Education Commons^™

Measuring Cultural Competency In Educators: The Educators Scale Of Student Diversity, Ronak A. Patel

Education Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to uncover a rich theoretical basis of cultural competency and awareness in education and create an instrument, Educators Scale of Student Diversity (ESSD), which reliably and validly measures cultural competency in educators. Current measures lack in both a wide theoretical basis of cultural competency as it relates to educators in diverse teaching environments and in reported psychometric quality. The ESSD derived from a wide range of theoretical constructs that encompass the experience of modern teachers in diverse environments. The original 50 items, which were written after an extensive literature review, were reviewed by a …

Experiences Of Teachers And Staff Sustaining Pbis Practices At A Rural Elementary School In The Pacific Northwest, Omar Flores

Education Dissertations

There are many challenges faced by rural school communities in the Pacific Northwest. Problems such as social isolation, poverty, limited resources, and the disappearance of traditional industries such as, timber production, farming and forest service professions are often reflected in local school culture. While rural schools pose interesting challenges, there are limited studies that explore the experiences and perceptions of staff sustaining multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) such as positive behavior interventions and support (PBIS). The purpose of this phenomenological study is to examine the perceptions and experiences of administrators, teachers, specialists and support staff at a rural elementary school …

Sustainable Change In Public School Districts, Angela Cheri Franklin

Education Dissertations

Reform is a reality for many school districts and schools. When faced with reform movements, districts and schools must address both the immediate implementation and the sustainability of the reform. This dissertation study is informed by two theories centered on reform implementation and sustainability: Organizational Learning Theory by Leithwood, Aitken, and Jantzi (2006) and Coburn’s (2003) Theory of Sustainability. Current empirical research in this field identified particular factors that lead to successful implementation of reform and long-term sustainability. A monitoring tool was used to investigate factors such as: vision for reform, decision making, professional development, innovation and change, effectiveness of …

Morphological Awareness And Advanced Efl Learners’ Listening Comprehension, Xu Bian

Education Dissertations

This study explored the relationship between morphological awareness and advanced EFL learners’ listening comprehension by deconstructing three multi-dimension constructs, morphological awareness, vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension. The variables under morphological awareness were compounding and derivational morphology; vocabulary knowledge included both reading and listening vocabulary; listening comprehension was assessed by two different listening tasks whose aural texts and response formats were interviews and multiple choices, and one mini lecture and the gap-filling. Participants were 152 third-year English-majors in two universities in China. The main findings were (1) morphological awareness was a significant predictor of listening comprehension when the latter was measured …

The Role Of Morphological Awareness In Vocabulary Acquisition In English Of Saudi Efl Learners, Wugud A. Alsaeedi

TESOL Theses

This study aimed to assess the impact of explicit morphology instruction on Saudi EFL students’ morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge. The experimental group received for six weeks in their English class morphological lessons that focused on the basic analytical and synthetic word formation rules to increase students’ morphological awareness and help in improving their vocabulary knowledge. On the other hand, the control group received the regular instruction in their English class. At the end of the instruction period, the pre- and post-test scores of the experimental group were compared. Then, the experimental group scores were compared to the control group. …

International School Director Turnover As Influenced By School Board/Director Relationship, Zakariya Palsha D+Z30:Ae30

Education Dissertations

In recent years, public school superintendents have faced increased demands from rigorous federal and state accountability standards. Yet, researchers have reported that academic improvement does not happen by chance but rather through effective leaders with ample time to implement broad, sustainable reform. The purpose of this study was to examine the self-reported causes of turnover of international school directors, specifically, whether the relationship between the school board and the international school director is linked to length of tenure of the international director. The theoretical framework that addresses superintendent turnover as influenced by internal board dynamics, including school board/superintendent relationship, is …

College For The Sake Of What? Promoting The Development Of Wholly Educated Students, Michael P. Yoder

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations

There is increasing pressure on institutions of higher education to accurately measure student success. What was once thought of as a way to develop students holistically via a liberal arts degree, higher education is now often regarded as a means to an end: a well-paying job. Lost in the drive for quantifiable data is the holistic development of individuals who are capable of interacting with and influencing the world around them. Thus, higher education struggles to respond to market pressures while maintaining a focus on wholly developing individuals. In this research study, it is proposed that student “success” should include …

The Effects Of Morpheme And Prosody Instruction On Middle School Spelling, Margaret Anne Dornay

Education Dissertations

A single case design was used to investigate the impact of two types of instruction on middle school students’ spelling. Phase 1 emphasized morphology awareness instruction (MAI) and phase 2 employed the addition of prosody awareness instruction (PAI). In order to compare the effects of MAI and PAI, spelling scores were gathered from eight students over a 12-week period. The children attended two 30-minute sessions each week. Two of the participants were high performing students, three were typical learners, and three students were experiencing pronounced difficulties in all areas of literacy. The scores of seven out of eight participants indicated …

