Education Commons^™

A Case Study Of The Roles And Perceptions Of Writing Coaches, Amy June Schechter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to explore the roles, responsibilities, and perceptions of writing coaches, a form of embedded professional development, which had the opportunity to assist teachers in deepening their pedagogical knowledge of writing instruction. Furthermore, this inquiry sought to describe middle school teachers' (N = 235) perceptions of how writing coaches may have impacted their beliefs and pedagogy with regard to writing instruction. At the time I conducted this case study, no extant literature existed to describe the roles, responsibilities, or perceptions of writing coaches, and this inquiry sought to fill that void.

In an …

Incredi-Bull-Ly Inclusive?: Assessing The Climate On A College Campus, Aubrey Lynne Hall

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students have unique experiences on campus such as discrimination, exclusivity, and homo/transphobia. Stated simply, this research project intends to address these issues by 1) identify students' perceptions of gender identity and sexual orientation diversity on campus, 2) identify the experiences of LGBT students during their time at the institution, and 3) acknowledge suggestions from the student body for ways the University being studied is, or may continue to be, inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Through the application of the campus climate framework and modification of existing climate surveys, a student-centered campus climate …

Can A One-Size-Fits-All Parental Involvement Framework Be Applied To An Entire School District? A Comparative Case Study Of A District Magnet Program, Bradley Wayne Finkbiner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated a district magnet program that required high levels of actual parental involvement. The district that houses this program uses Epstein's framework of parent involvement to reach out to all families. The research sought to match parent responses with the magnet program expectations and the Epstein framework. Interviews were conducted and completed with twenty-four participants including diverse backgrounds. Particularly sought after were parents from different ethnic groups and gender within two separate middle schools. The research also endeavored to learn how the district school choice program forced parents to navigate their child's enrollment, whether at the elementary school …

An Evaluation Of Florida Gulf Coast University's Residence Life Staff Member's Hurricane Preparedness, Erin Floto

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is located along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in southern Florida, in an area vulnerable to hurricane strikes. At FGCU, The Office of Housing and Residence Life (OHRL) is responsible for three locations on- and off-campus where students reside in apartment or suite-style housing. Due to the large number of students with varying backgrounds, the OHRL staff members have become essential personnel during severe weather events that may cause safety concerns for the residents living in OHRL housing locations. This study's purpose is to assess the Residence Life staff on their level of …

The Portrayal Of Immigrants In Children's And Young Adults' American Trade Books During Two Peak United States Immigration Eras (1880-1930 And 1980-2010s), Rina Roula Bousalis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Although immigrants are an integral part of the nation's founding and history, it is unclear how they have been historically portrayed in children's and young adults' American trade books, especially at the turn of the 20th century. This study offers a critical and comparative analysis focusing on the historical evolution, depiction of immigrants, and authors' perspectives of selected trade books written during two peak United States immigration eras (1880-1930 and 1980-2010s).

Utilizing a discourse analysis approach, this study examined how first-generation immigrants were portrayed in selected trade books and how various themes and representations may have affected students and …

Just Love: A Collaborative Evaluation Of A Faith-Based School-Family-Community Partnership Through The Voices Of The Children, Lynette M. Henry

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Faith-based school-family-community partnerships have been a federal mandate over the past decade, yet little has been written about the outcomes of these faith-based partnerships. A need exists to understand if the potential in these faith-based partnerships is indeed realized in positive outcomes for students and schools. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a faith-based school-family-community partnership, Just Love. Just Love is a faith-based school-family-community partnership between a large suburban church and a Title 1, urban elementary school, Charisma Elementary School (Charisma ES; pseudonym). It was implemented in what is considered a "failing school". Just Love's purpose was …

The Development And Initial Validation Of An Instrument Measuring The Cognitive Domain Of Intercultural Maturity, Melanie Lynne Wicinski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Through a two-phase process an instrument was created to measure the cognitive domain as proposed by King and Baxter Magolda in their Developmental Model of Intercultural Maturity (2005). The first phase involved expert panels who identified the competencies which exist in the cognitive domain, identified situations which might exist between individuals from different cultures, validated scenarios created from the identified situations, and created responses which corresponded to the three developmental levels (Initial, Intermediate, and Mature) defined in the Developmental Theory of Intercultural Maturity.

Within the second phase, the created instrument was administered to 371 individuals representing eight geocultural world …

Principal Experiences In A School Consolidation, Claudius Bassey Effiom

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Educational leaders must operate in a complex political world that places a premium on skills and strategies involving consensus building, negotiations, and reciprocity. This dissertation is about the leadership struggles and tensions inherent in a school consolidation process. The principals highlighted in this study represent the leader of a metropolitan school which is closed and consolidated with another school in the same school district. The school district employs a defined and planned process to address many issues inherent in a school consolidation like guaranteed placement of displaced teachers in schools of their choice.

