Education Commons^™

Increasing Reading Achievement: An Applied Research Study On The Effects Of Implementing An Independent Reading Time At Lester Elementary School, Sherna Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reading proficiency is an important skill and demonstrated proficiency is required by the Mississippi’s Literacy Based Promotion Act of 2013 for third graders to be promoted to fourth grade. Reading proficiency at third grade also has serious implications for lifelong outcomes. The purpose of this applied research project was to increase reading achievement for the second and third grade students of Lester Elementary, specifically by exploring the effects of increased time spent reading, access and self-selection of books, and motivation to read on reading proficiency. The analysis of pre- and post- STAR data was used to determine if proficiency rates …

Academic Support Systems And College Readiness For Black Male Student Athletes, Derek Lovell King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

High school athletics is a major aspect of today’s educational landscape. Sports generate revenue, galvanize communities, and provide opportunities for widespread exposure. For the black athlete, sports generally represent an opportunity to go to college. With the pressure of academic accountability, increased athletic competitiveness, and the impact of future prospects, high schools have to be innovative in order to optimize the academic experience, particularly for Black male athletes.

The impact of high school academic support systems, particularly their capacity to increase the college readiness of Black male athletes, has not been adequately examined. College GPA, college persistence rate, and college …

Kindergarten Readiness Through The Lens Of Parent Perspective, Ashley Barrows Goralczyk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized a phenomenological approach to explore parent perspectives about kindergarten readiness. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 parents from a public preschool whose children were about to start kindergarten. The parents’ own kindergarten experiences were discussed as well as their perspectives and beliefs about what kindergarten readiness means as it relates to the preparation for and transition into kindergarten. Interview transcripts were analytically coded resulting in findings that were authentic and specific related to personal kindergarten recollections, kindergarten preparedness practices, and assumptions about preschool used as a kindergarten preparation tool. Findings answered the research questions providing specificity about …

First Generation Law Students: Barriers To Success, Melissa Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A significant population of higher education students are first generation students; students who come from a home where neither parent has completed a bachelor’s degree (Vasil & McCall, 2018). These first generation students experience a gap of education, knowledge, and support which creates a persistent problem of unequal access to higher education for first generation students (MacLachlan, 2017). This unequal access shows itself in barriers faced by the students coming from these first generation backgrounds of interconnected, heightened risk factors (Gardner, 2013).

This dissertation was completed using qualitative analysis to interview six first generation college graduates in the juris doctor …

The Middle To High School Transition: An Applied Research Study To Improve And Support High School Readiness In High-Poverty Schools, Robert Davis Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The applied research study aimed to improve high school readiness for eighth-grade students transitioning to ninth-grade in high-poverty schools. Middle school educators are struggling to prepare students for ninth-grade without the proper transition support programs. This applied research study's framework was based on improving student performance, preventing academic achievement loss, addressing social-emotional learning, and informing students of operational procedures to prepare them for the high school environment. An action plan was developed and implemented in three phases to address each element of concern intentionally. Phase one consisted of Saturday Academy tutoring to improve student performance in reading and math. Implementation …

The Value Of Participating In Cooperative Education, Megan Upchurch Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The benefits of experiential education are well known and a popular discussion topic on college campuses. The value of participation in a co-op work experience is recognized by employers, but not necessarily by the students they are hoping to hire. This study sought to determine whether or not students who did participate in a co-op found their experiences to be beneficial to their personal or professional growth.

Decreasing Discipline Disparities Among African-American Males: An Applied Research Study On The Effects Of Developing Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices Among Teachers And Equipping Students With Added Supports, Reginald Maurice Herrington

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Schools and school leaders are charged to provide equitable educational opportunities and ensure the success for all students no matter their scholastic ability giving students access to an education that is culturally responsive. Despite this charge, African-American male students receive exclusionary punishment at disparaging rates which contributes to the widening achievement gap between white and black students. The purpose of this applied research study was to decrease the rate at which African-American males are referred to the office. This study analyzes the implementation of two elements: engaging teachers in a book study on culturally responsive teaching strategies and targeted counseling …

Implementation Of The Michael Heggerty Model To Increase Student Achievement Of At-Risk Readers In Kindergarten, Michelle White Nowell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This applied research study seeks to help at-risk readers improve phonemic awareness in kindergarten at Mayberry Elementary by implementing the Michael Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Model so the students can become successful readers. Using three elements in this study, professional development, teacher PLCs, and data talk meetings with peer teachers in kindergarten throughout the year, the researcher sought to build teacher capacity in the implementation of the Michael Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Model to improve student achievement. Surveys, observations, focus groups, and interviews were used in the study. Additionally, the goal of this study aimed to improve the educator's capacity to address …

