Education Commons^™

Exploring The Relationship Between Orpda And Teachers' Conceptual Understanding Of Place Value, Jamie Howard Price

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to understand whether or not the use of an invented number system, called Orpda, helped teachers develop a deeper understanding of place value in hopes that this will translate into their own teaching of place value concepts. Thirteen teachers enrolled in a graduate mathematics education course served as the participants for this study. Data were collected from teachers’ reflections on various activities related to Orpda, pre- and post-Orpda concept maps teachers created, online discussions between the teachers, teacher demographic sheets, and an interview with the instructor of the course.

Analysis of the teachers' …

The Professional Quality Of Life Of Counselors In The U.S. Gulf State Of Mississippi Following Multiple Traumatic Events, Deirdre Juanita Anderson-White

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation was an exploratory research study using a cross-sectional survey design to examine the impact of ecological, environmental, psychological, and financial hardship on counselors of the U.S. Gulf Region. Since 2005, the U.S. Gulf Region, unlike any other region of the United States, has faced multiple disasters including Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Ike and Gustav (Walsh, 2010), the Great Recession (Conant, 2010), and the largest ecological disaster in the history of the United States, the BP Oil Spill (Gray, 2010). The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes and characteristics of counselors in one U.S. Gulf State, specifically …

The Enduring Effects Of Early Literacy Experiences: A Retrospective Interview Study, Karen Suzanne Sigmon Anderson

Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

This qualitative interview study was designed to understand how early literacy experiences continue to influence individuals as they become adult readers. The study utilized a case study methodology that allowed detailed descriptions of participants’ recollections of early literacy experiences and descriptions of the participants’ current reading habits.

The researcher, working from a constructivist paradigm, worked to find evidence to explore what features of early reading experiences might compel an individual to turn to reading again and again, or to choose to abstain from reading. The following research questions guided this study: “What specific memories do adult readers recall …

Personality Traits And Career Decidedness: An Empirical Study Of University Students, Ryan M. Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

Research on vocational behavior has made progress in identifying broad personality traits associated with career indecision; however, important questions remain unanswered about the temporal stability of relationships between broad personality traits and Career Decidedness (CD), and about the role of narrow personality traits as predictors of CD, both of which were addressed in this longitudinal field study. A total of 2,046 undergraduate students completed an online personality inventory and CD questionnaire. A sub-group (N=267) responded to a follow-up questionnaire seven months later. Results indicated, as hypothesized, that CD correlated positively with the broad (Big Five) personality traits, openness, conscientiousness, and …

Toward A Philosophy Of Race In Education, Corey V Kittrell

Doctoral Dissertations

There is a tendency in education theory to place the focus on the consequences of racial hegemony (racism, Eurocentric education, low performance by racial minorities) and ignore that race is antecedent to these consequences. This dissertation explores the treatment of race within critical theory in education. I conduct a metaphysical analysis to examine the race concept as it emerges from the works of various critical theorists in education. This examination shows how some scholars affirm the scientifically discredited race concept by offering racial essentialist approaches for emancipatory education. I argue that one of consequences of these approaches is the further …

Using Transformative Learning Theory To Investigate Ways To Enrich University Teaching: Focus On The Implementation Of Student-Centered Teaching In Large Introductory Science Courses, Ioana Alexandra Badara

Doctoral Dissertations

Previous studies have reported high attrition rates in large-enrollment science courses where teacher-centered instruction was prevalent. The scientific literature provides strong evidence that student-centered teaching, which involves extensive active learning, leads to deepened learning as the result of effective student engagement. Consequently, professional development initiatives have continually focused on assisting academics with the implementation of active learning. Generally, higher education institutions engage faculty in professional development through in-service workshops that facilitate learning new teaching techniques in a specific context. These workshops usually do not include self-scrutiny concerning teaching or do they provide continuous support for the implementation of strategies learned …

A Case Study Of The Full Service Community School Model: School Level Benefits In An Urban, Southern Elementary School, Elisa Cooper Luna

Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory, qualitative single case study was to explore the Full Service Community Schools model in one, urban elementary school. More specifically, the study sought to understand the impact this model had on students and teachers at one particular research site. This study was also intended to examine the impact the Full Service Community School model had on the role of school administrators. The research questions that guided this study were:

(1) How does the Full Service Community School model impact students?

