Education Commons^™

Teacher Nominations And The Identification Of Social, Emotional, And Behavioral Concerns In Adolescence, Stephanie Deverich Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD) directly influence learning, relationships, mood, and overall scholastic experiences. Research provides evidence that early intervention and prevention efforts can address the needs of students with EBD (Allen-DeBoer, Malmgren, & Glass, 2006; Cook, et al. 2008; Lien-Thorne & Kamps, 2005; Regan, Mastropieri, & Scruggs, 2005; Rivera, Al-Otiba, & Koorland, 2006), but in order to identify these at-risk youth, a screening system is needed to broadly consider Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Concerns (SEBC).This dissertation evaluated the alignment of a teacher nomination process (Teacher Nomination Form (TNF)) and a normative screener of EBD risk (BASC-2 Behavioral and Emotional …

Closing The Church University In 1894: Embracing Or Accommodating Secularized Education, Brian William Ricks

Theses and Dissertations

The late 1800s have been noted as a major transitional period for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When the beleaguered pioneers first arrived in Utah they were isolated from the influence and expectations of the United States. During that time, leaders of the Church became influential in every aspect of life in Utah. By the end of the nineteenth century, however, the period of isolation had come to an end. Nationally, the social norms had changed and religion was expected to stay in the churches and out of politics. Church leaders were faced with serious questions regarding …

Perceptions Of Indiana’S Engineering/Technology Education Classroom Teachers As Measured By The Characteristics Of Technology Education Survey, Steve E. Rogers

Purdue Polytechnic Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine Engineering/Technology Education (ETE) teachers’ perceptions of Project Lead The Way’s (PLTW) pre-engineering program in the state of Indiana utilizing the Characteristics of Technology Education Survey (CTES) (Daugherty, Hill, & Wicklein, 1996). The study focused on the perceptions of teachers who were and were not teaching PLTW’s pre-engineering curriculum as they related to curriculum content, teaching methodology, curriculum integration, and fit of curriculum in school environment. Two hundred and eighty two or 51.3% of Indiana high school ETE teachers responded to the 46 question CTES. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multivariate analysis of …

Exploring The Relationship Between English Composition Teachers' Beliefs About Written Feedback And Their Written Feedback Practices, Sandra Vandercook

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

For teachers of freshman English composition, the most time-consuming aspect of teaching is responding to student papers (Anson, 2012; Straub, 2000b). Teachers respond in various ways, but most teachers agree that they should offer written feedback to students (Beach & Friedrich, 2006). However, little research has been conducted to determine how teachers’ written feedback practices reflect their beliefs about the purpose of such feedback. This qualitative study explores the relationship between English composition teachers’ beliefs about written feedback and their actual written feedback practices.

The participants were a sample of four instructors of freshman English composition at a mid-sized metropolitan …

Gender Perceptions Of Administrative Team Members Regarding Secondary Principals' Leadership Actions And Behaviors In Managing Change, Shannon L. Verrett

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This cross-sectional survey study investigated middle and high school administrative team members’ leadership classifications and perceptions of secondary principals’ leadership actions and behaviors in the context of change and to what extent these perceptions are gender specific. In addition to gender, the study also examined the impact of race/ethnicity, age, campus level, length of employment in the district, length of time working with the principal, and closeness to the principals on leadership actions and behaviors. The results of the study are intended to highlight the importance and value of feminine-inspired leadership approaches and administrative team members’ perspectives of leadership …

A Study Of The Impact Of Instructional Approach On Community College Students’ Problem Solving And Metacognitive Abilities In The Developmental Mathematics Course, Introductory Algebra, Sandra T. Landry

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the cognitive, metacognitive, affective and instructional constructs that influence students’ problem solving development in a community college Introductory Algebra course. The study addressed the lack of success that developmental mathematics students in a community college have in the Introductory Algebra course and in subsequent curriculum mathematics courses. Research suggests that the prevalent procedural-oriented instructional methodology used in most mathematics classrooms may be contributing to the lack of student success. The community college students (N = 140) in this study were enrolled in an Introductory Algebra course. The study investigated the relationships …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Student Attitudes Toward Reading And Achievement In Reading In Fifth-Grade Students, Christen Shelley

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between fifth grade student attitudes toward reading and student achievement in reading. The researcher hypothesized that from this study a correlation between student attitudes toward reading and student achievement in reading would be found.

