Education Commons^™

The Effects Of Learning To Learn: Nine Years Of Data From Western Michigan University, Kimberly A. Morrill

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine what effect the LTL course had on student grade point averages and graduation rates at Western Michigan University. Three hundred fifty seven undergraduate students who took the LTL class between Fall semester 1987 and Winter semester 1995 were selected as the experimental group. The LTL students were divided into categories based on whether they were Beginners, Transfers, or Re-entries. The three groups of students were matched with control subjects based on demographic variables and academic history using logistic regression. Statistics were computed on all subjects in terms of the differences between the …

Avoiding Pitfalls In Administrative Internships, M. Scott Korpak

Masters Theses

Educational leaders and researchers are concerned about the number of qualified candidates for school leadership positions (Tracy, G. & Weaver, C. 2000). In response to this need, many school districts are promoting administrative internships. Through this project, the author sought to learn more about the following challenges: What does the current research literature say about administrative internships, and what are some of the common pitfalls that administrative interns face, especially in the area of journal preparation and the corresponding guidelines of the Human Subject Institutional Review Board.

Through this project, recommendations were formulated for future interns and their advisors. Common …

A Study Of The Effectiveness Of A Commercially Available Feedback Training Program In Increasing The Classroom Attending Skills Of Students With Attention Deficit Disorder, Janice M. Digiovanni

Masters Theses

The incidence of attention deficit disorder among elementary aged children has increased dramatically along with reliance on psychostimulant medication. Many parents and professionals seek alternative or supplemental treatments. Neurofeedback training is an alternative intervention that has been researched over the past twenty years with many positive results. The advent of commercially available systems makes neurofeedback training a more realistic and cost-effective option. Such systems must be shown to be effective and practical within a school setting.

This multiple baseline single system experimental study of three male subjects with ADD/HD confirmed that the Play Attention feedback training program by Unique Logic, …

The Effects Of Reform Mathematics Curriculum On Student Achievement, Mark Roger Brown

Masters Theses

Middle school mathematics instruction is in need of reform. In response to this call for reform, school districts across the country are adopting curriculum based on the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards.

This thesis studies the impact of the use of a reform curriculum on student achievement. The study looks at two districts in Western Michigan, one of which uses a reform curriculum and one that uses a traditional curriculum. The study compares the results of the districts on the Michigan Educational Assessment Program mathematics assessment to determine if students using the reformed curriculum materials scored significantly higher …

The Impact Of The Program For Athletic Coaches Education (Pace) Certification –Mivca Coaching Association, Heather L. Sawyer

Masters Theses

This study identified the level of awareness, and perceived usefulness of the Program for Athletic Coach (PACE) by the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association (MIVCA) (n=296). The study further examined: (1) the extent MIVCA coaches are engaged in PACE; (2) the relative importance of content delivered; (3) the important content to improve coaching; and (4) what the MIVCA coaches believed their personal investment should be in a coaching education program.

The participants were asked to complete a survey that ranked the importance of the domains and standards found in the National Standards for Athletic Coaches (NSAC). Results indicate a relatively …

Attitudes Of Male Athletes In Their Last Year Of Eligibility In Division Ii College Athletics And The Relation To Their Academic Success, Brian Paul Bauer

Masters Theses

This study examined male college student athletes in their final year of eligibility and the relation to their academic success. The purpose was to find out if student athletes who plan on participating in professional athletics are relinquishing their academic responsibilities in college. Three male student athletes, who were finished with their last year of eligibility at a Division II institution, were interviewed. The cumulative grade point averages of each of the participants were viewed and compared to the statements given during the interviews. Results of the study were compared to the literature found.

Physiological And Perceptual Responses To Elliptical Trainer Exercise At Three Different Grade And Resistance Settings, Katherine A. Wehmeyer

Masters Theses

The study compared the effects of elliptical trainer exercise at different grade (G) and resistance (R) settings on the following variables: (a) heart rate, (b) heart rate as a percentage of maximum heart rate, (c) relative VO₂, (d) relative VO₂ as a percentage of VO₂ max, (e) absolute energy cost, (f) relative energy cost, (g) RPE for legs, (h) RPE for chest, and (i) RPE for overall body. Heart rate, relative VO₂, Respiratory Exchange Ratio, and RPE were measured as 30 subjects completed nine experimental conditions. The experimental conditions consisted of striding forward on …

The Role Physical Maturation Plays When Children Perform The Presidential Fitness Test, Anil M. Joseph

