Education Commons^™

Evaluation Of The Cooperative Education And Internships Program At Prince George’S Community College, Diana Y. Doman Wilkins

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The Cooperative Education and Internships program is charged with placing students in positions that will allow them to gain experience in a work environment related to their major area of study. Job development specialists receive no type of written feedback from the employer, the faculty advisor, or the student on whether or not the placement was successful. The problem is that Cooperative Education and Internships has not demonstrated its effectiveness; therefore, there is reluctance from students, faculty advisors, and job development specialists to continue participating and/or promoting the program.

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of …

Professional Development And Turnover In Early Care And Education: Working Toward Solutions By Increasing Enrollment In A Professional Development Program, Sandra L. Duncan

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Teachers’ educational backgrounds and professional development are positive predictors of program quality while teacher turnover is a negative predictor of program quality. Recent research suggests a significant link between teacher turnover and opportunities for professional development. The supposition is that, if the early childhood field could increase the quality of professional development training, then the level of teacher turnover could be reduced. Therefore, nonparticipation in professional development training opportunities is a critical issue in the early childhood industry.

This research study examined why early childhood practitioners are not enrolling in the professional development program opportunity that was published in a …

Evaluation Of The Training Program For Beginning Teachers At University School, Tara Ellsley

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to improve the support of beginning teachers at University School of Nova Southeastern University, a private high school. Veteran teachers, administrators, and support staff were not adequately prepared to integrate the beginning teachers who were rapidly leaving for employment elsewhere. There had been no attempt to identify their needs or evaluate their support system. Therefore, school leaders did not have the information necessary to address the retention problem.

The project identified beginning teacher needs and determined if the school was meeting those needs by answering the following questions: (a) What do beginning upper school teachers …

Creating A Professional Learning Community: Engaging Teachers In Change, Patsy G. Goolsby

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation provided teachers with interventions and strategies to assist in the implementation of a professional learning community at Navy Point Elementary School. In 1999, the state of Florida changed to a standards-based state testing system. Upon receiving a grade of D in the state grading system, the administration of Navy Point Elementary School began a study of the underlying causes for the problems that existed within the school. The community had gone through numerous economic changes. Most of the children in the school were at the poverty level, lived in single-parent homes, and would move 2 or more …

Teacher Education, Computer Technology, And Physical Education In Jamaica, Joyce Graham-Royal

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This study proposed an investigation into the use of computer technology in the teachers’ colleges in Jamaica. This paper examined the factors that promoted and/or contributed to the incorporation of computer technology in physical education teacher education programs in Jamaica and determined, within this context, how the diffusion of innovation in this program was encouraged to prepare students to use computer technology in instruction The diffusion of innovations theory (E. Rogers, 1995) was used to guide the examination and interpretation of perceived technological changes and barriers.

Lecturers in the 8 teachers’ colleges, 5 administrators of the Ministry of Education, Youth …

Attitudes Of Professors Toward Instructional Technology In American Colleges Of Education Offering Graduate Degrees Via Distance Education, James L. Mowery

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to determine the attitudes of professors teaching advanced degrees via distance education towards the technology tools used for distance education. Today many courses taught via distance education are little more than correspondence courses that use e-mail to send and receive instruction, coursework, and tests. Should distance education attempt to replicate the face-to-face classroom or are simple chat rooms and discussion boards enough? This study provides a heretofore unresearched view of how selected professors feel about the technology.

A survey was conducted among a group of distance education professors from various colleges of education throughout the …

Experiential Learning In Communication Courses: Development And Evaluation Of Learning Activities With Development Of A Resource Manual For Experiential Learning At Olivet Nazarene University, Elizabeth J. Patrick-Trippel

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation addressed the relative lack of experiential learning activities in communication courses at Olivet Nazarene University. Though there had been changes in the curriculum, degrees, and identity of the department over the past 5 years, there had been no attempt to understand the pedagogical implications of these changes.

