Education Commons^™

How Mature Teaching And Learning Centers Evaluate Their Services, Susan R. Hines

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

This study investigated facuity development program evaluation practices at thirty-three established, centralized, university-funded teaching and learning centers (TLCs). My prior statewide study (Hines, 2009) revealed that limitations of time, resources, and assessment knowledge resulted in superficial evaluation practices. Since the majority of respondents in the previous study were part-time faculty developers with limited funding and staff, I assumed that established, centralized TLCs would have the knowledge and resources to conduct a more rigorous evaluation. This study reveals that established centralized TLCs have significantly stronger practices for evaluating their services.

Review Of "I Thought Pocahontas Was A Movie": Perspectives On Race/Culture Binaries In Education And Service Professions. Edited By Carol Schick And James Mcninch., Tracy L. Friedel

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

This edited volume argues that a race/culture binary lies at the heart of Canada's ongoing relationship with the descendants of the country's First Peoples. In looking at the service professions, editors Carol Schick and James McNinch trouble taken-for-granted assumptions based upon racial, cultural, and ethnic difference, arguing that representations of Indigenous peoples as culturally inferior, a trope that has replaced the idea of biological inferiority, is highly instrumental in the social positioning and unequal power relations that exists today in Canadian society. In turn, the editors tie this discussion back to Canada's colonial history and the social, material, and ideological …

Community College Student Engagement Patterns: A Typology Revealed Through Exploratory Cluster Analysis, Victor B. Sáenz, Deryl K. Hatch, Beth E. Bukoski, Suyun Kim, Kye-Hyoung Lee, Patrick Valdez

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

This study employs survey data from the Center for Community College Student Engagement to examine the similarities and differences that exist across student-level domains in terms of student engagement in community colleges. In total, the sample used in the analysis pools data from 663 community colleges and includes more than 320,000 students. Using data-mining techniques to discover a parsimonious number of natural clusters and, in turn, a k-means cluster analysis as a means of revealing a naturally occurring typology of engagement patterns, our findings reveal that support service utilization is the most distinguishing feature of the similarities and dissimilarities across …

Persisting To Graduation: A Grounded Theory Exploration Of Nontraditional Undergraduate Women's Enrollment, Danielle Ferioli Sulick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While women maintain a numerical majority in undergraduate college enrollments and degrees earned, they also represent the numerical majority among students over 29 years old, students of color, students who are in the lowest income category, students who are single parents, and students who attend college part-time (Peter & Horn, 2005; Planty, et al., 2008). The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) has identified seven characteristics that place students at risk of not completing an undergraduate degree; (a) delayed enrollment between high school and college, (b) part-time enrollment, (c) financial independence, (d) students with dependents, (e) students who are single …

The Jepson School: Liberal Arts As Leadership Studies, Joanne B. Ciulla

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

Around twenty years ago, I joined the faculty of the University of Richmond to help design the Jepson School of Leadership Studies.The easiest way to understand Jepson is as a liberal arts school with an explicit focus on the study of leadership. Our students take courses in history, philosophy, psychology, political science, and so on. These courses draw on the methodology and content of a discipline to understand leadership as a phenomenon and a practice. So as a school, we are multidisciplinary and some of our classes are interdisciplinary. By taking a liberal art approach to leadership studies, the Jepson …

Child Temperament, Teacher–Child Interactions, And Teacher–Child Relationships: A Longitudinal Investigation From First To Third Grade, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The quality of children’s relationships with teachers in early elementary grades has implications for their academic and behavioral outcomes in later grades (e.g., Hamre & Pianta, 2001). The current study uses data from the NICHD SECCYD to extend work from a recent study of first grade (Rudasill & Rimm-Kaufman, 2009) by examining connections between child shyness, effortful control, and gender and teacher–child relationship quality in third grade directly and indirectly through the frequency of teacher- and child-initiated interactions in third grade, and teacher–child relationship quality in first grade. Path analyses using structural equation models were used to test two different …

The Role Of Classroom Quality In Ameliorating The Academic And Social Risks Associated With Difficult Temperament, Timothy W. Curby, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Taylor Edwards, Koraly Pérez-Edgar

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The present study examines the moderating role first grade classroom quality may have on the relations between children’s difficult temperament (assessed in infancy) and their academic and social outcomes in early elementary school (first grade). Using data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, 1032 children were rated by their mothers at 6 months of age on difficult temperament. The quality of first grade classroom environments were then observed and rated along three domains: emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support. Regression analyses examined the statistical interactions between difficult …

Expanding The Social-Ecological Framework Of Bullying Among Youth: Lessons Learned From The Past And Directions For The Future [Chapter 1], Susan M. Swearer Napolitano, Dorothy L. Espelage

