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2016

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Articles 16921 - 16950 of 17422

Full-Text Articles in Education

Comparing Fountas And Pinnell's Reading Levels To Reading Scores On The Criterion Referenced Competency Test, Shunda F. Walker Jan 2016

Comparing Fountas And Pinnell's Reading Levels To Reading Scores On The Criterion Referenced Competency Test, Shunda F. Walker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Reading competency is related to individuals' success at school and in their careers. Students who experience significant problems with reading may be at risk of long-term academic and social problems. High-quality measures that determine student progress toward curricular goals are needed for early identification and interventions to improve reading abilities and ultimately prevent subsequent failure in reading. The purpose of this quantitative nonexperimental ex post facto research study was to determine whether a correlation existed amongst student achievement scores on the Fountas and Pinnell Reading Benchmark Assessment and reading comprehension scores on the Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT). The item …


Impact Of Music Education On Mathematics Achievement Scores Among Middle School Students, Curt Glendale Willis Jan 2016

Impact Of Music Education On Mathematics Achievement Scores Among Middle School Students, Curt Glendale Willis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Music education has been shown to be related to a variety of positive outcomes, including student achievement in math. This study was conducted to explore the relationship between music education and student achievement in math. The framework for the study was Miendlarzweska and Trost's model of musical instrument training. A deidentified archival data set consisting of middle school students' (N = 116) total math scores on the Iowa Assessments was used to determine the impact of music education on students' math achievement, while controlling for students' sex and socioeconomic status. Changes in student achievement were measured by calculating math scores …


Attitudes Of Males About Teaching Grades K-12 In A Public School District, Jonathan Matthew Bracewell Jan 2016

Attitudes Of Males About Teaching Grades K-12 In A Public School District, Jonathan Matthew Bracewell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to the National Education Association, the number of teachers in the United States has decreased over the last 100 years and only 25% are currently male. Finding effective ways to increase the number of male teachers has remained challenging at the local level. This study compared the perceptions of male teachers and non-teachers regarding their motivation for entering their current professions and their perceptions of gender equivalence in the workplace. Popper's post positivism and Schutz's social constructivism were used as the theoretical frameworks. The study instrument was first piloted at a liberal arts university where a sample of 187 …


Early Childhood Educator Experiences Building Relationships With Families In Military-Connected Schools, Yolanda Seabrooks Brown Jan 2016

Early Childhood Educator Experiences Building Relationships With Families In Military-Connected Schools, Yolanda Seabrooks Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Early childhood educators working to establish and maintain productive parent-teacher relationships are essential to the success of school-community partnerships in military- connected schools. The purpose of this study was to seek understanding of what early childhood educators had experienced while working with military families. Epstein's model of school, family, and community partnerships provided the conceptual framework for this study. The questions that guided this case study were designed to explore how early childhood educators established and maintained relationships with military families. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews with 8 early childhood educators in military-connected schools. Inductive data analysis was used …


The Relationship Between Physical Fitness And School Performance In Middle School Girls, Jamie Anne Donnelly Jan 2016

The Relationship Between Physical Fitness And School Performance In Middle School Girls, Jamie Anne Donnelly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Past research has indicated a significant relationship between physical fitness and standardized test scores; however, the relationship between physical fitness and other aspects of school performance has yet to be empirically examined in a population specifically composed of middle school girls. This study examined several factors that contribute to school success, such as classroom behavior, attendance, and grades, in relation to physical fitness among a group of adolescent girls. It was specifically designed to examine the statistical relationship between physical fitness, as measured by the Fitnessgram, and quantitative data on school performance including grades, standardized test scores, school behavior, and …


Teachers' Perceptions Of The Use Of Small-Group Tutorial, Karen Y. Johnson Jan 2016

Teachers' Perceptions Of The Use Of Small-Group Tutorial, Karen Y. Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study addressed the implementation of the tutorial program currently in use at an urban school district in Mississippi. Because successful completion of assessments is a graduation requirement, the study site implemented the tutorial program to help at-risk students improve their academic outcomes on state-mandated assessments in Biology I, United States History, English II, Algebra I. The purpose of this study, guided by Bloom's theory of mastery learning, was to examine the perceptions of the teachers who served as tutors in the program. Using the narrative inquiry method, the research focused on the implementation of the tutorial program, the perceived …


