Education Commons^™

Mid-Western Educational Researcher Reviewers For 2007-2008, Savilla Banister, Mark Earley, Julia Matuga, Timothy Murnen

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

Reviewers

Faculty Salary Scale 2008-2009, Saint Mary's College Of California

SMC Salary Scale

No abstract provided.

Decision Support Systems To Support International Students: Potential For Practice?, Khumphicha Tantisantisom, J Clayden

EDU-COM International Conference

International students now comprise a significant group within Australian higher education but many must overcome difficulties related to initial acceptance by the institution of their choice and enrolment in an appropriate course. The need to extend visas to permit completion or the application process for permanent resident status may also be important to the individual student. Decision support systems (DSS) for customer relationship management (CRM) have been suggested as a means of utilising information technologies for admission procedures in higher education (McClea & Yen 2005). This paper will consider whether students may be defined as customers and reflect upon the …

Mutual Adaptation Of International Students And Academics For The Sustainable Development Of International Education, Tran Ly Thi

EDU-COM International Conference

This paper reports the findings of a qualitative study that explores how international students from China and Vietnam in different disciplines in Australian higher education interpret and adapt to disciplinary requirements and how academics respond to the diverse needs of international students. The study employed a trans-disciplinary framework for interpreting students‘ and lecturers' practices within institutional structures. This framework has been developed by infusing a modified version of Lillis‘ (2001) heuristic for exploring students‘ meaning making with positioning theory (Harré & van Langenhove, 1999). A prominent finding of the study indicates the emergence of three main forms of adaptation, committed …

Implementation Of Generic Skills In The Curriculum, Sulaiman Yassin, Fauziah Abu Hasan, Wan Amin, Nur Amiruddin

EDU-COM International Conference

In many cultures and countries including Malaysia, the issue of incorporating generic skills into the curriculum taught to students in higher learning institutions has gained momentum in recent years. The raison d'être to inculcate generic skills among students is to enable the country to meet human resource requirements which will be more competitive in the advent of a borderless world. Growing concerns of the employability of graduates and the expansion in the size and diversity of student populations also form the basis to implement the generic skills program in universities. All undergraduate programs offered in public higher learning institutions in …

Web-Based Courses To Support Efl Learning For Pre-Service Teachers: A Thai Pilot Study, Vijittra Vonganusith, Pagram Jeremy

EDU-COM International Conference

In a modern, information rich, economically driven society, Western universities as well as Thai Universities are turning towards the Web to disseminate and retrieve information. Integration of computers to support the learning environment in teaching language is still in its infancy in Thailand. Its implementation changes both the instructional strategy and also the teaching and learning environment. English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher‘s professional education. In order to …

The Effects Of Choice On Assignment Completion And Percent Correct By A High School Student With A Learning Disability, D. Stenhoff, B. J. Davey, Benjamin Lignugaris / Kraft

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

The effects of choosing between two academic assignments on task completion and percent correct by a ninth grade student with a learning disability was investigated. This case study extended the efficacy of antecedent based intervention as an instructional modification. Further, the study extends previous research by investigating the effect of choice on academic achievement. The withdrawal design showed that percent completed and correct were highest when the participant was given a choice between two assignments when compared to baseline conditions. Results are discussed in term of efficacy of choice as an antecedent intervention, choice selection, and future research directions.

A New Design For The Hudson Community School District's Website, Shannon Michelle Horn

Honors Program Theses

Technology is increasingly becoming a bigger and more important part of our daily lives. Especially in such institutions as the public education system, the Internet is becoming more widely used as a source of information and a means of communication between the district and parents, students, the community, and even teachers. The Internet, and all forms of technology, is increasingly becoming the primary way people access information, especially in education. As more and more schools are depending on the Internet to promote their schools, they are in tum becoming dependent on how outsiders view their website as a first impression …

Exceed Teaching Workshop: Tenth Year Anniversary, Allen Estes, Ronald Welch, Stephen Ressler, Norman Dennis, Debra Larson, Carol Considine, Tonya Nilsson, Jim O'Brien, Thomas Lenox

