Education Commons^™

Parental Perceptions Of Supportive And Non-Supportive Influences On The Development Of Leadership, Debra Jo Gifford Hailey

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT Research into young children’s leadership skills is sparse and focused on leadership in classroom contexts. Understanding of leadership development in young children can be expanded by studying parents’ perceptions of children’s leadership development as it is enacted in contexts outside of the school. The purpose of this qualitative study was to provide an examination of beliefs, practices, and contextual relationships of families with young children who were identified within their schools as having strong leadership skills. Student leaders were identified using the Leadership subscale of the Scales for Rating the Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students--Third Edition (SRBCSS-III; Renzulli et …

Exploring The Underpinnings That Attribute To Low Performance On Standardized Tests By First Year University Freshmen At A Historically Black College And University, Jeffery Joseph Darby, Jr.

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to examine and determine what factors contribute to the prevention of first semester freshmen students not succeeding on high stakes tests based on their opinions, and what variables are important to their performance at the university. The Personal Educational Academic Survey (PEAS), a 65 item Likert-type scale was designed to measure the students’ opinions regarding their academic knowledge acquired during their first semester in college in Academic Achievement and other courses at Langston University. The final response count was 216 representing a 35.47% response rate. The target population in this research study was …

Networked Learning : Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Distance Education In Comparison To Traditional Education, Tireka Patrice Cobb

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative course delivery methods, which can ultimately help higher education stakeholders make informed decisions for present and future educational endeavors. Emerging systems of educational technology, such as ‘networked learning’ and the increasing development of online courses have created many questions concerning the effectiveness of online learning relative to face-to-face learning. More research supporting online as an effective alternative to traditional education is needed as an evaluative tool to potentially mitigate the budgetary constraints, which pose a threat to the institution’s ability to fulfill their mission of providing a quality …

Aesthetics In The Classroom For Social Justice : How Do The Theories Of John Dewey, Maxine Greene, And Jane Piirto Inform Us?, Valerie Meiners Comeaux

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study asks 1) What is the relationship between art, creativity, and social justice? 2) How do the theories of John Dewey, Maxine Greene, and Jane Piirto inform our understanding of this relationship? 3) What is the role of the arts in contemporary curriculum? To answer these questions, the study chronicled the various roles of art in Western society, from Classical Greece through the present day, before exploring the aesthetic theories of Dewey, Greene, and Piirto. The findings suggest that the absence of an arts-integrated curriculum in most American public schools does not imply the absence of art programs in …

The Intersection Of Motherhood And Academia As Conceptualized By Female Doctoral Students, Shaina A. Riser

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the attitudes of current female doctoral candidates who express an interest in pursuing a career in the professoriate, as well as express a desire to have children. The participants will explain how they conceptualize the intersection of academia and motherhood, by detailing how they negotiate and navigate their current status in as a graduate student and their future career and family goals. A limited amount of literature has been published that specifically explores the intersection of academia and motherhood as conceptualized specifically by female graduate students. Therefore, the intent of the …

Analyzing The Effects Of Context-Aware Mobile Design Principles On Student Performance In Undergraduate Kinesiology Courses, Eric John Seneca

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Learning occurs when content is accessed in a recursive process of awareness, exploration, reflection and resolution within one’s social context. With the rapid adoption of mobile technologies, mobile learning (m-Learning) researchers should incorporate aspects of mobile human-computer interaction research into the instructional design process. Specifically, the most visible, current definitions of and current research in m-Learning provide overviews of the learning theory informing mobility and focus on device characteristics, but do not focus on how people interact with mobile devices in their every day lives. The purpose of this convergent study was to determine what effect does the incorporation of …

Developmental Education Programs : Students' Perceptions Of The Effectiveness At The Community College Level, Thad David Mitchell

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Developmental education and the surrounding issues of academically underprepared students have been an ongoing source of debate within American higher education. While secondary education systems are frequently blamed for failing to adequately prepare students, community colleges, state colleges, and universities offer developmental programs to aid students in need of remediation in the form of developmental courses. Reading, Math, and English are subjects that are often taught on a developmental level. These courses are designed to provide students with the basic skills needed to be successful in higher education. This research was designed to examine students’ perception of the effectiveness of …

Assessing Altruistic Behavior, Burnout, And Wellness Outcomes Of Entry Level, Live-In And Live On Residence Life Professionals, Erin Coquese Vaughn