Experiences Of African American Young Women In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics (Stem) Education, Yovonda Ingram Kolo Jan 2016

Experiences Of African American Young Women In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics (Stem) Education, Yovonda Ingram Kolo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American women are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields throughout the United States. As the need for STEM professionals in the United States increases, it is important to ensure that African American women are among those professionals making valuable contributions to society. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of African American young women in relation to STEM education. The research question for this study examined how experiences with STEM in K-10 education influenced African American young women's academic choices in their final years in high school. The theory of multicontextuality was …


Communication Between Educators And Parents In Title I Elementary Schools, Jacqueline Marie Boney Taylor Jan 2016

Communication Between Educators And Parents In Title I Elementary Schools, Jacqueline Marie Boney Taylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lack of positive communication between parents and educators in the Texas district under study is a problem because it interferes with learners' academic success. The purpose of this mixed method study was to understand the communication gap between educators and parents in Title I elementary schools in that district. Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems and Epstein's parental involvement model formed the theoretical framework to address the importance of communication between educators and parents as related to student academic achievement. The quantitative portion of the study was carried out through descriptive survey research. The case study method was used for the qualitative …


Perceptions Of Career And Technical Education Held By High School Career Counselors, Marlon Thornburg Jan 2016

Perceptions Of Career And Technical Education Held By High School Career Counselors, Marlon Thornburg

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Current enrollment in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs in the United States and in the state of Kansas is lagging behind the future demand for skilled workers. With millions of skilled labor positions unfilled and the pending retirement of the baby boomer generation, the United States is at a critical juncture to compete in the global marketplace. High school career counselors are the primary resource for CTE program recruitment. The purpose of this study was to examine whether high school career counselors' educational backgrounds, knowledge levels of CTE initiatives and programs in Kansas, and available counseling time were associated …


A Case Study On Undergraduate Entrepreneurial Constructivist Learning In Morocco, Said Benamar Jan 2016

A Case Study On Undergraduate Entrepreneurial Constructivist Learning In Morocco, Said Benamar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Jobs are available for university graduates with entrepreneurship skills, but unemployment in Morocco persists because of the dissociation between university entrepreneurship graduate skills and professional market demand. While university graduates have achieved academic standards, they have lacked the entrepreneurial attributes to be employable. The purpose of this case study was to explore the use of entrepreneurship learning initiatives at Université Internationale de Casablanca (UIC), a private for-profit university, to promote students' employability. The constructivism and learning paradigm frameworks served as the theoretical foundations of this project study. The research questions addressed the effectiveness of entrepreneurship learning strategies in the promotion …


Rural High School Mathematics Instructional Practices And Students' Academic College Readiness, Luajean Erna Bryan Jan 2016

Rural High School Mathematics Instructional Practices And Students' Academic College Readiness, Luajean Erna Bryan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Rural high school graduates in the United States lag behind in college math preparedness, therefore prompting researchers to identify instructional practices that would advance student math performance. This quantitative research study investigated specific teacher practices and their correlation with student gains in college math preparedness on the American College Test (ACT). Data were collected using a teacher questionnaire to quantify the level of reform practices among a sample of six math teachers and used ACT pre and posttests to assess 312 11th grade students' gains in college math readiness in a public rural high school in Southeast Tennessee. Correlation analysis …


Adult Students' Perceptions Of Transfer Services At An Historically Black University, Kimberly Anne Crews Jan 2016

Adult Students' Perceptions Of Transfer Services At An Historically Black University, Kimberly Anne Crews

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Data from the National Center for Education Statistics have indicated a steady growth of students attending 3 or more institutions while pursuing a baccalaureate degree. When students transfer institutions, they may have specific needs for their new institution. Informed by the transfer receptive culture framework, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of students who had attended 3 or more postsecondary institutions on the services they received, before and after their transfer. Purposeful sampling yielded 9 adult students with multiple-institution attendance histories. Data were collected through semistructured instant messaging interviews. A series of messages included …


General Education And Special Education Elementary School Teachers' Understanding Of Professional Learning Communities, Kendra M. Day Jan 2016

