Education Commons^™

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

Masters Theses

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

Avoiding Pitfalls In Administrative Internships, M. Scott Korpak

Masters Theses

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

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

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

Masters Theses

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

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

The Relationship Between Self-Esteem And Impostor Phenomenon Of Female Teachers For Kindergarten Through Grade 12, Sheila F. Matthews

Dissertations

Some researchers have recognized the importance of understanding women’s experiences. Some psychosocial characteristics, such as low levels of self-esteem and self-efficacy, and low success expectations have been identified as barriers for women’s career development (Betz, 1994). Because many women have continued to select careers that are considered as female-dominated (e.g., teaching) and because psychosocial characteristics and experiences of teachers such as self-esteem and the impostor phenomenon can have an influence on their students’ self-esteem, this researcher believed that this is an important topic for continued research. Although these two concepts, self-esteem and impostor phenomenon, have been documented as two unrelated …

A Study Of The Effect Of Group Family Play On Family Relations For Families With Children Considered At-Risk For Educational Failure, Carmen Colleen Baldus

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Changing Mathematical Discourse: A Case Study Of A Secondary Mathematics Teacher, Mary Lynn Breyfogle

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Truth Claims Of Online Higher Education A Social Constructionist Analysis, Thomas Wells Brignall Iii

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

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

Masters Theses

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

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

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

Masters Theses

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

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

Masters Theses

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

Learning To Construct Proofs In A First Course On Mathematical Proof, Peter R. Atwood

Dissertations

This study examined the conceptions o f proof that undergraduate students have upon entry to a transition course on mathematical proof how they develop skill in planning and reporting proofs, obstacles encountered, and effects of instruction on their performance in solidifying schema in proof-planning and proof-reporting.

The subjects were sophomores and juniors (n=16) in a transition course at a large midwestern university. The course was taught by one o f the co-authors o f the text, "Mathematical Proofs" (Chartrand, Polimeni, and Zhang, 1999, in press). Assessment of learning to construct proofs was through quizzes and a final exam developed by …

New Teachers’ Perceptions Of Discipline-Related School Problems And Teacher Satisfaction, Amy L. Kavanaugh

Dissertations

Satisfaction The public is concerned with school safety because of recent school shootings resulting in multiple deaths. Educators are concerned that perceptions of school safety may affect new teacher attrition.

Three questions were examined in this study: (1) What is the trend of new teachers’ perceptions of discipline-related school problems? (2) Do new teachers’ perceptions of school problems vary by teacher gender, school level, size, location, and percentage of minority students?, and (3) Are new teachers’ perceptions of school problems related to their professional satisfaction?

National data gathered by the National Center for Education Statistics through the Schools and Staffing …

Effects Of Software Use On The Preparation Of The Individualized Education Programs (Iep’S), Nancy Ann Beukema

Dissertations

Special educators are required to process paperwork mandated by federal regulations for students with special needs. The Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1997 (IDEA ’97, Public Law 105-17) requires the evaluation of students with special needs occur as frequently as their non-disabled peers. An annual review is also mandated for each student’s individualized educational program (IEP), in order to reevaluate the future goals and objectives of the IEPs. A student identified as needing special education services is one who needs specially designed instruction and this instruction must meet the specific individual needs of that student. IDEA ‘97 mandates the need …

The Making Of A Textbook On Behavior Analysis And Autism A Behavior Analytic Approach, Sebastien Bosch

Dissertations

After deciding that a need existed for writing a textbook on autism from a behavior analytic perspective, Dr. Malott and I developed Behavior Analysis. Autism and Related Disabilities (BAARD) for use by the students enrolled in the autism practicum at Western Michigan University. As in a circular relationship, the practicum students evaluated and guided the subsequent revisions of the manuscript, and the revisions influenced the subsequent evaluations. BAARD covers all the principles and concepts of behavior analysis that are relevant to treatments and issues in autism and related disabilities and numerous treatments and phenomena specific to developmental disabilities.