I examined the experiences of three …

The Relationship Of Affective Domains And Cognitive Performance In Paramedic Students, Katie J. Lyman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

No universal approach for application procedures has been established for paramedic curriculum programs. The field of pre-hospital, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has evolved quickly from its inception to present date. The educational components of EMS are still in their infancy and lack evidence-based protocols (Drees, 2006). Predicting success in an allied health program typically concentrates on some type of academic instrument. The use of personality inventories has been underexplored; however, literature reveals they may be more reliable in determining academic and employment success compared with other non-cognitive tools (Groves, Gordon, & Ryan, 2007; Marrin et al., 2004; McManus & Richards, …

Perceptions, Beliefs And Practices About Technology Among Teachers In A Jamaican Infant School, Suzette Anissia Kelly

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this interview study was to describe and explain perceptions, beliefs, and practices about technology among four teachers at a Jamaican infant school, by answering: What are teachers' perceptions and beliefs about the role of technology in young children's learning? What are the practices regarding technology among Jamaican infant school teachers? I used criterion sampling to identify participants for my inquiry. For data collection, I used semi-structured interviews, teachers' lesson plans, and my reflective journal. I applied a socio-cultural approach (Rogoff, 1990) for the data analysis to make sense of the teachers' perceptions and articulated practices. The findings …

In Search Of The Artist: The Influences Of Commercial Interest On An Art School - A Narrative Analysis, Michael Leonard Sette

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study will investigate how identities and roles of the artist converge with competing identities and roles fostered at the institutional level within an art college as revealed through the marketing literature that they produce to attract students and business partnerships. The sociological focus for this proposal is the tension between art as a creative expressive endeavor and art as a commodity that has entered into social transactions unintended by the original expression of the artist. The researcher documents and describes (via narrative analysis) how an art school negotiates competing relationships between the pressures to teach and promote art …

The Fight Within: Experiences Of School District Employees Who Advocate For The Rights Of Their Own Children With Disabilities Inside The Districts Where They Work, A Heuristic Case Study, Keri Haley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parents of children with disabilities face a daunting task when it comes to advocating for the rights of their children in school districts across the country. Yet, when these same parents also work inside those school districts, the challenge to balance their advocacy within the expectations of their employment may come with barriers. The intent of this study was to understand the experiences of people who are parents of children with disabilities, as well as educators, and have had to advocate for their own children inside the school districts where they work. Using a heuristic case study approach, this study …

Picturing The Reader: English Education Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs About Reading Using Photovoice, Michael Dicicco

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As students begin secondary school, they are charged with learning more content, at a faster pace and with increased pressure from accountability measures (Dreschler, Shumaker, & Woodruff, 2004). If secondary students' reading difficulties are not identified and remedied, the gap between struggling readers and their peers widens every academic year (Edmonds, Vaughn, Wexler, Rutebuch, Cable, Tackett, and Schnakenberg, 2009).

The task of reading instruction primarily falls on English teachers, but Strickland and Alvermann (2004) note that while secondary English Teachers do have more preparation in reading instruction compared to other content area teachers, they are not as prepared as they …

Perceptions Of Latino Students Who Enrolled In The Adult Basic Education/Under-Aged General Education Development Program: Searching A Caring High School Experience, Carlos Joseph Diaz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The increasing number of Latino students presents unique challenges to and infinite possibilities for the educational system. Significant numbers of second-generation Latino students are considered at risk for completing a high school credentialing program. Latino students in public and private high schools were more likely to drop out than their White counterparts, and this has curtailed the advancement of Latinos into post-secondary settings. Ultimately, this impacts economic upward mobility. Furthermore, males are more likely than females to drop out of high school, are more frequently disciplined, suspended, and/or expelled from school than their gender counterparts (Perkins-Gough, 2006; Sacks, 2005; Solórzano,Villalpando, …

In Our Image: The Attempted Reshaping Of The Cuban Education System By The United States Government, 1898-1912, Mario John Minichino

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

During the fourteen years between 1898 and 1912, the influences imparted upon the School System of Cuba were substantial. In the period immediately following the conflict with Spain, known in the U.S. as the Spanish American War, a concerted effort was underway to annex the island of Cuba. This study was undertaken to discover what courses were introduced into the K-12 curricula following the U.S. intervention, who introduced those changes, and what, if any influence those changes brought to the culture of the island. This investigation and analysis was necessary to reinvigorate the discussion regarding the history of the …