The objective of this applied dissertation was threefold: first, to develop original experiential activities for use in 3 different communication courses that were content/lecture-based courses; second, to evaluate the newly developed educational activities; and third, based on the evaluation information, to compile a resource manual for interactive learning for professors …

Evaluation Of The Chariho Intervention Preschool Program At The Chariho Regional School District, Linda L. Perra

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to evaluate the Chariho Intervention Preschool (CHIP) Program in the Chariho Regional School District in anticipation of a curriculum revision. FirstStep screening (Miller, 1993) was used in the CHIP Program to determine if a child was at risk. Teachers, parents, administrators, and screeners have asked important questions in regard to program offerings, professional development, and assessment.

Information was collected using a triangulation approach from preschool classroom observations, interviews with preschool teachers, administrators, and screeners and from parent surveys. In addition, pre- and postscreening raw scores from FirstStep of children enrolled in the CHIP Program from …

The Development Of An Advisory Board Retreat For Criminal Justice Executives With A Plan For Implementation And Evaluation, Arthur C. Amann

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The applied dissertation problem was that criminal justice executives did not have the education necessary to be effective concerning the use of collaborative advisory boards. Therefore, the purpose of this intervention was educating criminal justice executives using a retreat setting on subject matter such as systems thinking, change theory, strategic planning, and the importance of collaboration.

Six research questions addressed in this report were: (a) What are the criteria for an effective criminal justice executive retreat? (b) What is an appropriate and valid curriculum for a criminal justice advisory board retreat? (c) What is the best delivery system for the …

Development Of A Mentoring Program For Nursing Students At Tennessee State University With Plans For Implementation And Evaluation, Beverly M. Brown

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The nursing students’ attrition rate and the nursing course examination failures at Tennessee State University were the foci of the problem that was investigated in this research project. The purpose of this applied research project was to develop a mentoring program for nursing students at Tennessee State University with plans for implementation and evaluation.

The methodologies used in this study were research, development, and evaluation to determine their needs in order. The procedures included a thorough review of the literature. The formative and summative committees provided input at all stages of the research and the development of the program. An …

Improving Lee-Hamilton Elementary Third Grade Reading Scores On The Missouri Assessment Program, Gwendolyn Wilson Diggs

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This study served as a tool to increase third grade scores in communication arts on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) standardized test. Teachers focused on providing rigorous content material and implementing strategies to improve student performance on the MAP. Interventions included using test study material, after-school tutoring, Computer Assisted Technology (CAT), and school-wide programs.

Even though a different group of third graders are administered the MAP each year, a comparison of Lee- Hamilton’s third grade student’s MAP scores in communication arts over a two year period indicated a decline in student performance. Further analysis of the student data revealed that …

Improving The Adjustment Of Francophone African Youth Attending North American Public Schools, Joseph Tshibangu

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to gain better understanding of the adjustment process among Francophone African youth and to discuss ways in which this process may be improved.

The methodology that was used included dialogue with Francophone African youths, focus group discussions, workshops with youths and schoolteachers, conference calls, personal meetings, and comments on evaluation sheets. The findings confirmed the findings in the reviewed literature that immigrant youths experience a great many stresses that threaten their health and adjustment.

Generalization of the findings to other African populations must be done with caution because of the limitations of the study: small …

Development Of A Plan For The Integration Of Technology And Alternative Learning Methodologies At Grant Macewan College, Geraldine Nakonechny

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of the applied dissertation was to assess the current status and develop a plan for the integration of the technology and alternative learning methodologies (TALM) at Grant MacEwan College. The research questions prompted processes to obtain information from others who integrated TALM, determine the current status of TALM integration at MacEwan, develop an appropriate TALM integration plan for MacEwan, and determine how the plan would be evaluated. Both development and evaluation methodologies were utilized. Procedures included a thorough review of institutions that integrated TALM, the development and validation of a technology integration plan, and approaches to evaluate the …

Increasing Student Achievement In The Five Strands Of The Mathematics Portion Of The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, Pamela B. Murphy

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The passing and implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 dramatically increased public awareness of accountability in U.S. public schools (S. Charp, 2003). State-mandated testing is now present in nearly 40 of the states. Florida educators have struggled to meet the demands of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). In 1998, the Florida A+ Accountability program, which assigns grades to elementary, middle, and high schools, was initiated. The standards-based accountability has forced administrators, teachers, and parents to search for practices that will increase student achievement.