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The current study investigated the relationship between burnout, wellness, and altruistic motivation of entry level, live in and live on residence life staff. The literature review consists of empirical research for each construct presented (burnout, wellness, and altruism). The study sampled utilized were live-in and live on full time, entry level residence life personnel employed at predominately white public and private institutions in the southeastern part of the United States. Multiple regression analysis was used answer specific research questions. Results confirmed that there was no relationship existed between constructs; however findings do suggest burnout of residence life staff. Results are …

Creating A Framework For Systems-Based Graphic Analysis And The Assessment Of College-Level Introductory Biology Textbooks, Katherine Ellen Brooks

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Ecological literacy in students has become an increasing concern for educators. Mounting environmental problems along with a growing amount of nature deficit disorder seen in children and adults alike provides the impetus for research in this area. Since many college biology classes are modeled around the same style and emphasis found in the textbooks used for those courses, this provided an avenue for an examination of these materials. This research involved the selection of five popular introductory, college-level biology textbooks for analysis. Three rubrics were created to assess the graphical components of the introductory and ecology chapters in each textbook. …

"Feels Like Racial Battle Fatigue": Managing Divesity Crisis Moments In Higher Education, Chaunda Myretta Allen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Higher education was founded over three hundred years ago for a specific group, affluent, White men in mind. In the past five decades, however, the demographics of Higher Education Institutions have changed drastically from those early homogenous origins. The increased access of underrepresented populations attending Predominately White Institutions necessitated the need for offices that serve these groups. Offices of Multicultural Affairs or Multicultural Centers were created to address issues of diversity but they did not fully address issues of equity on college campuses. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to understand the ways in which mid-level diversity management …

Metacognitive Awareness : Impact Of A Metacognitive Intervention In A Pre-Nursing Course, Bronwyn Perry Doyle

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

To function effectively as nurses in the evolving, complex healthcare system, nursing students must learn to be skilled thinkers, know how to learn, and know how to use what they know in novel situations. Research in the field of metacognition may offer a useful framework to improve learning and to enhance critical thinking and clinical decision-making in nursing students. The purpose of this study is to describe how pre-nursing students’ self-reported metacognitive awareness correlates with age and academic variables and to explore the effects of a metacognitive intervention on students’ metacognitive awareness. Using a quasi-experimental research design, the study consisted …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Personal/Professional Experiences And Training Of School Psychologists And Their Attitudes Toward The Education Of Gifted Students, Angela Louise Spaniolo-Depouw

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

A resurgence of interest in gifted students and gifted education highlights the importance of examining attitudes of school psychologists related to the identification and programming for gifted students. This study explored the relationships between professional experiences, personal experiences, demographics, and previous training and the attitudes of school psychologists toward gifted students and gifted education.

A sample of 125 state-certified school psychologists in Michigan participated in a two-part, web-based survey, which provided descriptive data and measured attitudes toward gifted students and their education. Data were analyzed using a combination of descriptive and inferential statistics.

Seven findings were notable in this study: …

An Insider's View : An Exploration Of Implementing The Common Core Standards For Mathematical Practice For Elementary Teachers In A Rural Louisiana Charter School, Teri P. Roberts

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative single case study in a rural start-up charter school in North Louisiana explored the impact that professional learning from Whole-Faculty Study Group sessions had on teachers’ understanding of the most significant contributions of the Standards for Mathematical Practice in preparation of the implementation of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM). The theoretical framework proposed that structured time for collaboration would enhance teachers’ understanding of the math practice standards. The literature indicated that collaborative job-embedded professional learning can lead to improvements in teachers’ knowledge and practice and that understanding the Standards for Mathematical Practice is key to …

Using A Multi-Level Model To Examine The Fidelity Of Implementation Of School-Wide Positive Behavior Intervention Support And Its Relationship To Academic Achievement In Louisiana, Michelle Farnsworth Botos

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study is to examine if implementation of the universal level of PBS is related to student achievement on the LEAP and iLEAP examinations administered as part of the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program. A second purpose is to examine whether identified student/ school characteristics contribute to any difference in academic performance. To address this question, it is necessary to take into consideration individual as well as school level factors that may act to facilitate or impede student achievement. Multilevel statistical models are ideally suited for research problems of this nature and will be the approach taken for this study. The …

Language Of Exclusion: A Mixed Method Evaluation Of Text Complexity On Comprehension Within Selected U.S. Government Food Assistance Application Materials, Leah Katherine Saal

