Education Commons^™

Newcomer Educational Programming: In Response To Increasing Social-Emotional Needs Of Adolescent Newcomer Refugee Students, Rachel Louise Wixson Gilbertson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This research study sought to understand how newcomer teachers address the social-emotional needs of their students in conjunction with English language and academic needs by using a qualitative approach. Literature thus far about newcomer education has focused on the language and academic needs of newcomer students, omitting the need to also address social-emotional learning. The study included interviews with four newcomer teachers from across the United States and found that for every teacher, social-emotional learning was the foundation for how they approached their students and made decisions about curriculum in their classroom. Despite the variation of program structure and level …

Wellness In Asexual-Identified Individuals: The Impact Of Social Support And Microaggressions, Elisa Marie Woodruff

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

One hundred sixty asexual identified individuals living in the United States were recruited from asexual online communities. The participants completed a comprehensive survey consisting of Zimet et al.’s 1988 Multidimensional Scale of Social Support, Foster’s 2017 Asexual Microaggression Scale, and the Five Factor Wellness Inventory Adult Version Revised (FFWEL-A2) developed by Myers and Sweeney in 2014, as well as 15-item demographic items. Regression models were used to assess relationships among the factors.

Social support was found to have a significant positive impact on participant wellness, supporting previous social science research. Microaggressions were not found to have a negative impact on …

The Association Of Victimization And Depression: An Investigation Of The Implicated Factors Of Social Anxiety, Body Esteem, And Social Support, Jacqueline Jo Klossing

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Victimization is an experience that affects a substantial portion of the adolescent population, and it is well established that it is associated with a host of negative outcomes, including depression. While the relations between victimization and depression have been researched extensively, there are a number of factors that may contribute to this association. Furthermore, both internal and external factors can play a role. Internally, the unique attribute of being socially anxious as well as the perceptions one carries regarding their appearance (i.e., body esteem) are implicated as potential mediators between victimization and depression. Externally, the social support an adolescent perceives …

How Two High School Teachers Conceive Of Student Voice, Value It, And Foster It, Katherine Mary Mccleary

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory study was to examine two high school English teachers’ experience as they worked together to purposefully implement increased student voice in their classrooms. The study focused on how a convenience sample of teachers designed, implemented, and reflected upon classroom assignments and lessons with the intention to increase student voice and ownership in the classroom. Teachers each participated in four individual interviews, four partnership observations and three classroom observations as they related to student voice implementation.

Data from the interviews, partnership observations and classroom observations were analyzed using qualitative methods and through the lenses of …

The Effects Of Using A Mobile Digital Assistive Tutor For Circuit Analysis On Students’ Academic Achievement, Problem-Solving And Self-Efficacy, Kenie Moses

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This experimental research study examined the effects of using a mobile learning environment (MLE) that provided scaffolded assistive tutoring on student achievement in a Circuit Analysis (Network Theory) course. It also aimed to examine the relationships between students’ user learning analytics and their learning outcomes. The design and development of the mobile app was based on the Model of Contingent Instruction and Metacognitive Support which critically applies scaffolding as its operative in transferring domain knowledge in expert to novice problem-solving.

This experimental research study collected data from eighty-three undergraduate college students who were randomly assigned into one of three groups …

The Role Of Administrative Observation, Evaluative Evidence And Procedural Due Process In Illinois, Before And After The Passage Of The Performance Evaluation Reform Act (Pera) And Senate Bill 7 (Sb7)., Christopher J. Adkins

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the impact of the Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA) and Senate Bill 7 (SB7) on evaluative practices utilized with tenured educators within Illinois. Given the sense of urgency brought to bear on teacher quality from laws such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Race To The Top (RTTT), revisions to the law that include streamlined processes, uniform evidence gathering and interpretation, and student growth measures are mainstays of legislation like PERA and SB7. Akin to many states, Illinois schools are working to institutionalize these concepts into everyday practices.

