Education Commons^™

Go Figure: Calculus Students' Use Of Figures And Graphs In Technical Report Writing, Thomas J. Pfaff, Michael Rogers, Ali Erkan, Jason G. Hamilton

Numeracy

Understanding how to read and use graphs to communicate scientific and mathematical information is critical for STEM majors, as well as an important part of quantitative literacy. Our study suggests that first-semester calculus students do not know how to use graphs in a technical report without explicit instruction. Although not a surprising result, it leaves us wondering about when such skills are developed, and if calculus I is a place to start. Our work is now exploring the potential benefit on students' use of graphs by having them formally evaluate other students' reports.

Kindergarten Teachers' Classroom Management Beliefs And Practices And Their Implications On Students' Social And Academic Outcomes, Lauren D. Florin

Theses and Dissertations in Early Childhood Education

The purpose of this study was to utilize Baumrind's parenting style construct, with early childhood educators, as classroom management styles by assessing the proportion of classroom management styles of Virginia Association of Early Childhood Education (VAECE) educators, and secondly to assess classroom management beliefs and practices of among urban kindergarten teachers in addition to examining whether those differing classroom management styles impacted students' social and academic skills. The study investigated the proportion of classroom management styles of VAECE educators using an online questionnaire and used a case study approach with nine kindergarten teachers to better understand the teachers' classroom management …

Student Achievement As An Investment In Human Capital: Using Longitudinal Patterns Of Per Pupil Instructional And Capital Expenditures, Socioeconomic Status, And Past Performance In Predicting Student Achievement, Charles Anthony Roberts

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Existing research illustrating a significant relationship between school spending and student achievement is expanding. However, research specifically investigating the relationships between capital expenditures (maintenance, renovations, and construction) and instructional expenditures (teacher quality, teacher salaries, textbooks, class size) with student achievement both individually, and as a function of overall school spending, is lacking. Recent studies have linked school spending to student achievement in an attempt to increase school funding as a response to No Child Left Behind Act (2001) mandates. This study attempts to augment this area of inquiry by providing feedback across the Commonwealth of Virginia on longitudinal patterns of …

The Factors That Are Related To Native American Community College Students' Intent To Persist, Garnet Laureen Williams

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

More than half of Native American higher education students choose community colleges as their institution of choice. However, when compared with other ethnic groups, Native American/Alaska Natives (NA/AN) students earn the second-lowest number of associate degrees and the lowest number of bachelor's degrees. Despite this substantive gap, few studies have explored the factors related to Native American community college students' intent to persist. With the projected population surge of NA/AN residents over the next 15 years, more research on the factors related to Native American community college students' intent to persist in college is warranted.

This ex post facto study …

A Principal's Perceptions Of Character Education In A Rural Public School, Sandra H. Harrison

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

A majority of rural public schools face difficult and challenging problems: geographical isolation, escalating crime, impoverished families, economic inequities, faculty nonretention, declining enrollments, and lack of success in meeting accreditation benchmarks. In the past decade, support for character education as a valuable pedagogy to complement instruction and academic achievement emerged. The obligation to meet federal and state standards created expectations that school principals have the leadership ability to facilitate strong academic curricula as well as programs fostering students' moral development through character education. Mobilizing resources for character education initiatives becomes the responsibility of school principals or their designees. The purpose …

Ethically Speaking: Academic Librarians' Perceptions Of Information Privacy, Intellectual Freedom, And The Usa Patriot Act, Alicia Carol Willson-Metzger

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

This study examined five research questions relating to U.S. academic librarians' perceptions of and attitudes toward intellectual freedom, information privacy, and the USA PATRIOT Act: 1) Do academic librarians' self-perceived levels of affiliation with the American Library Association affect their attitudes toward the USA PATRIOT Act (2001)? 2) Do academic librarians' self-perceptions of affiliation with the American Library Association affect their attitudes regarding intellectual freedom for librarians and, if so, in which direction? 3) Does the USA PATRIOT Act (2001) compromise intellectual freedom as practiced by academic librarians? 4) Does the USA PATRIOT Act (2001) make academic librarians rethink …

Certification Of Financial Aid Administrators, Stacey A. Peterson

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The certification of financial aid administrators has been debated for over 37 years. A job satisfaction survey conducted by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA, 2008a) revealed that college and university administrators' perceptions of the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of the services provided by the financial aid office have a direct effect on the job satisfaction of financial aid practitioners. The study also hinted at a possible link between these perceptions and the resources allocated to the financial aid office. Open-ended comments collected as a part of the survey suggested that while members of the financial aid …

Reflections On The Tenth Anniversary Of Mathematics And Democracy, Lynn Arthur Steen, Bernard L. Madison

Numeracy

Two independent reflections by early proponents of quantitative literacy connect today's numeracy initiative with its origin in concern about school tests, its impact on students today, and the challenges of democracy. Even as interest in QL grows in many places, evidence of need also grows. Moreover, well-meaning programs with other goals—especially at the K-12 level—often channel education in directions that fail to advance numeracy. Examples show that both students and teachers are enthusiastic when offered QL opportunities, but that individual beliefs and public decisions often belie the goals of QL.