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

In response to the need for faculty training, the American Society of Civil Engineers developed and funded the ExCEEd (Excellence in Civil Engineering Education) Teaching Workshop that is today - the summer of 2008 - celebrating its tenth year of existence. For the past decade, nineteen ExCEEd Teaching Workshops (ETW) have been held at the United States Military Academy, the University of Arkansas, and Northern Arizona University, with two more workshops scheduled for this summer for a total of 21 offerings. ETW has realized 449 graduates from 203 different U.S. and international colleges and universities. This paper summarizes the content …

Program Assessment: A Structured, Systematic, Sustainable Example For Civil Engineers, Allen C. Estes, Ronald W. Welch, Stephen J. Ressler

Architectural Engineering

As the outcomes-based accreditation process continues to evolve since its implementation six years ago, the standards for program assessment and continuous improvement are progressively being raised and many schools struggle with what is required. This paper offers an example of a structured, systematic, sustainable assessment program implemented by the civil engineering program at the United States Military Academy. The process is compatible with the university assessment process and has eight years of documented results. The assessment includes fast loop and slow loop cycles that accomplish very different things. Other features include standardized course assessments, embedded indicators, performance measures for all …

A Comparison Of Ordinary Least Squares And Instrumental Variables Regression For High Intensity Disease Management Evaluation, Gerald A. Craver

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Disease management (DM) programs are typically evaluated using study designs that are susceptible to selection bias and other internal validity threats because participants are often allowed to self-select into the programs. As a result, DM evaluation results are usually biased because researchers are unable to control for preexisting differences between the DM participants and non-participants. Linden and Adams (2006) offer an instrumental variables (IV) regression procedure as a means of deriving unbiased estimates of DM program effectiveness. However, IV regression relies upon the existence of one or more variables (or instruments) that produce considerable variation in the program participation …

Searching For A Connection: Internet Communication And Mobile Phone Use For Social Membership, Cathy Marie Quast Sowa

Masters Theses

College students struggle to develop successful interpersonal relationships, explore personal identity and establish social group memberships. The purpose of this study was to explore measured levels of social connectedness and social assurance among undergraduate student users of Internet communication and mobile phone. Survey results indicated that the number of hours students used electronic communication tools was not related to their feelings of social connectedness on campus. However, the data indicated that students mixed electronic communication media to make connections, even to simultaneous use of mobile phone and Internet communication. Results supported the researcher's connection attachment theory, which proposed that students …

Barriers Faced By Hispanic Women In Higher Education Institutions In The State Of Illinois, Zoraida Irizarry

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study was to ascertain the perceptions of Hispanic women concerning barriers to their career advancement to faculty and administrators in higher education institutions in the state of Illinois. Specifically, attention was given to issues of national origin, mentoring relationships, education, gender, culture, socialization, socioeconomic status, and financial compensation.

Qualitative one-on-one interview were conducted with six Hispanic women who were faculty and directors of departments at state universities. The interviews were tape recorded, transcribed into computer files, and coded to identify themes.

The findings of the present study revealed that most of the factors, excluding those …

A Study Of The Long Range Effects Of Reading Recovery On Student Achievement On The Arkansas Benchmark Examination, Elizabeth Jane Wyatt

Theses and Dissertations

The study examined the progress made by discontinued Reading Recovery ® students three years beyond the initial Reading Recovery intervention. It also examined the relationship between former discontinued Reading Recovery students and the need for additional literacy support from second to fourth grade. The students' results on the Arkansas Benchmark Examination were used to determine the progress made three years following the initial Reading Recovery intervention. These results were compared to the average scores of non-Reading Recovery students. Based on the findings, former Reading Recovery students are performing at the basic or above level on the Arkansas Benchmark Examination.

African American Student Affairs Administrators At Predominantly White Institutions: Factors That Contribute To Their Success, Levester Gardner Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to explore the experiences of African American student affairs administrators at predominantly white universities and the factors that contribute to their success. The study focused specifically on African American student affairs administrators at predominantly white institutions and their lived experiences. Through the use of phenomenological methods of inquiry, a purposive sample of fourteen African American Student Affairs Administrators from predominantly white institutions were selected and interviewed. The conceptual framework for the present study consisted of a set of variables that influence the success of African American student affairs administrators at predominantly white institutions. Some …

Effects Of An Interactive Approach To Word Study Versus A Traditional Spelling Approach, Rhonda Rook