Presentation Of Civic Identity In Online High School Social Studies Discussion Forums, Holly Mcbride

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Twenty-first century high school students' learning experience in an online setting is no longer limited by a time-constrained schedule, lack of resources, teachers' formalities, and restrictions affecting learning progressions. The list of benefits to the virtual learning experience is vast, however, there are substantial pitfalls and ambiguities that must be resolved. One of the pitfalls for social studies educators is their ability to properly measure whether or not students are gaining prudent civic competences, skills, and dispositions. The mission of social studies education is the acquisition of civic knowledge, but more importantly, the overall development of a lifelong caring, active, …

Associations Between Student-Teacher Relationships And Kindergarten Students' Outcomes, Leslie Marie Wells

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The student-teacher relationship (STR) is an important component of a student's success in school. STRs have the potential to serve as an asset for students' well-being and achievement throughout their school career. Current literature suggests that there are two major components of STRs associated with student's academic and behavioral outcomes: closeness and conflict. Research has indicated that STRs characterized by closeness are linked to positive academic and behavior outcomes for students while STRs characterized by conflict are associated with negative academic and behavior outcomes for students. Although research has demonstrated that closeness and conflict have an impact on student outcomes, …

Predictors Of Initial Level And Change Over Time Of Academic Enablers During The Kindergarten Year: The Role Of Gender, Preschool, And The Home Learning Environment, Sara Marie Hinojosa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Academic enablers comprise a set of beliefs and skills that significantly contribute to student success. Although these skills are crucial to academic competence, gaps exist in the research related to the development of academic enablers. Namely, previous research has not investigated how these behaviors change over the kindergarten year. Moreover, there are inconsistent findings regarding the influence of experiences prior to entering kindergarten, specifically preschool attendance and the home learning environment, on the development of academic enablers in young students. Using a sample of 83 parent-child dyads, the present study investigated academic enablers in kindergarten students. A mixed between-within analysis …

Informing, Entertaining And Persuading: Health Communication At The Amazing You, David Haldane Lee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This is a study of the communication environment at The Amazing You, an exhibition about health and wellness with over 400 different exhibits at the Tampa Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI). The purpose of this study is to describe a multi-media, multi-vocal health communication environment which incorporates forms of intervention from various medical communities of practice into a narrative about human life stages. Describing communication at a science center as circular, complex and multi-directional allows for notions of feedback to be considered in an otherwise unilinear and unidirectional process from message to receiver. This research is about science center …

Creativity-Based Music Learning: Modeling The Process And Learning Outcomes In A Massive Open Online Course, Nicholas Michael Stefanic

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While developing creativity is an important goal of many educational endeavors, creating music, from a music education perspective, is a powerful pedagogical tool. Beyond comparing the relative creativity of individuals' musical creative products (e.g., melodies, songs, lyrics, beats, etc.), research in musical creativity must consider how engaging in the creative process can be an effective teaching tool, what I have termed creativity-based music learning. If music teachers are to develop students' abilities “to experience music as meaningful, informed by sensitive discernments and broad understandings, in each particular musical role engagement in which one becomes involved” (Reimer, 2003, p.214), then we …

Evaluation Of Video Modeling To Teach Children Diagnosed With Asd To Avoid Poison Hazards, Shannon Eileen King

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Accidental poisonings are one of the leading safety threats for young children, so it is important to teach children to avoid ingesting poisonous substances. Research has shown that behavioral skills training (BST) and in situ training (IST) are effective in teaching children safety skills to prevent gun play, abduction, and poison ingestion. However, little research on safety skills has been conducted with children with autism. Video modeling has been shown to be effective in teaching abduction prevention skills to children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of video modeling to …

Algae: Opportunities For Biomass Feedstock Production, Wastewater Treatment And Educational Outreach, Trina Cassandra Halfhide

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Algae are a diverse group of simple organisms that lack roots, stems or leaves and are able to use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and nutrients to produce complex compounds, such as carbohydrates, proteins and lipids. These compounds, especially lipids, are highly sought-after by agricultural, nutraceutical and energy interests. Although there is great potential for algae derived biofuels, there are technical and economic challenges associated with their cultivation. Relevant to this dissertation, the environmental impacts associated with algae cultivation can be reduced by using municipal and agricultural wastewaters as a water and nutrient source. This research was divided into three sections to …

Exploring The Relationship Of Motivation, Anxiety, And Virtual Worlds In The Experiences Of Two Spanish Language Learners: A Case Study, Amy Katherine Wehner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Virtual Worlds (VWs) in foreign language education are slowly becoming more popular. Many studies have looked at the affordances of these worlds and how they affect some aspects of language acquisition. However, it is still unknown to what extent, if any, these virtual worlds can play a role in affecting motivation and anxiety. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between motivation, anxiety and virtual worlds to see how participation in activities within these environments interacted in two individual language learners, Jessica and Melissa.