(2) How does the Full Service Community School model impact teachers?

(3) What impact …

Teacher Morale: Perceptions Of Deaf/Hard-Of-Hearing Teachers And Hearing Teachers In Residential Schools For The Deaf, Steven E. Farmer

Doctoral Dissertations

With increasing state and federal mandates to improve student performance, teachers everywhere are struggling with maintaining positive morale—particularly in residential schools for the deaf. Teacher morale serves as a critical component in promoting positive teaching and learning environments for students. Also, the dwindling number of Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing teachers and staff in Deaf Education severely limits the provision of positive language models for Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing children.

The study sought to answer two research questions:

(1) What is the overall teacher morale at five residential schools for the deaf in the southeastern United States? (Quantitative)

(2) How does the morale of Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing teachers compare …

The Factorial Validity Of The National Survey Of Student Engagement, Shelley Leigh Esquivel

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore the factorial validity of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), a survey widely used by institutions of higher education. Specifically, using data collected from first-year students and seniors at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT), this research addressed three research questions. First, to what extent does the five-factor model of NSSE (i.e., the benchmark model) exhibit factorial validity? Second, to what extent is Pike’s (2006b) scalelet model of the NSSE factorially valid? Finally, is there a model that depicts the NSSE data better than the models consisting of benchmarks or scalelets? …

The Personality Profiles Of Pre-Service Teachers: An Examination Of Discipline Differences And Predictive Validity On Future Job Satisfaction, Amy S. Beavers

Doctoral Dissertations

Teacher job satisfaction has been shown to impact teacher retention, attrition and absenteeism (Perrachione, Rosser, & Peterson, 2008). Given the significant investment of resources required to train effective classroom teachers, retention of those teachers is important. Research strongly supports the connection between personality traits and occupational related outcomes such as work performance, career success, and job satisfaction across occupational groups. Developing an understanding of the personality profile of satisfied teachers as a whole, as well as by teaching area, could serve to better equip teachers for the reality of teaching, potentially having the ability to increase job satisfaction. The purposes …

Suspended Students’ Experiences With In-School Suspension: A Phenomenological Investigation, Katherine Rene Evans

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation study was to consider the ways in which middle school students made meaning of their experience with exclusionary discipline, specifically in-school suspension (ISS). While ISS has historically been positioned as an alternative to exclusionary discipline, ISS programs are often designed in ways that are exclusionary. Current research on exclusionary discipline points to the ways in which suspensions and expulsions impact students academically, socially, and emotionally. Very little of that research, however, considers the perspectives of the students who have been the recipients of exclusionary discipline. Thus, seeking to more fully understand the lived experiences of …

The Discursive Construction Of Autism: Contingent Meanings Of Autism And Therapeutic Talk, Jessica Nina Lester

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation was a discourse analysis study, drawing upon discursive psychology, poststructural understandings of discourse, conversation analysis, and a social relational model of disability. The purpose of this study was to explore how autism was performed as an interactional event among children with autism labels, the therapists who work with them, and their parents, in the context of a pediatric therapy setting. I interrogated how the participants’ everyday discursive practices were shaped and, at times, constrained by the social and political institutions that often work to define autism and the related, official plans of treatment. A total of 12 families …

Elementary And Secondary Science Teachers Negotiation Of Controversial Science Content: The Relationships Among Prior Conception Appropriation, Thinking Disposition, And Learning About Geologic Time, James Harold Roberson

Doctoral Dissertations

A major component of the values people place on science and their attitude toward it is their openness to new ideas or overall open-mindedness. An individual’s values and attitudes become integrally connected to their prior knowledge and conceptions regarding science and science content. Sometimes the nature of a natural phenomenon and the scientific explanation for the phenomenon is controversial. A controversial scientific concept is one that evokes emotion and forces individuals to assess the values associated with this content and make assessments of their attitudes toward it. This is especially true during learning. The purpose of this study was to …

