Education Commons^™

A Structural Equation Model Of Leader Attributes In The Principalship, Amy Young

All Dissertations

To become a principal in South Carolina, one must have teaching experience, a master's degree, and certification in the area of primary responsibility. Beyond what is learned through coursework, internships, and certification tests, what intangible factors critically influence a principal's actions and decisions, and (ultimately) success? Trait theory begs the question of whether any of these criteria truly influences the decisions and actions of the principalship. Are there interactive traits of leadership that describe the behaviors of school principals? This study revisits trait theory by examining leader attributes relative to the principalship of South Carolina public schools. This study replicates, …

The Effects Of Collective Racial Esteem On African American Undergraduate Male Involvement In Public Four-Year Institutions Of Higher Education., Michael David Anthony

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the influence of collective racial esteem (CRE) on the quantity and type of involvement for African American male undergraduate students in public four-year institutions of higher education in the U.S. In addition, this relationship is examined to determine if differences exist across gender (male and female), and institutional variables (specifically, public HBCUs vs. public PWIs). The persistence and graduation of African American males at four-year institutions of higher education has increased in past decades, but still remains consistently and significantly lower than that of their non-African American male counterparts (Planty et al., 2009). African American male retention …

Online Reading Comprehension Among Seventh Grade Students With High Incidence Disabilities In Inclusive Settings: A Mixed Methods Study, Katherine Robbins

All Dissertations

Because research exploring how students with disabilities read and comprehend on the Internet is scarce, a mixed methods study was implemented to determine if Internet Reciprocal Teaching (IRT) is an effective intervention for improving online reading comprehension among seventh grade students with high-incidence disabilities in inclusive settings. Differences between students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers were also explored.
The intervention included a twenty week (40 lessons) instructional program delivered in three phases in seventh grade English/Language Arts classes from three middle schools in eastern region of the United States. Pre and post intervention data was collected on the Online …

We're Not Thugs And Rappers: An Examination Of African American Male Athletes' Perceptions Of The Media, Keia Janese Bragg

Masters Theses

Manipulation of stories and events expose issues of false representation and stereotyping within the mainstream media. This research examined the media’s role in shaping the behaviors and experiences of African American male athletes while using Critical Race Theory as the framework in conducting research. A focus group consisting of six former African American male student athletes was conducted. A semi-structured interview schedule was used in order to allow for open discussion. The Constant Comparison Method was instrumental in thematizing the data while QDA Miner software was used to analyze the data. The findings suggested that African American male athletes feel …

Developing, Refining, And Validating A Survey To Measure Adolescent Food Safety Self-Efficacy, Monica K Brandon

Masters Theses

Self-efficacy is a proven indicator of predicting risky behaviors, but without a baseline level of adolescent food safety self-efficacy to develop targeted interventions it is difficult to produce meaningful behavior change. The research question around which this study was designed is: To what extent can a validated instrument accurately capture adolescent beliefs of food safety self-efficacy. Through rigorous field testing and statistical analysis we hypothesize a valid and reliable instrument can be created for measuring adolescents’ food safety self-efficacy. The purposes of this study included: (a) development of a high quality, food safety self-efficacy instrument, (b) validation of the instrument …

Students’ Perceptions Of Teaching Styles And Use Of Learning Strategies, Ya-Ching Chang

Masters Theses

The study was conducted to investigate Taiwanese junior high school students’ perceptions of their teachers’ teaching styles and the students’ own use of learning strategies and to determine if there was a significant relationship between perceived teaching style and learning strategy use. The data for this study were gathered from a sample of 95 junior high school students enrolled in four Chinese language classes at Yuanlin Junior high school. The students completed the Junior High School Teacher’s Teaching Style Questionnaire and the Taiwanese version of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire.

The findings from this study led to the following …

The Life Space Interview In Therapeutic Crisis Intervention: An Action Research Study On Its Implementation In A Suburban High School, Susan J. Flood

Education Doctoral

Students with emotional and behavioral disabilities experience less school success than any other subgroup of students. The educational system is the only institution mandated to serve children and youth with emotional disabilities; however, for approximately 51% of these students, the educational experience ends with the decision to drop out of school. For novice teachers, an early experience with a disruptive student can end their career, while even experienced teachers may feel daunted by student behavior. Educators are searching for more effective means of working with students with emotional needs whose unresolved conflicts can escalate into classroom disruption, lack of student …

A Study Of The Perceived Effects Of School Culture On Student Behaviors., Linda Cox Story

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research has confirmed that the behaviors of human beings are influenced by their social environments. The school is the principal social environment of adolescents; thus, the school environment necessarily influences the behaviors of students to some degree.

