Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Education Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2018

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 17461 - 17490 of 17717

Full-Text Articles in Education

Teacher Perceptions Of Instruction As An Expeditionary Learning Core Practice, Jamie M. Kociuba Jan 2018

Teacher Perceptions Of Instruction As An Expeditionary Learning Core Practice, Jamie M. Kociuba

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In an urban, low-achieving district in the northeastern United States, a small school has adopted the Expeditionary Learning (EL) philosophy and pedagogical approaches to instruction. Between the academic years of 2012-2016 state-assessed student achievement scores were less than proficient and implementation reviews revealed that the school made little to no improvement in the core practice category of instruction over 4 years of EL implementation. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to answer guiding questions by examining 12 teachers' perceptions regarding EL instruction as a core practice and element of the annual implementation review, and the impact of EL …

Go to article

Resiliency And Age As Predictors Of Academic Performance Among Adult Online Students With Trauma-Related Disabilities, Carrie Lebarron Jan 2018

Resiliency And Age As Predictors Of Academic Performance Among Adult Online Students With Trauma-Related Disabilities, Carrie Lebarron

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Understanding the importance of resilience in academic performance as it pertains to adult online students is valuable to the people who provide services to, work with, and are a part of the population. The need to develop and enhance social programs that will improve outcomes for students with trauma-related disabilities is beneficial in increasing graduation rates and improving on the time it takes for adult online students to graduate. There is also a need for research focused on students with trauma-related disabilities because the literature in the field was found to be lacking in information. The purpose of the study …

Go to article

Strategies And Assessments To Support Special Education Students' Writing The Literacy Test, Angelo Caesar Maniccia Jan 2018

Strategies And Assessments To Support Special Education Students' Writing The Literacy Test, Angelo Caesar Maniccia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many special education (SPED) students are failing the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) despite writing instruction provided by SPED teachers. The purpose of this study was to understand teachers' perceptions about why students were failing the literacy/writing test and document whether evidence-based assessment and writing practices were implemented. Cognitive-behavioral theory served as the conceptual framework for this study. The research questions in this study focused on SPED teachers perceptions regarding students not passing the OSSLT, observations of whether assessment and instruction for writing aligned with best practices, and collecting baseline curriculum-based measurement (CBM) data of SPED students' current writing …

Go to article

Blended Learning As An Instructional Strategy To Improve Academic Performance, Debra-Dreana Marshall-Stuart Jan 2018

Blended Learning As An Instructional Strategy To Improve Academic Performance, Debra-Dreana Marshall-Stuart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Higher education institutions in Barbados have introduced blended learning as a strategy to improve students' academic performance and achievement. Despite the implementation of blended learning, the poor student performance and outcomes persist. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how teaching processes and practices at the institution have influenced blended learning to improve student achievement. A social constructivist framework was used to guide the study. The research question addressed the practices and processes used by teachers to increase student learning and performance in a blended learning environment. Data collection involved semistructured interviews with 6 teachers from the …

Go to article

Examining Attrition Among Bahamian Special Education Teachers And Implications For Special Education Reform, Norrisa Newton Jan 2018

Examining Attrition Among Bahamian Special Education Teachers And Implications For Special Education Reform, Norrisa Newton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Increasing levels of teacher attrition in special education within Bahamian public schools are preventing students with learning disabilities from achieving their learning goals within inclusive classroom settings. Addressing factors that influence attrition is vital to enhance the quality of education and the efficacy of educators while supporting positive social change. The purpose of this general qualitative study was to ascertain why Bahamian educators leave special education. This was achieved by exploring the influencing factors that have incited the decisions of public special education teachers within The Bahamas to resign or request premature retirement from the teaching profession, as well as …

Go to article

Adolescent Girls' Nutrition And Physical Activity Habits By Grade, Obesity, And Race/Ethnicity, Natasha Nicks Jan 2018

Adolescent Girls' Nutrition And Physical Activity Habits By Grade, Obesity, And Race/Ethnicity, Natasha Nicks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An urban southern school district located in the United States identified adolescent obesity as a problem. District records showed that 37% of adolescent girls and 29% of adolescent boys were obese which exposed them to short-term and long-term health consequences. The purpose of this archival multivariate survey study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the problem by exploring the problem nutritional and physical activity habits of eighth and eleventh grade adolescent girls (n=3320) of various races/ethnicities and obesity levels to determine how their nutritional and physical activity habits differ. The research questions asked whether there were significant differences between …

Go to article

Program Evaluation Of A Laptop Initiative For Student Learning, Thomas O'Hara Jan 2018