Tennessee Teacher Evaluation Policies Under Race To The Top: A Discursive Investigation, Rachael Elisabeth Gabriel

Doctoral Dissertations

Teacher effectiveness has been a rallying cry for education reform over the last decade. The push for policies that aim to increase teacher effectiveness, fire ineffective teachers and recruit or retain effective teachers unite educational stakeholders; yet, specific, operational definitions of effectiveness remain elusive and divisive. It is easy to say that teacher effectiveness is the single most important factor in student achievement, but difficult to say what it means to be effective. In this study I take up a Critical Discursive Psychology (Wetherell, 1998) approach to the text of the current Framework for Teacher Evaluation and Professional Growth in …

Cultural Competence And Its Impact On Student Academic Achievement In Urban Elementary Schools, Amy Louise Brace

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the relationship between the cultural competence level of urban elementary school teachers and the academic achievement of their students as measured by standardized testing. The specific research questions addressed throughout the course of this study were:
(1) What is the relationship between the (level of) cultural competence of the teacher and his/her students’ academic achievement as measured by standardized testing?
(2) How do urban elementary school teachers understand cultural competence?
(a) How do they define/describe cultural competence?
(b) What groups do they include in their definition of cultural competence?
(c) …

Examining A School’S Reform Efforts Through Capacity Building: A Case Study Of An Elementary School, Daphne Helen Odom

Doctoral Dissertations

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Due to accountability measures put in place by No Child Left Behind (NCLB), many schools identified as failing by the legislation are implementing reform efforts. This qualitative case study examined the initiatives one school put in place in order to remove themselves from the NCLB list of failing schools. Additionally, this case study sought to discover evidence of the components of capacity building in one elementary school, Cottonwood Elementary in East Tennessee. The theoretical framework of the study is based on …

Developing Students’ First Language Through A Second Language Writing Intervention: A Simultaneous Approach, Hannah Marie Dostal

Doctoral Dissertations

Deaf and hard of hearing (d/hh) children often acquire an L1 after age 3, thus are arguably more diverse than that of the general bilingual population. A unique problem therefore exists among d/hh late language learners—they often do not have an L1 to later develop an L2. This study investigated the impact of an English writing intervention (Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction, SIWI) that incorporates support for the development of American Sign Language in an effort to illustrate the necessity of explicitly addressing the proposed interdependence of language learning.

The research involved providing 23 upper elementary and middle school d/hh …

In Their Own Words: Perspectives On Hbcu Institutional Quality From Hbcu Administrators, Chutney Nichole Walton

Doctoral Dissertations

College rankings such as US News & World Report (USNWR) are used as benchmarks for measuring quality in higher education (McManus-Howard, 2002). These ranking systems utilize traditional measures of academic excellence such as academic reputation, student selectivity, and financial resources, to assess institutional quality in higher education, which appear to disadvantage institutions with specialized missions such as historically Black colleges and universities. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe indicators of the institutional quality of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) as identified by administrators at four different HBCUs.

Data were collected from 12 in-depth interviews with administrators …

Teachers' Experiences With Comprehension Instruction In Upper Elementary Classrooms, Kathryn Louise Solic

Doctoral Dissertations

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The Effect Of Leadership Orientations On Student Achievement, Rhonda Davis

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between and impact of principals' leadership styles on student achievement as determined by school performance scores (SPS). Bolman and Deal's (1984; 2003) four leadership frames model (structural, human, political, and symbolic) were utilized to identify principals' leadership styles. The sample for this study consisted of 15 principals from low socioeconomic status (SES) schools and 17 principals from high SES schools located in north and middle Louisiana.

