Education Commons^™

The Effect Of Teacher-Child Interactions On Child Outcomes, Jean R. Ubbelohde

Student Work

There is a strong body of research that suggests teacher-child interactions have a positive impact on child outcomes. Quality preschool programs include a focus on intentional positive interaction between teachers and children. To support positive developmental gains in young children, early childhood settings must include responsive and cognitively stimulating daily interactions between adults and children (Hamre, 2014). Children with more responsive teachers show improved outcomes across social, behavioral and cognitive domains (Hamre, Hatfield, Pianta, & Jamil, 2014). The purpose of this correlation study was to determine the effect of teacher-child interactions on child outcomes. This focus of the study was …

Investigation Of Mentoring For Instructional Leadership Within An Educational Consortium, Scott A. Sturgeon

Student Work

The support of novice principals in their development as instructional leaders is an issue that impacts all school districts. Mentoring is a common method of supporting novices in their development and this study sought to understand the ways in which district members within a midwestern educational consortium were using mentoring to increase instructional leadership skills. First, the study sought to understand how districts supported development of instructional leadership through mentoring. Second, the study looked at if and how districts adjusted supports to meet the modern shift in principal roles from building managers to instructional leaders. Through a combination of interviews …

Evaluating A 1:1 Computer Program In A Secondary School, Andrew R. Walters

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the success of the Lewis Central High School 1:1 Chromebook initiative. This evaluation replicated a study by Dr. Don Johnson evaluating a 1:1 Ipad initiative within the Fort Calhoun Community Schools. The resulting data is intended to provide the Lewis Central Community School District results and feedback to be used toward the implementation of future school-wide initiatives in a more effective and efficient manner. Using Developmental Evaluation model/design, the research findings will be reported to the school board, the Lewis Central High School Building Leadership Team, and to the local Phi Delta …

The Packasso Project: A Case Study, Fairouz Bishara-Rantisi

Student Work

This qualitative study explored how graffiti artists perceived their experience of belonging to a school based program, the Packasso Project, focused on redirecting their artistic talents and re-engage them into the educational process. Five former members of the program participated in the study. Data was collected through individual, in-depth interviews with the participants to address three primary research questions related to the participants’ perceptions about belonging to the Packasso Project and its connection with graffiti art and academic outcomes. Through analysis of the data, insight was provided into the various social and academic factors impacting graffiti artists’ school engagement. Subsequently, …

Correlation Between Teacher Mindset And Perceptions Regarding Coaching, Feedback, And Improved Instructional Practice, Beth K. Stenzel

Student Work

The daily demands placed upon teachers are seemingly endless. Yet, it is the teacher’s skills that are the most important factor in influencing student achievement (Dalton, 1998; National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, 2002; National Commission on Teaching & America’s Future, 1996; Ripley, 2010; Stronge, 2007). The topic of coaching has become increasingly common in the field of education as a way to help teachers be effective. Coaches need to support all teachers, regardless of the type of mindset held by the teacher. The purpose of this quantitative study was to understand the correlation between teacher mindset and perceptions regarding …

The Difference A Coach Can Make: Supporting New Teachers In The Classroom, Mary Beth Kueny-Runge

Student Work

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the body of literature around supporting new teachers, instructional coaching, and teacher self-efficacy. The study consists of a survey to determine the overall self-efficacy of both new and veteran teachers as well as teachers who have worked with an instructional coach twenty (20) hours or more and those that have not. Teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs were measured using a survey. The survey itself is based on a larger self-efficacy scale for teachers created by Bandura (2006). Teachers’ self-efficacy was also measured in three subcategories: instruction, discipline, and the ability to create a …

Reading And Math Outcomes Of Randomly Selected Majority Culture Students Participating In An Elective, Parent Choice, Full Academic Content Area Spanish Immersion Program, Matt K. Rega

Student Work

The purpose of this study is to determine the reading and math outcomes of randomly selected majority culture students participating in an elective, parent choice, full academic content area Spanish Immersion Program kindergarten through fifth-grade compared to randomly selected same school control majority culture students participating in a traditional academic content area English only program kindergarten through fifth-grade. Study results indicate that posttest ending third-grade NWEA MAP-Reading Test Scores M = 196.02 (SD = 46.18) compared to post-posttest ending fifth-grade NWEA MAP-Reading Test Scores M = 227.07 (SD = 9.58) following kindergarten through fifth-grade participation in an elective, parent choice, …

The Essence Of Instructional Coaching With Elementary Teacher Candidates: Reflections Of Practice, Abigail J. Burke

Student Work

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the essence of instructional coaching between teacher candidates and an instructional coach as it relates to reflection of practice. Reflection has increasingly been recognized as a central element of professional growth during teacher preparation (Barnett, 2009; Cochran, et al, 2009; Hiebert, Morris, Berk, & Jansen, 2007; Parkinson, 2009). There is limited understanding of the process of learning with the support of an instructional coach within the context of field experience during teacher preparation. The limited research regarding the reflective practices alongside an instructional coach, during field experience led me to analyze …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Student Attendance Of A Newly Implemented Tardy Policy, Tyree Dawn Sejkora

