Education Commons^™

Core Content Items And Constructs To Inform Student Nurse Handoff Communication, Kelley Mcafee

Doctoral Dissertations

This study describes nurse educators’ perceptions of content items for a high-risk, high frequency process essential for entry as a nurse generalist into clinical practice. The process of interest is student nurse handoff communication.

Research Questions:

1. What do nurse educators identify as core content for successful student nurse handoff communication?
2. Do nurse educators identify with one handoff communication tool for student use?
3. Are student nurses expected to engage in nurse handoff communication during simulation experiences and/or clinical experiences?
4. What educator characteristics are associated with his/her perceptions of the core content?

This was a descriptive study involving the administration of an …

Building Capacity For Academically Productive Talk: The Development Of Teacher Leaders In Science Professional Development, Renee Affolter

Doctoral Dissertations

Despite decades of research on the type of classroom dialogue that supports collaborative student sensemaking and professional development efforts to support such dialogue, opportunities for students to incrementally deepen their understanding of science ideas through engagement in science practices and to engage in complex reasoning and argumentation through classroom talk is limited in most K-12 science classrooms (Driver, Newton, & Osborne, 2000; Lemke, 1990; Michaels, Shouse, & Schweingruber, 2008; Mortimer & Scott, 2003; C. O’Connor, Michaels, & Chapin, 2015; Reinsvold & Cochran, 2011; Scott, Mortimer, & Aguiar, 2006; Weiss, Pasley, Smith., Banilower, and Heck, 2003; Wilson, Schweingruber, & Nielsen, 2015). …

“I Missed A Lot Of Childhood Memories”: Trauma And Its Impact On Learning For Formerly Incarcerated Adolescents In The Age Of Zero Tolerance Policies, Alberto Guerrero

Doctoral Dissertations

The literature makes abundantly clear that trauma has a detrimental impact on students’ academic and behavioral efforts. It also challenges the notion of zero tolerance disciplinary practices being effective in redirecting student behaviors, making schools safer, and creating an environment that is conducive to learning. Yet, our current school climate consists of educators who have not been exposed to trauma-informed learning, while also incorporating disciplinary practices that are both draconian in nature and push students out of their learning spaces. This unfortunate reality is felt even more harshly by students who return to schools following an incarceration. This phenomenological study …

Locating Safe Spaces For Food Insecure Female Community College Students, Michelle Errington Nicholson

Doctoral Dissertations

Food insecurity is a problem on many college campuses and as such is an increasing focus of research (Ferguson, 2004; et al., 2014; Meldrum & Willows, 2006; Patton-López, et al., 2014; Powers, 2012; Rondeau, 2007). These studies and others (Chaparro, et al., 2009; Freudenberg, et al, 2011; Hughes, et al., 2011; Lindsley & King, 2014) report that from 21-69% of college students experience food insecurity. I examined college student food insecurity at a small rural community college in Massachusetts in an attempt to discover safe spaces for female students to disclose food insecurity and the characteristics of those safe spaces. …

“In Our Very Flesh, (R)Evolution”: An Exploration Of Secondary Education Teachers, Otherness, And Embodiment, Ryan Ambuter

Doctoral Dissertations

In education, the proliferation of a mind/body dualism leaves the pedagogy of the body undertheorized, and its impact on education disregarded. While there is not an absence of research on the body within the field of education, what exists is limited in scope. Little has been written about the connections between teachers’ bodies, pedagogy, and politics at the level of secondary education.