Program Evaluation Of A Laptop Initiative For Student Learning, Thomas O'Hara

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Administrators of a New Jersey school district implemented a 1:1 laptop initiative in Grades 6-8 in 2013 to bolster student achievement. An evaluation had not been conducted to ascertain the effectiveness of the initiative. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the 1:1 laptop initiative on student achievement. The conceptual framework for this study was Stufflebeam's context, input, process, and product evaluation model. The focus of the research question was the differences in New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge math scores between students involved in the 1:1 laptop initiative for 1 year and students who …

Go to article

Employers' Perceptions And Employment Of Individuals With Disabilities, Barbara Ann Rosemond Jan 2018

Employers' Perceptions And Employment Of Individuals With Disabilities, Barbara Ann Rosemond

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a Midwest school district, individuals with disabilities (IWD) graduating from high school are not successful in obtaining employment in the local community. District leaders were unable to make evidence-based decisions regarding the transition program due to a lack of data regarding employers' perceptions related to employment of IWD. The purpose of this qualitative intrinsic case study was to explore employers' perceptions regarding the employment of IWD. Using Tinto and Pusser's model of institutional action for student success, 12 employers were purposefully sampled in the target community, and data were collected through face-to-face interviews. Data were analyzed using comparative, inductive …

Go to article

Teachers' Perceptions And Attitudes Towards Inclusive Education In Sierra Leone, Christian Sesay Jan 2018

Teachers' Perceptions And Attitudes Towards Inclusive Education In Sierra Leone, Christian Sesay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Salamanca Accord advocating the implementation of inclusive education for learners with special needs was signed in 1994, as well as the Convention of the Right of Person's with Disabilities in 2006. Yet, Sierra Leone faces challenges to implement fully inclusive education in schools. The purpose of this mixed-method study was to examine teachers' attitudes towards inclusion in mainstream classrooms. The conceptual framework for this study was premised on Azden's theory of planned-behavior, which maintains that attitude and behaviors are products of experiences acquired. Using a Spearman rho correlations and descriptive statistics to analyze the data, gender, age, educational background, …

Go to article

Intervention Specialists' Perceptions Of A Tutoring Program For High School Students With Disabilities, Jerlisa M. Calhoun Jan 2018

Intervention Specialists' Perceptions Of A Tutoring Program For High School Students With Disabilities, Jerlisa M. Calhoun

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students with disabilities (SWD) at an urban high school in Midwestern United States experienced academic, social, and emotional problems. When SWD experience difficulties in high school, they may drop out and face potentially life-long problems. The purpose of this case study was to understand how a Response to Intervention (RTI) tutoring program addressed the academic, social, and emotional needs of students using the RTI model as a conceptual framework. The research questions addressed intervention specialists' perceptions of how use of the RTI model helped them meet SWD needs and what tutoring documents revealed about tutoring practices. Data sources consisted of …

Go to article

Aleks Constructs As Predictors Of High School Mathematics Achievement For Struggling Students, Nadine Mills Jan 2018

Aleks Constructs As Predictors Of High School Mathematics Achievement For Struggling Students, Nadine Mills

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Educators in the United States (U.S.) are increasingly turning to intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) to provide differentiated math instruction to high school students. However, many struggling high school learners do not perform well on these platforms, which reinforces the need for more awareness about effective supports that influence the achievement of learners in these milieus. The purpose of this study was to determine what factors of the Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS), an ITS, are predictive of struggling learners' performance in a blended-learning Algebra 1 course at an inner city technical high school located in the northeastern U.S. …

Go to article

Academic Role And Professional Identity Development In Counselor Education, Seth Scott Jan 2018

Academic Role And Professional Identity Development In Counselor Education, Seth Scott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Professional identity development occurs during graduate training through mentoring, modeling, and academic training by counselor educators. If counselor educators are to transmit this professional identity, they must possess a robust professional identity themselves. Professional identity development theory suggests that the strength of this professional identity may be threatened by a lack of belonging in academia for nontenured or contingent faculty. A correlational research design using a purposeful convenience sample was used to examine the relationship between academic role, employment status, years of experience, and professional identity among counselor educators. The participants (n=50) were counselor educators who subscribe to the CESNET-Listserv. …

Go to article

Second Grade Teachers' Perspectives On Differentiated Instruction, Alyssa Simmons Jan 2018

Second Grade Teachers' Perspectives On Differentiated Instruction, Alyssa Simmons

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite various instructional efforts, the second grade students in a mid-sized Southwestern school district failed to progress in reading. Although differentiated instruction has been shown to improve literacy skills for young readers, many teachers at the study site did not differentiate instruction for all students. Grounded in theories of social constructivism and differentiated instruction, the purpose of this study was to investigate second grade teachers' perspectives about using differentiated literacy instruction and the effect of their teaching experience and participation in professional development on those perspectives. Data for this nonexperimental, causal-comparative study were collected from 93 second grade teachers via …