Building Teacher Capacity As A Pathway To Equity For First-Grade Spanish-Speaking English Learners: An Applied Research Study, Mary Greenlee Moak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT The teaching of English Learners, one of the fastest-growing subgroups in American Public schools, is a task American classroom teachers are ill-equipped to handle. As students from a variety of language backgrounds move from metropolitan areas of the country to more rural locales educational leaders must equip teachers to integrate language acquisition with content instruction. Failure to do so will result in compounding learning gaps among English Learners as the language barrier prevents them from gaining content knowledge. Based in a Mississippi school with a growing population of English Learners comprising over a quarter of the school’s population, this …

We Make The Path By Walking Together: A Case Study Of How Community Engagement At The University Of Mississippi Impacts Students And Community Partner Organizations, Laura Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The community engagement field has grappled with critical questions around its failure to effectuate institutional change that will permit colleges and universities to create a more just society. At the same time, the University of Mississippi has struggled to reconcile its own institutional legacy of forced integration alongside an ambitious public mission in a state recognized for persistent poverty and inequality.

The Relationship Between Head Coaching Change And Donations To Intercollegiate Athletic Departments, Michael Paulus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Intercollegiate athletic departments encounter unique challenges as organizational units of higher education. Among these challenges is generating revenue to support the rising expenses of operating programs, funding coaches’ salaries, and investing in facilities. Many athletics departments generate revenue by fundraising through donor-based seating programs, philanthropic engagement, and stewardship benefits associated with levels of support. While various factors within an athletics organization can influence fundraising, the important position of head coaches is one of them. These visible positions can play a key role in influencing ticket sales, fan interest, and donations, thereby contributing to the financial viability of the entire organization.This …

Equity, Social Justice, And Ethical Responsibility In Higher Education: Voices Of Business Students At A Pervasivley Sectarian University, Van Brooks Poole

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This proposed study explores the perceptions and experiences of business students who attend a pervasively sectarian university in the South (MPSU) regarding their perceptions of equity, social justice, and ethical responsibility through their experiences on campus and in their academic program. This study will discuss socio-political influences at the national, state, and local levels and examine existing university policies and practices to identify recommendations for organizational change using Lewin’s unfreezing model as a theoretical framework.

Traumatic Life Experiences And Their Impact On Factors Pertinent To Leadership Effectiveness In School Principals, Derrick D. Hardaway

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many schools across the nation are not making adequate achievement or growth goals from year-to-year. This leads to high principal turnover rates and instability in the learning environment which profoundly impacts student achievement. Currently, most efforts in schools are aimed at raising student achievement, implementing equitable practices, and limiting barriers. While these are critical actions for closing the achievement gap, the principal’s role in this process is vitally important. Therefore, this quantitative study explored how trauma affects factors that are pertinent to leader success in school principals. To determine the impact trauma has on leadership qualities, this study examined the …

An Applied Research On Promoting Proficiency In Fourth-Grade Reading, Deirdre Huntley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This applied research study was conducted to promote proficiency in fourth-grade reading. There was a need for improvement in fourth-grade reading after receiving data from the school and state assessments. The study examined the implementation of specific reading and vocabulary strategies, student interventions, strengthening of teacher-student relationships, and encouraging student motivation to help students become proficient in understanding what the students were reading. Student diagnostic results and teacher interviews were utilized in this study. The findings revealed students were demonstrating advancement in reading comprehension. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the school building was closed in March of 2020 which impacted …

Perceptions Of Role Conflict And Role Ambiguity Among Fraternity And Sorority Advising Professionals, Anthony E. Vukusich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Campus-based professionals in the area of Fraternity and Sorority Advising Programs (FSAP) have a known and documented high rate of attrition; more than half departing within the first five years of employment. Two recognized role stressors that are associated with high rates of turnover are role conflict and role ambiguity. Studies by Gold & Roth, 2013; Khan, Yusoff, Khan, Yasir, & Khan, 2014; Rizzo, House & Lirtzman, 1970; and Wolverton, Wolverton & Gmelch, 1999 have demonstrated that role conflict and role ambiguity are contributing factors in employee attrition across an array of industries and position types, including nurses, teachers, academic …