This research specifically focuses on teachers who are visibly other, critically conscious of their bodies, and find power in their difference. The purpose of this study is to make meaning of the stories, experiences, and potential of teachers …

Examining The Specialized Math Content Knowledge Of Elementary Teachers In The Age Of The Common Core, Stephanie Purington

Doctoral Dissertations

Mathematical standards for students have increased with the development of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and its accompanying high stakes testing. Teachers need strong conceptual knowledge of the mathematics they teach in order to give students the opportunity to learn that math deeply. An earlier study (Ma, 1999) found that US elementary teachers lack the deep knowledge to teach math conceptually. Given the mathematics standards movements of the last two decades, it is plausible that the knowledge base of teachers has changed. Using the framework of Specialized Content Knowledge (SCK), which is the knowledge required to teach math …

Traditional Values And Local Community In The Formal Educational System In Senegal: A Year As A High School Teacher In Thies, Maguette Diame

Doctoral Dissertations

The dissertation explores the discourses of traditional values, local practices, and community engagement within a selected community in Thies, Senegal and its high school environment. The study investigates the ways in which these cultural elements are present in the daily life of the community as well as how they are or could be integrated in formal teaching. In particular, I studied the concepts of Jom (hard work, pride, dignity), Kersa (decency), Suturë (discretion), Muñ (endurance), Teranga (hospitality), Maslaa (negotiation), Kal (kinship), and Suture (Protection) in particular. My own experience as a language teacher who has lived and studied in the …

“If You’Re Not Disrupting It, Then Who Is?”: Understanding The Effects Of Participating In Anti-Sexism Workshops On Preservice Teachers’ Beliefs And Practices, Kimberly J. Pfeifer

Doctoral Dissertations

This phenomenological-inspired study seeks to understand both how preservice teachers make sense of their roles as anti-sexist educators and what effects participating in anti-sexism professional development (PD) may have on preservice teachers’ beliefs and practices, specifically as they connect to gender. Through four video-recorded workshops centered on an anti-sexist curriculum, questionnaire data, and subsequent individual semi-structured interviews, this study found four distinct yet interconnected themes. The first two themes: (1) Hesitancies and (2) There, Not Here, elucidate the precariousness of the teacher candidate role. While the following themes: (3) Shifts and (4) More, demonstrate the effects of participating in this …

The Effectiveness Of Point-Of-View-Video Modeling On Improving Social And Communication Skills, Beyza Alpaydin

Doctoral Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurobiological disorder with symptoms that affect individuals’ social interaction capabilities, their verbal and nonverbal communications, and the repertoires of activities and interest. These deficits in social and communication skills directly or indirectly influence the individual with ASDs’ lives. Therefore, many interventions have been developed to increase social and communication skills for individuals with ASD. Video modeling (VM) is one of the effective interventions in teaching social communication skills for children with ASD. There are multiple variations of VM interventions. One of the forms of VM intervention is point-of-view video modeling (POVVM) that has …

The Institutional Pillars Of China's National College Entrance Exam: A Case Study Of Gaozhong High School And Ncee Reforms, Mei Lan Frame

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is based on a case study of a Beijing high school (referred to as “Gaozhong”) during the initial wave of reforms to the National College Entrance Exam (NCEE). Using the conceptual framework of Richard Scott’s “three pillars” of institutions (2008) to analyze stake holder perception toward the NCEE (administrators, teachers, parents, and students), this study identifies and examines the regulatory, normative, and cultural-cognitive elements that comprise the NCEE. Congruent with Scott’s theory that these the combined strength and interdependency between institutional elements prevent institutional change, this study also analyzes the three pillars as barriers to the implementation of …

“Give Them A Firm Handshake, Look Them In The Eye, Try To Make A Connection”: Critical Graduate Perspectives On School Advancement Practices Of De Marillac Academy, Alicia M. Tapia

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation engages graduates of De Marillac Academy, a NativityMiguel school in San Francisco, in critical inquiry regarding school advancement practices. Graduates were asked how they participated in school advancement practices face-to-face with guests and donors, through media, on-campus and off-campus at their Annual Scholarship Benefit. Graduates engaged in photo and video elicitation interviews, in which photos and videos were used to spark commentary regarding their thoughts and experiences in advancement settings. As Catholic school educators, we are called to investigate the effects of a student’s formal and hidden curriculum in all aspects of their educational experience. This study found …

Reading Power In Thai Young Adult Realistic Fiction: Understanding Ethnicity, Class, And Gender, Mukkarin Wirojchoochut

