Education Commons^™

Examining The Lived Experience Of Caregivers Learning A Home Program From A Pediatric Occupational Therapist, Michelle Finet

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of family caregivers as they learned a home program from an occupational therapist for their child. Gaining information from the caregiver on experiences with patient education may enable therapists to develop an understanding of the needs of caregivers during the educational process that occurs when a therapist is giving the caregiver a home program. Meeting the learning needs of the caregivers may possibly reduce the amount of overall therapy needed by the child. This phenomenological approach sought to answer the following research questions: (a) what are the lived experiences …

The Effects Of A One-To-One Ipad Initiative: A Case Study, Michael Flanagan

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored the ways that teachers in a single private middle school integrated one-to-one tablet use in to their classroom practice. The case study also explored how and in what ways the students and teachers perceived that school-provided one-to-one student access to tablets affected student learning. The review of relevant literature included the use of technology in instruction, external factors affecting teachers, and the perception of the effect of technology on student learning.

Over the last thirty years, there has been an increase of computer and tablet use in the classroom (Harold, 2016; Reidel, 2014; Smerdon, Cronen, …

Did Magnet Schools Improve Student Educational Outcomes As A Tool Of Desegregation?, Maureen Elizabeth Pylman

Theses and Dissertations

Magnet schools were implemented in American school districts beginning in the 1970s as part of desegregation plans often required by court order. Magnet schools had three primary goals: provide innovative educational programming, attract students from across school districts, and assist with desegregation. Research evaluating the implementation of magnet schools found that they did effectively desegregate schools (Arcia 2006; Steel and Levine 1994). However, the educational outcomes of magnet schools have not been evaluated, particularly using longitudinal student data, to evaluate magnet school effectiveness. Popular press, the use of effective pedagogy, selection procedures, and exclusivity lead to expectations that magnet schools …

Understanding How Students With Learning Disabilities From An Urban Environment Experience Nature-Based Informal Learning, Thor Antonio Stolen

Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that there is an achievement gap with students of color in the urban environment and their White non-urban peers (Norman, Ault, Bentz, & Meskimen, 2001; National Research Council, 2012) additionally an achievement gaps exists between students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers (National Center for Learning Disabilities, 2011). The demand for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) preparation is growing and more students need to be prepared in school for STEM careers (Carlson, 1997). The didactic traditional style of teacher led text book reading has proven unsuccessful for large groups of urban youths and students with disabilities …

Video Modeling To Increase Interaction For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder In A Museum Setting Using An Application On A Tablet, Bethany Miota Miota

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to perform an exploratory study to determine if the ScanDo! app intervention is an assistive technology that increases interaction for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in a museum setting. The ScanDo! app intervention presented a video demonstration that modeled the interaction for each learning station by scanning the QR code attached to the station. Using a naturally occurring baseline single-subject design with ABA and reversed ABA phases, two children with ASD and their parents visited the grocery store exhibit at a children’s museum. Observers of the trials and questionnaires completed by parents before …

Assessing Model-Data Fit For Compensatory And Non-Compensatory Multidimensional Item Response Models Using Vuong And Clarke Statistics, Leanne Freeman

Theses and Dissertations

The primary importance of the study was that no statistics were able to provide probabilistic statements about model-data fit between the non-nested compensatory and non-compensatory MIRT models. Secondarily, the Vuong and Clarke statistics have been utilized prolifically in economics and political science and have great potential to contribute to educational measurement. Finally, application of the Vuong and Clarke statistics will not only reduce the damage of misspecified MIRT models but will also promote the use of less known models, in this case, the non-compensatory models.

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether the Vuong and Clarke statistics can …

A Quantitative Analysis Of School-Level Factors And Their Impact On The Racial Achievement Gap, Atiera Lauren Coleman

Theses and Dissertations

Utilizing the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS) dataset, I examined the racial composition of schools and classrooms, disciplinary variables, levels of reading and math levels, test scores, and other aspects of schools to analyze effectively the marginal effects of being a black student within schools. Focusing on the dependent variables of test scores, classroom ability level, and suspension rates, I controlled for non-school related factors in order to isolate the impact of school influences on academic achievement, utilizing Hierarchical Linear Models. The results of this study indicate that early school tracking as well as …

Meaning In Motion, Kara Hendrickson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis essay and accompanying exhibition examine the capacity of interactive art to stage situations for participants to explore embodiment. In presenting the four-part interactive suite "Body Language" by Nathaniel Stern, the exhibition invites viewers to engage with digital projections that track and respond to movement by producing animated text and spoken utterances. Through the juxtaposition of motion performed by the viewer’s physical body with computer-generated words and speech, "Body Language" explores the complex ways in which the body and language depend upon each other to create and communicate meaning. This essay also proposes that the gallery uses its power …