Student Work

Improving student attendance has been a major focus in school districts all over the country (Atkinson, 2005; Cole, 2011; Railsback, 2004). Students cannot be taught if they are not present. There are three factors that are crucial to the issue of students being tardy to class: the requirements of state laws, the importance of the first minutes of class and the interference on others instruction. Finding an answer to erasing tardiness is crucial (Railsback, 2004). Many schools throughout the nation discuss concerns about students arriving to class tardy. Policies are put into place, not only class wide, but school wide, …

Self-Efficacy Perceptions Of Novice And Career Teachers In Instructional Strategies, Student Engagement, And Classroom Management, Jeffrey S. Kerns

Student Work

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the body of literature that identifies where in the career cycle that teachers need the most support and they experience the greatest levels of self-efficacy in classroom management, student engagement, and instructional strategies. Teachers’ efficacy beliefs were measured using the 12-item short form version of the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES- Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001). This instrument is considered valid and reliable while demonstrating the ability to capture teachers’ efficacy beliefs in three areas: student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001). The short form …

Leading Cultural Change To Impact Workplace Satisfaction Of Teachers With A Focus On Teacher Career Cycle, Scott H. Ingwerson

Student Work

School culture has a profound effect on both students and staff. As schools face the challenge of continuous improvement and raising student achievement, positive school culture can be the leverage schools need to take the next step in a positive direction. Teacher job satisfaction is often not the focus when student achievement is discussed, schools may be overlooking a very important factor. In this study, the perception of teacher’s job satisfaction was measured in 2013 based on the 40 Developmental Assets Framework. Grounded on the data collected, intentional cultural developmental strategies and structures were implemented by the leadership team. Then …

Impact Of School-Based Mentoring, Joel Beyenhof

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare the impact of involvement of students in TeamMates mentoring program compared to a matched sampling of students not in the school-based mentoring program. This study analyzed and examined the impact of involvement in the TeamMates mentoring program through the results of the Iowa Assessment for each student by review of their growth or change in assessment scores based on standard score results for the areas of reading comprehension, math total, and science. Comparisons were also made for the selected students in the mentoring program and the matched sampling group for …

A Program Evaluation Of A Summer Program Designed To Reduce Summer Learning Loss, Kara L. Hutton

Student Work

Public School Districts across the nation are facing the challenge of increasing student achievement. Learning that is lost over the summer has been found to be a key factor of why some students fall further and further behind their peers. Higher socio-economic students actually can make gains in reading over the summer, while students in poverty may lose one to two months of achievement. In mathematics, all students may experience a summer learning loss, while students in poverty may lose up to three months. Although students in poverty learn at similar rates as their peers during the school year, the …

Classroom Civility, Chelsea Maxwell

Student Work

"Learning is a sacred, lifelong process that commences in the classroom. We need classrooms that provide safe places to learn. As a student, I urge my classmates to recognize that now is the time to begin debating and discussing that which is hard and controversial. To do this well, both students and professors must work together to form communities built on respect that encourage questioning."

Posting by a college student about civility in the classroom from In All Things - an online hub committed to the claim that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has implications for the …

School Librarian Candidates’ Diversity Dispositions: Examining The Impact Of Cultural Proficiency Instruction, Bridget I. Kratt

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to examine cultural proficiency instruction and its impact on the dispositions of the school librarian candidates in the Library Education Program at a Midwestern University. As research indicates that school librarians face the unique challenge of differentiating instruction to meet the educational needs for all students in the school, no matter their culture or ability (Mestre, 2009), it was also the intent of this study to explore which diversity disposition factors were impacted the greatest by that cultural proficiency instruction. Prior to cultural proficiency instruction, candidates completed the Diversity Dispositions Index (DDI) pre-survey, a …

Measuring The Effects Of Guided Reading On Nesa-R Student Cohort Scale Scores, Todd E. Tripple

Student Work

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the effects of new district Guided Reading protocols on elementary students’ reading proficiency as measured by the Nebraska State Accountability-Reading (NeSA-R) student cohort scores from 2013 to 2014. The implementation of the new Guided Reading protocols in the research district provided clear guidance on the instruction of Guided Reading. The protocols were based on the research and recommendations of Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell, “Fountas & Pinnell.” Prior to the implementation of the new Guided Reading protocols, Guided Reading was a suggested, but not a required, instructional practice in the …

Omani English Language Learners’ Proficiency With Idioms, Khalid Almashikhi

Student Work

The purpose of this pretest/posttest quasi-experimental study was to explore the strategies English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students use on understanding the meanings of idioms both in oral and written submissions. The study also investigated the strategies on comprehending the meaning of idioms and improving idiomatic vocabularies in the language learning processes to both English teachers and students. Further, the study began to identify the criteria of idiom and idiom-understanding aspects so that the identified EFL students will be able to guess and become familiar with frequently used idioms and their desired contexts. Omani university students in English 101 …