Doctoral Dissertations

Books that depict ethnoregional and ethnic groups in Thailand can be used as critical tools to help young Thai adults better understand their compatriots from different cultures. At the same time, these tools allow the youngsters from specific ethnoregional and ethnic groups to see themselves in the books they read. In this study, I examine how the diverse ethnoregional and ethnic groups are represented in 15 Thai realistic fiction books for young adults. I also apply a critical multicultural analysis of children’s literature to understand how the power relations of ethnicity, class, and gender work together within the representations of …

Intelligent Tutoring Systems, Pedagogical Agent Design, And Hispanic English Language Learners, Danielle Allessio

Doctoral Dissertations

According to the most recent data from the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES) there were approximately 5 million English Language Learners (ELLs) in the U.S. public schools in the Fall of 2016, representing about 10% of the student population (2019). Spanish is the primary language for most ELL students, by a large margin. As a group, ELLs have faced a deeply rooted and persistent math achievement gap (U.S. Department of Education, 2015). Despite research indicating that intelligent tutors and animated pedagogical agents enhance learning, many tutors are not designed with ELLs in mind. As a result, Hispanic ELL students …

Experiences Of Uzbek Immigrant Parents With Public Schools In New York City: Parental Engagement, Mekhribon Abdullaeva

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined a Brooklyn, New York Community of Uzbek parents’ engagement with their children’s education, focusing in particular on parental involvement with the school system. It addressed the important, yet difficult-to-measure factors that influence why and how parents engage. It determined that parents are agents who attempt to advance their child’s progress through strategies shaped by a perspective consisting of their goals, resources, parenting style, and expectations. A Q-sort methodology generated parents’ perspectives through their rankings of certain value judgement. Due to variations in parental education, income levels, and other elements, the study generated three parent perspectives that were …

The School Leader's Role In Co-Teaching And It's Impact On The Academic Achievement For Students With Disabilities, Laquina Chanel Dove-Cummings

Doctoral Dissertations

iii ABSTRACT The purpose of this research study was to analyze the role of school leaders in the implementation of co-teaching as an instructional model on teacher collaboration and academic outcomes for students with disabilities. Federal guidelines and provisions forged the increase of mainstreaming students with disabilities into the full inclusion setting. As a result, school administrators are increasingly implementing co-teaching as an instructional model to provide opportunities to access the general education curriculum while receiving special education supports and services in the full inclusion setting. A mix-method study of semi-structured interviews with school leaders and coteachers and data analyses …

Life After The El Label: Conversations About Identity, Language, And Race, Veronica Arizaga Aguayo

Doctoral Dissertations

Currently, the English Learner (EL) label is found in every facet of education concerning learners with home languages other than English. While the EL label is designated to objectively identify students who are indeed learning English, it also brings with it an unintentional, outward forced identity that institutes an unwillingness among peers and teachers to socially and academically engage with EL-labeled students. Not only has the label warranted inequitable academic opportunities, wide graduation gaps, and a consistently wide achievement gap, it has also perpetuated a deficit model and negative perceptions of the learners, especially with the racialized rhetoric that has …

The Impact Of Middle School Scheduling Practices On Adolescent Math Achievement In Louisiana Public Schools, Deborah Lynn Gegg

Doctoral Dissertations

Research on middle-level schools and student achievement revealed a drop in academic performance when students transitioned from elementary school to a traditional middle school. In the United States, the middle school years have historically seen a decline in student achievement following a transition from elementary school.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the performance of United States eighth-grade students in mathematics continued to lag behind globally based on the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (U.S. Department of Education, 2017). Specifically, United States eighth graders were ranked 12th in mathematics, which was three notches down from …

Philippine Jesuit Schools Of Education: Heroic Institutions Of Learning And Leadership In Mission, Joaquin Jose Mari Casimiro Sumpaico