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

After over 60 years of plain writing advocacy calling for government agencies to increase the clarity of official communication, the Plain Writing Act (PWA) of 2010 codified the incorporation of plain language in any federal government document for pubic use. However, no extensive evaluation of government food assistance applications has been completed by an independent evaluator since the PWA’s passage. The objective of this exploratory sequential mixed methods research is to examine selected federal government food assistance applications (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Application (SNAP) for Assistance and Free and Reduced Price School Meals Family Application). The study seeks to explore …

Enculturational Practices In The Teaching Of Proof In Mathematics, Indira Venkata Chillara

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Mathematics education reform is informed by constructivist theories that forefront student learning of concepts, and by sociocultural theories whose focus is on students’ mastery of mathematical practices. As Cobb (1994) pointed out, these theorizations are inconsistent with one another, leading to conflict as some theorists seek to promote their approach as the correct one. Alternatively, Cobb, and many others in the social constructivism or the situated cognition camps, seek some sort of integration or balancing of these priorities in pedagogical theorizing. Kirshner (2002, 2004, 2008) argued that instead of either selecting one theory or balancing/coordinating the two theories, we should …

An Analysis Of University Tv Spots Aired During National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Football Games, Daniel Alford Roberts

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Public universities who participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision produce and air university TV spots during televised college football games. The purpose of this research was to analyze TV spots of public universities who participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and determine if university TV spots were successful based on the official theme from the university and how the viewing audience perceived the university TV spot. This research used a qualitative paradigm that involved two phases: Phase I was a content analysis followed by Phase II, …

A Quantitative Study Focusing On The Effect Of Electronic Portfolios In Teacher Education, Jarrod Sanson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Portfolios have been used in the field of education as a form of assessment since the 1980s. As time has progressed, portfolios have transitioned from paper to electronic form. Research on electronic portfolios has focused on implementation issues and their impact on student learning. There has been limited effort, however, on their long-term impact. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the perceived impact of electronic portfolios on the beginning careers of classroom teachers. More specifically, this study sought to determine if use of electronic portfolios during pre-service education impacted the attitudes and performance of new teachers. The …

How Native American Women Perceive Their Unique Lived Experiences : Three Women Tell Their Stories, Marjorie Larson Kopacsi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT Qualitative research that explores and further examines the lived experiences of Native American women is an important, yet a frequently neglected, part of the history of the United States (US). This is an important avenue of investigation, as historians have traditionally marginalized many groups within U.S. society, including women and groups that can be viewed as part of the fabric of U.S. culture, yet exist as subcultures. Native Americans (indigenous peoples, ‘Indians’) should share a special place within U.S. society as First Americans; however, qualitative studies of Native American women, offered through a feminist lens as keepers of tradition …

Voices From The Coolest Corner Of Hell: A Content Analysis Of Slave Narratives In The Study Of Creolization In The Education Of 19th Century African American Slaves, Gina M. Rizzuto

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The general argument made by Southern historian, Ulrich Bonnell Phillips in 1918, is that the plantation functioned as a type of school for the slave. Similarly, in 1976, Anthony Gerald Albanese examined the plantation system as an institution that conditioned the behaviors of both slaves and slave owners. I maintain that the plantation system was not only an educative agency that conditioned behaviors, but also a conduit for the creolization process. The focus of this study is creolization in the education of African American slaves in the nineteenth century. This is a mixed methods content analysis of African American slave …

(Un)Writing The Academic Other : Theorizing The "At Risk" Body, Jessica Lynn Exkano

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A dominant Western historical reproductive narrative has constructed our knowledge of the “at risk” student body. Sustained through a metaphor of family, historical representations construct at risk as a matter of familial inheritance, through genetics, culture, or socioeconomic status. While at risk labels have changed over time, historical memory of at risk remains centered on a deficit-view of the family, while absolving social responsibility. This linear conception of “at risk” discourse disallows an interrogation of other systemic factors that can challenge or sustain the historical construction of the “at risk” body. This dissertation draws upon poststructural, narrative, and curriculum theories …

It's A Governance Issue, Ishrat Husain

Faculty Research - Newspaper and Magazine Articles

There are a host of problems that Education in Pakistan including low priority to the sector by successive governments, inadequate financial resources and poor standards and outdated curriculum. However, governance and management of existing financial and human resources top the list. There is a lot of emphasis in public discourse in Pakistan about increasing the level of government expenditure on education. There is no doubt about the fact that government invests relatively low in education when compared to other countries. Though given the leakages, waste and inefficiencies in this sector, any such increase should be clearly linked with implementation of …