Calculus, Biology And Medicine: A Case Study In Quantitative Literacy For Science Students, Kim Rheinlander, Dorothy Wallace

Numeracy

This paper describes a course designed to enhance the numeracy of biology and pre-medical students. The course introduces students with the background of one semester of calculus to systems of nonlinear ordinary differential equations as they appear in the mathematical biology literature. Evaluation of the course showed increased enjoyment and confidence in doing mathematics, and an increased appreciation of the utility of mathematics to science. Students who complete this course are better able to read the research literature in mathematical biology and carry out research problems of their own.

An Examination Of The Relationship Between School Climate And Student Growth In Select Michigan Charter Schools, Benjamin P. Jankens

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine what relationship exists between school climate and student growth in Michigan charter schools. Data were collected through the use of a school climate survey and standardized assessment results. The Organizational Climate Descriptive Questionnaire for Elementary Schools (OCDQ-RE) developed by Hoy, Tarter, and Kottkamp (1991) was used to assess teacher perceptions of school climate. Student growth data were calculated using the fall and spring reading and math results from the Performance Series test by Scantron, and the MAP test by NWEA.

The population of this study consisted of 355 teachers from 11 participating …

Critical Teaching In The Library, Alycia Sellie

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Internalizing Problems In Students Involved In Bullying And Victimization [Chapter 5], Susan M. Swearer Napolitano, Adam Collins, Kisha Haye Radliff, Cixin Wang

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

In this chapter, we will review the literature on internalizing problems in youth who are involved in bullying. Involvement in bullying occurs along a continuum (i.e., the bully- victim continuum), meaning that students can participate in multiple roles, including bullying others, being bullied, both bullying others and being bullied, witnessing bullying, and no involvement in bullying. It is clear that involvement in bullying is not defined by static and fixed roles in individuals. It is also evident that students involved in the bully-victim continuum experience greater levels of internalizing problems compared to students who are not involved in bullying. The …

Enhancing Undergraduate Education: Examining Faculty Experiences During Their First Year In A Residential College And Exploring The Implications For Student Affairs Professionals, Jody E. Jessup-Anger, Matthew R. Wawrzynski, Christina W. Yao

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

THIS QUALITATIVE STUDY EMPLOYED a constructivist, case study approach to explore how faculty made meaning of their experiences in a newly developed residential college at a large, land-grant research university in the Midwest. Findings revealed that faculty focused on determining how to prioritize the numerous opportunities for involvement while also working to define their unconventional roles as teaching-focused faculty at a research-extensive university. In reflecting on their first few months in the residential college, faculty discussed their appreciation of the collegiality of their peers. Finally, they described their role as collaborators with other faculty as they continued to lay the …

Guidance For Accounting Professors, Stephen Scarpati

WCBT Faculty Publications

When reflecting upon their choice ofcareer, many CPAs look back to a particular college accounting professor as a source of influence. In return, many accounting professors warmly recall the assistance they were able to give students. While the benefits of a successful CPA career are obvious to many, from the standpoint of a 19-year-old undergraduate trying to pick a major, the decision is daunting. The demands of a challenging accounting curriculum can be intimidating. Add the complex regulations and rigorous examination for CPA licensing and the expectations can be overwhelming to a young student. Accounting professors can play a vital …

Letter From The Dean, Michael Vayda

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Instructions For Authors, Discovery Editors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Memoir Of A Black Female Social Worker: Re-Collections On Black Women Parenting And Parental Involvement In The Education Of Black Children, Jacquelyn Hodges Anthony

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study explores Black parental involvement by re-collecting my lived experiences as parent and social worker through memoir. Although the main characters in my stories are based on my family members and the parents and children I have assisted in various schools, I have fictionalized events, periods, and identities to protect myself and the people in my stories from the voyeuristic spectator. Fictionalizing also provides access within the intricacies of a lived experience and allows me to highlight ways of knowing that may expand epistemological standpoints regarding Black parental involvement. Re-collecting allowed me to reflect upon my two selves as …

Brain Drain To Brain Gain, Christopher B. Mugimu

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Enrollment Management Strategies: Effectiveness And Usage At Member Institutions Of The Council For Christian Colleges And Universities, Bethany J. Schuttinga

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

This exploratory study investigated the relationships between enrollment management strategies and enrollment growth or decline between 2005 and 2009 within member institutions of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). The study employed a quantitative survey research design that identified usage of strategies in the areas of admissions, retention, curricular changes, marketing, external stakeholders, academic quality, commitment to mission, and strength of organizational leadership.