This research project used the interview method to focus on perceptions of school personnel with regard to the elements of school culture that may negatively influence students' behaviors both inside and outside the school environment. The primary influences of school culture on students' behaviors were found to be peers, teachers, administrators, and parent involvlement. Governmental regulations, including those resulting from the Individuals with …

A Study Of Change Readiness: Factors That Influence The Readiness Of Frontline Workers Towards A Nursing Home Transformational Change Initiative., Veronica A. Barber

Education Doctoral

The purpose of this study was to determine factors that influence the readiness of frontline workers toward a nursing home’s planned organizational change. Individual levels of readiness toward change were assessed to determine if there were differences in levels of readiness and: organizational commitment, relationship with direct supervisor, and perceived organizational support. Demographic variables were also assessed to determine whether a relationship existed with change readiness. A quantitative method was employed for the study using a single-subject survey design. 460 employees from a large not-for-profit nursing home in upstate New York completed the survey. The organization was in the planning …

What Employees Value In Company Wellness Programs And Their Perceptions Of The Incentives Offered To Them To Participate, Shadi Wageeh Sifain

Education Doctoral

Employer-sponsored wellness programs have emerged as programs which seek to improve overall employee health and to reduce health care costs. Integrating benefit delivery and providing employee benefits can be directly correlated to the effectiveness of a wellness program, as measured by the total return on investment for shareholders (Wolff, 2008). Additionally, effectiveness is positively impacted when the incentives provided to the population are both meaningful to them and offered immediately instead of offered to them in a delayed fashion (Wyatt, Morrato, O’Hill, Ghushchyan, & Sullivan, 2007). The purpose of this study is to understand the following: (a) How employees perceive …

Black Students Perceptions Of Their Access To Precollege Counseling Practices, Tonja M. Williams

Education Doctoral

Despite an increase in college enrollment for all racial groups over the past three decades, the rate at which Black students attend college continues to significantly trail that of White students. A contributor to this gap includes Black students inadequate access to college-going and financial aid information. The purpose of this study was to understand how access to school counseling activities impacted Black high school students college choice decisions. this study included, seventeen 12 th Participants for grade Black male and female students who attended two high schools in an urban school district in New York state. Eight of the …

An Investigation Into Predictors Of Middle School Mathematics Achievement As Measured By The Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests, Cheryl Thomasson

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to locate variables from 2006 and 2007 Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) that could predict mathematics performance on the 2008 CRCT for a cohort of 449 students in two middle schools in Murray County in north Georgia. The student population was 80% Caucasian, 17% Hispanic, and 3% other. It was hypothesized that the predictors would be influenced by the high level of students eligible for free or reduced lunch. Logistic regression was applied to three data sets, all students, students from Bagley and Gladden Middle Schools. Sixth-grade CRCT mathematics percent correct was the only …

Making A Case For Arts Administrators: Maintaining Interdisciplinary Arts Programs In Public Schools, Samantha Jardon-Peppard

Graduate Theses

For decades interdisciplinary arts programs have been developed and implemented in public schools throughout our nation. Much research has been dedicated to proving the benefits of interdisciplinary arts education, results of which can be found in reports such as Champions of Change and Project Zero. However, little research has been dedicated to how an interdisciplinary arts program is maintained in a school once it has been initiated and who is responsible for its development and sustainability. Chapter one of this thesis reviews some history of arts education, why the arts have become a vital part of education, and how arts …

A Critical Analysis Of The Identification, Placement, And Assessment Policies For Achieving Educational Parity Of Bilingual Learners, Lilia Rocio Estrada

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study analyzed the process of proper identification, placement, and assessment of Bilingual Learners (BLs) by investigating the perceptions of members in the Texas Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC). The findings focused on LPAC perceptions of their decisions to identify, place, and assess BLs as well as how these compared among members with different positions. Also, the LPAC members’ perceptions from schools that followed a dual language education program were compared to those schools that followed a transitional bilingual education program. It was found that majority of LPAC members lacked the confidence in assessing BLs, LPAC members holding higher positions …

Implementing Reading And Writing In Secondary Mathematics, Mari E. Eisenhart

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Literacy in secondary mathematics continues to be difficult for many. Mathematics teachers and researchers continue to develop support documents for secondary math teachers. It is important to utilize the literacy strategies already established by other content areas. It is feasible to adjust these strategies to suit the needs of mathematics students. Literacy across the content areas is a relatively new idea in education, but literacy in mathematics is even more foreign. It is necessary to use the available literacy strategies to develop materials applicable in the secondary mathematics classroom.