During its …

A Behavioral Systems Analysis Of Textbook Quality Improvement, Elizabeth T. Suarez

Dissertations

Behavioral systems analysis is a deliberate approach to systems-design that is intended to help a system achieve its ultimate goals. The present study used behavioral systems analysis in an attempt to improve the quality o f a college-level textbook. Formative and expert evaluations were used to assess the needs of the textbook. Once the needs were determined, a six-step process of analysis, goal specification, design, implementation, evaluation, and recycling was used to meet the objectives specified by the needs assessment.

The first objective of this study was to produce and publish an improved edition of a textbook and to begin …

A Systems Approach To Designing An Internship Model That Benefits The Sponsoring Organization, Peter-Comelius Dams

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Self-Criticism As Experienced By Performing Artists A Phenomenological Study, Rosemary Hakes

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe and document the essence of the experience of self-criticism for performing artists with the aim of providing recommendations for educational and therapeutic purposes. Moustakas (1994) defines essence as “that which is common or universal, the condition or quality without which a thing would not be what it is” (p. 100). In this study a phenomenological research paradigm was used. Each step in the data reduction process built directly toward revelation of essence through synthesis.

The central question guiding this research was: What is the essence of self-criticism as it is experienced by …

A Study Of Emergent Leadership Factors In A Total Ministry Model, David C. Meyers

Dissertations

This study generalized emergent leadership research to the unstudied population of Total Ministry parishes in the Episcopal Church. The research population was 75 small congregations who chose parish members as their liturgical and pastoral leaders. A survey was designed to distinguish more satisfied from less satisfied parishes in areas of worship, climate, and pastoral care. Each group was given a questionnaire with 29 emergent leadership factors. It was hypothesized that more satisfied parishes would match the constructs of emergent leadership to a higher degree. A T-test was used to compare scores. Results were very strong in pastoral care and climate, …

An Analysis Of The Past, Present, And Future Of Title Ix In Intercollegiate Athletics Through Various Case Studies, Specifically Western Michigan University, Tara L. Becker

Honors Theses

Although collegiate athletics i only a small portion of Title IX, it has been the most widely discussed and controversial part of the law to implement. It seems that colleges and universities have had the most trouble complying with the specifics of the law. However, they have made great strides since the days of the predominantly male world of collegiate sports in the past. This paper examines historical controversies, and takes a closer look at the impact of Title IX at Western Michigan University.

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

Masters Theses

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

Correlates Of Life Satisfaction After Retirement, Richard A. Tackett

Dissertations

Much of the literature on aging, retirement, and stages of life has focused on men. The changing role from productive members of society to that of being retired can be either viewed as an opportunity to experience new adventures or depressing for those who are unable to move successfully into the next developmental stage of life. This study examined factors that could contribute to life satisfaction in 144 individuals who were over 65 years of age. The factors that were included in this examination are self-esteem, morale, depression, and demographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender, ethnicity, educational level, marital status, income, …

Transitioning And Adapting To College: A Case-Study Analysis Of The Experience Of University Students With Psychiatric Disabilities, Kenneth M. Werner

Dissertations

The psychiatric rehabilitation literature (Unger, 1987) indicates that few studies have been conducted about the adaptational demands associated with the transition to college for young adults with psychiatric disabilities who negotiate the university experience without the benefit o f a supported education program .

The purpose of this study was to describe how individual, social, and institutional factors contributed to the successful transition and adaptation to college life for students with psychiatric disabilities. The study sought to identify how students with psychiatric disabilities disclosed their illness in order to request support services and accommodations, and which services were essential or …

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

Masters Theses

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

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

Masters Theses

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

The Effects Of Educational Development Plans Motivation To Learn, And Attitudes And Behaviors Toward Learning Among Eighth Graders, Mary Alice Schultz-Krajenta

Dissertations

Educational Development Plans (EDP) have been utilized by school students to structure their curricular programs to meet their high school educational outcomes and to align their curriculum with their desired adult roles. The focus of this study was to examine the effects of EDPs on motivation, attitudes and behaviors towards learning.

A total of 342 eighth-grade students participated in this research which utilized a quantitative and a qualitative approach. The quantitative study used existing data obtained from a small Midwest school district. There were 151 students in the treatment group and 191 students in the control group. Scores from the …