The research focused on four questions:

1. What are the demographic characteristics among respondents within the sample?

2. What enrollment models are currently in place at CCCU member institutions?

3. What strategies and programs are …

Using Exploratory Interviews To Re-Frame Planned Research On Classroom Issues, Julia Ellis, Vera Janjic-Watrich, Vicki Macris, Richelle Marynowski

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

In this paper we describe and illustrate the use of an exploratory first interview to refine research questions or interviewing ideas prior to finalizing plans for a study about classroom issues or practices. Three researchers give accounts of their exploratory interviews concerning student “aliteracy,” the school experience of immigrant students, and mathematics teachers’ experience of assessment and grading. The researchers endeavored to acquire an holistic understanding of their participants’ experiences by: using open-ended questions about both the topic and the participants’ lives in general; asking participants to complete pre-interview activities such as drawings or diagrams about either the topic or …

Transformative Learning Through Cultural Immersion, Rebecca A. Addleman, Carol Jo Brazo, Tatiana Cevallos

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This qualitative study explored avenues to increase students’ intercultural competence through transformative learning. School of Education graduate students and faculty from a small, private university traveled to Ecuador to participate in a cultural immersion practicum. In addition to these primary goals, the trip was designed to facilitate transformative learning about cultural conceptions, diversity, and the dynamics of student differences with the goal of understanding one’s own cultural framework and adapting to another culture to develop empathy towards culturally and linguistically diverse students in the United States.

Faculty Salary Scale 2011-2012, Saint Mary's College Of California

SMC Salary Scale

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of Two Engineering Outreach Programs For Adolescents, Louis S. Nadelson, Janet M. Callahan

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

There is continued growth and development of outreach programs designed to increase pre-college students’ awareness and understanding of engineering as a profession and as a career. These outreach programs vary in format and in the groups targeted for participation but maintain the same fundamental goal of increasing participant knowledge of engineering. Many of these outreach programs also maintain the implicit goal of increasing the participants' knowledge and attitudes toward college. The additional resources and funding that are commonly allocated to support outreach programs frequently involve documenting accountability which motivates evaluation of program impact. Therefore, many outreach events include program evaluation …

Teaching The Infant Toddler Cda, Gwendolyn Brown-Murray

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Discusses some of the highlights of the author's experience teaching the curriculum for the Infant Toddler Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential to a group of women who were culturally, ethnically, religiously, educationally, and socially different from her.

Bridging Culture, Research, And Practice In Early Childhood Development: The Madrasa Resource Centers In East Africa, Peter Mwaura, Kofi Marfo

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

The Madrasa Resource Centers in East Africa have adapted features of Euro-American theory and practice into a service delivery system responding to local cultural and socioeconomic realities. After 25 years of implementation in predominantly Muslim communities with high poverty and low literacy rates, the program could serve as a model for other parts of the continent with similar population profiles. This article examines some of the program’s key features and discusses the prospects that the program’s integration of research into service delivery holds for developmental research in the region. It proposes that university partnerships with such programs could yield productive …

Who Stole My Idea? Why Researchers Need To Look At Past Theses On Their Own And Associated Topics, Ken Gasmier

ECU Research Week

No abstract provided.

Raising Good Soviets: Media Depictions Of Soviet Life And Upbringing Under Khrushchev, Chelsea Miller

Honors Program Theses

Policies on education and upbringing affected almost every individual in the Soviet Union, from the youngest child to the oldest pensioner. These policies reflected the current ideological path of the party and the need to train the children to accomplish the country’s goals. On a more personal level, these policies helped the children evolve into successful adults able to easily enter the workforce. When the public saw that these policies were not being enforced or implemented, they expressed their dissatisfaction. These individuals were able to safely voice their criticisms by pointing out the educational system’s failures within the ideological framework …

Interface Design To Support Situation Awareness In Virtual Puppetry, Keisha Joy Harthoorn

Honors Program Theses

"Virtual Heritage" is the use of digital media to reconstruct cultures and cultural artifacts as they are today or as they might have been in the past. The central element is usually a threedimensional computer model of a person, place, or thing. Frequently, these are ancient monuments, temples, homes, and other social spaces (Jacobson, 2008). The goal of Virtual Heritage is to draw viewers into the virtual world and allow them to directly experience the overall context of the environment. This phenomenon is known to researchers as “presence.” It is a long held belief that the increased presence yields better …

Effects Of Sexual Assault Education On College Students' Rape-Supportive Attitudes, Jessica Ann Ueland

Honors Program Theses

Few studies have measured the effectiveness of sexual assault programming is in decreasing acceptance of rape myths. This study examined two research questions. First, would students in a class that included a sexual assault education component be more likely to demonstrate a change in degree of rape myth acceptance than students who were not in a class that included sexual assault education? Second, within the treatment group, would males demonstrate a larger change in rape myth acceptance than females? At the end of the course, the treatment group showed a significant decrease in rape myth acceptance; there was not a …

Children‘S Protagonism At The Centro Cultural Da Criança: A Case Study, Claudia Protasio Ceccon

Dissertations

This dissertation provides a thick description and discussion of how child protagonism, participation and autonomy were implemented in an out of school center – The Children‘s Cultural Center – in a favela, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The researcher visited the center for more than two years, twice a week from February 2008 to June 2009, and once a week from June 2009 to July 2010. She conducted in-depth interviews with educators and children, recorded observation sessions in the activity rooms, and observed actualization sessions for educators and family days. This study describes the perspectives and expectations of the Center‘s …