Theses and Dissertations

Historically, spelling instruction in many classrooms has consisted of the rote memorization of words and rules with little connection to the application of these items in reading and writing. The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of the Rook Fourth Grade Word Study Curriculum on students' improvement in word knowledge, usage, and the application of those skills to writing. Data collection included student pretest and posttest assessments of spelling and writing. In addition, teacher perceptions regarding the influence of an interactive word study curriculum on student achievement and instructional practices were investigated by means of open-ended questionnaires …

Non -Major Physical Education Students' And Department Chairpersons' Perceptions Of Current Physical Education Activity Curriculum In The Nine State Supported Universities In Arkansas, Lynn Glover Leggett

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines perceptions of the department chairpersons and non-major physical education students at seven Arkansas state supported universities. The research study was based on two parts. Part I included a 16 item questionnaire survey to the physical education department chairpersons. The results of this study were analyzed using a qualitative clustering approach. The research was grounded in the department chairperson's questionnaire. Part II included a 26 item questionnaire survey to the non-major physical education students enrolled in physical education activity classes to meet the general education requirement. Twenty four questions were analyzed using a chi-square test to determine differences …

The Effect Of Locus Of Control, Motivation And Learning Style On Retention In Online Community College Courses, Vondra O. Armstrong

Theses and Dissertations

Literature is replete with the uniqueness of the community college student as it relates to remediation, persistence, and academic success; yet very little literature exists on the community college and retention in online courses. The purpose o f the study was to examine the effect of student characteristics, locus of control, motivation, and learning style on retention in online community college courses. The descriptive discriminant function analysis revealed one function that was primarily defined by age and ethnicity, locus of control was not supported, while motivation and learning style preference were predictors of retention to a lesser degree. Completers tended …

The Effects Of School Climate On Teacher Efficacy And Retention In High-Poverty Schools, Debbie Lambeth

Theses and Dissertations

High-poverty schools must have teachers who believe they can make a difference in the lives of the students. Teachers with high self-efficacy tend to have the desire to make that difference in the life of a child and persist in the face of adversity. School climate plays an important role in building teacher efficacy and persistence in high-poverty schools. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between the school climate created by a comprehensive school reform model, teacher efficacy and teacher persistence in high-poverty schools. The findings revealed a statistical significance between teacher efficacy and teacher persistence. …

The Proficiency Of English As A Second Language Students At A U.S. Metropolitan University: A Survey Of The Beliefs And Perceptions Of Core-Course Instructors, Pamela Henline Villines

Theses and Dissertations

The success of English as a Second Language (ESL) students at university level in the United States depends upon their ability to perform at a level of language proficiency deemed adequate by university core-course instructors. This writing begins with the historical derivation of “language proficiency,” and continues on to examine the curricular demands of the Intensive English Language Program (IELP) at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR). ESL students, both IELP graduates and IELP non-affiliates, may enroll in the core courses required to earn a degree from UALR. This thesis is based on the results of a survey …

Using Data Envelopment Analysis To Assess The Technical Efficiency Of Public School Districts In Arkansas, Douglas Stephen Adams

Theses and Dissertations

The study calculated the relative technical efficiency of public school districts in the State of Arkansas utilizing an output oriented variable returns to scale data envelopment analysis (DEA) for the school year 2005-2006 and found over 80% of the schools districts were inefficient to a certain extent. The elimination of the relative technical efficiency could generate potential savings of $250,000,000. The study also found significant variances in relative technical efficiency and average effectiveness for school districts with similar concentrations of poverty students. Additionally, the study found significant variances in average effectiveness among school districts that were fully efficient. Finally, the …

Enhancing Teaching And Learning: Integrating Technology And Nursing Education, Kellie Smith, Edd, Rn, Elizabeth Elkind, Rnc, Msn, Mba, Phd(C)

College of Nursing Faculty Papers & Presentations

Enhancing teaching and learning: Integrating technology and nursing education. Jefferson School of Nursing Faculty Development Day: Understanding scholarship: The Boyer model and career development. Philadelphia, PA (podium)

15 PowerPoint slides.

A Study Of Digital Communication Tools Used In Online High School Courses, Nathan Putney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which selected communication tools used by teachers who teach online are positively perceived by their students in improving feelings of self-efficacy and motivation, and which tools may be perceived to be significantly more effective than the others. Students from the Florida Virtual School, a leader in online course delivery for grades 6-12, were surveyed to find their perceptions about how their teachers' use of email, Instant Messaging, chat, the telephone, discussion area, whiteboard, and assignment feedback affected their motivation and success in an online high school course. Correlations were …