A Comparison Of Inclusion And Pullout Programs On Student Achievement For Students With Disabilities, James Matthew Hurt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students with disabilities have traditionally achieved to a lesser degree than have their nondisabled peers. Since the 1950s the federal government has enacted laws to provide free, appropriate public education to students with disabilities. In the first decade of the 21st Century the government has produced legislation requiring schools to be responsible for improving instruction for students with disabilities. One of the major trends in accomplishing this task is a move toward inclusive education. This study determined the relationships of assessment type (Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments versus Virginia Grade Level Alternative (VGLA) assessments) and models of service delivery (general …

An Exploration Of Counseling Practicum Students' Experiences In Department-Based And Community-Based Settings, Corrie Delorge Minges

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Counselor educators are continually improving the quality of their training programs. The purpose of the present study was to investigate counseling students’ practicum experiences and development in community-based and department-based settings. The framework for this study was based on Stoltenberg’s integrated developmental model, which describes stages of counselor development and supervision conditions needed for a learning environment (Stoltenberg & Delworth, 1987; Stoltenberg & McNeill, 2010; Stoltenberg, McNeill, & Delworth, 1998)

A nation-wide study was conducted utilizing counselor education practicum students enrolled in programs listed in the CACREP program directory (2008) and Counselor Preparation: Programs, Faculty, Trends (12^th ed.; …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Leadership In Young Children, Deborah Lee Fox

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore how teachers described, recognized, and would potentially influence leadership behaviors in children aged 4 to 6 years. One hundred thirty-three early childhood teachers and teachers of the gifted were surveyed using a researcher-designed instrument called the Recognizing Leadership in Children (RLIC) Survey to assess if teachers could recognize leadership from classroom scenarios that were based on actual classroom observations. As part of the survey, teachers wrote how they thought they might respond to the leadership scenarios. As there is a scarcity of literature concerning children’s leadership, the results from this study contribute …

Comparing Biology Grades Based On Instructional Delivery And Instructor At A Community College: Face-To-Face Course Versus Online Course., Amanda Rosenzweig

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Through distance learning, the community college system has been able to serve more students by providing educational opportunities to students who would otherwise be unable to attend college. The community college of focus in the study increased its online enrollments and online course offerings due to the growth of overall enrollment. The need and purpose of the study is to address if there is a difference in students’ grades between face-to-face and online biology related courses and if there are differences in grades between face-to-face and online biology courses taught by different instructors and the same instructor. The study also …

Authority Enthusiasm And Its Importance As A Teaching Tool In The Team Up For Healthy Living Intervention Program., Caroline Crenshaw

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The use of peer facilitators is considered to be an effective method used in various settings, both educational and other forms of support and therapy groups. Though there is an extensive amount of research using peer facilitators, there is a minimal amount describing the effects that these various groups have on the facilitators themselves. Teacher enthusiasm has been researched and proven to be an important and effective tool when enhancing the learning experience and knowledge outcomes of students. The Team Up for Healthy Living program is a grant funded program utilizing peer facilitators in an attempt to educate high school …

Do Culturally Engaging Reading Materials Matter? An Analysis Of Rural Libraries In Burkina Faso, Erica Ernst

Master's Theses

Academics have noted the lack of culturally relevant reading materials in African libraries. Book collections are primarily composed of donated materials from western countries intended for a western, rather than African audience. This research project aimed to gain insight onto children’s reading preferences in the rural Burkina Faso and to learn about the popularity of local photo books that were added in 2009. Quantitative methods examined library book checkout records in three categories of African, French, and local photo books. Additionally the library subscription records were used in order to gain information about the children including age, gender, and ethnicity. …

Measuring The Technical Difficulty In Reusing Open Educational Resources With The Alms Analysis Framework, Seth Michael Gurell

Theses and Dissertations

The Open Educational Resources (OER) movement was started roughly ten years old (Wiley & Gurell, 2009). Since that time thousands of resources have been produced. Though these resources have been used both for classroom development and for the autodidact, the development of OER was not without problems. Incompatibility between Creative Commons licenses has made revising and remixing two resources difficult, if not impossible (Linksvayer, 2006). Tools to help educators find appropriate educational resources have been necessary but are still nascent. Educators' perceived quality issues have also hampered adoption (Wiley & Gurell, 2009). The result is that resources were only being …

The Effect Of Co-Teaching On Student Achievement In Ninth Grade Physical Science Classrooms, Karen M. Lafever