Racial Uplift And Self-Determination: The African Methodist Episcopal Church And Its Pursuit Of Higher Education, Shannon A. Butler-Mokoro

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

The African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church, like many historically black denomination over the years, has been actively involved in social change and racial uplift. The concepts of racial uplift and self-determination dominated black social, political, and economic thought throughout the late-eighteenth into the nineteenth century. Having created many firsts for blacks in America, the A.M.E. Church is recognized as leading blacks in implementing the rhetoric of racial uplift and self-determination. Racial uplift was a broad concept that covered issues such as equal rights, moral, spiritual, and intellectual development, and institutional and organizational building. The rhetoric of racial uplift and self-determination …

Visual Literacy: How Do They Do It?, Shantelle Marie Ford

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Due to the dramatic increase of technology in our world today, in addition to being textually literate, students must learn to be visually literate as well. Visual literacy essentially consists of the ability to read images. As students become more visually adept at reading images, teachers must become aware of their visual literacy strategies in order to adjust their instructional practices to support the new visual and verbal learner. This research consisted of interviewing elementary age students about wordless comic strips in order to answer the fundamental question: How do they do it? How do students in a modern age …

The Inquiry Learning Model As An Approach To Mathematics Instruction, Michael C. Brune

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Since current approaches to mathematical instruction fall short of the goals of NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) research was conducted in a small rural school district in the northwest United States evaluating inquiry based instruction. To complete the study two high school geometry classes were taught area formulation using a traditional lecture based approach to instruction. A third geometry class was taught area formulation utilizing inquiry-based instructional methods. Students in both groups took both a pre-test and post-test, filled out a questionnaire, and participated in a project designed to test their applications of mathematical understanding. Results indicated that …

Determining Characteristics That Increase Success On The National Asthma Educator Certification Exam, Karen Kain

Dissertations

The National Asthma Educator Certification Board, Inc. (NAECB) is a voluntary health certifying board created in 2001 to evaluate the professional competence of asthma educators. The primary purpose of the NAECB is to prepare and conduct examinations to test the qualifications of candidates for certification as asthma educators. Certification is voluntary and is not required by law for employment in the field, although some agencies may use AE-C® certification as a basis for employment, job promotions, salary increases, or other considerations. The mission of the NAECB is to promote optimal asthma management and quality of life among individuals with asthma …

4-H Leaders: Factors That Affect Their Persistence In The 4-H Youth Development Program, Regina Schinker

Dissertations

For over one hundred years, the 4-H youth development program has educated millions of children across the country in a variety of programs; from livestock husbandry to leadership skills. Like all programs that have endured, 4-H has had to adjust its focus as society has changed. One area in the 4-H program that has not changed is the heavy reliance on adult volunteer leaders to deliver the educational programs to 4-H youth. Because of the reliance on volunteer 4-H leaders, 4-H professionals and extension office staff are concerned about issues of retention.

The case study examines two related issues: First, …

Give Back, Give Books: A Formative Program Evaluation, Wendy Lynn Fritz

Education Doctoral

For over a decade, the Rochester City School District (RCSD) has reported substandard test scores and graduation rates. In 2007, in response to negative press regarding academic achievement, Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy launched a city wide campaign designed to eradicate illiteracy in the city of Rochester. Part of Mayor Duffy’s literacy initiative involved engaging the community in this effort. In conjunction with the Mayor’s campaign, the Rochester Education Foundation (REF), a non-profit organization whose primary goal is to improve learning and success among Rochester city schoolchildren, began its Give Back, Give Books program. REF was established in 2005 and their …

Older Adults And A Writing Workshop: A Phenomenological Study, Jennifer Lynn Alex

Dissertations

This study examines how older adults experience the phenomenon of participating in a writing workshop and how older adults interpret their experiences, understandings, and realities of writing. Ten older adults, ranging in age from 62 to 83 with varying degrees of experiences in writing, participated in this study. Through a semi-structured interview, each participant related his or her experience first as a writer and then as a member of a writing workshop offered through a Community Literacy Center in a mid-sized Appalachian city.

