Education Commons^™

Students' Views Of Classroom Management Strategies In Assertive Discipline And Constructivist Classroom Settings, Joan Carolyn Gerbo

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The present case study was designed to investigate third grade students' views of their teachers' behavior management strategies in two contrasting classroom types at the third grade level: an Assertive Discipline classroom that represents the behaviorist paradigm, and a constructivist classroom that emphasizes the social cognitive paradigm. Understanding students' views at this age is important because these views become the lenses through which children interpret subsequent school experiences and may provide insight into how to reduce student misbehavior in schools (Valeski & Stipek, 2001). However, limited research exists to compare third grade students' views in classrooms of teachers with different …

The Impact Of The Iowa Children's Water Festival On The Children's Attitudes And Behaviors Toward The Environment, Sang-Min Kim

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

As a result of the growing concern about environmental issues, many countries have developed mechanisms and regulations directed at protection and conservation of the environment. As a part of this movement, many governmental and nongovernmental organizations (NGO) have launched a variety of environmental education programs, in an attempt to promote awareness of environmental issues. The Iowa Children’s Water Festival (ICWF) is an annual half-day environmental education program in Iowa. The goal of the ICWF is to provide educational opportunities throughout the state to K-5 children and to educate customers of tomorrow on the importance of safe, reliable drinking water (ICWF, …

Early Literacy And Making Sense In An Inclusive Preschool Classroom, Patresa A. Hartman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to build understanding regarding the meaning and role of early literacy as a meaningful interaction in one inclusive preschool classroom. I was specifically interested in the idea of literacy as a social construction - as an interaction with one's environment for the purpose of making sense of it. Furthermore, I investigated the way this construction facilitated or denied one child's citizenship in the classroom community, which is located within an early childhood center in a mid-sized, Midwestern city. My topic, examining early literacy as a sense-making interaction, lent itself quite naturally to qualitative …

American Indian Women Warriors: Their Perceptions Of Success Factors In Graduate School, Loretta Dominquez

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Higher education is not just a Black and White issue, but also an issue regarding First Nations people (i.e., American Indian/Native American and Alaskan Indians). American Indians throughout history in the U.S. have been neglected in all levels of education. American Indian women in graduate programs have experienced prejudices, isolation, and lack of support, guidance, or mentoring from the faculty, staff, or administration in graduate programs. An ethnographic qualitative research of personal interviews was the methodology chosen to grasp the personal perceptions of four American Indian woman warriors in professional higher educational positions. They shared their experiences of their success …

Improving An Alternative-To-Suspension Program To Reduce The Number Of Seventh-Grade Students’ Classroom Referrals, Timothy J. Butts

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

At Pines Middle School (PMS), seventh-grade student referrals for disruptive behavior were the highest of all three grades. This applied dissertation focused on reducing the seventh-grade referrals by improving the Pines Alternative-to-Student-Suspension (PASS) program.

Two research questions addressed (a) strategies to improve the program, and (b) outcome data for PASS participant treatment and nonparticipant control groups. A total of 216 respondents participated, 54 students and 54 parents each in the treatment and control groups. All parents completed the Homework Problem Checklist (HPC), and treatment parents and students completed the PASS Effectiveness Survey (PES). Student strategies included mentoring; lectures, discussions, role …

Utilizing Gendered Education In Middle School Language Arts Classes, Elizabeth Tharp Jones

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

When the Indiana state-mandated test scores were released in January 2002, Switzerland County Middle School students ranked in the bottom one third of the state in language arts. The administrators and teachers looked closely at the results of the state-mandated test. The rate of retention by gender was also tracked over a 3-year period. As the standardized test scores and retention data were reviewed, it was apparent that middle school boys were less successful in language arts and reading than girls in the same class. In order to address the problem in a manageable situation, the sixth-grade data were selected. …

Increasing Reading Scores Through Teacher Collaboration, M. Reed Bain

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to evaluate students’ reading test scores in the teacher mentor program. Over the past few years, students at the selected school have scored poorly on the reading portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). Teachers have used a number of teaching methods to increase their students’ performance on the reading section of this assessment to no avail.

The researcher developed a strategy designed to increase teacher mentoring/collaboration at the middle school level. This strategy included a comprehensive program for the development of a teacher mentor cluster. The cluster, and the inherent increased collaboration, provided …

Improving Student Performance By Aligning The Curriculum To State Standards, Ernestine E. Kirby

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this applied dissertation was to align the curriculum at the elementary level to state standards that were being assessed by the state of Georgia. The curriculum was not aligned to state standards at Golden Isles Elementary School. Results from the Spring 2002 Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT; Georgia Department of Education, 2002) showed that 52 (35%) of 148 fourth-grade students did not meet standards in math, 39 (26%) did not meet standards in language arts, and 24 (16%) did not meet standards in reading.