Schools were chosen by searching the Louisiana School Directory, which is based on grade configuration, pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. All schools in selected parishes …

School Administrator And Parent Perceptions Of School, Family, And Community Partnerships In Middle School: A Mixed Methods Study, Jackie Leblanc

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to identify, analyze, and compare the perceptions of parents and school administrators in regard to school-family partnerships in three middle schools in the State of Louisiana. The study investigated the similarities and dissimilarities between parent and school administrator perceptions, probed to determine underlying factors that may lead to apparent discrepancies, and solicited recommendations for improvements from parents and administrators. The study was based on Epstein's Six Types of Involvement framework which cites six specific areas of parental-school-community partnerships and explains how each component affects the educational process of students (Epstein, 1995; Epstein, et al., …

The Relationship Between Louisiana Middle School Parent Perceptions Of School Effectiveness And School Performance Scores, Dana Autman Scott

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception of parents of middle school students in Louisiana about the (a) culture; (b) climate; (c) leadership; (d) curriculum, instruction, and assessment; and (e) level of parental and community involvement at the schools that their children attend as it relates to school performance. The instrument used in this study was the Parent Questionnaire developed for the Louisiana Needs Analysis (LANA). Designed by the Louisiana Department of Education (LDE), LANA is an internet-based tool provided to assist school administrators in evaluating school performance and planning for improvement.

During the data analysis, Pearson …

Grading And Reporting Purposes And Practices In Catholic Secondary Schools And Grades' Efficacy In Accurately Communicating Student Learning, Peter Imperial

Doctoral Dissertations

Few aspects of school are as controversial as the practice of grading, for grades affect students' educational opportunities. The purpose of this study was to identify the practices Catholic high-school teachers employed in determining students' grades. The study investigated the extent to which academic achievement comprised the grades teachers reported, and the extent to which teachers' practices are consistent with their expressed purposes for grading. The study also explored the extent to which Catholic teachers' grading practices are consistent with their schools' purpose for grading. Using random sampling, 486 Catholic secondary school teachers and 50 administrators from 33 high schools …

The Frequency Of Implementation Of Lasallian Pedagogy In Traditional College-Preparatory High Schools Sponsored By The De La Salle Christian Brothers In The United States, Kristopher White

Doctoral Dissertations

Since the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the De La Salle Christian Brothers have re-examined the charism of their founder, St. John Baptist De La Salle, and the meaning of their founding documents in light of modern circumstances. Only recently have Lasallian scholars (Campos & Sauvage, 1981, 1999; Lauraire, 2004, 2006; Poutet, 1997; Van Grieken, 1995, 1999) been bridging the gap between the spiritual awareness of the Lasallian charism and the implications for classroom practice.

This study established a baseline measurement for the frequency of implementation of Lasallian pedagogy according to the seven dimensions of Lasallian pedagogy, as defined by White …

Deliberate Practice In Professional Speaking Expertise, Helen Lie

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore expertise development in professional speaking from the perspective of deliberate practice. A convenience sample of 10 elite and 12 experienced professional members of the National Speakers Association participated in 30-60 minute phone interviews in which they described behaviors and activities that contributed to their skill development in speaking and what factors motivated them to pursue excellence in their craft. The group of elite subjects averaged 62.9 years of age (SD = 8.03) and 34.9 years (SD = 7.78) of professional speaking experience. The experienced group had an average age of 53.3 years …

The Relationship Between Cognitive Moral Development And Attitudes Toward Cheating Among Preservice And In-Service High School Teachers, Michael G. Glaser

Doctoral Dissertations

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Re-Imagining Individual And Communal Identity : Corporate Mergers, Susan Duvall-Dickson

Doctoral Dissertations

unavailable

Factors That Differentiate High-Achieving And Low-Achieving Language Minority Students Enrolled In A Middle-School Spanish Two-Way Immersion Program, Mary Howland

Doctoral Dissertations

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Transcending Borders: The Experience Of Six Undocumented Immigrant Mothers In The United States, Patricia Derobles

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain meaningful insights into the experiences of six undocumented immigrant mothers as they settled in the United States while they raise and participate in the educational life of their children. Currently 10 % of California's 6 million students originate from homes where one or two parents are undocumented, poor and have limited English skills. Undocumented immigrants live in constant fear of deportation, live and work in the shadows of mainstream society, are stigmatized by the media, are criminalized by immigration law and exploited by their employers. Historically, children originating from immigrant homes have …

Beyond Nepantlã¡ : An Exploration Of Factors That Affect The Academic Success Of Chicano, Lilia Zabalza Chavez

Doctoral Dissertations

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