In reviewing the changes made to the Illinois …

Understanding Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions About Their Experiences Implementing The Common Core State Standards, Angelyn Kay Dieckman

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This phenomenological study examined four elementary teachers’ decision-making regarding instruction using the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Three research questions guided this study: (1) What are elementary teachers’ perceptions about their experiences implementing CCSS initiated by the district and the PL they received? (2) How do elementary teachers describe their decision-making and changes in instruction based on the PL they received when implementing the CCSS? and (3) What successes and challenges have elementary teachers experienced in using the CCSS in their instructional delivery? Fullan’s Change Theory, as well as Hattie’s Mindframes, provided the theoretical framework. Data were collected through teacher …

Exploring The Relationship Among Students' Preconceptions, Attitudes, And Major, Matthew Dwyer

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The Force Concept Inventory, (a multiple-choice classical mechanics exam given as a pre-test within the first two weeks of a course and as a post-test within the last two weeks of a course) is one of the most widely used tools in physics education research. The most basic research, which has been implemented at Northern Illinois University for many years, employs a pre- and post-test structure to observe improvements in students' scores over a semester and is used as a quantitative representation of students' learning over the duration of a course. While many studies have been published about best practices …

Librarians In Community Colleges: Strategies For Promoting Information Literacy, Sharon Telise Silverman

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative case study analyzed Inner-City Community College librarians’ pedagogical approach as they facilitate information literacy and the embedded librarian–faculty collaboration. Librarians traditionally provided library instruction in a brick-and-mortar classroom, but classrooms have changed over the past few decades to include the latest technology. This change makes librarians leaders in implementing the latest technology in classrooms. Embedding entails taking the librarian from a traditional classroom environment and supplementing class appointments with the librarian in the library with visits to the classroom by the librarian, which may entail more than one class session, with the librarian even co-teaching the class in …

Necessary Resilience: Experiences Of African American Men Athletes In Community Colleges, Julian Springer

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Research has shown that African American men have the lowest enrollment and completion rates within higher education. While community colleges’ athletic programs may offer access points for students, experiences of African American men who are student athletes enrolled in community colleges has gone under researched. As such, this study explores the experiences of eight African American men student athletes at community colleges. Specifically, this qualitative case study aimed to better understand how these men experienced barriers and support on their campus, as well as their perceptions of their campus climates. Findings suggest that participants felt academically underprepared in their classrooms, …

Treated Like A Professional: A Case Study In Adjunct Faculty Socialization, Elizabeth C. Hobson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the experiences of part-time adjunct faculty members in a community college setting. It specifically looked at how adjuncts described: (1) their career journey to being adult educators, (2) their socialization experience, and (3) how teaching adult education influenced their perspective on teaching. All participants were experienced adjunct instructors in an adult basic and secondary education department (ABE/ASE) at a suburban community college. By looking at experienced adjunct instructors, the study informs practices to support both experienced and new part-time college faculty members.

A qualitative case study approach was used to explore the participants’ experiences. Ten adjunct faculty …

Investigation Of An Inquiry-Based Learning Intervention On Undergraduate Saudi Women’S Critical Thinking Skills In An English As A Foreign Language Reading And Writing Class During The Preparatory Year, Rehabe Tikruni

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the implementation of an inquiry-based learning (IBL) intervention and its influence on the critical thinking (CT) skills of Saudi women undergraduates enrolled in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) reading and

writing course during the preparatory year. This study utilized a qualitative case study design from one public university in Saudi Arabia during the second semester of the preparatory year English program in Fall 2018. Thirty-five women participated in the IBL intervention

and the pre- and post-reflective essays. To delve deeper into perceptions about IBL and its potential influence on critical …

Funding And High School Student Achievement In The State Of Illinois, Michael Edwin Tresnak

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among selected school funding variables, percentage of low socioeconomic status students, and student achievement. Funding variables included percentage of funds a school district received from the three primary sources: local, state, and federal. Additional funding variables included per pupil expenditures, as well as teacher salaries and administrative salaries. Student achievement variables included ACT composite, ACT math, ACT reading, and the percentage of students that met or exceeded state standards. The population studied consisted of Illinois school districts containing high schools. The data used was the data the Illinois State Board …