Education Commons^™

Faculty Perceptions Of Remedial Mathematics Programs For Community College, Carolann Vassell-Kreitner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Graduating U.S. high school students who score below standards for college-level math on college placement tests are typically required to take remedial math coursework when they enter college. However, very few students who must remediate are successful. Community college educators have tried multiple remediation approaches to improve student outcomes with minimal improvement. Since math faculty are directly involved in addressing this challenge, it is important to gauge their perceptions of math remediation. The purpose of this study was to investigate community college faculty members' perceptions of 2 models for mathematics remediation. The theoretical framework of this study was based ...

Comparison Of Classroom Settings On Seventh Grade English Language Arts Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program Achievement (Tcap), Deangela Anita Graham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to identify an effective strategy to increase English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency in middle schools. This study assessed the outcome of classroom looping in an urban middle school. Vygotsky's theory of social development was the theoretical framework of this study. Two research questions explored statistical differences between scale and number correct scores on the standardized ELA Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP). Classroom settings (looping and traditional) served as independent variables, and ELA TCAP assessments were used as the dependent variable. This study included a random sample of 188 students (94 looping and 94 ...

Student Perceptions Of Factors Affecting Retention In A Rural Associate Degree Nursing Program, Jodi Garcia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High nursing student attrition rates at a community college in a southwestern state were noted as a significant problem by nursing faculty and college administration because of a nursing shortage and subsequent health care issues in the surrounding community. The purpose of this project study was to explore the perceptions of nursing graduates regarding the influences that led to or impeded their success in completion of the associate degree nursing program. Additionally, perspectives of the usefulness of remediation sessions provided for students failing a course were investigated. This qualitative case study, guided by transformative learning theory, included a sample of ...

Influence Of The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act On Small Businesses, Sean Gallman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business leaders lack strategies to implement the employer shared responsibility provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Small businesses pay approximately 18% more than larger companies for the same health coverage. Within a conceptual framework of management by objectives, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies small business leaders use to implement the employer shared responsibility provision of the ACA. Data were gathered from the review of company documents, observations, and semistructured interviews with 5 senior business leaders from small business organizations in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Data ...

Using The Power Of 3 With Total Joint Surgery Patients, Lynda M. Sanchez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of patient education is to provide patients and their families with the tools needed to care for themselves after discharge from the hospital, but shortened hospital stays, limited health literacy, language, and age can impede the patient's comprehension of the information provided. Researchers have found that the lack of effective patient education is related to 30-day hospital readmissions. The Power of 3 educational tool, designed by Sanchez and Cooknell, addressed the factors that impeded effective patient teaching by using the adult learning theory and low health literacy concepts. The Power of 3 was implemented as a quality ...

Assessing Knowledge Of Evidence-Basedpractice Among Nurses, Suja Merin John

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is used worldwide to improve the quality of patient care to provide cost-effective care. EBP is a mandate for nursing practice combining individual clinical judgment with available expertise to generate a positive outcome for the patient. Investigators have documented that nurses have varying degrees of confidence and knowledge about EBP. The purpose of this project was to improve knowledge of EBP among registered nurses (RNs). The ACE Star Model of Knowledge transformation was used as the conceptual model. The key project question was to assess the level of knowledge and confidence about EBP among RNs in a ...

A Blended Behavior Management Approach, Student Behavior, And Achievement, Gwendolyn Ward

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Disruptive classroom behavior has led many schools to implement positive behavioral strategies intended to create orderly learning environments. Despite initiation of such a strategy, an elementary school in the mid-Atlantic region still experienced an increase in office referrals and a decline in student achievement. The purpose of this mixed methods case study was to investigate the connections between a blended behavior program and student behavior and academic achievement, as well as staff perceptions about their experience with the program, and the degree to which the practices were implemented with fidelity. Skinner's behavioral theory served as the theoretical basis for ...

Teacher Education In Central Equatoria, South Sudan, Catherine Hahs Brinkley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Without education, many South Sudanese will continue living in poverty. There are numerous factors that limit their educational opportunities including tribal warfare, colonialism, missionary malpractice, civil wars, a high illiteracy rate, low government funding, and threats of war. These factors have left a substantial deficiency in available training for teachers. The purpose of this study was to determine the pedagogical needs of the teachers of South Sudan. Within a conceptual framework of participatory action research, this qualitative study examined educators' view of the effectiveness of the teacher education that they had received, the pedagogical needs of teachers, and the ideal ...