Doctoral Dissertations

Philippine Jesuit schools of education are important training sanctuaries for future teachers. These schools help build a nation by nurturing educators in their student years so that these said teacher-students may be equipped as they pursue their vocation of journeying with the Philippine youth towards meaningful and heroic learning. There is limited research on these Philippine Jesuit schools of education and how these have created an impact in Philippine nation-building. The qualitative research draws attention to the four pillars of Heroic Leadership in these schools of education. It will look for practices of Self-awareness, Ingenuity, Love, and Heroism in the …

What's In A Label? Unpacking The Meaning Of Achievement Labels From Tests, Francis O'Donnell

Doctoral Dissertations

As a result of federal accountability policies, achievement level labels from statewide assessments are ascribed to public school students 17 times between grades 3 and 12. Depending on students’ performance and state of residence, they may be labeled inadequate or in need of support, below proficient or approaching expectations, level 3 or on track—to name a few examples. These labels are delivered through individual reports for students and parents as well as group reports for teachers. In spite of their widespread use, research on how achievement level labels are interpreted is minimal. The aim of this …

Are Some Horizons Broader Than Others? Study Abroad, Inequality, And The Influence On Careers And Education., Suzan Kommers

Doctoral Dissertations

Study abroad is one of the main ways in which higher education institutions provide students with the opportunity to gain international experiences. While study abroad is mostly discussed in terms of the beneficial effects on students’ learning and development, the results in this dissertation indicate that study abroad works for some but disadvantages other students. Based on nationally representative U.S. data, I examined 1) disparities in students’ opportunities to study abroad as well as the effect of study abroad on the socioeconomic outcomes 2) early career income and 3) graduate school enrollment. The combined studies in this dissertation provided insight …

An Investigation Of California Classroom Teachers' Beliefs And Ratings Of Creativity In Dance, Patricia R. Reedy

Doctoral Dissertations

Creativity is a fundamental aim of art education. Because classroom teachers are responsible for teaching the arts at the elementary-school level, how they perceive and recognize creativity effects the quality of art education their students receive. This study investigated California teachers' beliefs about creativity in dance and the relationship of their beliefs to their ratings of student dance compositions. It also investigated the extent of agreement in creativity ratings across teachers and between teachers and dance experts. Classroom teachers’ beliefs were collected through a research-constructed questionnaire, and classroom teachers (n=74) and dance experts (n=35) rated students’ creative-dance products using a …

A Convergence Of Conceptual Frameworks: Neurocognitive, Metacognitive And Social Cultural Techniques In Vocabulary Teaching And Learning, Malihe Eshghavi

Doctoral Dissertations

This mixed methods study investigated the effectiveness of neurocognitive, metacognitive and sociocultural techniques in vocabulary instruction at the high-intermediate level of English as a second language learners’ vocabulary learning and recall at a community college in Northern California. While previous studies offered and demonstrated different methods, those studies emphasized only one particular vocabulary learning modality. As a result, most ESL learners learn vocabulary passively but not actively. No study has proposed to explore the inclusion of the neurocognitive, metacognitive and sociocultural techniques on vocabulary learning and recall, in order to analyze the resulting effects of these proposed instruction techniques among …

Sowing The Seeds Of Love: Dialogic And Collaborative Literacies For Social Change, Liz Murray

Doctoral Dissertations

This ethnographic case study explored the impact of community organizing on the literacy practices of elementary and middle school aged children and youth in a Bay Area intergenerational non-profit centered on education justice and equity. The participants in the study were part of a program that addressed the needs of children and youth aged four to fourteen. This study foregrounded collaborative critical literacy practices that promoted engagement with topics relevant to their lives. This study is informed by a belief in critical literacy and community organizing as tools to change the world. The children and the youth drew on a …

Teachers' Perceptions Of The Nine Defining Characteristics Of Catholic Identity In Ursuline Secondary Schools Of The Usa, Barbara Ann Middendorf

Doctoral Dissertations

Catholic schools are integral to the Catholic Church’s mission of evangelization. A Catholic educational institution is a place to encounter the living God who is Jesus Christ. Education is the concern and task of the Church, called to serve humankind from the heart of God. This study examined the perceptions of teachers working in Roman Union, Ursuline secondary schools of the Central Province of the United States regarding the extent to which the nine defining characteristics of Catholic identity were present in their respective schools and classrooms. For this research, Catholic identity was operationally defined using the seminal Catholic education …