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

When the first edition of this book was published in 2004, we argued that bullying had to be studied across individual, peer, family, school, community, and cultural contexts. Like discrimination, bullying is a complex phenomenon, with multiple causal factors and multiple outcomes. We and other authors have continued to frame bullying among school-aged youth from this social ecological perspective. Drawing a parallel to discriminatory behavior, research on bullying has established that bully perpetration includes physical and verbal behavior within an affective framework (i.e., the intent to harm). Bullying comprises a complex set of antecedents, behaviors, and consequences. The reasons why …

Kindergartners Can Read And Understand : Emergent Reading Strategies At Work, Kacey Lynn Beyer

Graduate Research Papers

The need for kindergarten educators to be effective in teaching both word solving and comprehension strategies is paramount. Educators are challenged to teach even the most emergent readers to use strategies to help them read and understand what they have read. The explicit teaching of both word solving and comprehension strategies in kindergarten builds a strong foundation for literacy learning throughout a student's school career and beyond. Fostering a love of literature and an attitude of lifelong literacy learning can be achieved for all students with the proper supports in place. This paper defines each word solving and comprehension strategy …

Accelerated Reader And Sustained Silent Reading's Impact On Students' Motivation To Read, Amy Benedict

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine if students' motivation to read is influenced by the use of Accelerated Reader or SSR in their school. Fourth grade students had been selecting books to read based on Accelerated Reader levels. After reading each book the students took a quiz. SSR was implemented for two weeks to determine if students' attitudes towards reading would improve.

A mixed-methods approach was used in this research design. Quantitative data were collected through the MRP survey, administered both before the introduction of SSR and after implementing SSR. Qualitative data were collected through an individual conversational …

A Mixed Methods Study Of How The Transition Process Impacts The Autonomy Of Pre-Service Secondary Mathematics Teachers, Linda Kasal Fusco

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This mixed methods study sought to identify the impact that transition into the practice of teaching had on the autonomy of pre-service secondary teachers of Mathematics.  It was based on the belief that a Mathematics teacher’s autonomy depended on: beliefs about Mathematics and how it was learned, reflections on the teaching practice, and social constraints of a secondary school culture. Data was collected between January 2009 and March 2010.  In Phase I (Quantitative) the participants (N = 30), selected from ten State University of New York teacher preparation colleges and universities, completed five instruments to quantify the three factors of …

The Attitudes Of African American Students Towards The Study Of Foreign Languages And Cultures, Katrina Watterson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores the reasons that African American students participate at lower levels in foreign language programs in terms of taking courses and majoring and minoring in foreign languages. The primary foreign language that it explores is Spanish, and its findings suggest that the introduction of the language devoid of the influence of Afro-diasporic linkages to Spanish culture leads to the topic being taught in abstraction, therefore causing a lack of interest among African American students. As this study shows, a teacher's thinking about cultural and racial difference is often intimately woven into their disciplinary training, and as a result, …

The Louisiana Alternative Career Diploma As Institutionalized Cultural Capital: High School Principals' Perceptions Of Its Value, Marcil C. Seals

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In an effort to address dropout, the Louisiana state legislature mandated an initiative in 2009 which required all school districts to offer an alternative vocational high school diploma. Because this alternative diploma, known as the Career Diploma, is being implemented in all high schools throughout Louisiana, this research was designed to ascertain high school principals’ perceptions regarding the Career Diploma’s value. Participants were principals of traditional four-year high schools located within the state of Louisiana. A researcher-designed survey instrument was disseminated to 258 high school principals throughout the state. Findings of the data analysis indicated differences in perceptions of value …

Organizational Learning In Schools Pursuing Social Justice: Fostering Educational Entrepreneurship And Boundary Spanning, Martin Scanlan

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

The field of socially just educational leadership is focused on promoting improvements in the teaching and learning environment as demonstrated by student learning gains, particularly for traditionally marginalized students. The field has identified priorities (i.e., school improvement, democratic community, and social justice) and steps to pursue these priorities (specific strategies school leaders can take and conditions they can foster). Building on this literature, this article examines organizational learning in school communities that claim to be pursuing these priorities. It argues that organizational learning is a lens for socially just educational leaders to link theory with practice and to shift their …

Review Of Organizing Schools For Improvement, Martin Scanlan

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

What are the necessary and sufficient ingredients that lead to substantial improvement in student learning in urban schools? How do they work together? What happens if one of these necessary components is missing? Organizing Schools for Improvement (Bryk, Sebring, Allensworth, Luppescu, & Easton, 2009) is an ambitious work that both raises these big questions and addresses them with aplomb. As inequities in educational opportunities persist (Borman & Dowling, 2010), transforming education, particular public urban schooling, remains a vexing and urgent problem. In recent decades public discourse regarding addressing this has swelled, but policies promising transformation have proven ineffectual (Ravitch, 2010a, …