Reducing Disparites In Act Results According To Racial Identity: An Applied Research Study Into The Weact Program In Tinlake High School, Marcus Stewart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT The ACT provides opportunities for students of various socioeconomic backgrounds, racial identities, and family structures. Throughout the nation, there is a disparity that involves Black students scoring less than White students on the test by a margin of five points. The applied mixed methods research aimed to identify elements to help decrease the gap in student scores. The combined efforts of all the elements, tutorials, boot camps, ACT prep classes, and providing ACT resources in daily instruction formed the WeACT program. The students of Tinlake High School were exposed to this pilot program to assist in their ACT growth. …

The Perceptions Of Rural College Students On The Impact Of High School College Counseling On College Choice, Tommy Glen Walker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Making decisions about college can be challenging for rural students. Guidance counselors and other adults influence these decisions because of their close relationships in high schools and communities. Since rural students are coached into pursuing college as a mechanism for obtaining a better life, it is beneficial to explore their lived experiences regarding college counseling and college choice. This dissertation in practice explores the perceptions of rural college students on the impact of high school college counseling on college choice.

A First-Year Teacher’S Implementation Of Short-Cycle Formative Assessment Through The Use Of A Classroom Response System And Flexible Grouping, Adrienne Irving Dumas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As teachers, we are tasked with ensuring that our students are equipped with the skills necessary to not only perform with proficiency on local, state and national assessments, but also to provide our students with opportunities to develop confidence and competence as learners of mathematics through meaningful, challenging and worthwhile activities. As such, many teachers have turned to technology and cooperative groups as staples in the classroom. The purpose of this study was to understand how one first-year teacher implemented what she was taught in her undergraduate coursework in teaching two specific units of instruction in two sections of high …

Dialogic Feedback And Its Effects On English Language Learners’ Writing Development: A Case Study, Shokhsanam Djalilova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory case study aimed to investigate the meanings that second language (L2) learners derive from their writing purposes revising processes and their engagement with dialogic feedback. The goal was to grasp the meaning that revision experiences had for L2 learners (n=17) and to understand the context within which they were operating and its influence on their revision behavior. In order to gain a better understanding of L2 learner engagement and investment in the revision processes which were bound to time and context the case study was built upon an ecological-semiotic approach to learning. The case study aimed to construct …

Students’ Perceptions And Strategies For Success In An Associate Degree Nursing Program, Theresa Hargett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The three-manuscript dissertation is based on perceptions and personal strategies of successful third-semester nursing students about retention interventions at Holmes Community College Associate Degree Nursing Program on the Grenada Campus. Retention and attrition of nursing students is a current area of concern at Holmes Community College in the Associate Degree Nursing Program. Understanding adaptations that led third-semester students in the ADN program to be successful in their first-year is the focus of this study. The research questions seek to answer second-year, third-semester students’ perceptions of their first-year experiences of faculty interventions and personal strategies applied for success. Understanding adaptations and …

Twin Text In The Secondary Social Studies And English Classroom, Sarah Booth Quong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-method study explores the implementation of Twin Text and its effectiveness in the U.S. History and English classrooms with regard to: mastery of the objectives laid out within the course curriculum, perpetuation of deeper learning, and fostering empathy and civic engagement through the use of Twin Text involving tenth and eleventh grade students and United States History and English teachers. The study answers the following questions: (1) What are the experiences of students in a Twin Text setting classroom environment? Three sub questions emerged: (A) In what ways does cross-curriculum teaching with an English Language Arts instructor affect student …

Balancing Reading Motivation: A Comparative Case Study Of High School Students And Their Teachers, Pasteia Garth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to understand how teachers successfully balance instruction in a high stakes tested classroom environment to promote reading motivation.. To analyze, the researcher focused on two tenth grade English classroom, two tenth grade English teachers, and eight tenth grade students who are identified as proficient readers. One teacher has 19 years of teaching experience with only one of those years being a high school English teacher. The other teacher has 12 years of teaching experience of teaching high school, and this is her eighth year teaching 10th grade.