This applied dissertation describes how the curriculum was aligned at Golden Isles …

Improving Sixth-Grade Test Scores On The Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test, Keith Ingram

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to provide training for sixth-grade teachers who administer the Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test in the spring of the school year. The teachers and students in sixth grade were unfamiliar with the standardized test materials, format, or vocabulary. The teachers had no idea how to prepare for the new test for the spring of the school year. The students and teachers had no knowledge of practice sites or software that was available for students to prepare for the test.

The researcher developed strategies and interventions to help train the teachers better on lesson plan preparation, …

Improving Performance On Standardized Tests Through Planned Interventions At Independence Alternative High School, Josephine Bell Jones

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This study was an investigation of the effects of a tutorial intervention on the grades and standardized test scores of low-performing students in an alternative school setting in the Winston-Salem Forsyth County System. Students in this study attended Independence Alternative High School (IAHSP) because of low test scores, declining grades, and behavioral problems. There had been a continuous decline in the end-of-course tests scores for these students for 3 consecutive years.

During the 1998-2000 school years, the academic performance of these students declined by 10.8%. These students were discouraged learners who did not achieve in the standard high school program. …

Colorado Superintendency Attrition And Its Effects On The Fourth-Grade Reading Achievement: A Reflective Practitioner’S Investigation, Rod L. Blunck

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to gather a greater understanding of the impact of superintendent turnover and the effect on student achievement. The data-based accountability systems in place in Colorado place a great deal of pressure on superintendents to produce empirical results indicating increased student achievement.

The author gathered data from the Colorado Department of Education for student achievement results for the 4th grade reading assessment as measured by the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) for academic years 2001, 2002, and 2003 and for superintendent turnover as measured during academic years 2001 and 2002. Randomly selected, 5 superintendents were to …

Symptoms And Possible Causes For Low Enrollment And Participation In The Advanced Placement Program, Debra A. Calvin

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to increase the participation rate of students in the advanced placement (AP) program in a comprehensive high school. The participation rate at this particular site was 8.69% for the 2001-2002 school year. An audit conducted at that time indicated that given the school’s demographics, the AP participation rate should have been at 20%. A strong AP program is advantageous not only to the students actually taking the course but to the entire student body as well. A system was set in place that did not promote the growth and development of AP.

The writer developed …

Moving Toward A Strength Perspective: A Case Study Of Counselor Change, Candis Carr

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

According to their mission statement, employees of the Family and Youth Counseling Agency, Inc., (FYCA) operated on the assumption that all individuals possessed the ability to solve their own challenges and live full and healthy lives when support was available. In practice, however, agency counseling reflected a deficit-based, hierarchical framework, wherein counselors expanded on clients’ deficits and failings, defined the goals of counseling, and regarded counselors as more knowing than clients about how best to change. By discrediting the client’s voice, counselors failed to put into action the agency’s guiding principle.

To develop a strength-based practice, counselors met on a …

Increasing The Active Participation Of Caregivers In The Implementation Of The Individualized Family Service Plan In An Early Intervention Program, Jennifer Cave

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to improve the implementation of early intervention therapy services in natural environments. Active caregiver participation during therapy is vital to the success of early intervention. However, the caregivers of infants and toddlers with developmental delays who were receiving early intervention therapy from an agency that served three counties in the southeastern United States were not actively participating in the implementation of the Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs).

In order to increase the level of active caregiver participation during therapy sessions, six solution strategies were implemented. The researcher provided information to the caregivers by creating a …

Integrating Technology In The Academic Classrooms Of An Independent School, Kim R. Crockard

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to increase the integration of technology in the academic classrooms of an independent college preparatory school. Technology had been introduced to the faculty in a random manner. Some teachers embraced technology, some were accepting but unknowing, and some were vocally resistant. There was no plan to present an administrative vision to the faculty in order to support a framework for technology integration, to provide a professional development program, to establish standards for teacher competency, or to determine an assessment process. These are necessary components of a successful technology integration effort as defined by the research. …

Affect Of Increasing Team-Planning Time And Improving Team Classroom Proximity On Student Achievement, John Deuber John Deuber

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to increase the amount of team-planning time and classroom proximity provided to teaching teams at 1 middle school. The amount of time provided within the school day to each team for team planning was inadequate to meet the needs of effective teams. Additionally, teachers had been assigned to classrooms with little concern for team member proximity.

Student achievement as measured by the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills 5, a nationally recognized standardized test, had shown a slight downward trend for 3 preceding years. The interventions were meant to address and correct this problem. Teachers completed …

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 …