Dissertations

Co-teaching is a method that is increasing within schools across the US as educators strive to leave no child behind. It is a costly method, having two paid instructors in one classroom, with an average of 24 students shared between them. If it significantly increases the achievement of all students, it is well worth the costs involved. However, few studies have analyzed the effectiveness of this method on student achievement. This research follows the academic accomplishments of students in a ninth grade physical science course. Nine sections of the course “Force and Motion” were taught with a single teacher, and …

Adult Jewish Women’S Motivations To Participate In Adult Jewish Education, Teresa Lynn Mareschal

Dissertations

Although there have been numerous studies on adult education participation and on adult religious education, little is known about Jewish women’s participation in adult education. A key component of the Jewish religion is lifelong learning, which is nurtured in Jewish people from an early age. Research has indicated that Jewish women participate in adult Jewish educational programs at higher rates than their male counterparts, yet there is a lack of research into what motivates them to engage in these learning opportunities. This research study was designed to examine Jewish women’s motivations and participation in adult Jewish educational programs. A survey …

Faculty Members’ Perceptions Of Community College Centers For Teaching And Learning: A Qualitative Study, Sandra Ann Frey

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore faculty members’ perceptions of community college Centers for Teaching and Learning (CTLs); whose main purpose is to promote, facilitate, and honor excellence in teaching and learning through the support of full-time and adjunct faculty, at all career stages. A generic qualitative study with a grounded theory approach was conducted to understand faculty members’ perceptions and to develop recommendations for community college CTL directors, administrators, and faculty. Focus group interviews were conducted with groups of faculty at each of three Midwestern U.S. community colleges. Faculty were placed in one of three groups; frequent …

Examining Institutional Climate In Higher Education: Administering The Nilie-Pace Instrument At A Private University In Central China, Linda Fraser Jacobsen

Dissertations

The first known campus climate study in central China was conducted for purposes of formative assessment by mixed methods, utilizing an instrument called the Personal Assessment of the College Environment (PACE) developed by the National Initiative for Leadership and Institutional Effectiveness (NILIE) at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Surveys were translated into Mandarin and distributed in bilingual format to 1,170 campus employees at Central China University (a pseudonym) in Henan Province, and 945 surveys were returned, a rate of 80.8%. Participants who self-identified included both Chinese and foreign faculty, administrators and staff. Because the North American-normed instrument was administered …

Using Hypertext And Case-Based Explanation To Help Learners Access Explanations To Unexpected Grammar Forms Encountered In Native Speech Examples, Kenneth B. Packer

Theses and Dissertations

Three hypertext implementation strategies were evaluated against one another and against a control group to determine which best supported the language learner. Each version was also applied to four languages with diverse grammatical structures. These included Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish. Language students were tested to determine how useful each strategy was in facilitating rapid and accurate explanation of grammatical structures embedded in native speech examples. Speed and accuracy were also measured as respondents applied a targeted grammar structure to construction of their own unique sentences. With respect to the four different languages, results were also analyzed to judge …

Viewpoints: Liberatory Ensemble And Character, Christopher Layton Clark

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation, submitted in article format, explores how the physical movement theories of Anne Bogart's Viewpoints may lead to a liberatory setting, one which echoes the theories of Paolo Freire, for college theatre students. It examines whether Viewpoints is effective in creating a studio classroom culture and whether the Viewpoints exercises can lead to a heightened clarity in individual performance, with a much more satisfying and involved learning experience for students of the theatrical arts. In addition, this dissertation applies the theory of Mead's symbolic interactionism to the discoveries that students make while using Viewpoints exercises. Research methods include autoethnography, …

Examining Assistive Technology Use, Self-Concept, And Motivation, As Students With Learning Disabilities Transition From A Demonstration School Into Inclusive Classrooms, Gabrielle D. Young

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Provincial demonstration schools provide specialized programs for students with learning disabilities and provide a supportive environment where students learn about their learning disabilities and how they learn best. Embedded within subject area instruction, these schools provide intensive training on the use of assistive technology. This mixed methods study followed 12 students (8 males and 4 females between 14 and 16 years of age) and their parents in order understand students’ transition from a demonstration school into high schools, their assistive technology use in both school environments, and how these environments may have impacted their self-concept and school motivation. Participants reported …

Understanding And Framing Virtual Learning Environments To Engage Adolescent Literacies, Michael Wolf

Education 589 Projects

No abstract provided.

