Education Commons^™

The Centrality Of Claim-Making In The Social Studies Classroom: Teaching For Claim-Making With The Persuasive Claim Framework, Ryan Anders Lewis

Theses and Dissertations--Curriculum and Instruction

This dissertation includes three articles that focus on the importance of claim-making and argumentative writing in social studies classrooms. Each article highlights various aspects of the claim-making process by introducing ways for teachers to help students write better claims, highlighting the importance of claim-making within the extant social studies literature, and analyzing the results of centering the claim-making process in a preservice teaching methods program.

Article One, “What’s in a Claim: A Framework for Helping Students Write Persuasive Claims?” (2021), is an article written for practicing teachers. As part of a larger discussion on the challenges of implementing the dimensions …

Moral Foundations And Student Perceptions Of Academic Dishonesty: A Mixed Methods Study, Carla Spires Hargus

Theses and Dissertations--Curriculum and Instruction

This mixed methods study explored students’ hypothetical choices of behavior in a series of ten academic vignettes. In addition, it examined student judgments of academic behaviors as acceptable or dishonest. Finally, it compared scores on the Moral Foundations Questionnaire-2 to the importance of factors that might influence student behavioral choices in real world scenarios and explored the differences in perceptions among demographic groups.

Twenty-five undergraduate students participated in the study. In a semi-structured interview, each student discussed ten academic vignettes: predicting their own hypothetical behavioral choice, judging target behaviors as honest or dishonest, and identifying factors that would most influence …

Investigating The Relationship Between Empowerment And Secondary Science Teachers’ Technology Integration Knowledge, Jane Elizabeth Walsh

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

Empowered teachers believe they can improve their work conditions and positively impact student outcomes. Likewise, teachers with technology integration knowledge can effectively use technology to enhance lessons and improve student learning. This quantitative correlational study investigated teachers’ empowerment, teachers’ technology integration knowledge, and associations between empowerment and technology integration knowledge. Two hundred fourteen randomly selected high school science teachers from across the United States responded to a survey intended to measure empowerment and technology integration knowledge. The teachers' average responses indicate that teachers generally agree with statements surrounding empowerment (M = 3.93, SD = 0.54) and technology integration knowledge …

Transformative Learning In Teachers’ Family Collaboration With English Learner Families: The Role Of Beliefs, Cultural Competence, And Communities Of Practice, Sara Saberimoghaddam

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Through a multiple case approach, this qualitative research study examined how teachers' beliefs on family collaboration and cultural competence related to their family collaboration practices within Culturally Responsive Instruction. The learning theories of Communities of Practice (Lave &Wenger, 1991) and Transformative Learning (Mezirow, 1978), and Critical Consciousness (Freire, 1979) were used as the lens to analyze the data. Teacher interviews and classroom observations were used as data sources. The study found that teachers’ perception of cultural competence impacted their classroom practices. Teachers who worked hard to intentionally change their cultural competence awareness into family collaboration actions appeared to be more …

Cold Calling In The Classroom: Exploring Student Perceptions Of Instructor Communication Using The Face Negotiation Theory, Cynthia Chinazo Nnagboro

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Using face negotiation theory (Ting-Toomey, 1988) as a theoretical framework, this dissertation sought to determine students’ perceptions of instructor communication during classroom discussions where instructors use cold calling tactics. According to FNT, students perceived that self-construal determines their face concern as either self, other/mutual face. Therefore, an instructor must determine the best facework strategies to prevent face loss during classroom discussions to maintain optimal student outcomes in communication satisfaction and motivation to participate. This was accomplished by using 8 hypothetical vignettes, a pilot test and an experiment that measured face threat, face support, student communication satisfaction and motivation, intention to …

Broken Down: A Mixed Methods Inquiry Examining The Mechanics Of The Segmenting Principle Using Flipped Math Instruction For Automotive Technicians, John David Baumgarten

Theses and Dissertations--Curriculum and Instruction

Mayer’s Segmenting Principle requires an instructional designer to both break the instruction into small functional pieces and pause instruction between each of these pieces until a student signals readiness to move on. Over decades of research, investigators have consistently demonstrated that segmented multimedia content achieves better learning assessment outcomes than continuous content across various academic disciplines, ages, and ability levels. While current segmenting research has shown impressive results in tightly controlled experimental scenarios, there is far less research on its application in the real world. To date, the vast majority of segmenting principle studies only assess short-term knowledge using an …

A Statewide Network’S Impact On School Leaders’ Self-Efficacy For Transformational School Change, Karen Perry