Go to article

Experiences And Practices Of Environmental Adult Education Participants, Cindy Fitzwilliams-Heck Jan 2018

Experiences And Practices Of Environmental Adult Education Participants, Cindy Fitzwilliams-Heck

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Awareness of the sustainability of our natural resources is a continuing concern. Initiatives promoting environmental adult education (EAE) through professional development (PD) workshops ensure educators' have the knowledge and skills to inform their audience about environmental literacy and stewardship. However, these workshops have rarely been monitored. Specifically, it appears no researchers have focused on the reflective experiences of an EAE PD workshop on educator participants at least 5 years after participation. This basic qualitative study used telephone interviews of 8 past participants to explore whether and how they perceive their behavior changing in relation to natural resources conservation years after …

Go to article

The Relationship Between Education Levels And Public Opinion Before The Iraq War, Damion Steele Jan 2018

The Relationship Between Education Levels And Public Opinion Before The Iraq War, Damion Steele

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have found that higher education is known to stabilize political opinions and thought to enhance critical thinking skills. The role that an individual's level of education plays in shaping public opinion during a foreign affairs crisis, within the context of repetitious and uniform news media coverage, has yet to be determined. The theoretical foundation of agenda-setting explains how salience is created by emphasizing certain messages and influencing public opinion and may bypass education and political knowledge. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between education level and public opinion immediately before the Iraq War. The …

Go to article

The Influence Of Parental Perceptions On Early Childhood Educational Choices In Nigeria, Magdalene Uwadiogbu Okobah Jan 2018

The Influence Of Parental Perceptions On Early Childhood Educational Choices In Nigeria, Magdalene Uwadiogbu Okobah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The influx of women of childbearing age into the labor force, family dynamics of dual working parents as a result of economic factors, and weakening of extended family supports have increased demand for early childhood care and education programs in Nigeria. Consequently, a problem emerged in increased enrollment in ECCE programs that are deficient in terms of structural and process factors of child-caregiver ratio, group size, staff qualifications, health and safety practices, curriculum implementation, and parental engagement. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that influenced parents' in their decision process for ECCE placement for their children …

Go to article

Strategies That Enhance Student Engagement In The Community College Learning Environment, Susan Jane Reddick Jan 2018

Strategies That Enhance Student Engagement In The Community College Learning Environment, Susan Jane Reddick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

From 2012 to 2015, students' academic performance at a community college in North Carolina fell below North Carolina Community College System baseline benchmarks despite the institution's adoption of several student success initiatives. Building from the established correlation between student academic achievement and academic engagement and the importance of noncognitive competencies in moderating student academic engagement, this qualitative case study investigated the academic experiences of 7 students who were members of the Paying It Forward mentoring program to determine the types of support and resources that students needed to develop and hone intrinsic motivation, sense of belonging, and self-efficacy-the noncognitivenoncognitive competencies …

Go to article

Middle School Teachers' Use And Perceptions Of Digital Game-Based Learning, Spencer Vogt Jan 2018

Middle School Teachers' Use And Perceptions Of Digital Game-Based Learning, Spencer Vogt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Studies have shown that digital media and digital games can enhance students' learning experience. However, few teachers appear to use digital game-based learning (DGBL) regularly. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how middle school teachers use DGBL in the classroom and the factors that positively and negatively influenced their choices to use DGBL. Rogers's diffusion of innovations theory framed the study. Research questions examined how middle school teachers use DGBL in the classroom, what they view as positively and negatively influencing decisions to integrate DGBL, and differences based upon the point in their teaching career when they …

Go to article

Student Perceptions Of Environmental Quality While Attending Accelerated Medical Technology College Courses, Ralph L. Westbrook Jan 2018

Student Perceptions Of Environmental Quality While Attending Accelerated Medical Technology College Courses, Ralph L. Westbrook

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Regional weather patterns in the southwestern United States frequently test the engineering involved in indoor air handling equipment in college facilities. Although an adequate indoor thermal environment has been found to affect student learning, little is known about students' perceptions of classroom heating and ventilation and impacts on learning. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how students in accelerated medical technology courses perceived the environmental quality in their classrooms and discern whether these conditions affected overall gains in knowledge, persistence, and retention in their learning. Fourteen participants from 2 local community colleges were interviewed using purposeful sampling. …

Go to article

A Qualitative Case Studying Collaboration Use To Improve Listening Instruction In Taiwanese Secondary Schools, Pearl Chang Jan 2018