Improving The Speech Intelligibility By Cochlear Implant Users, Behnam Azimi

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we focus on improving the intelligibility of speech for cochlear implants (CI) users. As an auditory prosthetic device, CI can restore hearing sensations for most patients with profound hearing loss in both ears in a quiet background. However, CI users still have serious problems in understanding speech in noisy and reverberant environments. Also, bandwidth limitation, missing temporal fine structures, and reduced spectral resolution due to a limited number of electrodes are other factors that raise the difficulty of hearing in noisy conditions for CI users, regardless of the type of noise. To mitigate these difficulties for CI …

School Selection Patterns Choice And Traditional Public Schoolsthrough The Lenses Of Rational Choice Theory And Behavioral Economics Theory, Steven Krull

Theses and Dissertations

This study uses rational choice theory and behavioral economics theory to examine parent considerations when selecting an enrollment rich traditional public school (one that grew or sustained enrollment) for their child. Traditional public schools provide children general academic instruction at a school determined by the geographic boundary of their home. For many years, traditional public schools were the dominant publically funded institution for educating children. However, in the current era of school choice, parents now can select from a variety of educational options. In Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), traditional public schools compete for students with private voucher schools, inter-district open …

Talkin' Back And Shifting Black; Black Motherhood, Identity Development And Doctoral Study, Amber Tucker

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how the context of doctoral study within predominantly white and elite research institutions in the Midwest facilitates identity development among Black doctoral women student parents. This phenomenological study employed Black feminist epistemologies as both a methodological underpinning and interpretive lens to examine how seven Black women doctoral student parents negotiate and made meaning of their intersectional identities.

The six key findings that emerged from this study were: (1) negotiating intersectionality as trauma in childhood; (2) negotiating microaggressions related to invisibility/hypervisibility; (3) negotiating structural macroaggressions as violence; (4) hidden costs of negotiating …

Predictors Of International Students’ Socio-Cultural Adjustment, Wen-Hsin Chang

Theses and Dissertations

International students’ well-being and their adjustment have gained interest from researchers in different areas, including educational psychology, social psychology and counseling psychology. By using the social cognitive model, this study focused on finding the relationships among English fluency, social self-efficacy, cultural values, perceived social support, perceived discrimination and conflict handling styles and how they affect international students’ sociocultural adjustment. A hierarchical regression model found that international students with high social self-efficacy have less socio-cultural adaptation difficulties when they perceived low discrimination. However, when these students perceived high discrimination, they experienced higher socio-cultural adaptation difficulties. International students who valued openness to …

The Influence Of Transcultural Humility Simulation Development Activities On The Cultural Competence Of Baccalaureate Nursing Students, Teresa Hamilton

Theses and Dissertations

One way to mitigate health disparities in the provision of nursing care and impact social justice with vulnerable populations is the development of cultural competence. Although addressed in nursing curricula, gaps in how to best address cultural competence remain. A study was undertaken to determine whether participation in a researcher-designed intervention, entitled Transcultural Humility Simulation development, based on components of Campinha-Bacote’s model with an emphasis on “becoming” culturally competent, improved cultural competence in graduating baccalaureate nursing students. A longitudinal, descriptive, quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest comparison group design using embedded mixed methods was used. A total of 57 student participants from one baccalaureate …

Factors Contributing To College Retention Of Undergraduate Saudi Students Studying In The United States, Abdulaziz Salem Aldossari

Theses and Dissertations

Over the years, attention has been paid to student attrition in universities. Delving from that, the retention rate has been studied by a multitude of researchers using a variety of predictor variables. As the number of Saudi students in the United States has recently increased, the need for studying these students’ challenges and factors that limit their graduation rates has grown in importance. This study was conducted in order to explain the factors contributing to college retention of Saudi students studying in the U.S. The sample for this study focused on Saudi undergraduate students (senior students) in the school year …

Difference Makers: A Multi-Case Study Of The Conditions Under Which Superintendents Build Equitable Learning Environments To Support Black Students, Nicole Linsey Jones

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze the stories shared by superintendents in a Midwestern state about how they approached the work of developing more equitable learning environments for Black students. The study examined the dispositions of the superintendents, the actions taken by the superintendents in each school district, and the influence of the district environment on the superintendents’ ability to carry out their work. A qualitative, multiple case study approach was used to conduct interviews and gather public documents and data from eight superintendents working in academically high performing, suburban school districts. The findings revealed that the eight …

School Bond Referenda Reloaded: An Examination Of A School District In Passing A Subsequent Bond Referendum After Failing To Pass Previous Bond Referenda, Eitan Yacov Benzaquen