Masters Theses

The problem of the study was to determine the relationship between maturational age and performance on the Presidential Fitness Test. Seventy three subjects, boys and girls ranging in age from 8 to 12 years were involved in the study. It was the intent of the researcher to determine the relationship between maturational age and performance on The Presidential Fitness Test. The Roche, Wainer and Thissen (RWT) (Roche, Wainer, & Thissen, 1975) method of maturation was used to establish maturational age for all the subjects. The researcher used data that waere previously collected by Spring Arbor College for this current research. …

A Study On The Learning Styles Of Limited English Proficiency Students, Linda J. Clay

Masters Theses

Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students are not attaining academic success in public schools. Enrollment of Hspanic students is increasing, but at the same time assessment of their work shows little achievement. A crucial issue in the education of language minority students is how they learn. This thesis examines their learning style preferences through data gathered from student and teacher surveys and then correlates it to existing research. The conclusion drawn is that Hispanic LEP students are not being taught in their preferred learning styles and that the primary manner of verbal/linguistic instruction used in schools is a deterrent to successful …

The Impact Of Phonological Awareness On Reading Acquisition: Discrepancy Between Research And Practice, Nancy Justin

Masters Theses

Twenty years of research has shown the impact that lack of phonological awareness has on a child’s ability to learn to read and ultimately his chance for success in school. However, teachers have not used this important information to teach and assess students for these necessary skills. This study looked at the possible reasons why there is such remarkable discrepancy between research and practice. The reasons of research being too new, research results being contradictory and research being difficult to duplicate in educational settings were eliminated as probable causes of the discrepancy between research and practice. The study suggested that …

An Investigation Of The Validity Of Selected Themes In The Career Perspectives Inventory (Cpi), Sharon Gherity

Masters Theses

The Career Perspectives Inventory (CPI), a recently developed career inventory examining ten different career development areas was investigated for concurrent validity using the My Vocational Situation (MVS) inventory for correlation. A second phase of this study examined the development exhibited between study participants of differing college academic standing. One hundred first through fifth year college students participated in this study. Results of research question one indicated there was moderate correlation for four of the five themes in common between the CPI and MVS (career decision-making, self-knowledge, career attitudes, career information) and some correlation between the fifth theme (goal planning). Results …

Language And Power In The Esl Classroom, Bonnie Jo Bustrum

Masters Theses

Because of limited English proficiency and sociocultural knowledge, adult ESL students may be disadvantaged in determining, evaluating, and responding to American cultural demonstrations of power and authority through speech choices and nonverbal cues. As a first step toward a pedagogy that addresses this sociolinguistic need, this ethnography investigates aspects of power and language in the teacher-student relationship in the home countries of twenty-two adult ESL students. Student responses are analyzed and compared, and a pedagogical framework is proposed which may foster ESL students’ linguistic and social development toward greater access to information and a more informed process of enculturation into …

The Biomechical Analysis Of The Kinetics And Kinematics For Three Figure Skating Jumps, Laura Blazok

Masters Theses

The problem of this investigation was to describe the kinetics and kinematics of three figure skating jumps: axel, double toe loop, and double loop. Specifically, the researcher investigated impact force, kinetic energy, and selected kinematic variables of female skaters during the landing phase of the three figure skating jumps. Kinetic energy and impact force were calculated during three phases of landing: Initial, Mid, and Final. Each of these phases represented a third of the time spent in landing each of the jumps. The kinematic variables measured during the landing phase of the jumps were vertical velocity, horizontal velocity, shoulder rotation, …

A Biomedical Analysis Of The Walking Patterns Of Blind Individuals Who Consistently Veer, Beth Engler

Masters Theses

The problem of the study was to describe the gait patterns of congenitally blind adults who veer when attempting to walk in a straight path. Specifically, the investigation compared the walking patterns of blind subjects to the walking patterns of sighted subjects as described in the literature and compared the symmetry between the right and left sides of the body. Results indicated: (a) no significant difference among the three trials for pelvic rotation, foot position at foot plant, knee angle, shoulder rotation, vertical displacement of the center of gravity, ankle angle, thigh angle, foot displacement, left step length, and trunk …

Effects Of Adult Modeling On Literacy Behaviors Of Head Start Preschoolers, Stephanie L. Kerbel

Masters Theses

This project explored the uses of literacy artifacts in the dramatic play of preschool children from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds who live in poverty in Kalamazoo County. The purpose of this 9-week study was to determine the impact of adult modeling on the frequency and quality of use of literacy artifacts during the dramatic play of at-risk preschoolers. Two Head Start classrooms received different types of intervention: (a) a literacy-enriched dramatic play area with adult modeling for 5 minutes at the start of each play period ( once per week); and (b) a literacy-enriched dramatic play area without adult …

High-Risk Drinking Levels Among Master's-Level Graduate Students At A Mid-Size Midwestern University, Susan R. Winterhalter