General Education And Special Education Elementary School Teachers' Understanding Of Professional Learning Communities, Kendra M. Day

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to identify general and special education teachers' understanding of professional learning communities (PLCs) at 2 public suburban elementary schools in the western United States. Both schools were in the second year of implementation of PLCs but seemed to be using PLC time to plan lessons. This quantitative descriptive survey sought to to identify the teachers' overall understanding of the 6 dimensions of the Professional Learning Communities Assessment - Revised (PLCA-R) and to determine if there was a difference between general and special education teachers' perceptions of PLCs. This survey was administered to general and …


Influence Of The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act On Small Businesses, Sean Gallman Jan 2016

Influence Of The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act On Small Businesses, Sean Gallman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business leaders lack strategies to implement the employer shared responsibility provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Small businesses pay approximately 18% more than larger companies for the same health coverage. Within a conceptual framework of management by objectives, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies small business leaders use to implement the employer shared responsibility provision of the ACA. Data were gathered from the review of company documents, observations, and semistructured interviews with 5 senior business leaders from small business organizations in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Data …


Chiropractic Student Infection Control Practices And Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Skin Infections, Jonathon Todd Egan Jan 2016

Chiropractic Student Infection Control Practices And Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Skin Infections, Jonathon Todd Egan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Chiropractic training involves many hours of skin contact, and chiropractors have manual contact with millions of patients annually, but chiropractic has only had professional clinical hygiene guidance since 2010. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the most common cause of cultured skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI) in the United States. Using the epidemiologic triad of person, place, and time as a framework, this quantitative, cross-sectional study obtained the first assessment of MRSA SSTI incidence among chiropractic students and its association with infection control behaviors (hand and table hygiene, sharing gowns, and sharing lotion) and initiation of patient care. The study …


Comparison Of Classroom Settings On Seventh Grade English Language Arts Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program Achievement (Tcap), Deangela Anita Graham Jan 2016

Comparison Of Classroom Settings On Seventh Grade English Language Arts Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program Achievement (Tcap), Deangela Anita Graham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to identify an effective strategy to increase English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency in middle schools. This study assessed the outcome of classroom looping in an urban middle school. Vygotsky's theory of social development was the theoretical framework of this study. Two research questions explored statistical differences between scale and number correct scores on the standardized ELA Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP). Classroom settings (looping and traditional) served as independent variables, and ELA TCAP assessments were used as the dependent variable. This study included a random sample of 188 students (94 looping and 94 traditional) …


A Case Study Of An African American Community's Perceptions Of Problems In Mathematics Education, Renee Jenkins Jan 2016

A Case Study Of An African American Community's Perceptions Of Problems In Mathematics Education, Renee Jenkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American students across income classes have been found to struggle with mathematics, impeding their ability to complete college, pursue lucrative careers, and address socioeconomic problems. Using the tenets of liberation and critical race theory, this qualitative case study explored the perceptions of a small group of 8 African American adults as to what they believe to be the root causes of mathematics achievement disparity for African American K-14 students, and what role the African American community can play in ameliorating these disparities. As most related studies are on low income communities, this study focused on an affluent African American …


School Safety: Students And Weapon Carrying Behavior, Shadrich Levale Moore Jan 2016

School Safety: Students And Weapon Carrying Behavior, Shadrich Levale Moore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research shows that risk factors may be useful clues for predicting students' potential for engaging in weapon-carrying behavior. Law makers on every level-federal, state, and local- deem the presence of weapons on school grounds to be a serious problem and a violation of school policy. A large, urban school system has put forth sustained and costly efforts to prevent students from carrying weapons to school; yet students continue to carry weapons to school in this district. The purpose of this study was to use archival data collected as part of the school system's everyday practice to identify risk factors for …


Online Training Impact On Adjunct Faculty Compliance And Satisfaction With Professional Development, Elizabeth Pete Jan 2016

Online Training Impact On Adjunct Faculty Compliance And Satisfaction With Professional Development, Elizabeth Pete