Educator Perceptions Of Visual Support Systems And Social Skills For Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorders, David James Miller

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face unique social skills challenges as they transition into independent living environments and seek fulfilling relationships within their communities. Research has focused on social education and interventions for children with autism, while transitioning young adults with ASD have received insufficient attention. The purpose of this multisite case study was to explore perceptions of school personnel related to the use of visual support system (VSS) technology and enhancement of social skillsets for young adults with ASD. Information processing theory and social learning theory provided the research framework. Research questions addressed perceptions related to the ...

Student Perceptions Of Flipped Learning In A High School Math Classroom, Daniel Strohmyer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Flipped classrooms are implemented in more schools each year, particularly in courses requiring increased teacher guidance for mastery. While a foundation of research related to pedagogy and academic outcomes exists, research is limited surrounding student perceptions of the social and learning culture during flipped learning. The purpose of this study was to explore high school math students' lived experiences of flipped learning related to content and instruction, critical thinking, and collaboration and interactions. A phenomenological design was employed using a conceptual framework combining cognitive load theory, sociocultural learning theory, and schema theory. Students from two public high schools in the ...

Single-Gender Education At An Urban Middle School, Calvin Rogers Hooks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Several recent studies have critiqued the cognitive science behind single gender education, and social cognitive theory has demonstrated that gender inequality in the classroom may inhibit students' academic achievement. This study examined a single-gender education program for both middle school boys and girls established to remedy academic achievement deficiencies at a public charter school, to be identified as Urban Charter School (UCS), located in an urban area. The key research questions examined the trend in mathematics and reading student outcomes over a 6-year period, the relationship between gender and outcomes in mathematics and reading, and the comparison of outcomes between ...

Evaluating A Student Leadership Program's Impact On Elementary Students' Behavior And Academic Achievement, Stephanie Caracelo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Faculty members at a rural elementary school in a southeastern U.S. state have implemented a student leadership program called Leader in Me (LIM) in order to address increased behavioral disruptions and declining academic achievement scores and also better prepare students for the workforce. To determine the efficacy of the intervention, a mixed methods bounded case study of LIM was conducted. Watson's and Hull's theories of behaviorism support the objectives of the program. The focus of the research questions was on determining whether students' behavior, academic achievement, and leadership skills had changed based on their participation in the ...

Transforming Christian Schools Using Sustainable Model Of Organizational Change And Performance Improvement, Abraham Adhanom

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizational failure in Christian schools is a common phenomenon affecting millions of families in the United States. In the past 2 decades alone, more than 200 Christian schools closed each year; and many continued to struggle for survival. This trend presented significant challenge for the sustainability of faith-based schools that serve over 10% of grade-level students in the country. The purpose of this study was to examine internal and external factors impacting the performance of Christian schools and analyze existing theories of institutional effectiveness leading to the development of a sustainable framework. The research question addressed what type of organizational ...

Exploring The Role Of Bookkeeping In Business Success, Mary-Jo Zimmerman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses support local economies by creating jobs and providing products and services, yet 50% of them fail within 5 years and only 30% of them survive for 10 years or more. The purpose of this qualitative explanatory case study was to explore how bookkeeping strategies helped 1 small business owner to sustain business growth over time. The sample was comprised of 1 small business owner who has been in business at least 5 years, experienced success, and achieved sustainability in Wake County, North Carolina. Systems theory served as the conceptual framework for this study. The data were collected through ...

Effects Of Early Childhood Education On Kindergarten Readiness Scores, Janis Monrose Modeste

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this correlational study, which took place in a Central Florida school district, was to investigate the relationship between the quality of the early childhood education (ECE) programs and students' kindergarten readiness scores. Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, which states that a child's environment, culture, and language are related to academic and social development, was the theoretical framework for this study. Many ECE centers have been rated using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS). Additionally, some children in those centers have been rated for kindergarten readiness using the Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener (FLKRS) developed by the Florida ...