Masters Theses

This study has quantitatively examined the high-risk drinking levels of graduate students at a mid-size Midwestern university. The sample (N=204) was studied to investigate the hypothesis that the high-risk drinking level of graduate students is lower than the average national high-risk drinking levels of undergraduate college students. Specifically this study has quantitatively (Core Alcohol & Drug Survey) evaluated the at-risk drinking levels of graduate students and sought answers to the following thesis questions: 1) Do graduate students who participate in at least one hour of service per week report a lower level of high-risk drinking than those who do not …

Early Childhood Special Educators' Perceived Effectiveness And Use Of Behavioral Strategies Used With Challenging Behavior, Naomi Janet Lukomski

Masters Theses

The increased number of young children with disabilities exhibiting challenging behavior and the negative effects that these challenging behaviors can have on early childhood special educators and the children indicate the need for a careful examination of strategies currently implemented by early childhood special educators. This study surveyed the perceptions of 154 early childhood special educators in the State of Illinois specific to their perceived use and effectiveness of six strategies. The strategies included; positive reinforcement, communication training, time-out, adjustments to the classroom environment, response cost, and medication. Results suggested that early childhood special educators are currently implementing best practice. …

Phonemic Awareness: One Approach To Individualized Instruction, Kimberly M. Ochs

Masters Theses

This study examined the effectiveness of a recently developed set of individualized lessons for kindergarten children at-risk for reading problems because of limited phonemic awareness skills. Four participants were selected via teacher referral and a score below the 25^th percentile on the Test of Phonological Awareness. Sixteen lessons (focusing on six phonemes) and weekly assessments followed the selection of the participants. Each child was individually instructed in two 10-15 minute sessions each week for eight weeks and then given an assessment at the end of each week. Single case design was utilized to document the effectiveness of the …

Sorrow Into Joy: A Phenomenological Study Of Adult Women Survivors Of Child Sexual Abuse, Eldine M. Webster

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to learn how six mid-life women who had been sexually abused as children perceived the way in which that early experience had impacted their life to date. Using a phenomenological qualitative life-history approach, each participant was interviewed for a period of from one to three hours. Content analysis of the interviews and member-checking with participants who volunteered to do so resulted in eight major themes emerging from the data: memories, family, career, addictions, depression, boundaries and embodiment, counseling, and synchronicity. The last theme, synchronicity, very closely related to the concept of spirituality and a …

School Safety Planning: A Survey Of Bond, Fayette And Effingham County Schools, Teresa A. Wortman

Masters Theses

This study was designed to assess the readiness of Illinois public and parochial schools in Bond, Fayette and Effingham Counties to implement school policies, building security strategies, and violence prevention/intervention programs to improve school safety. The study examined current trends in the school safety planning of the respondents. In addition, the study examined the relationship between the schools' implementation of violence prevention/intervention programs and their use of safety grants, the relationship between the array of safety measures implemented by the responding schools and their involvement of school and community groups in their planning, and the relationship between the array of …

Ratings Of Assessment Procedures By Learning Disabilities Teachers And School Psychologists, Raquel A. Williams

Masters Theses

This study surveyed the perceptions of school psychologists and learning disabilities teachers (LD teachers) on the frequency of use and usefulness of the following assessment procedures: Standardized tests, curriculum based measures (CBMs), classroom observations, interview with general education teachers, and analysis of class assignments for initial placement of a child, instructional planning, and evaluation of student progress. Further, this study investigated how proficient the two groups felt in administering each of the five assessment procedures. Fifty four school psychologists and 32 LD teachers completed the questionnaire. Results indicated that school psychologists and LD teachers agreed on the frequency of use …

Indicators Of Constructivist Principles In Internet-Based Courses, Karen M. Partlow

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to provide greater assurance of quality in Internet-based courses. Current literature supports the assumption that the inclusion of constructivist principles in online courses adds to course quality. Therefore, identifying indicators of constructivist learning theory is important to the development of online courses. A peer-nominated panel of national experts in constructivism and instructional technology participated in a 3-round Delphi web survey. Through the iterative process, panelists assigned a mean rating of importance of 4.0 or higher (on a 5-point Likert scale) to 40 indicators of constructivist principles in online courses. Three implications for course design …

Cmc Technology In The Classroom: A Look From A Professors Point Of View, Michael J. Shannon

Masters Theses

Technology now influences every aspect of daily life. Education is no exception. This is particularly true for Eastern Illinois University. With the increase of CMC technology on campus, it is important to know how professors feel about it and identify why some professors are not using it.

The specific purpose of this research was to focus on why CMC is beneficial in the classroom. This study discusses the kinds of technology available on campus and discovers the reasons why professors are reluctant to use CMC technology on campus.

This study identified a significant level of technology and assistance available on …