Education Commons^™

An Analysis Of Effective Practice Strategies For The Performing Undergraduate University-Level Pianist, Elizabeth Ann Duncan

Music Theses & Dissertations

The intent of this study was to provide awareness of the trends surrounding piano practice pedagogy as determined by students either immersed in a university piano program or graduates thereof. The areas of study include a historical context of university music programs and the field of piano pedagogy, trends of imitative instruction, the importance of qualitative and quantitative practice, and the discovery of piano practice routines of collegiate pianists. This research project was approved for an IRB exemption by the Old Dominion University College of Arts and Letters.

Within this study, the subjects were either graduates of a collegiate piano …

Undergraduate Classroom Incivility From The Faculty Perspective, Erin M. Bunton

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Classroom disruption, more recently referred to as civility, changes the in-person classroom experience. This study investigated the impact of gender, race, age, and teaching experience on faculty perceptions of classroom incivility.

Faculty at a large, public institution in the Southeastern United States participated in the research for this study. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to understand the relationship between the demographic variables of the participants and their perception of classroom incivility.

Study findings yielded significant results, with positive relationships between the demographic variables and perception of classroom incivility. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.

Making It To The Next Grade: How Elementary School Principals Make Sense Of Grade Retention Policies For English Learners, Lynmara Colón

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Critical approaches to policy suggest that policy, even in the most apparently democratic polity or institution, codifies and extends the interests of those who disproportionately wield power (Levinson et al., 2009). While many people are involved in conversations and decisionmaking processes related to the implementation of grade retention or promotion policies, the final decision is made at the school level. Critics of grade retention, meanwhile, also warn that retained students may be harmed by stigmatization, reduced expectations for their academic performance on the part of teachers and parents, and the challenges of adjusting to a new peer group (Schwerdt et …

Closing The Contextual And Chronological Gap: A Design And Development Study Of A Systematic Tool For The Selection Of Learning And Performance Support Interventions, James Knapp Iii

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Gaps in human performance resulting from a lack of skills and knowledge require solutions – interventions. The process of selecting the most effective intervention (solution) for closing a skills and knowledge gap—such as classroom training, e-Learning, Structured on-the-job Training (SOJT), or job-aid—is a fundamental and vital practice for Human Performance Technology (HPT) practitioners. Unlike other activities in the Performance Improvement/HPT (PI/HPT) model, the activity of intervention selection is ambiguous. Meaning, there is currently no systematic process or tool in place for selecting learning and performance-improvement solutions that is reflective of the learning science. Consequently, the critical activity of intervention selection …

Lean Application: An Assessment Of 5s On Employee Attitudes And Productivity, Nickolaos Dimitrios Karvounis

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the effect of the implementation of 5S on employee attitudes and productivity in an Asian based facility of a global manufacturing company. Utilizing an assessment of the 5S implementation in various areas of the facility and organizational performance data for each of those areas, a non-experimental, causal comparative approach is used to analyze the impact. The study concluded that statistically significant improvements from the implementation of 5S were found both in quality and product cost for this facility; however, the study also found statistical significance where the implementation of 5S led to a decrease in performance and …

Experiences Of Low-Income Student-Parents At A Community College During The Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, Marlena Yvonne Jarboe

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Twenty-two percent of United States undergraduate students are parents (Cruse, et al., 2020). Referred to as student-parents, they are most likely to have low-incomes and attend community colleges (Cruse, et al., 2019; Gault et al., 2014). They tend to reduce their course loads and drop out of college due to work-life balance challenges even though they typically have better grade point averages than their non-parent peers (Cruse et al., 2019; Manze, et al., 2021; Peterson, 2016).

