Education Commons^™

Factor Analysis Of Online Instruction Self-Efficacy Using The Tennessee Online Instruction Survey, Frederick Augustus Randall

Doctoral Dissertations

As the use of online instruction continues to rise in post-secondary education and corporate training, a better understanding of one's beliefs, attitudes, and confidence regarding online instruction is necessary to increase the quality and effectiveness of online instruction. This study investigated self-efficacy beliefs related to online instruction. Self-efficacy, a psychological construct, is defined as self-appraisal of one's capabilities to plan and undertake a course of actions required for a specified task.

The objectives of this study were to (a) develop a survey instrument to measure the psychological construct of self-efficacy related to online instruction; (b) identify the salient factors of …

Use Of Case Studies In Abet Accredited Engineering Technology Associate Degree Programs In The United States, James L. Barrott

Doctoral Dissertations

Over the years, the case method of instruction has been successfully integrated into professional educational programs like business, law, medicine, and psychology. In the 1960’s, Stanford University began a movement to include case studies in engineering programs. In the 1970’s a number of engineering professors developed and taught with cases and then published their experiences. Then in the 1980’s and 1990’s, the engineering case study movement died down. Engineering and engineering technology educational programs are closely related. In the literature, any national movement in engineering technology education to use case studies was virtually non-existent with the exception of the work …

The Relationship Between Self-Directed Learning And Learning Styles, James Boyd Canipe

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between self-directed learning readiness and learning styles. A cluster sample of 260 graduate students enrolled in classes in the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences at Morehead State University at Morehead, Kentucky was utilized in this research.

The Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS), developed by L. M. Guglielmino (1977), and the Learning Style Inventory (LSI) developed by D. A. Kolb (1984), were administered to the sample as a means of exploring the relationship between the two variables. In addition, a demographic questionnaire was used to describe the characteristics of the …

Teachers' Perceptions Of And Interventions In Episodes Of Bullying In Schools, Carynn Townsend Wiggins

Doctoral Dissertations

Bullying, defined as the repeated exposure of a less powerful person to negative actions by a more powerful person or group of people, is a serious problem in schools. There are often severe negative consequences, both short-term and long-term, for both the victim and the bully. The attitudes of teachers play a major role in determining the extent and the acceptance of bullying in schools.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the perceptions of selected teachers in reference to bullying. Six teachers were chosen from regional and state teacher of the year competition during 1998–2000. In addition, six …

An Ethnographic Study Of Participants' Perceptions Of Character Education Including Students, Parents, Teachers, Club Sponsors, Administrators, And Community Support People, Lily Odessa Hogan Stoppleworth

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study examined character education within one educational setting. The researcher created a holistic, narrative description of the extent, quality, and impact of character education at one North Louisiana high school. An emergent design was utilized to examine inductively participants' perceptions of character education initiatives within this single, educational site.

The research questions in this study were: (a) How do participants (students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community members) define character education, and what do they perceive its value to be? (b) How do participants perceive character education in relation to values? (c) How is character education viewed by the …

Neuropsychological And Electrophysiological Assessment Of Adults With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, John Noland White Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations

The present study evaluated the neuropsychological performance of adults with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) during the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test: Computerized Version 3 (WCST), and the Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (IVA). The quantitative electroencephalograph (QEEG) was also collected during task performance to examine possible difference in cortical activity between groups and tasks. Results suggest that adults with ADHD demonstrate lower levels of performance on neuropsychological tasks that involve working memory, processing speed, and sustained attention, namely the PASAT and IVA. Furthermore, adult ADHD appears to be characterized by …

Perceptions Of Principals As To The Degree Of Implementation And Effect Of The Middle School Concept In Louisiana, Susan Nelson Shofner

Doctoral Dissertations

Turning Points: Preparing American Youth for the 21st Century (Carnegie, 1989) contained recommendations for improving middle level education. These recommendations included: (a) creating small communities for learning, (b) teaching a common knowledge core, (c) ensuring success for all students, (d) empowering teachers and administrators, (e) preparing teachers in middle grades, (f) improving academic performance through health and fitness, (g) re-engaging families in the education of adolescents, and (h) connecting schools with communities.

