Education Commons^™

College Choice Decisions Of Student Athletes, John Patrick Teeples

Doctoral Dissertations

This study is a population study of college choice criteria among student athletes at the University of Tennessee. This study surveyed 408 student athletes from an NCAA division 1A institution during their team meetings, spring semester of 2004. These participants competed in 16 sports: baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s track and field (both indoor, outdoor, and cross-country), women’s soccer, women’s softball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s volleyball and women’s rowing.

The 408 student athletes were categorized by gender, race, socio-economic status, scholarship level, and sport played. …

Achievement Of Eighth Grade Students In Mathematics After, Megan Shanette Bray

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the three- year effect of the Connected Mathematics Project (CMP) on the mathematics achievement of middle school students in a southeastern Tennessee public school district. This was accomplished by (1) comparing the mathematics achievement of eighth graders who have completed three years of CMP with their mathematics achievement after completing one and two years of CMP; (2) comparing the achievement of male and female students during the same period of time; and (3) comparing the mathematics achievement of historically underrepresented students after completing one, two, and three years of CMP.

In …

Principals' Implementation Of Exclusion Policy In Tennessee Public High Schools, Clarence Steve Moser

Doctoral Dissertations

The exclusion of students from school has been a last-resort response that principals have chosen to correct inappropriate student behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine student exclusion policies and principal policy implementation practices in Tennessee’s public high schools. The students considered were not suspected for any disability that would require consideration under IDEA or Section 504.

A questionnaire containing nineteen disciplinary scenarios of inappropriate student behaviors was completed by one hundred and ninety-two of Tennessee’s public high school principals. The disciplinary scenarios represented exclusion policies that would warrant the student being suspended from school.

The findings revealed …

A Reliability And Validation Study Of An Administrative Effectiveness Survey For Deans At Institutions Of Higher Education, Kristi Jolena Nelms

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to revise and to establish the reliability and validity of the Administrative Effectiveness Survey and to field test the survey on the performance of academic deans at selected institution of higher education. Content validity for the instrument was, in part, established by asking two expert panels to review the instrument and make comments. Revisions to the initial instrument were made based on the suggestions by those experts. As a further test of content validity, factor analysis was performed on the data from the national study.

The instrument was administered to 677 faculty members at …

Predicting The Academic Achievement Of African American Women At Two Predominantly White Women's Colleges, Tammalyn Michele Thomas-Golden

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the Non-Cognitive Questionnaire (NCQ) could more accurately predict the academic achievement of first-year, African American women at two predominantly white women’s colleges than could the SAT. The participants’ first semester grade point averages were used as the dependent variable. The eight sub-scales of the NCQ, SAT-Verbal score and SAT-Math score were the independent variables. Study participants were 31 first-year, first-time students at two predominantly white women’s colleges located in the southeastern United States.

There were three findings of this study. First, “Demonstrated Community Service” was the only NCQ sub-scale to emerge …

Examining The Experiences Of Students Engaged In Online Study, Michael North

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to compare the experiences of ten community college students enrolled in either the online version or traditional lecture-discussion version of a mathematics course taught by the same teacher. Six participants were enrolled in the online section and four participants were enrolled in the traditional, lecture-discussion section.

A qualitative approach relying heavily on phenomenology served as the primary focus for data collection and analysis. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted with each participant at different points in the semester. Additionally, journals were maintained by each participant about their experience in the course. The data were analyzed …

An Investigation Of Institutional Research In Tennessee Community Colleges: Functions, Technology Use, And Impact On Decision-Making By College Presidents, Randolph C. Schulte

Doctoral Dissertations

For over a decade, three issues – institutional effectiveness, competitive market forces, and demand for accountability – have indelibly impacted the governance of all institutions of higher education, not in the least the community college. In the state of Tennessee, the Tennessee Board of Regents’ Defining Our Future plan, which was developed in response to state legislation requiring higher education systems to operate more efficiently and with more limited resources, positioned the office of Institutional Research as vital with regards to information processing, effective technology application, and decision-support by Tennessee community college presidents.