Using a case study approach, I observed and interviewed the two participants in …

Social Media Use During The College Transition, Kevin J. Yurasek

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Starting college is an exciting and pivotal time for students. During this time, the student will be faced with challenges of his or her social identity and will need to develop or modify identities based on new social situations. Previous research shows that social media play a role in identity development, but there is little information regarding the extent. Are new college students using Facebook during their transition to communicate their new identity/social group to new peers? Are they using Facebook to maintain nostalgia for previous identities/social groups? This information will be valuable to higher education professionals working with these …

Beyond The Skilled Application Of Know-How: Pedagogical Reasoning As Phronesis In Highly Competent Teachers, Kathryn Boney

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Given the teacher-as-technician view and the instrumentalist values that pervade professional schools, practices, and policy decisions (Kinsella & Pitman, 2012a; Zeichner, 2012) with regard to teacher qualification, evidence-based practices, and scripted curricula, there is growing concern that something of fundamental importance and moral significance is missing from the vision of what it means to be a professional, particularly in the field of education. In order to articulate teacher practical knowledge in a way that reflects the complexities of practice, a framework that captures the complexity of teaching practice and helps to define the type of knowledge beyond content and technique, …

Attitudes About Globalization, Internationalization, And The Role Of Student Affairs Administrators In Internationalizing Florida's Community And State Colleges, Donna Rae Burdzinski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This study had a three-fold purpose: first, to assess the attitudes of student affairs administrators working in the Florida College System (FCS) about globalization, internationalization, and their strategies for effecting internationalization efforts at their community/state colleges. This study also investigated the relationship between student affairs administrators' attitudes about globalization and internationalization and what they considered to be the role of student affairs administrators in internationalizing the community/state college. Finally, this study examined the relationship between student affairs administrators' attitudes about their perceived role in internationalizing the community/state college and certain demographic variables. No study has been found which asks …

Applying Public Relations Theory To Assess Service-Learning Relationships, Karen Strand

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In Service-Learning (S-L) partnerships, universities and community organizations exchange resources and influence. Community engagement scholars Cruz and Giles proposed that relationships within S-L partnerships serve as units of analysis for the study of community outcomes of engagement. Yet, the scholarship of engagement lacks a suitable instrument to assess such relationships. This study brings together two lines of scholarship-relationship studies within community engagement and cocreational studies within public relations-to address the problem of assessing the community outcomes of S-L relationships, and it applies Cruz and Giles' ideas about using relationship analysis to assess community outcomes when it considers the perspectives of …

The Relationship Between Living Learning Communities And Student Success On First-Year And Second-Year Students At The University Of South Florida, Mark Martin Stier

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The college experience for many students is an exciting and sometimes awe-inspiring journey. For the first time many students find themselves responsible for making life altering decisions that will determine the course of their adult lives for years to come. They are making the decisions to participate in specific academic majors, a variety of housing options and a multitude of extra-curricular activities. Unfortunately, without proper guidance and structure many of these students find themselves unable to cope with the new challenges of academia, faculty staff interaction, peer relationships and financial obligations. It is because of these challenges that institutions of …

Hermes, Technical Communicator Of The Gods: The Theory, Design, And Creation Of A Persuasive Game For Technical Communication, Eric Walsh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For my thesis, I have undertaken the creation of a persuasive game to advance a particular argument of the way that work is performed in the field of technical communication. Designed using procedural rhetoric, with an attention to aesthetics, fun, and the qualities that make games viable pedagogical tools, my game has been programmed using HTML5 and JavaScript, and made freely available online at RhetoricalGamer.com. This written document is meant to serve as a supplement to the game, providing a rationale for the use of games in education and in technical communication; a definition of procedural rhetoric and the necessary …

Small Group Interactions In Wiki-Based Collaborative Writing In The Eap Context, Mimi Li

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Due to recent developments in Web 2.0 technologies, computer-mediated collaborative writing has captured the growing attention of second language researchers and instructors. The affordance of wikis for collaborative writing has been hailed, but few studies have explored the nature of wiki collaboration and interaction during small group writing using wikis. This dissertation investigated dynamic group interactions in wiki-based collaborative writing tasks in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course at a southeastern public research university in the U.S. A total of twenty-nine English as a Second Language graduate students collaboratively worked on two writing tasks within small groups in Wikispaces …