Content Analysis Of Acculturation Research In Counseling And Counseling Psychology: A 22-Year Review, Eunju Yoon, Kimberly Langrehr, Lee Za Ong

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

The authors conducted a 22-year (1988–2009) content analysis of quantitative empirical research that included acculturation and/or enculturation as a study variable(s). A total of 138 studies in 134 articles were systematically evaluated from 5 major American Psychological Association and American Counseling Association journals in counseling and counseling psychology, including Journal of Counseling Psychology, The Counseling Psychologist, Journal of Counseling and Development, Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, and Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. To guide the analysis, the authors conceptualized acculturation/enculturation as a “bilinear” (i.e., developing cultural orientations to both majority and ethnic cultures) and “multidimensional” (i.e., across …

Selecting Ell Textbooks: A Content Analysis Of Language-Teaching Models, Jeffrey Labelle

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

Many middle school teachers lack adequate criteria to critically select materials that represent a variety of L2 teaching models. This study analyzes the illustrated and written content of 33 ELL textbooks to determine the range of L2 teaching models represented. The researchers asked to what extent do middle school ELL texts depict frequency and variation of language-teaching models in illustrations and written texts. Using content analysis, they measured the range of depiction of the 4 language-teaching models and concluded that 4 of the 33 textbooks had considerable to extensive frequency and variation of L2 teaching models

An Examination Of The Relationship Between The Generation A Teacher Is Born Into, Teaching Style, And High School Student Engagement, Catherine L. Meyer-Looze

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Educators across America are attempting to prepare students for a world of rapid change, including globalization and the move from industrialization to the Age of Information (Marx, 2006). Dynamics of change include teachers, who encompass a wide range of generations and experiences (Marx, 2006). Each generation includes a set of value and belief systems (Oblinger, 2003). Each generation has been engaged in their learning experiences in differing ways.

The primary purposes of this study were to determine if there were relationships between teacher generation and teaching style, teacher generation and student engagement, and teaching style and student engagement. A survey …

Effects Of Instructional Technology On The Mathematics Achievement Of Eighth Grade Students, Paul Burkhart

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to determine how Norfolk Middle School Mathematics teachers’ use of instructional technology in their classroom affected student’s success on the 8th grade Standards of Learning (SOL) test.

Comparison Of Muscle Activation And Kinematics During The Deadlift Using A Double‐Pronated And Overhand/Underhand Grip, Luke Allen Beggs

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

This study examined muscle activation and relative joint angles during a conventional deadlift while using either a double‐pronated or overhand/underhand (OU) grip. Ten weight‐trained individuals performed the deadlift with 60% and 80% of their 1‐repetition maximum, with three different grip variations. EMG recordings were taken of the left and right biceps brachii, brachioradialis, upper trapezius, and upper latissimus dorsi. Motion capture was used to measure angles of the wrist, elbow, knee, and hip. With an OU grip, significant bilateral asymmetry was seen in EMG activity of biceps brachii and brachioradialis. Mean wrist and elbow angle also showed significant bilateral asymmetry …

Appalachian Bridges To The Baccalaureate: The Influence Of Multiple Roles And Cultural Norms On The Baccalaureate Persistence Of Location-Bound Appalachian Women, Nancy Coldiron Preston

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Too few Kentucky community college students transfer and persist to earn baccalaureate degrees. This is particularly true in Appalachia Kentucky which has a high rate of poverty and a low rate of baccalaureate attainment. Scholars and economists agree that the fastest way to decrease poverty within a geographical region is to increase the educational level of the citizens. Policy makers in the Commonwealth have established a goal of doubling the number of baccalaureate holders within the state by 2020.

This study is framed by a collaborative study which examined the ways in which institutional and student characteristics impact the pathway …

Teacher Disclosure: Developing Privacy Rules, Managing Boundaries And Building Relationships, Renee Monique Kaufmann

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The roles and responsibilities of middle school teachers are never ending. From instructing students on state-mandated curriculum to the enrichment of character and inquiry, teachers make daily decisions about how and what to disclose to their students. The current study reexamines Hosek and Thompson’s (2009) study on how teachers develop privacy rules and coordinate boundaries using Petronio’s Communication Privacy Management as the theoretical framework. Studying middle school teachers, in lieu of college instructors, allows for a better understanding of how privacy rules and boundaries are constructed and used within the middle school. This provides a better understanding of the important …

Descriptive Representation, Representative Bureaucracy And Bilingual Education Policy: Examining Implementation, Victoria Marie Ibáñez

