Education Commons^™

Technology Use In A First-Year Composition Program, Estee Natee Beck

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study examines how instructors view and work with technology in a firstyear composition program at a four-year, public university in central Appalachia. Six interview questions were developed for this study as a means to explore the instructor’s definition of technology, level of use (functional, critical, and or rhetorical), difficulties using technology, pedagogy, and socioeconomics of the student population. Using qualitative methods to find patterns in the data, correlations were present among participant responses with functional uses, access, and socioeconomics. Educators primarily use technology functionally for the purpose of creating linear-based essays; have broad access to technology, but do not …

Tools And Community : How Women Become Researchers In Communication Sciences And Disorders, Karen L. Mccomas

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) is a female-dominated discipline in danger of losing its professional autonomy. In 2002, the American Speech-Language- Hearing Association (ASHA) reported that 6-7% of all faculty positions in CSD were vacant, predicted a substantial increase in vacancies through 2012, and declared the issue of faculty preparation as the "most significant threat to our [CSD] future" (p. 5). In 2008, ASHA reported that, although more people were receiving Ph.D. degrees, only half accepted positions in higher education. The purpose of this study was to extend understanding of the problem of too few researchers in CSD by increasing …

Comparison Of The Reading Subtests Of The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test - Third Edition And The Peabody Individual Achievement Test-Revised/Normative Update, Lauren M. Ott

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study compared the reading subtests of the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test Third Edition and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test-Revised/Normative Update. Scores were compared on these two tests in a group of 28 students ages 7 through 12 who were referred or reevaluated for suspected learning problems. The data were collected through a deidentified data set provided by a school building staff member or administrator and included such information as gender, age, and grade level as well as WIAT-III and PIAT-R/NU reading subtest scores. A t test of significance and the Pearson r Correlations were computed to see how the …

The Relationship Between The Wisc-Iv Gai And The Kabc-Ii, Nancy R. Oliver

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This present study compared the WISC-IV GAI and the global scores of KABC-II. The tests were administered to referred students in rural schools in Ohio and West Virginia. The study included 30 Caucasian students between the ages of 6 years, 7 months to 16 years, 11 months; 19 females and 11 males with an average age of 9 years, 10 months. Results found a strong correlation between the GAI and the FCI; and the GAI and the MPI. The results of the t-test of significance suggested that these tests given to the same student would yield similar results.

Predicting Mastery On The Westest 2 : A Comparison Of Map And Westest 2 Data, Miranda Noelle Haught

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Curriculum based measures are conducted in order to observe a student’s progress and gauge the development in the school’s curriculum. Schools are in need of gathering data to discover if students are progressing towards achieving proficiency on state standardized tests. This research determines what score or corresponding percentile needs to be reached on the MAP test in order to achieve mastery on WESTEST 2. Data was compared from students in a rural county in West Virginia who were tested in Mathematics and Reading on the MAP test and WESTEST 2. A Pearson product correlation between both the MAP test and …

Cross Informant Correlation : Validity Of The Conners Cbrs Parent And Teacher Scales, Tamara Ann-Harris Mitchell

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to determine the amount of cross informant agreement on the Conners Comprehensive Behavior Rating content scales between Parents and Teachers of students at the Marshall University Summer Enrichment Program. Data was analyzed by comparing the 11 common content scales on both forms and determining if there is a cross informant correlation that is significant. Results showed a low correlation coefficient, which suggests a weak relationship between parents and teachers.

Implementation Of Language And Literacy Practices By Prekindergarten Teachers In The West Virginia Universal Pre-K System, Leslie Papelier

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study investigated the perceived frequency of implementation of language and literacy practices for 217 West Virginia Pre-K teachers. Teachers were employed in public school-based and community-based classrooms for 4-year-olds. Respondents completed the Language and Literacy Practice Survey (LLPS), which measured their perceived frequency of implementation of 18 language and literacy practices. Their overall perceived ability level for implementing effective language and literacy instruction was also assessed. Respondents also rated their use of resources and materials to facilitate effective language and literacy instruction. Additionally, respondents answered open-ended qualitative questions to determine perceived constraints that may hinder their effective implementation of …

The Effectiveness Of Marshall University's Master Of Arts In Teaching And Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certificate Programs As Determined By Graduates' And Completers' Perceptions, Melissa F. Spivy