Theses and Dissertations

In April 2008, the Wisconsin Erie School District attempted and failed to pass a school bond referendum to renovate its high school. In November 2008, again the school district did not pass a referendum. Interestingly, in the 2009-2010 school year, the district was successful in passing a bond referendum. Although the original bond measure called for $45,600,000, the final measure passed a bond of $35,190,000. All of these referenda attempts occurred within an economic context of national and statewide recession. Since school referenda are mechanisms for communities to voice their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with schools through voting for or against …

Teacher Perceptions Of Administrative Support In Urban Charter Schools, Ali Yilmaz

Theses and Dissertations

National teacher survey results indicate that lack of administrative support is the most frequently cited reason as to why teachers leave charter schools. This non-experimental quantitative study explored what types of administrative support are more valuable to urban charter school teachers and the extent of that support in their current schools. This study also investigated if perceived needs of urban charter school teachers for administrative support change as they gain more teaching experience.

In this study, a 41-item survey titled Dimensions of Administrative Support Survey was validated, and used to measure perceived support needs of 1,945 teachers from 127 different …

Making Test Batteries Adaptive By Using Multistage Testing Techniques, Wen Zeng

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation research is to investigate the possibility to improve both reliability and validity for test batteries under the framework of multi-stage testing (MST). Two test battery designs that incorporate MST components were proposed and evaluated, one is a multistage test battery (MSTB) design and the other is a hybrid multistage test battery (MSTBH) design. The MSTB design consists of three tests: The first test used the AMI (approximate maximum information) method as the routing strategy; and as for the second and third, the “On-the-Fly” strategy (OMST) was employed. The MSTBH design also consists of three tests; …

Relationship Between Financial Support And Retention Of Economically Disadvantaged Students In An Undergraduate Baccalaureate Nursing Program, Karen Lynn O'Brien

Theses and Dissertations

Retention in baccalaureate nursing programs has been a concern for administrators and educators for decades. The non-traditional students of the past have become the traditional students of the present and as such lead complex lives. The emerging group of students that requires more attention in nursing education research is the economically disadvantaged students. Economically disadvantaged students typically come to college less prepared for the rigors of higher education and are at-risk for leaving post-secondary education. Retention of economically disadvantaged students can potentially increase the diversity of the nursing workforce since many economically disadvantaged students also come from ethnically diverse background. …

A New Approach: Closing The Writing Gap By Using Reliable Assessment To Guide And Evaluate Cross-Curricular Argumentative Writing, Jody Bauer

Theses and Dissertations

Educational standards emphasize cross-curricular literacy and complex skills at the secondary level. These standards align to the heightened priority of argumentative writing across disciplines. With increasingly complex and shifting writing expectations, assessment practices need to be implemented to mirror these expectations. Two primary components to effective assessment are the ability to inform teaching and improve student learning. This study is designed to test the reliability of a process-oriented rubric as a tool to evaluate argumentative writing in the cross-curricular context, and as a tool to guide classroom practices based on student readiness.

The purpose of this study is to observe …

Aged Out: Narratives Of Women Who Grew Up In Out-Of-Home Care, Lanetta Greer

Theses and Dissertations

This is a qualitative study involving young women who aged out of out-of-home care (OHC). Narrative inquiry will be the research methodology. Research questions will be centered on the participants’ description of their family life, growing up in OHC, and life after aging out. The results of the study will better inform service providers working with youth in foster/group homes, schools, juvenile justice placements, and community programs, offering them more effective ways of assisting, supporting, and advocating for youth to ensure a more successful transition to independence after aging out.

Veteran As Leader: The Lived Experience With Army Leader Development, Michael James Kirchner

Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study examined the lived leader development experience of Post 9/11 Army veterans while serving in the armed forces. At least $10-$15 billion is spent annually on leadership development in the United States and human resource executives claim developing leaders is their number one priority over the next five years. Simultaneously, companies actively hiring veterans claim the former service member's leadership abilities are their most desired quality. Inspection of the Army’s leader development program offers an opportunity for employers to integrate revised approaches in their own leadership development initiatives.