Decolonizing Education: Using Mother Tongue And English Side By Side In Nigeria, Omobola Wusu

Doctoral Dissertations

Nigerians lack access to effective mother tongue education (MTE) at all levels of their schooling. It is well established that cognitive and educational benefits are achieved if one’s mother tongue (MT) is used as the medium of education. This study aimed to determine how adult Nigerians around the world who had been deprived of using their mother tongues (MTs) in their education reflect on their past experiences with negative messages or colonial language ideologies received in school. Also, it explored how these past experiences have shaped their positive MT identities, their MT experiences, and their perspectives on MTE. In this …

The Effectiveness Of The Preventive System Approach Through The Lens Of Character Education: An Exploratory Case Study Of A Youth Delinquency Camp In South Korea, Mankeun Yoon

Doctoral Dissertations

Juvenile delinquency is deemed a worldwide issue. Despite efforts to remediate, it persists. This study employs a case study methodology to examine the principles, implementation, and perceived impact of a Salesian youth development approach, the Preventive System, on youth delinquency in a Salesian youth Center in South Korea. The study yields three main findings regarding the practice and the effects of the Preventive System. First, this study found that structural elements revealed in the facility, such as reason, religion, and loving-kindness, implemented through assistance and familiarity, were core to the practice. Second, the study revealed that more than through training, …

A Reanalyses Of Intercorrelational Matrices Of Visual And Verbal Learners' Abilities, Cognitive Styles, And Learning Preferences, Jeanette Marie Fox

Doctoral Dissertations

In psychology and education, the visual-verbal conceptual distinction is a widely studied bipolar contrast, and this distinction has been the subject of much debate. There are two main issues: One is a construct-validity issue related to the extent that scores from a test measuring the visual- and verbal-conceptual distinction accurately reflect the construct being measured, and the second one is an issue related to the use of different data analysis methods that collect and analyze the data from the visual and verbal measurements. To help resolve these issues, this study examined 21 individual intercorrelation matrices that were illustrative of the …

Exploring The Experiences Of Teachers In A Bilingual Immersion Environment, Paloma Cordova

Doctoral Dissertations

The following qualitative study provides a theoretical analysis of teachers’ experiences and interactions at a progressive Mandarin immersion school. Missing from the current literature based on immersion education are the narratives of teachers, specifically international teachers from diverse teaching backgrounds in foreign language settings. An integration of Mandarin and a progressive framework is unique and therefore illuminating their voices is vital to the field of education specifically as they contribute to the growth of prospective mandarin immersion schools in the US. This study included fifteen participants who identified the ways in which their own personal reflections as pedagogues changed over …

Counter-Narratives: Haitians In Economic Transition, Patricia Barthaud

Doctoral Dissertations

The stories of Haiti and the Haitian people have often been filtered through the sensibilities of those who are not of that nation nor of African ancestry. Haitian people deserve the opportunity to tell their authentic stories of their lived realities. This study presents the stories of a small group of Haitian young people under the age of 40 who incorporated their passions into viable work to improve economic circumstances for themselves, their communities, and their country. Based upon narrative inquiry, data collection included interviews, observations, and documents gathered in Haiti. The results produced a complex portrait of participants who …

Development Of A System Architecture For The Prediction Of Student Success Using Machine Learning Techniques, Tatiana A. Cardona

Doctoral Dissertations

“ The goals of higher education have evolved through time based on the impact that technology development and industry have on productivity. Nowadays, jobs demand increased technical skills, and the supply of prepared personnel to assume those jobs is insufficient. The system of higher education needs to evaluate their practices to realize the potential of cultivating an educated and technically skilled workforce. Currently, completion rates at universities are too low to accomplish the aim of closing the workforce gap. Recent reports indicate that 40 percent of freshman at four-year public colleges will not graduate, and rates of completion are even …