This applied dissertation describes the practices put in place in one South …

Development And Validation Of An Off-Campus Master Of Social Work Program, Michelle E. Alvarez

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purposes of this project were to design and implement an educational and occupational needs assessment and a review of existing accredited off-campus Master of Social Work (MSW) programs and to design an off-campus MSW program that would meet current and future demand for the program. The research questions for this project addressed what constituted a good needs assessment, whether students would be willing to enroll in a distance education program, how Council on Social Work Education standards applied to this program model, how the program should be staffed, what other resources were needed for this program, what should be …

Blocks For Tots: Constructing A Language Environment Through Play, Cynthia R. Graham

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to increase the vocabulary size and frequency of spontaneous child-to-child speech of children 24 to 36 months in a countywide Early Head Start Program. Additionally, this applied dissertation was designed to increase the number of children 24 to 36 months exhibiting age appropriate language skills as assessed by the Early Learning Accomplishment Profile (Early Lap). Research indicates that the context in which children learn and interact influences the frequency with which they use spoken language to communicate with each other.

Children in the experimental group interacted socially while engaged in self-directed constructive play in an …

Redesigning The Teacher Education Technology Course To Emphasize Integration, Charles R. Graham, Richard Culatta, Mitchell Pratt, Richard West

Faculty Publications

Teacher education programs in the United States are trying to equip tomorrow’s teachers with the technology skills needed to impact learning in the classroom. During the past decade there has been a realization that teaching technology skills alone is not adequate– pre-service teachers must also learn how to integrate the use of technology into their curriculum. This paper describes BYU’s instructional technology course and the design process that a team of instructors went through to redesign the course in order to put greater emphasis on technology integration. An iterative redesign approach was used. Several iterations of the course redesign will …

Reevaluating Course Completion In Distance Education—Avoiding The Comparison Between Apples And Oranges, Scott L. Howell, R. Dwight Laws, Nathan K. Lindsay

Faculty Publications

Critics of distance education frequently assert that completion rates are lower in distance education courses than in traditional courses. Such criticism comes despite sparse and inconclusive research on completion rates for distance and traditional education courses. This article reviews some of the existing research and then describes some of the caveats and complexities in comparing completion rates in traditional and distance education. Analysis reveals that numerous factors make comparison between these two formats difficult, if not impossible. Problems include limitations in the research design itself, differences in student demographics, and inconsistent methods of calculating and reporting completion. After exploring these …

Ten Efficient Research Strategies For Distance Learning, Thomas C. Wright, Scott L. Howell

Faculty Publications

Today's distance education administrator, frequently with an expertise in another academic discipline, is also supposed to be a distance education scholar. This expectation results from the recent interest in distance learning that nearly all institutions of learning and disciplines of study have shown. More research, studies, journals, and essays about distance education also exist than at any other time.

A distance education administrator and an education research librarian at Brigham Young University have teamed up to identify ten pragmatic research strategies to help new, busy, and even a few experienced distance education administrators stay current in their field and successful …

The Curriculum Content Of Master's Level Fashion Merchandising Programs Throughout The United States, Christine Aulicino

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The following objectives were established to answer this problem: 1. Identify the schools offering master's degrees in fashion merchandising; 2. Identify the courses offered within master's programs at the different schools; 3. Identify the requirements needed for students to graduate from schools with fashion merchandising master's programs; 4. Determine the mission of graduate programs in fashion merchandising; 5. Determine specific courses needed to be offered by Old Dominion University in order to produce a respected graduate fashion merchandising program.