Institutional Factors That Affect Transfer Student Success At A University In The Mid-South Region Of The U.S., Elizabeth Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

At a four-year university in the Memphis-metropolitan region of the United States, students who transfer do so with the likelihood of spending more time and money completing a baccalaureate degree than non-transfer students. This is what research scholar Kevin Dougherty (1992) entitled the Baccalaureate Attainment Gap or the transfer gap. In this companion dissertation, using a multi-method approach, we use the quantitative data of transfer student graduation and retention rates along with qualitative data from interviews conducted with administrative staff about transfer student success. We consider these selected outcomes and administrative staff interviews to be institutional factors that help shape …

Addressing The Disparaity Of Outcomes For Economically Disadvantaged Students At Central Intermediate School: An Applied Research Study Related To The Implementation Of Avid Process, Steven Jarvis Hurdle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this applied action research study was to close the achievement gap between economically disadvantaged (ED) students and their non-disadvantaged peers (non-Ed) through the implementation of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) system of processes. This study utilizes both quantitative and qualitative data to answer four core research questions. While the initial implementation of the plan failed to attain the targeted goal of closing the achievement, there were positive indicators for future success. ED students did appear to be effectively engaged with the AVID implementation. This engagement was validated through data about student participation in key AVID strategies, …

An Examination Of The Relationship Among The Intentions, Features, Affordances, And Outcomes Of Saturday Academy For Math Professional Development For Mathematics Teachers, Brian Buckhalter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using a design framework to connect the features of SA4M to the affordances reported, participants of SA4M deepened their content knowledge on both conceptual and skill specific levels, and expressed intentions to incorporate many of the tasks from SA4M into their practices. There are implications for those tasked with creating and evaluating professional development for teachers.

Feedback In The Flipped High School Stem Classroom, Trisha Michele Gilbreath

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how much feedback students received in the flipped high school science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) classroom. The flipped classroom is a pedagogical technique where students watch video instruction at home and complete collaborative activities in class. This technique has gained popularity in recent years, especially in STEM classrooms. The literature on the flipped classroom is inconclusive, with studies mainly conducted in higher education. Student and instructor perceptions were often studied, and those perceptions are generally positive about the flipped classroom, though there are concerns to consider. Student performance shows that the flipped classroom is at least …

The Impact Of Technology On The Implementation Of Formative Assessment Lessons In Eighth Grade Math Classrooms, Lavonda White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Technology use has become commonplace in some mathematics classrooms, often being used for formative assessment. Research supports the use of technology to engage students, but not as much research exists to investigate the impact on student learning. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a statistical relationship exists between the post-lesson assessment results of students engaging in a formative assessment lesson where the teacher delivers the lesson with technology and students engaging in a formative assessment lesson where the teacher delivers the lesson without technology. The teachers administered pre- and post-lesson assessments to the students after the formative …

Improving Literacy Rates For Students With Dyslexia In A Rural School District, Steven William Havens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This applied research study aimed to improve literacy rates for students identified as having dyslexic tendencies in the Lynn County School District. The need to improve literacy rates of students with dyslexia in the Reaching Reading Success Program was identified through Mississippi K-3 Assessment Support System data. Using the two elements found in the program evaluation, accurate identification of dyslexic students and multisensory interventions the study sought to improve the literacy rates for students with dyslexia in kindergarten. Assessment, survey, and interview data were used in this applied research study to determine success. The findings indicated early identification, multi-sensory remediation, …

Two Way Street: An Applied Research Study On The Effects Of Increased Parent And Community Involvement Activities On Student Academic Growth In Mathematics At South Lee Middle School, Jason Clifton Arledge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was two-fold. The first overarching goal was to increase student academic growth on the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program mathematics assessment to at least 75%. This was attempted through implementation of grade-level Remind services and the Red Raider Family program. The second overarching goal was to create a cycle of continuous improvement through feedback from key stakeholders in the form of surveys, interviews, focus groups, document analysis, and descriptive statistics. South Lee Middle School evaluated each of these initiatives and utilized resources to adjust these programs for use in the 2018-2019 school year.

Increasing Instructional Leadership: An Applied Research Study On The Effects Of Developing Principals As Instructional Leaders In The Magnolia County School District, Leigh Anne Newton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This applied research study seeks to improve principal capacity as instructional leaders. The need for principals to increase their instructional leadership capacity became evident with the ever-changing requirements of state accountability and student achievement. Using four elements in this study, cohort-based professional development for principals, principal PLCs, data meetings, and consultant and district administrator campus visits, the program sought to develop and grow principal leadership. Surveys, focus groups, and interviews were used in the study. The findings reveal improvement in instructional leadership capacity in the district and can provide educators with information, including an action plan, to implement instructional leadership …