The problem to be addressed was how community college instructors, leaders, and legislators can support low-income student-parents’ persistence toward a postsecondary credential. There is …

Covid-19, Technology, And The Math Classroom: Changes, Obstacles, And Victories Integrating Digitally, Lauren Fifield Bellamy

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Secondary math teachers faced new experiences and struggles this past virtual school year due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Nine secondary math teachers from a school division in southeastern Virginia participated in this qualitative single case study. Data collection included individual semi-structured interviews and technology integration artifacts. Through a three round coding process, ten themes emerged to answer the following three research questions: 1) In terms of curriculum, teaching methods, and assessments, how did teachers describe their pedagogical change in virtual learning? 2) How do teachers perceive student performance has changed within the virtual learning space? 3) From teachers’ perspectives, …

Elementary Classroom Teachers’ Perceptions Of Redesigned Classroom Space: A Qualitative Case Study, Kristin Lee Pender

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Classroom redesign is being recognized globally as necessary to better increase student’s enjoyment levels, engagement, collaboration, and learning. Instead of seeing traditional classrooms in a fixed setting where students are seated in rows facing the front of the room, classrooms are being arranged in multiple ways. As a result of this focus on redesigned learning spaces, there is a need to examine teachers’ perceptions about redesigned classroom spaces and understand the decisions behind their design. Thus, it is important to examine teachers’ perceptions of their classroom space to better understand if they consider their students learning needs, engagement levels, and …

Keeping The Course: Nursing Student Motivation During A Pandemic, Travis William Storey

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

Nurses have always been at the frontline of any disaster or health crisis to hit the country, yet, as the United States battled the coronavirus pandemic, the nation saw its nursing shortage worsen. The emotional and physical toll faced by frontline nurses often became unbearable, leading to a skyrocketing of occupational and facility turnover. Concern grew that the pandemic would have an impact on nursing students as well, particularly on the supply of new graduate nurses. Yet, even in the face of such hazardous working conditions, nursing students persisted in their academic studies. The purpose of this quantitative non-experimental study …

Examining The Use Of Immersive Clinical Experiences In Athletic Training Education, Bailey Christine Jones

Health Services Research Dissertations

Clinical experiences are an essential aspect of athletic training education that offer students opportunities to practice their skills and engage in a variety of settings. The Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) sets accreditation standards for athletic training programs to meet, including clinical education standards. In fall 2020, new standards took effect that include a few additions to the standards surrounding clinical education; these additions require programs to afford students opportunities to engage in immersive clinical experiences (ICEs), implement behaviors associated with core competencies, and identify strategies that account for patients’ social determinants of health. Educators believe ICEs …

Creating Conditions For Collaboration: A Case Study On Design-Based Professional Learning, Leslie A. Lehner

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Design thinking is a process for solving complex problems through creative actions. There are three primary ways design thinking is being used in education today: (a) as a teaching tool, (b) as a strategy for teachers to redesign their students’ learning experiences, and (c) as a tool for school leaders to design school change (Gallagher & Thordarson, 2018). Design thinking includes a strong emphasis on team-based learning regarding the problem and possible solutions (Lindberg et al., 2010). This case study describes one school’s approach to navigating complex challenges, inspiring school change, and developing conditions for meaningful collaboration using a design …

Students With Orthopedic Impairments' Perspectives Toward Integrated Physical Education, Katherine E. Holland

Human Movement Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Students with disabilities are educated in general physical education classes with their same aged peers more now than ever before (Governmental Accountability Office [GAO], 2010), yet little is known about how those with orthopedic impairments experience these integrated classes. Additionally, while a plethora of strategies are described as promoting ‘inclusion’, very few ‘inclusive’ strategies have been problematized. This dissertation followed a two-study format. The first study explored the lived experiences of students with orthopedic impairments in integrated physical education classes, and the second study examined how students with orthopedic impairments experienced strategies identified in the literature to support ‘inclusion’. An …

Micropolitical Influences On Teacher Leader Selection & Enactment, Jennifer Lynn Arthur Thomason