The main purpose of this study was …

A Study On The Influences Of The U.S. News And World Reports: America's Best Colleges Rankings On Policy And Decision-Making At Southern Comprehensive Colleges, John D. Head

Doctoral Dissertations

For over a century, colleges and universities have been the subjects of numerous attempts to provide a ranking system for use by the general public. These rankings have examined a variety of indicators in an attempt to determine quality. Everything from the accomplishments of graduates in the workforce, their success on entering graduate schools, and the reputation of institutions among their peers, have all been examined at one time or another in an attempt to measure quality.

Public demand for a ranking system is evidenced by the millions of dollars spent each year on rankings. Publishers are eager to provide …

Tennessee Higher Education Accountability Policies & Practices: A State Legislative Perspective, Kristi Roberson-Scott

Doctoral Dissertations

This purpose of this descriptive, exploratory study was to describe Tennessee legislators' perceptions of higher education accountability policies and/or programs. Legislators' perceptions of the following: What it means and what is expected for accountability (research question 1), What is considered to be prime and important evidence of accountability (research question 2), To whom should higher education institutions be accountable (research question 3), and whether current policies and/or program are effective (research question 4) were all answered by the emerging research themes of this study.

A sample (approximately half) of Tennessee Senate and House legislative members serving on their respective education …

The Duties, Responsibilities, And Challenges Of Opening A New Elementary School, Kathy Dykes Sims

Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the challenges of principals who opened new elementary schools and to identify the essential responsibilities and duties they encountered. Identifying the role and latitude of the principal at different phases of the school construction was also examined. This research was guided by the research question: What are the duties, responsibilities, and challenges that principals encounter when charged with the task of opening and organizing a new elementary school?

The sample for the study included three principals from three Tennessee public elementary schools who opened a new school for the first time …

The Effectiveness Of Accountability Policy In Higher Education: The Perspectives Of Higher Education Leaders, Sharon J. Tanner

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe Tennessee higher education leaders’ perceptions of accountability policies and programs. Perspectives of fifteen higher education leaders from six public colleges and universities throughout Tennessee were collected in one-on-one personal interviews over a three-month period. Both presidents and chief academic officers from three universities and three community colleges were included in the study.

While the leaders concurred that accountability is an essential and premier policy within the higher education structure, there was a general dissatisfaction expressed with current accountability policies and programs. Findings revealed that almost all of the leaders interviewed were particularly …

The Relationship Between School Performance Scores And Job Satisfaction Of Principals In Louisiana, Vickie Lynn Wheelis

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between School Performance Scores (SPS) and job satisfaction of principals in Louisiana. The sample consisted of 1328 elementary, middle, high, and PK–12 public school principals in the State of Louisiana. Participants were asked to complete the Short-Form Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) via the Internet, with responses being submitted to a secure server. In addition to the MSQ, three demographic questions and three open-ended response questions were asked. The data were analyzed using a one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Statistical analysis revealed no significant differences in intrinsic, extrinsic, and general satisfaction levels with regard to the …

The Effects Of Participation In The Louisiana Principal Internship /Induction Program On School Performance Scores And On Teacher And Principal Perceptions Of Principals' Knowledge, Skills, And Dispositions, Don Coker

Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purposes of this study were to determine if the Louisiana Principal Internship/Induction (LPI) program had an effect on school performance scores; if principal gender, years of experience, or LPI status predicted principal self-assessment of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of administrators; and if principal gender, years of experience, or LPI status predicted teachers' assessment of their principal's administrative knowledge, skills, and dispositions. A causal-comparative research design was utilized in this study. Study participants included 120 principals and 1,060 teachers from 15 school districts in north Louisiana who responded to the NASSP 21st Century School Administrator Skills self-assessment and …