Theses and Dissertations--Curriculum and Instruction

Changing educational practice is widely understood to be a challenging endeavor, even for experienced school leaders. Much of the research on school networks focuses on building teacher capacity for improving student performance, but less evidence exists relating to increasing school leaders’ self-efficacy, specifically for the purpose of transformational school change. Building on the body of research of school networks and leaders’ self-efficacy, this mixed methods participatory action research study investigates how a network, facilitated by university faculty, impacts the leadership self-efficacy of high school principals for the purpose of leading transformational school change. Self- efficacy is both malleable and essential …

Principals As Instructional Leaders: Building Knowledge Of Applied Learning To Confidently Lead Implementation, Janell Lynn Mcclure

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

Principals need to understand best practices and research-based strategies that foster student success and that align to their instructional expectations and professional goals. Some of those practices include applied learning strategies such as integrated learning, student-driven learning, and authentic applications. Unfortunately, little professional learning, specifically for principals, is made available on the topic of instructional leadership, current strategies, or applied learning in general. As a result, school leaders continue to follow a traditional instructional model that includes teacher-directed instruction, student recall of information, and standardized tests as measures of content mastery.

This dissertation was a mixed-methods action research study. The …

High School Student Perceptions Of Positive Behavior Interventions And Supports, Candice Conley

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This case study examines student voice and their interpretations of the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework used in one Kentucky high school. Qualitative interview data from high school student focus groups was analyzed using grounded theory to develop themes related to PBIS implementation.

Using open and axial coding, themes were developed from common student interpretations of PBIS within focus groups. Participants discussed a variety of positive techniques teachers use inside the classroom and responses to student behavior. Reward systems were discussed, but more importantly students offered suggestions of interventions and supports to offer at school. When asked to …

An Investigation Of Individualized Education Programs For Students With Autism, Jordan Findley

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Autism is one of the fastest growing educational disability groups (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, 2021). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA, 2004) ensures all students have access to a free and appropriate public education. Individualized Education Programs (IEP) have been described as central to IDEIA (2004) and are the most common service received by children with autism (Berrcera et al., 2017; Yell et al., 2003). Despite the frequent use of the IEP in service provision for students with autism, there is relatively little research on the content and quality of IEPs for students …

An Examination Of Factors Impacting Home-School Collaboration In Head Start Populations, Madison Mei-Mei Yee

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Two essential pillars in a preschool-age student’s life include their caregiver and their teacher. In turn, it is unsurprising that a more cohesive relationship between these two figures can promote better wellbeing, academic skills, and overall developmental growth in young children. Unfortunately, a multitude of barriers impede home-school collaboration, such as socioeconomic status, non-English speaking households, and caregiver mental health, just to name a few. Head Start, a federally funded preschool program, targets underserved populations who often relate to these named barriers. Head Start works out of the Parent, Family, and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework, a framework specifically geared toward …

Doing The Work: Using Questions, Tasks, And Sources To Navigate Teaching Contentious Social Studies In Secondary Classrooms, Bonnie Patrice Lewis

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This explanatory case study examines how two secondary social studies teachers use inquiry-based learning to mitigate the risks of teaching contentious social studies in a charged classroom. Research questions included: 1. How do two in-service secondary teachers use inquiry-based instruction to navigate teaching contentious social studies during charged times? 2. What curricular and pedagogical choices were made by the in-service teachers to navigate risk when designing inquiry-based instruction that features contentious social studies during charged times? 3. What curricular and pedagogical choices were made by the in-service teachers to navigate risk when delivering inquiry-based instruction that features contentious social studies …

How Principals Foster A Culture Of Student Voice, Anne Stewart Demott

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Student voice is a key component of educational leadership, yet school leaders remain confounded about how to succinctly define student voice, how to offer opportunities for students that position them as decision-makers in their schools, and how to integrate student voice into their daily practice, much less transform school cultures into vibrant, student-centered communities of learning. The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of how high school principals define student voice, the opportunities they provide for student voice in their schools, and the strategies they implement to foster cultures of student voice.

The study uses a sequential …

Evaluating Microlearning Strategies In The Corporate Environment: A Comparative Mixed Methods Study Using The Kirkpatrick Model, Megan Laird Reynolds

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Corporate training and development, despite their significance as primary learning strategies for adults, have received limited research attention. This study addresses this gap by evaluating and comparing the effectiveness of video-based and digital job aid procedural-based microlearning in a corporate setting, utilizing most of the Kirkpatrick Model: learner satisfaction, knowledge retention, and behavior change. Employing a mixed methods approach to gain a comprehensive understanding of microlearning’s application and potential for improving business outcomes, the study incorporates pre- and post-tests, participant interviews, and self-reported questionnaires. Thirty participants completed the study, with equal representation (15 participants each) for both modalities, and interviews …

Survey Development And Validation: Student Self Expectations Of The First-Year College Experience Survey (The Se-Fye Scale), Min Xiao