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The teacher leader phenomenon is plagued with uncertainty but has potential to be a catalyst for building school capacity and increasing school improvement. Questions remain about defining teacher leadership, roles of teacher leaders, and how they carry out a quasi-leadership role in a traditionally hierarchical system. Research on micropolitics in education, specifically how micropolitical influences within an organization affect teacher leader selection and enactment, is lacking. This phenomenologically informed study explored micropolitical influences on teacher leader selection and enactment through the shared experiences of teacher leaders and administrators. Purposeful, criterion sampling was used to select administrator and teacher leader participants. …

Riverology: Promoting Stewardship Of Rivers Through Youth Participation In Science And Art, Robin R. Dunbar

Institute for the Humanities Theses

This project focuses on mentoring children to help reduce marine debris in their local river by implementing one of ten lessons from an inquiry-based Riverology curriculum to empower youth voice, increase geo-literacy, and spatial thinking. Eighteen participants aged seven and eight, piloted Riverology Lesson 2: What Do I Know or Imagine about the Elizabeth River? that includes six steps: inquire, visualize, draw, share, act, and reflect. The children were asked to make drawings before and after viewing an Elizabeth River Story Map presentation (Dunbar, 2021a). The drawings were then compared to see if the participants included marine debris, stewardship solutions, …

Use Of An Innovative Simulated-Virtual Training To Improve Dental Hygiene Students’ Self-Reported Knowledge, Attitudes, And Confidence In Providing Care To Child Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Kimberly Frances Cenzon

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

Problem: As the diagnosis prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) increases, it is important for dental hygiene students to be knowledgeable and comfortable in providing care to children with ASD. However, limited clinical experiences can result in decreased confidence in the ability to interact with children diagnosed with ASD in a clinical setting. Methodology: A convenience sample of 34, second-year dental hygiene students were recruited from a 4-year entry-level Dental Hygiene program. A simulated-virtual training (SVT) module was developed as an interactive approach for educating dental hygiene students on providing care to a child patient with ASD in a clinical …

A Narrative Study Of The Experiences That Disrupt Or Terminate Entry In The Community College Presidential Pipeline For African American Women, Dana G. Stilley

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Organizational structures, beliefs, and values in higher education are influenced by the deep-seated characteristics of patriarchy, dominance and racial and gender bias, upon which higher education was founded. These factors continue to impact the ascension of African American women to college presidencies. Current challenges facing community colleges include a gap in executive leadership and the underrepresentation of African American women in the presidential pipeline.

The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to better understand the experiences that disrupt or terminate the journey to a presidency for African American women in senior level positions at community colleges. The goal was to …

Physical Education And Extracurricular Activity Participation Of Autistic, Neurodivergent, Disabled Trans Adults, Steven Kelly Holland

Human Movement Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Disabled trans students may be multiply marginalized and/or have reduced access to otherwise affirming gender identity- or disability-related spaces in educational contexts because of their intersectional identities. At present, a limited understanding of disabled trans students school experiences are known. This dissertation was constructed using a two-manuscript format. The purpose of the first study was to investigate the physical education experiences of disabled trans adults. The study was conducted from an interpretivist paradigm and used interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore the lived experiences of disabled trans adults. Six adults (aged 18-30), who identified as: autistic, neurodivergent, disabled, trans, non-binary, …

Towards Failure-Based Instructional Design: A Phenomenological Study Of The Perceptions Of Drone Pilots About The Use Of Simulations To Promote Failure-Based Learning, Nikisha Watson

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Simulations have become increasingly popular in many contexts, particularly for performance optimization, testing, and safety (Aldrich, 2003). By nature, simulations immerse the learner in an environment that is an approximate imitation of the situation or process to be learned (Baek, 2009). In the literature, there is a lack of qualitative research on the perceptions of learners regarding the use of failure-based learning in simulations. The idea of learning through failure experiences is not a new concept, yet, to date, no instructional design models have discussed how to employ failure strategically within education (Tawfik, Rong, & Choi, 2015).