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study examined graduates’ and completers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of Marshall University’s alternative certification programs, the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certificate (PBTC), from 1999-2010. This nonexperimental descriptive cross-sectional study used the Spivy Survey of MAT and PBTC Program Effectiveness to collect data. Based on the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) standards, this survey used 20 closed-ended questions and two open-ended questions to investigate graduates’ and completers’ perceptions. Data indicated that graduates and completers perceived their preparation was moderately prepared based on the mean scores. All median and mode scores indicated graduates …

The National Board Certification Process: A Comparison Of The Perceptions Of National Board Certified Teachers And National Board Candidates In West Virginia, Raymond L. Singleton

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

More than twenty years of research have been devoted to the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification process, much of it focused on the effects of National Board certified teachers (NBCTs) on student achievement. Less attention has been paid to the effects of the process on teachersʼ skills and practices, while virtually no research has focused on teachers who attempted the process but did not succeed (NB Candidates). Using the NBPTS Five Core Propositions as a basis for survey items and open-ended questions, this mixed-methods study examined and compared the perceptions of West Virginia NBCTs and National Board …

Marriage Vows And Economic Discrimination: The Married Teacher Problem, Sabrina Thomas

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study analyzes the rapid increase of economic discrimination against married women teachers in the early twentieth century, particularly during the Depression. It challenges the notion that economic discrimination against married women teachers was simple, easy, and largely was unchallenged. I argue that the creation and proliferation of marriage bars in the early twentieth century involved a compounded and multifaceted set of economic and social concerns. Support for this argument is accomplished by examination of the national debate on marriage bars as well as careful investigation of the local debate illustrated in Huntington, West Virginia.

Dropping Out: A Cross-Case Exploration Of Why Students In One West Virginia County Choose To Leave School, Debra Hunt Young

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The indicators and predictors of dropout as documented in the literature are vast and encompass influences such as family, motivation, socio-economic status, and academic achievement, and could be accepted as universal reasons students choose to leave school and not return. This qualitative study investigated the reasons why students in one West Virginia county choose to drop out of school. Using cross-case analysis, the perceptions of current students identified as at-risk of dropping out, former students, and Attendance Directors and Guidance Counselors were explored to determine emergent themes and provide proactive and reactive strategies to prevent dropout. This study resulted in …

The Remediation Of School Psychologist Trainees, Michael J. Powell

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

School Psychology training programs have an important responsibility of making sure their graduates are competent professionals. The current study gathered data from National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) approved training programs in order to explore how they have handled competency problems in their program. A survey was sent to all NASP approved training programs via e-mail. Surveys were also completed by 32 program representatives at the 2010 Annual NASP Conference. The results of the survey were analyzed using Chi Square and a frequency analysis. The Chi Square analysis did not yield any significant differences at p<0.05 between educational specialist or equivalent degree programs and doctorate degree programs. The frequency analysis, however, did disclose pertinent data in regards to the remediation of school psychology trainees.

Normative Comparison For The Woodcock-Johnson Iii: Tests Of Achievement For 1, 3, 6, 9, & 12 Grades, Renee Ecckles-Hardy

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study examines the use of the updated and original norms of the Woodcock Johnson-III (WJ-III), Tests of Achievement in making educational decisions. The method used to collect data included placing into the original Compuscore program, raw scores acquired from the updated norms to determine if a difference between the two scoring programs is evident. This procedure was used to obtain scores derived from the original and the updated norms for each Math subtest on the standard battery of the WJ-III (form A) for grades 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12. Results of the study showed the two scoring systems …

A Study Of Early Childhood Education Teachers’ Beliefs And Practices About Early Literacy Learning, Jennifer Mayo

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study investigated differences in literacy beliefs and related instructional practices for 427 West Virginia K-2 early childhood teachers to determine how early literacy instruction is best facilitated for young children and whether their beliefs clustered into identifiable literacy models. Respondents completed the Teachers‘ Beliefs about Literacy Questionnaire (TBALQ) which measured the level of belief and degree of influence on the implementation of 24 statements coded as: top-down (child-centered); bottom-up (teacher-directed); or interactive (balanced) instructional practices.