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

First year at a university is often a transitional stage for students where they have opportunities to grow and develop in various areas and get familiar with a collegiate environment. Understanding what first-year students expect to navigate and succeed in their first year at the university is crucial. Their expectations reflect how well they prepared for university, affecting their behaviors and eventually influencing their intentions to continue higher education. One of the primary purposes of this study was to design a survey to measure student self-expectations of the first-year college experience (the SE-FYE scale) by applying a structured survey development …

Gesture And The Auditory Impact On The Perception Of Sound: A Performance Guide For Understanding Gestural Function On Percussion Pedagogy And Performance, Emily Lane Durocher

Theses and Dissertations--Music

I will address the concept of physical gestures and discuss how they are applicable to the way percussionists visually and audibly perceive music. Through my research, I will focus on performance and pedagogy, seeking new possibilities for introducing percussionists at all ability levels to different articulations. Percussionists have traditionally been led to believe that they do not have the versatility over the initial musical attack and sustain that wind and string players do. This document has been developed to provide a more in-depth approach to how physical and musical gestures can function to create a more versatile and musical percussionist. …

Assessing 4-H And Its Circle Of Courage In A Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility: A Case Study, Elizabeth Steering

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

This 4-H case study takes place in a psychiatric residential treatment facility (PRTF) in Kentucky. The PRTF provides clinical services to youth that are not able to be safely maintained in their homes due to having demonstrated unsafe or harmful behaviors. Youth admitted to the PRTF stay for an average of three to six months while they receive intensive therapeutic and psychiatric care as well as medical treatment and public schooling. The current case study incorporates programming from 4-H, which is the youth development program of the Cooperative Extension System (CES) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), …

Utilizing Podcast Education To Improve Nurse Knowledge, Confidence, And Behaviors Related To Palliative Care Conversations In The Intensive Care Unit, Brittany Estridge

DNP Projects

Background: The personal connection that Registered Nurses (RNs) build with patients and their families puts them at the forefront of many conversations during the patient’s stay in the intensive care unit (ICU). Some of the most difficult conversations are related to palliative care (PC). It can be challenging to know how to respond to the complex questions posed in palliative care conversations (PCC) when patients and their caregivers are making decisions that will alter the course of the patient’s treatment, as well as affect the quality and length of their life.

Purpose: Nurses receive inadequate training in PCC. The purpose …

Evaluating Kentucky Advanced Practice Registered Nurses’ Confidence, Comfort, And Knowledge Levels Regarding Dermatology Care After A Web-Based Video Training, Victoria Hayden

DNP Projects

Background: It can take an average of 38.9 days to see dermatology from referral to initial appointment. As a result, delays in diagnosis and treatment of life-threatening conditions such as malignant melanoma could occur. Primary care providers frequently refer patients for benign conditions that can be appropriately managed in the primary care setting; often due to lack of knowledge or confidence in their clinical management skills. Educational resources equip providers with the knowledge and tools to feel confident in their management of various skin conditions in a primary care setting. Purpose: The purpose of this project was to …

The Protection Of Student Data Privacy In Wisconsin School Board Policies, Curtis Clyde Rees

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

American schools have increasingly adopted technology resources to fulfill their educational obligations. These tools are for instruction, communication, and storing and analyzing student information. Student data can be directory information, enrollment records, achievement data, and student-created products. This increased utilization began with the passage of No Child Left Behind in 2001, and the COVID-19 pandemic led to more educational technology use of student data. Districts turned to third-party vendors for assistance with data systems and virtual learning resources. Before, during, and after the pandemic, stakeholders were concerned about information security and the students' privacy. School leaders looked to federal regulations …

A Quantcrit Investigation Of The Discriminatory Practices In Texas Education Funding, Stuart Andrew Keogh

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

The Texas constitution guarantees citizens a "general diffusion of knowledge" and an "efficient system of public free schools." However, the state has often failed to provide sufficient funding to meet this constitutional mandate. Many school districts, especially those serving low-income or minority communities, have been chronically underfunded. This has led to unequal access to quality education. As a result, there have been numerous lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of Texas's school funding system. Plaintiffs argue that the state has violated the education clause of the constitution by failing to adequately and equitably fund public schools. Despite several legislative attempts at reform, …

Comparing Indirect Assessment Results To A Direct Function Focused Preference Assessment To Identify Potential Reinforcers To Increase Task Completion In A School Setting, Kailee Joy Matthews

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

In the present study, a concurrent operant analysis (COA) was conducted for one elementary aged student in a publicly funded school to determine if the results yielded an interpretable outcome to identify a potential reinforcer to increase work completion. A simultaneous treatments design was used during the COA to assess choice making behavior. The results of the COA indicated the student’s choice making behavior was maintained by access to attention. An indirect measure of motivation was used as a secondary assessment to identify a potential reinforcer to increase work completion and to determine if the results would align with the …