This study utilized …

Is It Better To Be Tough, Or Is Consistency Key? A Multilevel Analysis Examining The Effects Of School Disciplinary Procedures On Perceptions Of Climate And Safety Among Students And Teachers, Erica Nicole Bower

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Though delinquency and violence have been steadily decreasing in American schools, research suggests that discipline use has not followed that same downward trend. This raises questions to why schools are reliant on certain disciplinary practices if rates of student misbehavior are not increasing. Due to zero tolerance mandates, schools often take a harsh approach to punishment, yet are also inconsistent in the punishment of similar misbehavior among students, which often leaves students feeling frustrated and sometimes, unsafe. How do school disciplinary decisions affect the ways in which school actors, such as students and teachers, perceive their schools’ environments? This broad …

A Grounded Theory Qualitative Study Of Assistant Principals As Instructional Leaders In The High School Setting, Mary F. Hardesty

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Assistant principals as content-focused instructional leaders are an essential component of educational reform. Continued state and federal accountability for improved student learning requires promoting assistant principals beyond managerial duties toward increased supervision as instructional leaders. Unfortunately, administrators at the high school level frequently lack content knowledge in the areas they supervise. A critical analysis of the position was needed knowing assistant principals are influential in the teaching and learning process. The first research question determined how and in what ways assistant principals who supervised instruction at the high school level made sense of their position dependent upon whether they were …

Relationship Between Technology Student Association Participation And Soft Skills Development, Controlling For Gender, Lauren M. Lapinski

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between student participation in Technology Student Association and the development of soft skills necessary for gainful employment. This study specifically sought information on relationships between soft skills development and (a) time spent on Technology Student Association activities; (b) competitive event success; (c) assumption of leadership roles; (d) gender. Data were provided by Pennsylvania Technology Student Association and consisted of survey responses from middle and high school students who are active Technology Student Association members across the state (n = 229).

In addition to descriptive data, a multiple linear …

Culturally Responsive School Leaders: Actions, Barriers And The Impact Of Critical Self-Reflection, Dawn Louise Kramer

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The importance of culturally responsive pedagogy has gained prominence in the last few decades. Educational leaders have a significant impact on student outcomes and, as such, it is important that leaders are culturally responsive to meet student needs. The purpose of this study was to use qualitative case study methodology to gain a better understanding of culturally responsive school leaders including their daily actions, the barriers they face and the role of critical self-reflection in their practice. The research design and methodology of this study take into consideration the study’s focus on culturally responsive school leadership through the theoretical triad …

“I’M Just A Middleman": A Phenomenological Study Of Specialized Literacy Professionals' Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Michelle L. Arnold

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Specialized literacy professionals (SLPs) are an integral part of schools, serving as interventionists, coaches, coordinators, and more. They are called on to guide reading and writing in their schools, helping to build academic success for students. However, these individuals are asked to do so much in schools that they have difficulty meeting the expectations set for them. The International Literacy Association has spent decades creating and revising standards for literacy professionals helping to delineate roles for SLPs so that they have set responsibilities that they can focus on. Despite these efforts, SLPs continue to serve a multiplicity of roles. During …

Integrating Empathy Pedagogy With Feminist Thought And Social Justice Praxis, Ashlyn Elizabeth Brown

Institute for the Humanities Theses

This thesis outlines the need for empathy pedagogy in higher education. It will examine how empathy pedagogy can be integrated with feminist thought and social justice praxis. I argue that when we integrate empathy pedagogy with feminist thought and social justice, we are building the capacity for students to understand others’ lives in oppression. Furthermore, an integrated modality of teaching empathy will allow students to foster the traits of empathy within themselves; students are then better able to act as agents of social change by utilizing the traits of empathy to actively listen, self-reflect, and mindfully engage with other lived …

The Role Of Athletic Identity In General Mental Health And Alcohol-Related Help-Seeking Intentions Of College Students, Michael Grant Young

