpful and harmful effects on learning. The seductive details effect describes the negative influence of interesting, but irrelevant, information on achieving learning goals. Results from studies of videos with relevant and seductive details in multimedia lessons are inconclusive. Prior knowledge of target information has been shown to moderate the seductive details effect. In this study, the moderating effect of prior exposure to, or familiarity with, seductive, rather than target, information was explored using a multifactorial design. The …

Connecting The Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (Soc) Program And The Campus Environment At A Soc Program Institution: A Mixed Methods Study With A Transformative Design, Gary Lee Petree

Doctoral Dissertations

A theoretical perspective was used to suggest the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) program and a welcoming campus environment for student veterans are connected. The process, person, context, time/timing (PPCT) model of human ecology theory was used to explore the theoretical perspective through a student veteran lens. The researcher developed a questionnaire and incorporated survey research in a concurrent transformative mixed methods design to collect both quantitative and qualitative data from student veterans at a typical SOC program institution. The site selected for this study was a public land grant research institution where there was a sizable population of student veterans …

Agony Or Ecstasy: A Mixed Methods Study Of The Accelerated Reader Program And Students' Attitudes Toward Reading, Ladonna Stout Boone

Doctoral Dissertations

The impetus for this study was to determine how Accelerated Reader influences the reading attitudes of fourth grade students of varied reading proficiencies who had been exposed to Accelerated Reader since kindergarten. Interested in students’ attitudes and motivation toward reading, I examined fourth grade students’ reading motivation among two award winning Blue Ribbon Schools in East Tennessee, one of which used Accelerated Reader as the pathway to literacy success while the other did not. Comparisons between the two schools were made in order to determine if there were differences in students’ attitudes and motivation toward reading. This explanatory mixed methods …

"There’S Nothing Standardized About Being Human": The Impact Of Education Policy Reform On Experienced English Teachers In A Rural High School, Allison Leigh-Ann Varnes

Doctoral Dissertations

Education reforms have transformed the teaching profession into a business model that uses standardized test scores as capital. Failure to deliver projected scores results in punishments for teachers and schools under increased accountability measures. In this climate, job satisfaction is low, and teachers across the nation are leaving their classrooms. However, one rural high school presents as an anomaly because there has been no turnover within the English department, where each staff member has been teaching a minimum of five years. The purpose of this study was to learn how experienced secondary English teachers are impacted by education policy reform, …

Examining The Sense Of Belonging Of First-Generation Students And Their College Persistence: An Exploratory Interview Study, Jamia Wiley Stokes

Doctoral Dissertations

It has been suggested that low-income, students of color, and first-generation students face major impediments to feeling like they belong on campus (Ostrove & Long, 2007). Because first-generation students come to college with a myriad of challenges that directly impact their first-year experience, understanding how best to support this population is a crucial responsibility. Sense of belonging has been shown to be related to academic achievement, retention, and persistence to degree completion for students from historically marginalized groups (Hurtado & Carter, 1997; Rhee, 2008; Strayhorn, 2008d; Walton & Cohen, 2011). The purpose of this study was to understand how first-generation …

The Use Of Ell Specific Assessment Accommodations: A Comparative Case Study Of Classroom Practices, Natalia Yeremina Ward

Doctoral Dissertations

Access and equity of instructional and assessment practices used with English Language Learners (ELLs) have been in the forefront of educational research. In recent years, the developments in computerized assessment design and the prevalence of Universal Design for Learning have complicated the already complex terrain of literacy and language instruction and assessment of ELLs. Within this context, the present study focuses on the daily experiences of two third-grade ELLs in a small city school system in the southeast United States. Through classroom observations, interviews with teachers and administrators, and document analysis, this comparative ethnographic case study aims to explore systematic …

Living The Change They Seek: Social Studies Teacher Educators Who Incorporate Race Into The Curriculum, Sara Beth Demoiny

Doctoral Dissertations

Despite the increasingly diverse K-12 study body within the United States (National Center for Education Statistics, 2014) and the numerous examples of racism and racial tension that continue to be exposed through news outlets and social media, race and racism remain at the periphery of social studies teacher education. Although social studies is a discipline whose main goal is citizenship education, race, which has been intertwined with citizenship through U.S. history, continues to be marginalized in social studies curriculum and instruction.

Grounded in critical race theory, I developed a study exploring the perspectives of 11 social studies teacher educators who …

The Effect Of Adolescent-Parent Congruence On The College-Decision Making Process Of Rural Appalachian Youth, Anna Lora Taylor

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between adolescent-parent congruence on the SCCT variables of college-going self-efficacy beliefs, college outcome expectations, and college decision-making in rural Appalachian youth. The study addressed three main research questions: What are the typical levels of adolescent-parent congruence, college-going self-efficacy, and college outcome expectations of rural Appalachian youth? How are college-going decisions impacted by the level of adolescent-parent congruence, college-going self-efficacy beliefs, and college outcome expectations of rural Appalachian youth? and How do rural Appalachian high school students say that adolescent-parent congruence impacts their college decisions? Participants in the study were high …

Success Of Twice-Exceptional College Students Screened By Act Versus Sat Scores And Major Declaration In Line With Academic Strength, Kelly Harrington Smyth

Doctoral Dissertations

Educational outcomes of college students (e.g., GPA, retention, graduation, and years to graduation) of undergraduate students screened and selected for 2e status (2e; giftedness with a learning disability) did not differ significantly (p > .05) based on two operationalizations (of 2e status): ACT or SAT scores. However, significantly more 2e students were screened from ACT scores relative to the number screened from SAT scores (p < .05). Further investigation into academic outcomes revealed that students screened as 2e by the ACT were significantly more likely to be retained after their first year of college when they declared a major in line with their academic strength (p < .05), relative to the number retained by the SAT. Finally, 2e students screened by the ACT were less likely to graduate within six years of initial enrollment at UT when they did not declare a major in line with their academic strength, though the difference was not statistically significant (p > .05). Implications are discussed, and particularly suggestions regarding how these data may improve advising practices.

Concurrent And Predictive Validity Of The Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test – Group Ability Test, Brooke Lauren Browarnik

Doctoral Dissertations

Within the framework of a pretest/posttest design, relations among the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test – Group Ability Test (UNIT-GAT) and two measures of reading achievement: the Test of Silent Word Reading Fluency, Second Edition (TOSWRF-2) and the Test of Silent Word Reading Comprehension, Second Edition (TOSCRF-2) were examined for 140 children between the ages of six and fifteen, enrolled in one of three Boys & Girls Clubs in the eastern United States. Based on a counterbalanced administration at pretest, UNIT-GAT Analogical Reasoning (AR) scores moderately correlated with TOSWRF-2 Form A scores (r = .45, p < 01), TOSWRF-2 Form B scores (r = .41, p …

Targeting Difficult Multiplication Problems: Increasing Multiplication Fact Fluency Through A Learning Trials Intervention, Kelly Mccullough Thompson

Doctoral Dissertations

The acquisition of basic math facts is a necessity for elementary school students as it fosters skill development as math concepts increase in difficulty. Specifically, by the end of the fifth grade, students are expected to have mastered all basic one-digit by one-digit multiplication problems. Many students, however, do not become fluent with multiplication facts, particularly the most difficult basic facts (i.e., digits 6-9). The current study was designed to determine if a computer-based learning trials program could enhance automaticity with difficult multiplication facts. Further, we investigated whether the computer program targeting difficult facts could enhance fluency across all basic …