A purposive sample of ten Army veterans—six males and four …

Faculty Perceptions And Experiences Of “Presence” In The Online Learning Environment, Anita Samuel

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological research study was to gain an understanding of how faculty who teach fully online courses perceive and experience presence. The 25 faculty participants in this study were drawn from a four-year institution of higher education in the Midwest. The faculty designed and taught their own courses. Data were collected through: (1) semi-structured in-depth interviews with each participant, (2) documentary analysis of two course syllabi from two different course offerings for each participant, and (3) observations of five participants’ online course sites over the duration of an academic semester (16 week course). Findings revealed that …

Counted Out, But Counted On: The Hidden Academic Journey Of Millennial Black Women In Majority White Urban Universities, Danielle Lorraine Apugo

Theses and Dissertations

Eighty percent of Black women (BW) enrolled in colleges and universities attend majority white institutions (Hill, 2009). Though seemingly highly represented in higher education, research studies cite BW as having a graduate degree completion rate of less than 30% (Aston & Oseguera, 2004). A phenomenological study involving 15 graduate (master’s degree candidates) millennial Black women aspiring and/or acting leaders (MBWALs) was conducted to explore the types of peer relationships--A mutual relationship of similar hierarchical status--in terms of educational level or age group--where both parties perceive themselves as equals--(McDougall & Beattie, 1997) MBWALs experience. The study also sought to understand how …

The Effectiveness, Efficiency, And Appeal Of Pediatric Echocardiography Protocol Training For First Year Pediatric Cardiology Fellows, Lynne M. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Echocardiography training for pediatric cardiology fellows is complex and academic hospitals strive to provide high-quality training using limited resources. The purpose of this embedded single case study design was to evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency, and appeal of a newly developed 10-day echocardiography protocol learning module for first year pediatric cardiology fellows. Using blended learning methods that included didactic lectures, online learning activities, and interactive games, the learning module was the first step in the process of training pediatric cardiology fellows to perform echocardiograms independently with limited supervision during their first year of fellowship. At the end of the 10-day module, …

The Use Of Middle School Atlases In The Social Studies Classroom In South Korea, Jung Eun Hong, Hyoun Kyoung Lee

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

Middle school atlases are supplementary textbooks for social studies learning in South Korea. Although atlases are developed and designed to provide various useful resources for students’ social studies learning, especially geography, atlases have not been frequently used in actual social studies classrooms, and sometimes they are never used. This study reports the causes of low adoption rates of middle school atlases in Korean social studies classrooms through the analysis of survey responses from both teachers and students. This study also addresses ways of increasing the use of atlases in the classroom.

The Dmv Class Of 2016: Readiness Of Milwaukee 18-Year-Olds For Employment, Citizenship And Adulthood, Lois M. Quinn, John Pawasarat

ETI Publications

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Employment and Training Institute examined the driver’s license status of Wisconsin youth aged eighteen as of January 1, 2016, using license records from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Division of Motor Vehicles. Only 30% of Milwaukee eighteen-year-olds had a driver’s license (probationary or regular), compared to more than twice that rate (66%) for eighteen-year-olds statewide. Stark differences were seen in Wisconsin driver’s licensing rates by race/ethnicity, neighborhood levels of child poverty, and zipcodes with concentrations of “working poor” families. Disparate licensing rates give suburban and exurban youth in the Milwaukee metropolitan area a head start over …

Research Brief On Eti Neighborhood Indicators Studies, John Pawasarat, Lois M. Quinn

ETI Publications

The Milwaukee neighborhood indicators reports were developed by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Employment and Training Institute with funding from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and the City of Milwaukee to provide independent, timely and ongoing assessment tools to measure short-term and long-term progress toward improving economic and employment well-being of families in central city Milwaukee neighborhoods. Indicators tracked changes by neighborhood since 1993, prior to the beginning of state and federal welfare payment cuts, and demonstrate the advantages of using administrative and institutional databases to measure dimensions of urban life. In 2001 the Brookings Institution identified the ETI neighborhood indicators approach …

Research Brief On Eti Prison Studies, John Pawasarat, Lois M. Quinn

ETI Publications

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Employment and Training Institute worked with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and state Department of Public Instruction in the 1980s to improve educational programs at state correctional facilities incarcerating juveniles. In the 1990s ETI assisted the Milwaukee County Executive’s Youth Initiative to identify youth populations in need of intervention if future incarceration was to be prevented. From 2007 to 2016 ETI research and technical assistance focused on employment needs of Milwaukee County adult males who had been incarcerated in Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities.

Research Brief On Eti Studies Of African American And Latino Access To Jobs, John Pawasarat, Lois M. Quinn

ETI Publications

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Employment and Training Institute conducted research studies from 1994-2014 on access of African Americans and Latinos to equal employment opportunities for the City of Milwaukee, NAACP, Private Industry Council of Milwaukee County (MAWIB/Employ Milwaukee), Milwaukee Public Schools, Helen Bader Foundation, and Greater Milwaukee Foundation. The analysis focused on labor market issues for African Americans, Hispanics and other non-Caucasian populations as critical to addressing housing integration and economic concerns in local communities. The ETI prepared a series of report cards on hiring practices and challenges for Milwaukee area companies and governments, provided customized tables showing diversity (and …