A Review Of Literature On Teaching Evaluation, Martin Reardon

MERC Publications

The members of MERC’s Policy and Planning Council are well aware of the challenges that school divisions are facing as they conscientiously endeavor to honor the stipulations of the Guidelines (2011) in a loosely coupled system. In keeping with the context out of which the request for this literature review arose, a sense of the literature invoked in the Research Base (2011) has been taken for granted. The focus of this document, then, is on literature—predominantly recent literature—that addresses issues associated with the implementation of teacher evaluation. This emphasis on implementation is in keeping with MERC’s mission to engage in …

Cirt Newsletter--January 2013, Center For Instruction & Research Technology (Cirt)

CIRT News

This issue contains the following articles:

Faculty Spotlight: Establishing Community in an Online Course with Social Media

Distance Learning Strategic Plan

Upcoming Events

Digital Thinking: Screen Recording

Best Practices Online: Managing Multiple Sections in a Single Blackboard Course

Blackboard News: Catalyst Awards and May Upgrade

Blackboard Support for Students - New Resource

App Review: Index Cards

News from ITS: Accessing ITS Services Remotely

New in CIRT: New Faces and New Process for Narrated PowerPoints

The Role Of Video In Early Field Experiences, Laura H. Baecher, Shiao-Chuan Kung, Abigail M. Jewkes, Christine Rosalia

Publications and Research

The purpose of this investigation was to explore the influence of video models on teacher candidates' capacity to self-evaluate their teaching performance in early fieldwork. This was examined by providing video models along with evaluation rubrics that represented desired performance standard to one group of pre-service teacher candidates, while another group was provided the descriptions of these lessons and corresponding evaluation rubrics. Participants then video recorded their teaching and self-evaluated this performance. Results indicated that the introduction of video models reduced inflation of scores in self-evaluation and enhanced candidates' understanding of the expectations for the performance assessment of teaching.

Organizational Sense-Making And Enactment: Public Policy And Change-Making Of Private Professional College Administrations In Kerala, India, Biju A. Chittuparamban

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Where To From Here? Career Choices Of Pre-Service Teachers Undertaking A Dual Early Childhood / Primary Qualification, Andrea Nolan, Elizabeth Rouse

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Recent Australian government initiatives in the early childhood education and care sector are placing demands for an increase in the number of degree qualified early childhood teachers. Many universities are now offering courses with dual qualifications as a way to provide alternate career opportunities for pre-service teachers; however it cannot be assumed that an equal number of graduates will filter into both primary school and early childhood education jobs. This paper presents a study which examined the expected career choices of pre-service teachers from two Victorian universities who were undertaking a dual early childhood / primary qualification. The findings of …

Do Pre-Service Teachers Feel Ready To Teach In Inclusive Classrooms? A Four Country Study Of Teaching Self-Efficacy., Tim Loreman, Umesh Sharma, Chris Forlin

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper reports the results of an international study examining pre-service teacher reports of teaching self-efficacy for inclusive education; principally focusing on the explanatory relationship between a scale designed to measure teaching self-efficacy in this area and key demographic variables within Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, and Indonesia. The study builds on earlier work by this research team on attitudes towards inclusion and offers a more comprehensive picture of pre-service teachers’ preparedness to teach in inclusive classrooms. Data were collected from 380 pre-service teachers in four countries. Results indicated that strong international differences existed. Other factors impacting responses regarding teaching self-efficacy …

The Effect Of Creative Drama Method On Pre-Service Classroom Teachers’ Writing Skills And Attitudes Towards Writing, Tolga Erdogan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The aim of the study is to explore the effect of the creative drama method on pre-service classroom teachers’ writing skills and attitudes towards writing. Additionally, the views of the pre-service teachers concerning the creative drama method were also investigated in the study. The participants of the study were 24 pre-service teachers studying at Karadeniz Technical University Fatih Faculty of Education. The participants were asked to write activities with using creative drama method. The design of the study is mixed in that it included both qualitative and quantitative methods of research. The writings of the participants at the beginning and …

The Psychometric Properties Of The Physical Education Lesson Attitude Scale For Preservice Classroom Teachers, Erman Oncu

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Physical Education Attitude Scale for Preservice Classroom Teachers (PEAS-PCT). The study was conducted on 561 Turkish preservice classroom teachers at the end of the 2011-2012 Fall Semester. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to ascertain the validity of the scale. For the reliability of the scale Cronbach Alpha reliability, Spearman Brown split-half test and item-total test correlations were calculated. Reexamination of the scale led to a new scale structure comprised of a single factor with ten items. The altered version of the scale proved psychometrically stronger. …