Predictors Of Identified And Introjected Religiosity In Upper Elementary Age Children, Heather Ingersoll

Education Dissertations

The rise of research investigating children’s spirituality along with the emerging

view of children as social actors in their development provides the impetus to expand research investigating children’s voices around their religious experiences. A significant number of children regularly attend Christian education in church and yet there is limited research investigating how those programs support children’s faith (Bunge, 2006). The investigator designed this study to fill a gap in the literature by investigating the church as a context which supports children’s religiosity. The study was guided by theological reflection on the human spirit and self-determination theory as the theoretical framework. …

The Validity Of Historical Narrative And Its Use In Teaching History, Justin Taylor Ramsey

Honors Projects

There is an effective way to teach high school history, put the content into narrative form. 'Narrative form' can be expressed in various ways: from historically-based literature to in-class creative-writes, from museum visits to book clubs, etc. Many educators across the United States recognize that incorporating 'narrative' into the classroom is conducive to greater student-learning than other methods of history instruction. These conclusions are supported by several recent studies from cognitive scientists who demonstrate that humans are predisposed to understand information in narrative form. Last, I provide evidence from my own teaching experience: analysis of previously taught lessons, along with …

Discovery Learning Plus Direct Instruction Equals Success: Modifying American Math Education In The Algebra Classroom, Sean P. Ferrill Mr.

Honors Projects

In light of both high American failure rates in algebra courses and the significant proportion of innumerate American students, this thesis examines a variety of effective educational methods in mathematics. Constructivism, discovery learning, traditional instruction, and the Japanese primary education system are all analyzed to incorporate effective education techniques. Based on the meta-analysis of each of these methods, a hybrid method has been constructed to adapt in the American Common Core algebra classroom.

Intersections: A Theology And Social Justice Curriculum For Christian High Schools, Rachel Lanae Hollingsworth

Honors Projects

Despite much writing on the intersection of race and ethnicity and theology, there are few suitable resources for high school teachers at Protestant Christian schools, so this project seeks to fill that gap by providing a curriculum written for conservative, Christian high schools. The curriculum emphasizes the study of scripture and theological witness in conjunction with relevant literature and media to challenge students to consider a more holistic understanding of the role of identity, inclusion, justice, and reconciliation in their faith. This will be facilitated by asking thought-provoking questions, thinking through issues of faith, providing a foundation for theological exploration, …

An Assessment Of Integrating Authentic Research In Undergraduate Science Curricula, Daihong Chen

Education Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of integrating original research projects in undergraduate science curricula on student learning outcomes. Integrating original research projects in undergraduate science curricula has been promoted as an effective approach to involving large group of students in authentic scientific inquiry. The study defines course-based undergraduate authentic research experiences or authentic scientific inquiry based on situated learning, and conducted a systematic literature review of the impact of undergraduate research experiences in science related disciplines. Based on an extensive literature review, a unique survey entitled Student Science Learning Gains (SSLG) was developed and validated …

Dynamic School Psychology: Perceptions Between School Psychologists, Teachers, And Administrators On School Psychology And Paradigm Shift Theory, Homero Flores

Education Dissertations

The purpose of this research paper is to gain current perceptions of school psychology services and paradigm shift theory in school psychology by school psychologists, teachers and administrators within public school systems. The paper will focus on the history of school psychology, federal legislation, and IDEA. Surveys were collected from school psychologists, teachers and administrators regarding perceptions of school psychology and paradigm shift theory in school psychology services. Although the results were non-significant, results of the surveys indicate similar results to previous perceptual surveys. While teachers and administrators would like more services in general from school psychologists, school psychologists remained …

Cognitive Style And Conflict On Superintendent-School Board Teams, Douglas J. Asbjornsen

Education Dissertations

Abstract

Cognitive Style and Conflict on Superintendent-School Board Teams

By Douglas J. Asbjornsen

Chairperson of the Dissertation Committee:

Dr. Thomas Alsbury

School of Education

Quality learning and high student achievement are primary goals of K-12 public school education. Superintendent-School Board teams can have a positive impact on both. Collaboration is critical to these teams’ effectiveness and efficiency. Research has suggested conflict can have a negative impact on collaboration and may be related to the diversity on the team. One type of diversity is cognitive diversity within the construct of cognitive style, as defined by the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Theory (A-I Theory). …

The Effect Of A College-Going Intervention On The College-Going Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Middle School Students, Kaley D. Mitchell

Education Dissertations

The need for students of all backgrounds to access and persist in postsecondary education informs a need for additional support related to postsecondary attainment for all people. Social cognitive theory (SCT; Bandura, 1987) and social cognitive career theory (SCCT; Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994) both support the design, implementation, and measurement of college-going interventions that work to enhance self-efficacy, a mediator in college interest, choice, and attendance. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a college-going intervention on the college-going self-efficacy beliefs of a group of diverse middle school students. Specifically, this study examined the …