Effects Of Peer Training On The Use Of Aided Language Modeling And Aac User Communicative Acts, Shelby Smith Sheets

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of two peers versus one peer on the rate of aided language modeling. The peers were trained and then implemented the communication strategy while playing a tabletop game with an AAC user with extensive support and complex communication needs (ESCCN). A multitreatment design was used to compare the effects of the rate of aided language models (ALM) provided by peers, the rate of communicative acts (CA) provided by the AAC user, and the fidelity of peer implementation of ALM when two peers versus one peer played a tabletop game with …

Comparing The Efficacy Of Interventions Derived From Concurrent Operant Analysis And Indirect Assessment, Lane Marquardt

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

In this study, a simultaneous treatments design was used to conduct a concurrent operant analysis (COA) to evaluate the choice making behavior of one elementary aged student. The COA results were used as a possible reinforcer for one of the conditions for the intervention to increase work completion. An indirect assessment, Questions about Behavioral Function (QABF), was used identify a hypothesized function to the student’s lack of task completion behavior. The results from thee QABD were used as a possible reinforcer for one of the conditions for the intervention to increase work completion. An alternating treatments design (ATD) was used …

Evaluating A Rapid Coaching Intervention That Includes Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Teaching A Parent Naturalistic Strategies, Lauren Reiss

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

Parents of young children with or at risk for disabilities face added stress and challenges every day. This study implemented a rapid coaching intervention to teach a parent naturalistic language interventions such as mapping language onto their child's play, narrating their own play, and arranging the environment. In addition, parents were trained to use a milieu teaching procedure. In addition, a pre-service behavior interventionist and speech-language pathologist collaborated on selecting instructional targets for the child.

Principal Leadership Practices At Kentucky High Schools Administering The Pisa For Schools: Leading For Global Competitiveness, Marjorie L. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Since launching Sputnik in 1957, the United States education system has been trying to climb to the top of the international education rankings. The Organisation for Economic and Co-operative Development (OECD) began analyzing how well school systems prepared students to compete in the global economy in 2000. The OECD uses the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). U.S. students rank at or near the OECD averages in reading and science but consistently perform below the OECD average in mathematics. In addition to the PISA, the OECD released the PISA for Schools, which provides PISA data at the school level.

In …

Teachers’ Sustained Culturally Responsive Practices Three Years After Participation In Professional Development, Brittany Manion

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Teacher professional development (PD) on culturally responsive practices (CRP) provides teachers the opportunity to increase their knowledge and change their practices to better support students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. This study sampled from a year-long intensive PD on effective instructional practices for English learners (ELs). Grounded in transformative and situated learning theories, this study was designed to understand teachers’ sustained CRP and their experiences four years after participating in a CRP PD. Several questions were investigated in this study: What CRP do teachers sustain? What are factors and supports related to teachers’ sustained implementation? What challenges do teachers …

Developing Pedagogical Content Knowledge As Communal Practice: A Case Study Of Chemistry Graduate Teaching Assistants, Walker Bryan Mask

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Learning does not only happen during dedicated instructional time, which also applies to learning how to teach. Teachers can reflect on their practice while working to continue to improve and develop their teaching skills. In addition to self-reflection, teachers can also learn from their colleagues to experiment with new practices and take others’ teaching knowledge into their repertoire. Understanding how these two processes function can lead to developments in teacher education and professional development, specifically for initiatives that seek to promote collaboration among teachers. Post-secondary educators in particular can benefit from collaborative and reflective practices to improve their teaching, especially …

The Perceptions And Usage Of The Interactive Video Playposit In A General Chemistry Course, Tracy Gastineau-Stevens

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Technology within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classrooms has been a topic of discussion for decades (Reiser, 2001, 2007). With the inclusion of more technologies or digital tools in the classroom has pushed classes towards a blended learning or flipped classroom approach (Atkins 2015; Tayebinik & Puteh, 2013; Williams et al., 2008). One such digital tool that has started gaining traction in the STEM classroom is the interactive video (M. K. Seery, 2013; Smith, 2013). Interactive videos allow students to watch the general lecture material outside of class and work through problems during normal class time (M. K. Seery, …

Score Equating Between Aeps-2 And Aeps-3 For 0-3 Year Olds, Yuyan Xia

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Over the past two decades, the emphasis on educational equity in early childhood education (ECE) and early childhood special education (ECSE) has highlighted the importance of assessment through policies and regulations. Ensuring accurate assessment scores is a fundamental aspect of this trend. The release of the Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System for Infants and Children, Third Edition (AEPS-3) in December 2021 led to a shift from the Second Edition (AEPS-2) in child development scoring. In order to harmonize the previous and updated assessment versions for children aged 0-3 across six developmental domains, a common item non-equivalent design, featuring fixed parameter …