A Corpus-Based Evaluation Of The Common European Framework Vocabulary For French Teaching And Learning, Francoise S. Kusseling

Theses and Dissertations

The CEFR French profiles have been widely used to teach and evaluate language instruction over the past decade. The profiles were specifications of vocabulary that have been largely untested from a corpus-based, empirical perspective. The purpose of this dissertation was to evaluate the CEFR profiles by comparing their content with two sizable contemporary corpora. This study quantified and described the vocabulary overlap and uniqueness across all three of these resources. Four areas of overlap and three areas of uniqueness were analyzed and identified. Slightly over 40% of the lexical content was common to the three resources studied. Additionally, 16.3% was …

Online Communities Of Practice And Teachers Perceived Sense Of Efficacy: A Mixed Methods Study Of National Association Of Agricultural Educators Communities Of Practice Users, Robin Mclean

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this convergent design mixed methods study was to assess the perceived sense of efficacy of teachers who use the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) Communities of Practice, an online community for pre-service teachers, secondary educators, and university professors in agricultural education. The convergent design used the quantitative Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale and a qualitative case study with the data collected in parallel, analyzed separately and then merged at the end of the study for comparisons. Significant differences in perceived self-efficacy were not noted between mentor and neighbor users within the community. Communities of Practice content …

Mobile Dichotomous Key Application As A Scaffolding Tool In The Museum Setting, Kathryn Birgithe Knight

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the use of a dichotomous key as a scaffolding tool in the museum setting. The dichotomous key was designed as a scaffolding tool to help students make more detailed observations as they identified various species of birds on display. The dichotomous key was delivered to groups of fifth and seventh graders in two ways: on a mobile platform and by museum educators. Data was collected in the forms of pre- and post-testing and observations to compare the two methods. Findings suggest the Mobile Dichotomous Key (MDK), developed by educators at the Bean Life Science Museum at Brigham …

From Teams To Communities Of Practice, Stephen D. Ashton

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation documents the qualitative study that was conducted with the Ambassador Pilot Program team at Thanksgiving Point Institute; a non-profit farm, gardens, and museum complex and informal learning institution; from the summer of 2011 to the fall of 2012. The Ambassador team was tasked to develop an employee training program. Over time the team members were given more freedom to direct their own course and set their own objectives. To the co-directors of the program it seemed the Ambassadors began to embrace some characteristics common to a community of practice (CoP); however, it remained to be seen how the …

Family Science: An Ethnographic Case Study Of The Ordinary Science And Literacy Experiences Of One Family, Glenda Margaret Mccarty

Dissertations

Despite the copious research available on science learning, little is known about ways in which the public engages in free-choice science learning and even fewer studies have focused on how families engage in science to learn about the world around them. The same was true about studies of literacy development in the home until the 1980s when researchers (e.g. Bissex, 1980; Heath, 1983; Taylor, 1983) began documenting the literacy happenings and practices of young children in natural settings. Findings from intensive emergent literacy research studies have challenged traditional approaches to the teaching and learning of literacy, especially drawing attention to …

Social Skill Development Of Adults With Disabilities In A Community Drama Group, Jennifer E. Richardson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis investigates whether a community based drama group for adults with disabilities enhances their perceived social and personal development. A multiple-case study approach was used, with each member of the drama program being viewed as a single case. A final summary of the cases was then used to determine the overall effectiveness of the program. Included as participants for this study were: (a) drama group members, (b) parents/guardians, and (c) instructors of this drama program. Data collection included the use of standardized measures, questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and observations for each case. The skills which participants improved on the most …

Detection Of Malingered Ad/Hd In College Students, Andrea Williams

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Master of Science by Andrea Williams on December 6, 2012.

Integrating Alternative Energy Production Into The Public School Science Curriculum, Benjamin Overbeek

Honors Theses

In the next few years, many teachers will be challenged in new ways. Student engagement will be at a premium and state standards will be more specific, shifting their focus towards college readiness, integration of curriculum, and developing sound reasoning and critical thinking skills. While the education field is accustomed to adapting and adjusting “on the go”, it may be ill-prepared for this fresh round of changes. Teachers and curriculum directors need resources to help them adapt the classrooms to reflect the more comprehensive design implied by the new standards (Next Generation Science Standards, 2012). This paper promotes a spiral …