The objectives of this study were to determine, according to middle school principals, the extent to which the Carnegie recommendations have been implemented in the public schools of …

Effects Of Dietary Fatty Acids On Intestinal Tumorigenesis In ApcMin/+ Mice, Melissa Hansen Petrik

Doctoral Dissertations

Dietary fat is thought to be an important environmental factor influencing colorectal cancer risk. n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have been linked to a lower risk of colorectal cancer and it has been presumed that this effect is due to their ability to interfere with synthesis of 2-series prostaglandins from arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4 n-6). However, the specific mechanism has not been clearly established. Therefore, we hypothesized that select dietary fatty acids would modulate intestinal tumorigenesis through interference with AA metabolism in the Apc^Min/+ mouse, a unique model system bearing many similarities to human intestinal cancer. α-linolenic acid (ALA, …

I Never Thought About Thinking: Experiences Of Participants In A Reflective Learning Group, Donal Martin Crosse

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the underlying dynamics of a reflective practice class taught as a graduate level course at a large southeastern state university. Specifically this research explored: (i) how participants in the class made meaning of their experiences; and (ii) what were the underlying processes of the class. The data collection methods employed in this study included a biographical interview with each participant in order to get a sense for what they brought to the class, a phenomenological interview with each participant on his or her experience in the class, participant observation in class meetings, …

Long-Term Effects Of Performance Funding: A Case Study Of 20 Years At Tennessee Technological University, Jeffrey Lorber

Doctoral Dissertations

In this study, the principal investigator sought to determine what effect, if any, that performance funding has had on academic decision making at a public higher education institution in Tennessee. In conducting a case study, the principal investigator interviewed 18 current and former administrators and faculty members to determine attitudes and perceptions about performance funding at the institution. An extensive review of campus documents provided additional information for the study. Findings of the study focused on institutional policy changes since the performance funding policy was implemented, strengths and weaknesses of the policy, and recommendations for future actions relative to the …

An Investigation Of The Relationships Between Learning Styles, Personality Temperaments, Mathematics Self-Efficacy, And Post-Secondary Calculus Achievement, D. Sharon Husch

Doctoral Dissertations

With the availability of the internet, many web-based tutorials, and related materials and computer based tutorials, students continue to fail and/or do poorly in calculus classes. On average about fifty percent of students receive a grade of D, F, or W (withdraw) in first semester calculus at the university level. To meet the needs of all students, regardless of learning style, attitude towards mathematics, or ability level, teachers should utilize modern technology, such as computers or graphing calculators. These tools are able to serve the needs of the students in ways that other tools have not been able to accomplish. …

Tellin' It Like It Is: Disempowerment And Marginalization Of First-Generation, Low-Income College Students: A Participatory Research, Charlene P. Lobo

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the origins and outcomes of disempowerment and marginalization in five first-generation, low-income college students who were participants in Student Support Services, a federally funded TRIO program at a large urban commuter state university. Using dialogic introspection and participatory research, the participants reflected on their experiences in the areas of disempowerment, marginalization, educational equity, oppression and the needs and concerns of first-generation low-income students. Generative themes fell into three areas: creating conditions for learning; silencing the voice; and resistance, persistence and hope. Themes that created negative experiences for the students included disparities between academic and personal cultures, lack …

Coming To Voice: Exploring The Experiences Of Teacher Education And Special Education Professors Of African Descent In Institutions Of Higher Education, Kimberly L. Mayfield

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to explore the perceptions of employment experiences and the pursuit of promotion and tenure by teacher education and special education professors of African descent. This study investigated the perceptions held by teacher education and special education professors of African descent in the areas of recruitment, retention and the tenure and promotion process. Lastly, the present study engaged in an inquiry with these professors regarding their perceptions of critical areas of research needed to improve educational equity and achievement for African American students. This population was encouraged to reflect on these areas in terms …

Children's Song-Makers As Messengers Of Hope: Participatory Research With Implications For Teacher Educators, Peter J. Baird

Doctoral Dissertations

Pete Seeger, Ella Jenkins, Suni Paz and six other leading children's musicians in the U.S contributed their experience to this study about the crucial role of music and singing for social justice in children's lives and its shrinking presence in U.S. pre-school and elementary schools. The study built its theoretical framework on arts and music education, transformative education, and folk and socially conscious children's music. Participatory research, based on the revolutionary education theories of Paulo Freire, guided the dialogues with the participants. These activist singer-songwriters were asked how they define social justice, how they involve children in singing, and what …