A phenomenological analysis method was used to identify and analyze themes of meaning that emerged in the …

The Effect Of A Math Emporium Course Redesign In Developmental And Introductory Mathematics Courses On Student Achievement And Students' Attitudes Toward Mathematics At A Two-Year College, Amy Renée Bishop

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of computer-based instruction on student mathematics achievement and students' attitudes toward mathematics in developmental and introductory mathematics courses, namely Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, and College Algebra, at a community college. The researcher also examined the relationship between attitudes and achievement. The sample consisted of 112 students, and the study was conducted during the Spring 2010 semester at a community college in south Mississippi. The participants were enrolled in one of six classes taught by the researcher. The control group consisted of three classes (one Intermediate and two College Algebra sections) …

Student Persistence In Associate Degree Nursing Programs At Mississippi Community Colleges, Kathryn Lee Fleming

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine factors of student persistence and attrition in addition to strategies that may help students persist in associate degree nursing programs at community colleges. Data were collected from nursing students enrolled in first-year associate degree nursing programs at participating Mississippi community colleges and analyzed using multiple regression and repeated measures ANOVAs. Tinto’s Classic Model and Bean & Metzner’s Nontraditional Model of Student Attrition were utilized in this study. This mixed methods convenience sample yielded 564 participants, and the results were as follows: environmental factors and demographic factors of student persistence were found to …

Administrators' And Teachers' Perceptions Of In-School Suspension, Amelia Shondra Jackson

Dissertations

Providing a safe and orderly school environment for students to learn is of paramount importance to school administrators, teachers, students, and the general public; however, the learning process should not be compromised while trying to maintain such an environment. There are many alternative approaches that can be utilized that would rectify the problem we as educators face in providing a safe and orderly environment. At-risk students are usually the ones who have the most serious infractions. These students exhibit a cyclical pattern of recalcitrant behavior. It is imperative that these at-risk students be identified as early as possible, and intervention …

The Relationship Among Mathematics Anxiety, Mathematical Self-Efficacy, Mathematical Teaching Self-Efficacy, And The Instructional Practices Of Elementary School Teachers, Lydia Joan Smith

Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to explore the relationships among the variables of mathematics anxiety, mathematical self-efficacy, mathematical teaching self-efficacy, and the instructional practice of elementary school teachers. The study included 320 practicing elementary teachers who teach mathematics to students in kindergarten through eighth grade. These teachers completed the Abbreviated Mathematics Anxiety Scale, the Mathematics Teaching and Mathematics Self-Efficacy survey, and the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Survey. Quantitative data analysis methods included descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. Results indicated a statistically significant relationship between mathematical teaching self-efficacy (efficacy) and mastery approaches to instruction, as well as …

Centering The Voices Of South Carolina's Early Care And Education Teachers: A Multi-Case Study Examining How They Select And Are Informed By Professional Development, Lenna Young

All Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to contribute to the existing literature focused on quality early care and education (ECE). Specifically, this study examines two main research questions: (1) How do teachers in South Carolina licensed, privately-funded ECE programs select professional development opportunities and (2) How does participating in professional development inform their practices? These questions are particularly significant in light of the minimal requirements for teachers to enter the ECE field in South Carolina. Due to the low entry requirements for ECE teachers, professional development can play a key role in transforming minimally qualified individuals into teachers who care …

Predicting College Student Classroom Performance With A Simple Metacomprehension Scale, Amber Lee Klein

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The present study investigated the relationship between college student metacomprehension and the error of predicted classroom performance. College student metacomprehension was evaluated using the Metacomprehension Scale (MCS) designed by Moore, Zabrucky, and Commander (1997a). Prior to an examination administered by a course instructor, covering course content, students predicted the percentage score he/she expected to achieve. The predicted score was subtracted from the obtained score generating an error score. It was hypothesized that error of predicted classroom performance is a function of student metacomprehension, as measured by the MCS. Results indicate the MCS was not a reliable indicator of student predicted …

An Investigation Of High School Dual Enrollment Participation And Allied Health Program Enrollment In A South Texas University, Martina Flores

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The shortage of allied health professionals has caught the attention of legislators and higher education institution administrators. The current study used a concurrent embedded mixed method design to investigate factors that motivated students to participate in health science technology (HST) dual enrollment courses while still in high school. It sought to identify the factors or variables students believed helped them be successful in the health science courses. Additionally, the quantitative portion of the study investigated academic achievement as a function of high school achievement (HSAch), high school performance (HSPerf), Aptitude (Apt), and ProActive measures taken by students. Two focus groups …

First Generation Hispanic High School Students Going To College: Experiences That Support Decisions And College Going Pathways, Norma Ibarra-Cantú

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

In this study I examined the question: How do first generation Hispanic high school students decide to attend college? To understand how the students made college decisions and what supported their pursuit of college aspirations, I interviewed six Hispanic high school students from five different high schools in a south Texas-Mexico border town. Student participants were the first generation in their immediate family to graduate from high school and to consider going to college. I conducted qualitative open-ended interviews with each of the participants and used inductive multilayered analyses to identify how students made decisions to attend college and how …