Education Commons^™

An Examination Of Academic Growth In Middle School Students Receiving Tier 3 Instruction And Teacher Perceptions Regarding Mindset, Stephanie M. Opela

Dissertations

Existing research on the implementation of RTI and growth mindset practices at the secondary level was sparse, despite the literature on the challenges facing the middle school structure and best practices for adolescent learners. This quantitative study added to the body of research by examining components of each effort in an urban school district. The researcher compared the academic growth of middle school students who received Tier 3 instructional support in reading or math to the academic growth of students who did not receive Tier 3 support. The data revealed no significant difference between the growth of the two groups. …

Advising Assessment Practices Of Advising Professionals At An Accredited United Kingdom Urban Career-Focused Higher Education Institution: A Replicated Quantitative, Descriptive Analysis, Catherine E. Mahrt-Washington

Dissertations

The Problem

As the world has flattened, the globalization and quality education movement surrounding higher education worldwide has led to the accountability of all stakeholders regarding student success in and beyond the classroom. Student mobility continues to impact tertiary enrollments as families and students consider the proliferated traditional and non-traditional enrollment alternatives along with prospective lower tertiary debt options. Although assessment, an accountability tool, in co-curricular areas such as advising has been overlooked by leaders, advising is not impervious to accountability consequences. The problem is that assessment of advising, if performed, is oftentimes implemented informally, without a well-defined framework or …

Investigating A Relationship Between Nonverbal Communication And Student Learning, Dustin York

Dissertations

Clear and effective communication is essential in today’s society (Smith & Cotten, 1980; Smith & Land, 1981). Nonverbal communication specifically has a vital role in communication. There is inconsistent data on the effect of nonverbal communication used by instructors and the impact on student learning within the higher education environment. This research study sought to find distinct correlations between instructors’ nonverbal communication and a variety of elements related to student learning. This study examined (1) the relationship between standardized measurements of student learning and instructors’ nonverbal communication, (2) the relationship between students’ perceptions of their learning and instructors’ nonverbal communication, …

National Board For Professional Teaching Standards Certification And Teacher Self-Efficacy, Lynn A. Hines

Dissertations

Due to No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and state-level mandates, an economic and moral imperative requires educators today to not only accommodate differences in learning rates and allow extra time for students to experience success, teachers must foster in students the belief that success is within their reach if they keep trying. These new expectations for student learning are clashing with old conceptions of teaching and outmoded approaches and structures for teacher practices. Given the new mission of schools, finding strong models of professional development is imperative. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is a promising model. Self-efficacy, …

An Exploration Of Current Practices In Curricular Design Of Resident Assistant Training Programs, Virginia Albaneso Koch

Dissertations

In the last 15 years there has been little research about the design of resident assistant (RA) training programs in higher education (Bowman & Bowman, 1995, 1998; Wesolowski, Bowman, & Adams, 1996). A RA is an enrolled student who is selected, trained, and supervised to serve as a part-time, paraprofessional employee for a housing and/or residential life department at a college or university. The lack of research was surprising given the time, effort, and institutional resources invested in employing, training, and supervising RAs. The purpose of this study was to explore how contemporary RA training programs were designed and the …