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

In this study, I examine the factors that influence school districts’ commitment to implement ESL (English as a Second Language) education in compliance with the federal Bilingual Education Act of 1968. To explain variation in implementation effort, I focus on several features of the local implementation environment, including the role of Latino descriptive representation. Utilizing data on all public school districts in Texas, I employ a Heckman two-stage estimation procedure that accounts for factors that influence school districts’ decisions to implement bilingual education programs as well as factors that affect the amount of resources school districts are willing to allocate …

How “Struggling” Readers Engage In Literacy Events In Middle School Science: An Analysis Of Interactions In Literacy Events, Kristin Cartwright Palmer

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

This study examined opportunities for participation and learning for "struggling" readers in a sixth grade science classroom. Literacy practices, language differences, activity structures, and the social and cultural identities and associated practices and everyday funds of knowledge of both "struggling" and nonstruggling readers in one sixth grade science classroom were documented and analyzed using a qualitative research design. Over sixteen hours of audio and video recordings as well as numerous student work samples were transcribed and analyzed. Analyses of the classroom interactions and artifacts documented in this study revealed several important affordances available in the context of this classroom related …

Perceived Satisfaction Of Counseling Doctoral Students With Their Dissertation Chairperson: Examining Selection Criteria And Chairperson Behaviors, Cheryl Warren Neale-Mcfall

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

The relationship between doctoral students and their chairperson has been linked to students' successful completion of their dissertation and program of study (Gardner, 2009; Lovitts, 2001). It is often the case that failure to complete the dissertation is what prevents doctoral students from completing their degree. When students do not successfully complete their degrees, attrition rates rise and programs and students feel the burden, both financially and as an investment of time. (Bair & Haworth, 2004). Studies indicate that many students fall short of completing the dissertation, or take much longer than expected, due to a lack of supervision or …

What’S The Point?: An Exploration Of Students’ Motivation To Learn In A First-Year Seminar, Jody E. Jessup-Anger

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

This qualitative case study explores how undergraduate students and their instructor made meaning of students’ motivation to learn in a one-credit, pass/fail first-year seminar. The findings point to the importance of addressing structural motivational barriers and ensuring that instructors possess the instructional, motivational, and developmental strategies necessary to foster motivation.

Classroom Manipulative To Engage Students In Mathematical Modeling Of Disease Spread: 1 + 1 = Achoo!, H. Gaff, M. Lyons, G. Watson

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Infectious diseases ranging from the common cold to cholera affect our society physically, emotionally, ecologically, and economically. Yet despite their importance and impact, there remains a lack of effective teaching materials for epidemiology and disease ecology in K-12, undergraduate, and graduate curricula [2]. To address this deficit, we've developed a classroom lesson with three instructional goals: (1) Familiarize students on basic concepts of infectious disease ecology; (2) Introduce students to a classic compartmental model and its applications in epidemiology; (3) Demonstrate the application and importance of mathematical modeling as a tool in biology. The instructional strategy uses a game-based mathematical …

Student-Led Learning In The Pharmaceutical Sciences Curriculum, Melinda E. Lull, Jennifer L. Mathews, E. C. Jannetta, Christine R. Birnie

Pharmacy Faculty/Staff Publications

Objectives: A challenge of primarily didactic courses lies in keeping students engaged in a potentially monotonous learning environment. The objective of this study was to test the effectiveness of incorporating student-led activities into the pharmaceutical sciences curriculum. This alternative approach to traditional lecture-based learning allows for student engagement and ownership of materials. These activities were incorporated into P1 Pharmacology, Biosystems, and Calculations courses.

Methods: A variety of student-led learning activities were conducted in three courses (n=78 students). Following each activity, students were asked to participate in a survey rating the effectiveness, relevancy, productiveness, and overall impression of the activity using …

The Design Of A Sterile Product Laboratory Module As Preparation For An Institutional Ippe Course, Fang Zhao, Christine R. Birnie, Anthony Corigliano, Susan Hughes, John Loughner, Stephen Valentine

Pharmacy Faculty/Staff Publications

Objectives: To develop a pharmaceutics laboratory module on compounded sterile products for the second year pharmacy students as preparation for an institutional pharmacy experiential course. Method: A 5-week lab module was designed and implemented as part of the Pharmaceutics Lab Course to provide training in the basic skills of sterile product compounding. The module included techniques in the handling of sterile products, aseptic techniques, medium risk products, and hazardous products. A practical exam was given at the end of this module to ensure student competency. Upon completion of the lab module, students enrolled in a required 4-week institutional pharmacy experiential …

Anticoagulation Clinic Led By Experiential Education Team, Asim Abu-Baker

Pharmacy Faculty/Staff Publications

No abstract provided.