Respondents also self-rated their general position on a scale from 1 to 7 regarding whether children‘s literacy acquisition should be grounded in immersion (whole …

Cross-Informant Agreement Among Parents And Children, Staci S. Mullins

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Rating scales are often used by school psychologists to assess for emotional and behavioral disorders in students. While one advantage of rating scales is that data can be collected and assessed from multiple informants, research has shown that agreement between multiple informants is usually low to moderate, with the lowest being between parents and youth. The Conners Comprehensive Behavior Rating Scale (CBRS) is a new multi- dimensional rating scale claiming to have moderate parent/youth agreement. The purpose of this study was to analyze the cross-informant agreement between youth and parents using the Conners CBRS and then compare the correlations from …

Grade Retention As Perceived By Kindergarten Through Third Grade Teachers, Brittany Leigh Pettay

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study examined the attitudes of kindergarten through third grade teachers regarding academic, emotional and social effects of grade retention, in addition to alternative interventions to retention. The teachers were asked to take part in a survey on grade retention as an intervention. After completing the initial survey, teachers were then asked to read an article entitled, "Grade Retention and Promotion" (Jimerson, Graydon, Pletcher, Schnurr, Kundert, & Nickerson, 2006) and then take a post-survey.

The results of this study reveal that the teachers' attitudes about grade retention were significantly changed when they were presented with a research-based article entitled "Grade …

Ed/Bd Eligibility Related To Gender And Community Size In West Virginia|Ed/Bd Eligibility Related To Gender And Community Size In West Virginia, Matthew Joseph Smart

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Over-representation of males in special education is an area of concern. Research studies have confirmed West Virginia as one of the states having the highest male-to-female ratios for Emotionally Disturbed/Behavior Disorder (ED/BD) students. The current study compares the most and least populated areas in West Virginia with regard to ED/BD eligibility. Male/female student ratios of ED/BD were examined utilizing chi-square analysis. This study used the September 2009 regulations under West Virginia Policy 2419, and those regulations were in place when these data were collected. Results indicated that a statistically significant difference exists between the total number of ED/BD students made …

Problematic Students Of Nasp Approved Programs: An Exploratory Study Of Graduate Student Views, Leasha Dawn Trimble

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study reports the findings of an electronic exploratory survey forwarded to National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Student Representatives by their Faculty Sponsors. The purpose of the survey was to gather information about the perspective of graduate students concerning problematic peers and their experiences with them in school psychology training programs. Findings suggest that (a) students are not sure whether or not their training programs have an official procedure in place for dealing with problematic students; (b) the problems they observe most commonly involve poor interpersonal skills; (c) consistent with other mental health programs, school psychology graduate students most …

An Initial Investigation Of The Applicability Of The Dreyfus Skill Acquisition Model To The Professional Development Of Nurse Educators, Lisa Ramsburg

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Little is known about the skill and knowledge acquisition of nurses in the educator role. This investigation represents an attempt to design and validate a skill acquisition model for the nurse educator role. While nurse educators often have strong clinical backgrounds, they face a significant role transition as nurse educators. Dreyfus and Dreyfus provided a model for studying skill acquisition in several fields and Benner applied the model to clinical nursing. To investigate skill acquisition among nurse educators, the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition along with the National League for Nursing (NLN) Nurse Educator Competencies provided a framework for the …

A Comparison Study: Kaufman Assessment Battery For Children, Second Edition (Kabc-Ii) And Wechsler Intelligence Scale For Children, Fourth Edition (Wisc-Iv) With Referred Students, Danielle M. Mckown

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study was conducted based on the limited availability of research comparing the KABC-II and WISC-IV. The study included 30 Caucasian students between the ages of 6 years, 7 months to 16 years 11 months who attend rural school districts in Ohio and West Virginia and were referred due to academic concerns; the sample consisted of 19 females and 11 males with an average age of 9 years, 7 months. Results found the correlation between the FSIQ and the MPI was r = .88, n = 30, p < .05 and the relationship between the FSIQ and the FCI to be r = .91, n = 30, p < .05. Results of a t-test found the FSIQ and FCI to be t(29)=.075, p > .05. T-test results for the FSIQ and MPI was t(29) = .726, …

Infusing Technology: A Study Of The Influence Of Professional Development On How Teachers Use Technology, Amy E. Cottle

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study examined whether a quality professional development course, Infusing Technology, influenced the use of technology by elementary and middle school teachers in West Virginia. Infusing Technology was designed to help school-based team learning communities use technology in their instruction while engaging students in critical thinking, reasoning, and problem solving skills.

This mixed-method study used the LoTi Digital-Age Survey, aligned with the National Educational Technology Standards, to collect quantitative data on levels of technology innovation, levels of personal computer use, and levels of current instructional practices. Participants in the Infusing Technology course completed the survey before the summer institute and …