A Modified Program Evaluation Of Training For Employer Compliance With Health Insurance Requirements, Joanneandi Davenport

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A training program was established in the Midwestern United States to help employers understand compliance requirements of the health insurance industry. The purpose of this study was to conduct a modified program evaluation of the effectiveness of Pay or Play, a portion of a larger Benefit Compliance Program. The reason for the evaluation was the high percentage of remediation needed for administrators of employee health insurance following Pay or Play seminar sessions, which posed the question of program effectiveness in education of participants. This study is important because administrators of employee health insurance are responsible for understanding compliance regulations and ...

Scholarly Writing Among Graduate Students: A Qualitative Project Study, Marsha Armstrong Harwell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This project study focused on scholarly writing skills of adult students enrolled in a private graduate institution in the West Indies. The institution provided writing instruction, but scholarly writing skills remained inadequate for some students when they began their final projects. The project study provided insight into the most pervasive writing skill deficits and the positive and negative influences on writing skill development among graduate students. The research design was an applied qualitative case study using data collected from a purposeful sample of convenience within a bounded system of current students, faculty members, and administrators in one institution. Open-ended questionnaires ...

Perceptions Of Emergency Preparedness Among Immigrant Hispanics Living In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Rebekah Doyle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Tornadoes are occurring with increased frequency in Oklahoma. Emergency preparedness planning is essential to decreasing individuals' risks of injury or death from a tornado. Research on immigrant Hispanics' knowledge and perceptions of emergency preparedness is limited. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of immigrant Hispanics who had experienced a tornado or other crisis weather conditions in Oklahoma during spring of 2013. The research questions explored their perceived risk for injury and knowledge of tornado preparedness planning. The health belief model provided the theoretical underpinnings for this qualitative phenomenological study. Semi structured interviews were ...

The Use Of Online Supplemental Materials In College Courses To Improve Retention, Amy Lynn Hennings

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

First-generation college students continue to have lower retention and success rates in colleges and universities, reducing their likelihood of staying above the poverty line. The study tested Bandura and Vygotsky's social cognitive theories of self-efficacy, self-regulation, and student ability to self-pace in the classroom. The purpose of this study was to explore if offering supplemental online materials to traditional class delivery, which can be self-regulated and self-paced, impacted students' success rates in the class and semester-to-semester retention. Using a quasi-experimental method, first-semester college students, in a small private liberal arts college (N = 678); were compared on use of supplemental ...

A Comparative Study Of Two Instructional Models In Developmental Education Writing Programs, Barbara Ann Roseborough

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Low college readiness among high school graduates is a national problem. A significant percentage of graduates are referred to courses designed to remediate deficiencies in the basic skills of reading, writing, and mathematics. Initiatives designed to improve the student experience in remedial and developmental programs have focused on the use of technology. Although technology has been used in the teaching of writing, research has not shown that this method is an improvement when compared to the lecture-based approach to teaching writing. The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative study was to examine the impact of a technology-based writing program on student ...

Predicting Mathematics Teachers' Acceptance Of Reflective Blogging To Improve Instruction, Diana Sue Fesmire

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An internal district audit identified that a rural, socioeconomically disadvantaged Southwestern school district has a lack of congruent and consistent implementation of the Common Core State Standards in mathematics. Innovative and cost-saving avenues for professional development (PD), such as reflective blogging, foster teacher learning to reconcile the enacted curriculum with the intended curriculum. This correlational study investigated the predictive power of technology acceptance and motivation constructs on reflective mathematics teachers' social media use intention and participation in informal, virtual Communities of Practice (vCoP). The framework that guided this study is the unified acceptance and use of technology and self-determination theory ...

Promoting Diabetes Self-Managment Eduaction And Training In Out-Patient Clinics, Inemesit Godwin Udo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a long term metabolic disorder characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. T2DM is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease, blindness, kidney failure, lower-limb amputation, and other complications that are costly to patients and the U.S. health care system. Lack of knowledge and underdeveloped skills for self-management of diabetes continues to be the biggest problem for patients with T2DM. Using a team approach and Rosswurm and Larrabee's (1999) conceptual model as a framework, the purpose of this doctorate of nursing practice quality improvement project was to ...

An Effective Succession Planning Educational Program For Operating Room Nurses, Sherly Bejoy Alexander

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The current nationwide shortage of registered nurses is a growing problem impacting patient care and hospital operations. The operating room is the area most affected by the nursing shortage. Reasons cited for this shortage include ineffective nursing orientation programs and a decline in job satisfaction. The purpose of this project was to develop a best practice succession planning educational program to provide novice operating room nurses with an introduction to the operating room. The Dreyfus model of skills acquisition and Benner's novice to expert theory guided this project. A 2-step process was used to assess and validate the content ...