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Young adults are vulnerable to a range of mental health concerns and tend to drink in high quantities and tend to not seek help for these concerns. Specifically, college students involved in athletics tend to have low help-seeking rates—though help-seeking research for this population is relatively limited. Athletic identity (i.e., identification with the athlete role) is a relevant construct for examining this population, however little is known about its association with help-seeking beliefs and ideas. This study examines: (1) the association between athletic identity and help-seeking intentions for both mental health and alcohol use concerns, (2) the association between …

Patient-Perspective Task Performance: Creating Contextually Relevant Student Clinical Training Through The Use Of Patient Experience, Candice L. Freeman

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Patient-centered and patient-focused care purports that patients are at the center of all clinical decisions made for optimal medical outcomes. Optimal medical outcomes originate from accurately and reliably executed task performance by healthcare professionals trained to administer highly specific care for each patient condition. Many of these executed tasks are performed in the presence of the patient; this is defined as direct patient care. However, there are equally important tasks executed that are not performed in the presence of the patient; the performance of diagnostic laboratory testing is an example of such tasks.

Clinical training of healthcare laboratory professionals begins …

Faculty Member Experiences When Identifying And Addressing Prohibited Speech In The Classroom, Scott Jeffrey Bye

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe faculty member experiences related to identifying and addressing prohibited speech in the classroom. The researcher studied faculty members at University of North Carolina (UNC) system institutions using a multiple case study research approach based on the constructivist paradigm. For the purposes of this study, prohibited speech was defined as behaviors that fall into any category deemed not protected or prohibited in case law by the Supreme Court of the United States. These prohibited behaviors included Harassment, Obscenity, Defamation/Libel, Incitement, and True Threats.

Researchers found that faculty members are unable to determine if …

Exploring The Incongruence Between Traditional Neo-Managerial Norms, The Science Of Learning, And The Goals Of Social Justice: A Phenomenological Study Of Educators Lived Experiences Inside This Paradox, Donica Ouckama Hadley

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

While some scholars have critiqued the continued dominance of scientific management on how we conceptualize and run schools (Cuban, 1990; Myran & Sutherland, 2019; Tyack & Cuban, 1995), it remains the dominant paradigm, and even with some surface level structural changes, these have had little impact on the undergirding theories that shape the field (Clandinin & Connelly, 1998; Cuban 2012, Tyack & Cuban, 1995). However, what is particularly troubling, is that scientific management as the dominant theory of action is more grounded in principles of efficiency and uniformity than principles of human agency, learning, equity, and social justice, and therefore …

Does A Schoolwide Silent Reading Initiative Make A Difference In The Reading Habits Of High School Freshmen: A Mixed Methods Study, Stephanie Trzeciakiewicz

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation describes a study that investigated the degree to which a Schoolwide Silent Reading Initiative (SSRI) impacted high-school students’ motivation, attitudes toward, and amount of time spent reading for pleasure both in and outside of school. Multiple methods were used to collect and analyze data, however the data collection window was drastically shortened and unexpectantly closed due to Covid-19. Close analysis of the limited student data available revealed that some adolescents find reading self-selected material enjoyable and spend some of their free time doing so, while most teens report they don’t find reading to be a pleasurable activity and …

Body Dissatisfaction And Disordered Eating Among College Women’S Social Networks: An Investigation Of Perceived Changes Following A Dissonance-Based Body Image Intervention, Rachel I. Macintyre

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Body dissatisfaction is associated with numerous health consequences and is pervasive among college women. Effective interventions exist that reduce body dissatisfaction in college women by helping them resist sociocultural pressures to conform to the appearance ideal, such as the Body Project. Yet research is limited on whether social and behavioral processes help participants reduce their engagement in sociocultural appearance-ideal messages and contribute to the intervention’s effectiveness. The primary purpose of the present study was to examine these social and behavioral processes, including the changes in college women’s social networks associated with their participation in the Body Project. Undergraduate and graduate …