Ability To Cope With The Increased Costs Of Complying With The Sarbanes-Oxley Act Of 2002, Debra B. Cline

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact on small businesses and the ability to cope with the increased costs of complying with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Does Excessive Absence From Class Lead To Lower Levels Of Academic Achievement, Janet L. Faison

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

Based on this problem, the following hypothesis has been proposed: 1. Students who have higher records of absenteeism (absent four times or more during a given semester) will have lower academic achievement levels (GPA) while attending community college.

A Relationship Between The Number Of Nontraditional Students Attending Athens Technical College, Elbert County Campus And The Unemployment Rate, Dennis Bryant

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

This study will answer three important questions: 1. Why are nontraditional students returning to school? 2. How long is the length of time between when the student last attended school and when they returned to school? 3. Do the nontraditional students' plans include attending another college or university after they leave ATCE?

Does Participation In The Academic Continuance Experience For Success Program Increase Academic Achievement And Persistence Of Students Readmitted From Suspension, Norlisa Mayes

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine if participation in an intervention program improved academic achievement and retention of at-risk college students at Old Dominion University.

Determining If Students At Northumberland High School Who Choose Ged Or Other Alternative Programs Are Successfully Prepared For Employment, Sandra Green

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The following goals were established to guide this research: 1. Identify reasons students choose other programs to regular high school education; 2. Investigate programs that are available for students as alternatives to high school graduation; 3. Determine if assistance is being offered within the high school before students dropout of school; 4. Assess if students are properly prepared for work opportunities through investigating alternative education programs.

The Relationship Between Learner Responsibility And Performance Of Students Enrolled In Career And Technical Education Core Curriculum Courses, Linda B. Mills

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

To guide this study the following hypotheses were established: 1. Students who take responsibility for their academic outcomes will out perform those students who do not in Marketing Education courses; 2. Female students will take more responsibility for their academic outcomes and will outscore males in the same Marketing Education courses.

Awareness And Perceptions Of Old Dominion University's Teletechnet Program By Lord Fairfax Community College Students, Rita Rowand

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

To find answers to this problem, the following research goals were established: 1. Determine Lord Fairfax student awareness and perception of Old Dominion University's distance learning TELETECHNET system and its programs; 2. Determine student's attitudes toward distance learning for higher education degrees; 3. Present recommendations for improving Lord Fairfax Community College's staff and faculty knowledge of TELETECHNET in order to advise their students in a more comprehensive way; 4. Present recommendations to Old Dominion University Distance Learning administrators for ways of improving the overall knowledge of the Old Dominion University Distance Learning Program at community college throughout Virginia and other …

The Effectiveness Of The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Work Control Course For Inclusion Into The Navy-Wide Work Control Refresher Course, Russell E. Shiplet

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to determine the overall effectiveness of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Work Control course for use in creating a Work Control Refresher course for the U.S. Navy.

Effects Of Note Taking On Student Grades, Amy K. Keenan

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

To guide a solution to this problem, the following hypothesis was established: Students in OTS 220, the Fashion Industry, who received a copy of the PowerPoint lectures for a specific unit of instruction from the instructor will earn higher grades on exams than when they received a basic fill in the blank note taking guide.

The Effectiveness Of The Freshman Academy At Oscar Smith High School In Chesapeake, Virginia, Maurice Frazier

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The goals of this study were to answer the following questions: 1. Does the completion of the Freshman Academy contribute to the reduction of negative behavior incidents by students? 2. Does the completion of the Freshman Academy contribute to higher overall class GPA? 3. Does the completion of the Freshman Academy contribute to an increase in overall school attendance? 4. Does the completion of the Freshman Academy contribute to an increase in the student's involvement in extra-curricular activities?