The Problem Of Polysemy In The First Thousand Words Of The General Service List: A Corpus Study Of Secondary Chemistry Texts, Karina Clemmons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vocabulary in a second language is an indispensable building block of all comprehension (Folse, 2006; Nation, 2006). Teachers in content area classes such as science, math, and social studies frequently teach content specific vocabulary, but are not aware of the obstacles that can occur when students do not know the basic words. Word lists such as the General Service List (GSL) were created to assist students and teachers (West, 1953). The GSL does not adequately take into account the high level of polysemy of many common English words, nor has it been updated by genre to reflect specific content domains …

An Exploration Of How Pre-Service Early Childhood Teachers Use Educative Curriculum Materials To Support Their Science Teaching, Deirdre Englehart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research indicates that a proportion of elementary teachers are not comfortable teaching science to young children. These teachers are unaware of the best methods of approaching science and don't have the science background knowledge to support teaching through inquiry methods. This case study explores the role educative curriculum materials play in supporting pre-service early childhood education teachers' knowledge with science content and teaching practices. Specifically, I examine how educative materials impact pre-service teacher's content knowledge in science and their pedagogical content knowledge related to inquiry methods. Three pre-service early childhood teachers participated in this research. The teachers were initially interviewed …

Leadership Behaviors Gained As A Result Of Involvement In A Community College Student Leader Program, Chanda Torres

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess whether participation in a community college student leader program had an effect on the leadership behaviors of students based on five (5) practices measured by a student leadership practices inventory. By assessing these leadership behaviors, the community college was able to determine the effectiveness of the program and ways to improve the program's curriculum. This study addressed the following: 1) whether students who participated in a student leader program in a community college showed significant growth in leadership behaviors; 2) whether the growth in leadership behaviors of students who participated in a …

What Is The Relationship Between National Board Certification And The Achievement Results Of Third Grade Students In A Local Cen, Thomas Vitale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There has been much excitement over the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards; especially with regard to improving student achievement. Are Nationally Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) performing better than their non board certified counterparts? Does achieving National Board Certification mean that a teacher is "highly qualified?" What are the tangible effects on the achievement levels of students of Nationally Board Certified teachers? Much research has been conducted in the past few years to try to answer these questions. Currently, the results of much of this research are ambiguous at best. Most studies report little in the way of significant impact …

The Prevalence Of Bullying In Central Florida Middle Schools As Perceived By Students, Marty Norris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was developed to produce data about the prevalence of bullying in Central Florida middle schools. The research was intended to contribute to the existing body of knowledge on bullying and victimization. The focus for this study was provided through research questions: (a) to determine if there is a mean difference in perceived victimization among Central Florida middle school students based on grade level, gender, and ethnicity; (b) to determine if there is a mean difference in perceived bullying among Central Florida middle school students based on grade level, gender, and ethnicity; (c) to determine what support do students …

In The Critical Tradition: An Examination Of National Board Certified Teachers In A Central Florida School District, Jacquelyn Flanigan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 1986, the Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy published A Nation Prepared: Teachers for the 21st Century in which it recommended that a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) be established to ascertain and institute criteria for teacher excellence (Steiner, 1995). No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) mandated that every classroom employ a "highly qualified teacher" (No Child Left Behind, 2001a); moreover, NCLB articulated the relationship between improving student achievement and higher standards for qualifying classroom teachers (Rotberg, Futrell & Lieberman, 1998). Research conducted in Miami-Dade County supports Florida's use of National Board Certification (NBC) …

An Analysis Of Predictors Of Enrollment And Successful Achievement For Girls In High School Advanced Placement Physics, Darlene Depalma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A problem within science education in the United States persists. U.S students rank lower in science than most other students from participating countries on international tests of achievement (National Center for Education Statistics, 2003). In addition, U.S. students overall enrollment rate in high school Advanced Placement (AP) physics is still low compared to other academic domains, especially for females. This problem is the background for the purpose of this study. This investigation examined cognitive and motivational variables thought to play a part in the under-representation of females in AP physics. Cognitive variables consisted of mathematics, reading, and science knowledge, as …