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed by this project study was low levels of adjunct faculty compliance and satisfaction with the professional development program at a local college. The purpose of the study was to determine if an alternative delivery method would yield higher levels of compliance and satisfaction than would a traditional professional development workshop. The guiding research question was whether an alternative delivery method would yield higher levels of compliance and satisfaction than a traditional professional development workshop. The theoretical base included andragogy, self-directed learning, and connectivism. Using an experimental design, the project examined archival data concerning compliance and satisfaction for …


Puerto Rican Vocational Students' Experiences Regarding Standardized Tests, Nomara I. Segui Jan 2016

Puerto Rican Vocational Students' Experiences Regarding Standardized Tests, Nomara I. Segui

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Vocational high school students are not passing state tests and are not meeting adequate yearly progress (AYP) requirements in Puerto Rico. Limited qualitative research has been conducted to examine the experiences of vocational high school students regarding mandated standardized tests. Using a qualitative case study, the experiences of Puerto Rican cosmetology and barber vocational high school students regarding mandated standardized tests were examined. The conceptual framework was based on Dewey's theory of experience regarding the influence of continuity and interaction on students' career paths. The sample was 20 vocational students from cosmetology and barber classes who participated in standardized tests. …


The Relationship Of General Science Grades To Program Completion In An Associate Degree Nursing Program, Catherine Edlebeck Jan 2016

The Relationship Of General Science Grades To Program Completion In An Associate Degree Nursing Program, Catherine Edlebeck

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High attrition of nursing students in the United States may contribute to a shortage of registered nurses and inefficient use of scarce resources. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between nursing student grades in 3 science prerequisites and length of time to program completion on each of the study college's 4 campuses. Ausubel's theory of subsumption, wherein a learner's ability to meaningfully learn new data depends on the existing cognitive structure within which the new material is assimilated, was used as a theoretical framework. Prerequisite science course grades for 575 nursing students attending a Midwestern technical …


Relationships Among Middle School Teachers' Perceptions Regarding Inclusion Of Students With Disabilities In General Education Classrooms, Stacey O. Forrester Jan 2016

Relationships Among Middle School Teachers' Perceptions Regarding Inclusion Of Students With Disabilities In General Education Classrooms, Stacey O. Forrester

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Accommodating students with disabilities in a general education class often requires instructional modification and extra student support. Research has shown that making required changes can evoke different responses from teachers and can influence their willingness to accommodate the needs of students with disabilities. However, research has not examined the relationships between middle school teachers' preparation for and experiences with inclusion instruction and their attitudes toward inclusion. The purpose of this correlational study was to explore possible relationships between middle school teachers' attitudes about including students with mild to moderate disabilities in the general education setting and the teachers' education level, …


Inclusion And Attitudes Of Adolescents In A Camp Setting, Deborah Musher Jan 2016

Inclusion And Attitudes Of Adolescents In A Camp Setting, Deborah Musher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite increased inclusion of individuals with special needs in educational and leisure settings, people with disabilities continue to experience social isolation. Research indicates that negative attitudes play an important role in contributing to this marginalization. This study examined the impact of an inclusion program at a residential summer camp on the attitudes of its typical participants. Participants in the treatment group (n = 30) experienced contact with peers with disabilities through structured, intentional programming while participants in the control group (n = 77) experienced less formal inclusive encounters. The Chedoke-McMaster Attitudes toward Children with Handicaps (CATCH) scale was administered to …


The Effect Of State Financial Aid Policies On College Completion, Sheri E. Ragland Jan 2016

The Effect Of State Financial Aid Policies On College Completion, Sheri E. Ragland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2008, state legislatures provided $6 billion in financial aid to 2 million low-income young adults. When low-income young adults receive state financial aid and do not complete college, states lose their investment because fewer people with degrees will contribute to the state's economy. Declining states' budgets have led to (a) the rising cost of higher education, (b) state merit-based aid that has targeted nonminority students from affluent backgrounds, and (c) state need-based aid that has targeted students further along in their college career. State need- and merit-based aid may contribute to the lack of college completion among low-income freshman …


Using The Power Of 3 With Total Joint Surgery Patients, Lynda M. Sanchez Jan 2016