Traditional Suspension Practices And Nonpunitive Alternatives For Secondary Students With Disabilities, Karen Joyce Clifford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Growing numbers of suspensions and expulsions of students with disabilities (SWDs) have prompted school districts to explore nonpunitive alternatives to traditional suspension practices. The study school district implemented nonpunitive alternatives to suspension for SWDs, specifically students classified as emotionally disturbed (ED). SWDs are being suspended at a higher rate than their general education peers for the same violation. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to examine differences in academic performance between students with emotional disabilities who received out of school suspensions and those who received nonpunitive consequences other than suspension for the same violation. To understand disruptive behavior, social ...

A Qualitative Study Of How Students Experienced Exclusionary Discipline Practices, Vera Veronica Holley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As a result of zero tolerance policies, a significant percentage of students who experience exclusions from schools also experience negative outcomes such as high dropout rates, academic failures, and encounters with juvenile justice agencies. While several researchers have found a relationship between unintended consequences of exclusions and juvenile delinquency, few have examined this phenomenon from the perspectives of juveniles who experienced exclusions. Guided by the framework of operant conditioning, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how students experienced exclusions from school. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants who experienced both exclusions from schools and involvement with ...

Examining The Impact Of Leadership Styles On The Motivation Of U.S. Teachers, Katrina Franklin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers face daily challenges in their work, which affect their ability to remain motivated and effective educators. The problem is that there is a lack of adequate research on how administrative leadership styles affect the motivation of United States teachers working within the U.S. and internationally. The purpose of this quantitative causal comparative study was to examine teachers' preferences regarding school administrators' leadership styles and gauge whether differences exist among U.S. teachers working in the United States and internationally. Herzberg's two-factor theory as well as full range leadership theory were used to quantitatively explore the relationship between ...

African American High School Graduates' Perceived Academic Success Factors, Paula Williams Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A large number of African American students attending a low performing, urban high school in Tennessee demonstrated a lack of understanding in reading/language arts by scoring below proficient on the end of course (EOC) exam in reading/language arts. The purpose of this case study was to examine the perceptions of 10 African American graduates who scored proficient on the reading/language arts EOC exam to seek factors they associated with their academic success. This study was guided by Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory. The research question addressed the perceived factors that African American graduates associated with their ...

Evaluation Of A Goal Setting Intervention With Grades 3-5 Military Dependent Students Targeting Math Proficiency, Whitney Desantis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As military dependent students relocate, they enroll in multiple schools throughout their K-12 experience. Frequent mobility can create gaps in achievement. The challenge in the local setting is meeting the needs of military dependent students scoring below grade level standards in math. The purpose of the formative evaluation was to determine the effectiveness of the Personalized Education Plan (PEP) program and propose refinements. The conceptual framework included goal setting, motivation, engagement, and self-regulation. The concurrent multi-methods study included a central research question on whether a PEP increased student math scores. Questions about student motivation, engagement, self-regulation, and goal setting followed ...

Evaluative Feedback: How K-12 Teachers Respond, Deetta Lorick Andersen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This sequential mixed methods study addressed the need for research that both described and explained how teachers of varying experience respond to administrative evaluative feedback. Formative evaluation theory of Scriven and professional growth models of Steffy and Fessler served as theoretical models for data analysis. An online survey asking teachers how they changed their practices and what accounted for their response was received from 270 teachers in 1 Midwestern state. Of these, 9 teachers of varying experience were interviewed. The quantitative data showed that most teachers do not change practices on the 8 state teaching standards in response to feedback ...

Military Students' Persistence In Earning An Online College Degree, Aysel Renay Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to gain insight into the factors that military students perceive to have an impact on their persistence. The conceptual framework for this study was Knowles' principles of andragogy. The research questions were designed to explore military students' persistence, measures of engagement in academic activities, decisionmaking to assure success, and the strategies considered important to earn a degree at an online college. Demographic surveys, status reports and degree plans, and semistructured telephone interviews were collected from 13 military students. Interview data were transcribed and all data were open coded and thematically analyzed. Military ...