Using The Power Of 3 With Total Joint Surgery Patients, Lynda M. Sanchez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of patient education is to provide patients and their families with the tools needed to care for themselves after discharge from the hospital, but shortened hospital stays, limited health literacy, language, and age can impede the patient's comprehension of the information provided. Researchers have found that the lack of effective patient education is related to 30-day hospital readmissions. The Power of 3 educational tool, designed by Sanchez and Cooknell, addressed the factors that impeded effective patient teaching by using the adult learning theory and low health literacy concepts. The Power of 3 was implemented as a quality improvement …


Nurse Practitioner Residency Programs: An Educational Journey, Gregory Paul Rys Jan 2016

Nurse Practitioner Residency Programs: An Educational Journey, Gregory Paul Rys

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Primary care is in a state of crisis due to the lack of clinicians and increasing numbers of insured patients. Encouraging more students to go directly through school for their doctor of nursing practice degree and nurse practitioner (NP) certifications is one proposal to alleviate this crisis. However, this approach would deliver graduates with minimal leadership and clinical experiences directly into practice. One resolution to mitigate this concern would be an NP residency program. Evaluating the knowledge and attitudes of stakeholders prior to the implementation of a NP residency program is an important first step to this implementation plan. The …


The Relationships Among Job Satisfaction, Length Of Employment, And Mentoring Of Nursing Faculty, Zelda Suzan Jan 2016

The Relationships Among Job Satisfaction, Length Of Employment, And Mentoring Of Nursing Faculty, Zelda Suzan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The shortage of faculty in nursing education programs has been well documented by the National League for Nursing. Job satisfaction is important in retaining nurse educators, and one New York nursing program was interested in examining the potential impact of mentoring on satisfaction. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine job satisfaction, measured by the Job Descriptive Index/Job in General scale (JDI/JIG), between nurse faculty participants in formal mentoring programs compared to participants receiving an informal type of mentoring. In addition, the length of employment was examined as a possible factor in predicting job satisfaction. The theoretical framework …


Personal Perspectives About Sustaining Inclusion In School Environments For Children Wih High Functioning Autism, Jeanne Malecki Wiatr Jan 2016

Personal Perspectives About Sustaining Inclusion In School Environments For Children Wih High Functioning Autism, Jeanne Malecki Wiatr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students, at a partial hospital setting in Western Tennessee with high functioning autism spectrum disorders (HFASD) were being removed from general education classrooms. Researchers have indicated that restrictive settings preclude interaction with neurotypical peers and access to general education experiences. The purpose of this case study was to examine educational inclusion for children with HFASD from the perspective of 2 teachers, 2 therapists, and 2 parents of students at the distirct site. This study was grounded in the principles of social learning theory and theory of mind, executive function, and central coherence processes. The guiding research questions focused on how …


Exploring Barriers To Implementing A School-Wide Positive Behavioral Intervention And Support Program., Ronald L. Gay Jan 2016

Exploring Barriers To Implementing A School-Wide Positive Behavioral Intervention And Support Program., Ronald L. Gay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study examined factors related to the implementation of a School Wide Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support (SWPBIS) program at a large middle school in the United States. Parent Teacher Student Association volunteers at the school reported that teacher fidelity to implementation of SWPBIS activities was inconsistent, threatening the SWPBIS program's effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to identify barriers that hindered teachers' fidelity in implementing SWPBIS. Teacher resistance to change, change leadership framework, and the model for effective professional development were used in this case study to explore the perceptions of 16 participants. The research questions focused on …


Teachers' Perceptions And Practices Of Multiple Intelligences Theory In Middle Schools, Linda N. Kennedy-Murray Jan 2016

Teachers' Perceptions And Practices Of Multiple Intelligences Theory In Middle Schools, Linda N. Kennedy-Murray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite instructional changes and administrative support, students with learning disabilities in a middle school located in Georgia did not meet the state expectations to perform at their grade level in core subjects on the state's standardized test. The purpose of this correlational study was to determine whether a relationship existed between teachers' familiarity with Gardner's multiple intelligences (MI) theory and the MI instructional strategies they used in the classroom setting. Gardner's MI theory was used as the theoretical foundation, which supports the idea that if teachers can identify the intelligences (e.g., interpersonal, intrapersonal, visual/spatial, musical, bodily/kinesthetic, mathematical/logical, verbal/linguistic, and naturalistic) …