A Qualitative Case Studying Collaboration Use To Improve Listening Instruction In Taiwanese Secondary Schools, Pearl Chang

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Taiwan English teachers in secondary schools are facing a new challenge of having to teach listening comprehension skills to their students. Many instructors are not equipped to deliver adequate listening instruction although listening comprehension has become a benchmark for senior high students aspiring to enter a tertiary institution and earn a college degree. Instructors, students, parents, administrators, and members of the Ministry of Education agree that there is a need to meet the demands of the National English Curriculum Standards. Weimar's approach of learner-centered teaching served as the conceptual foundation for this study since the focus was on ways teachers …

Go to article

Perceptions Of Principal Leadership Skills In High-Achieving Elementary Schools, Sonya Lasyon Jackson Jan 2018

Perceptions Of Principal Leadership Skills In High-Achieving Elementary Schools, Sonya Lasyon Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study was the inability of certain schools in a rural school district in Florida to achieve adequate yearly progress (AYP) in comparison to a neighboring school district where students consistently made AYP. Research has shown a positive relationship between student achievement and principal leadership skills. The purpose of this study was to identify patterns in elementary teachers' perceptions of their principals' leadership skills related to student achievement and elementary principals' perceptions of their own leadership practices and compare those perceptions. The conceptual framework for this qualitative case study design was instructional leadership. Twelve teachers of …

Go to article

Campus Behavior Coordinators' Perspectives Of Student Discipline Among Females In Middle School, Tamara Jordan Jan 2018

Campus Behavior Coordinators' Perspectives Of Student Discipline Among Females In Middle School, Tamara Jordan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Student discipline issues can impact student achievement and disrupt the learning process in the school setting. Behavioral issues among female students have become prevalent in public schools, and disciplinary rates of African American female students are disproportionately high. School administrators have the responsibility to manage student discipline on their school campuses while ensuring a positive and safe learning environment for all students. Previous researchers have focused on student discipline of male students; there have been limited studies on the perspectives of school administrators on disciplinary practices for female students. The purpose of this study was to gain the perspectives of …

Go to article

Influence Of Professional Learning Communities On K-8 Teacher Responsibilities, Kristen Lynn Martello Jan 2018

Influence Of Professional Learning Communities On K-8 Teacher Responsibilities, Kristen Lynn Martello

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Professional learning communities (PLCs) were established in a local suburban school district in 2010; however, since their inception, the value of the program has not been determined. In a K-8 school district, a qualitative case study was conducted to determine the influence of PLCs on the 4 domains of teacher responsibilities: preparation, classroom environment, teaching, and professional duties. The conceptual framework was based on Bandura's social learning theory and Danielson's framework for teaching. The research questions focused on how teacher participation and the allotment of time in a PLC, and the structure of a PLC, influence teacher classroom responsibilities. Data …

Go to article

Assessing Executive Functioning In Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Julie Johnson Miller Jan 2018

Assessing Executive Functioning In Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Julie Johnson Miller

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study examined the inconsistency within research surrounding the relationship between executive functioning skills and autism symptomology in those being assessed for autism in early childhood (e.g., 34 to 60 months of age). Inconsistencies in current research connecting autism symptomology and executive dysfunction affect the best practice of practitioners that assess for disabilities. This study aimed to identify correlations between autism symptomology and executive functioning skills and whether combining autism symptomology and executive functioning skills assessments provide a more reliable classification as autism or non-autism. The framework foundation drew upon research that determined connections between those suffering from traumatic brain …

Go to article

Effects Of Simulated Clinical Experiences On Empathy, Self-Confidence, And Satisfaction In Nursing Students, Dawn Riess Jan 2018

Effects Of Simulated Clinical Experiences On Empathy, Self-Confidence, And Satisfaction In Nursing Students, Dawn Riess

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Empathetic communication enhances the nurse-patient relationship and improves patient outcomes and needs to be taught and evaluated during simulated clinical experiences. Experience in healthcare education has shown students' empathy levels decrease over time. The purpose of this quasi-experimental pretest posttest, study was to compare nursing students' empathy levels, self-confidence, and satisfaction with simulation between the use of the high-fidelity manikin simulator (HFMS) and a standardized patient (SP) used during their simulated clinical experience. Kolb's experiential learning theory was used to guide the study through the four phases specific to simulation and learning. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 135 nursing …

Go to article

Special Educators' Perceptions On Effective Preparation And Practice For Student Success, Anne Brackney Liese Jan 2018

Special Educators' Perceptions On Effective Preparation And Practice For Student Success, Anne Brackney Liese

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Alternative school settings are success prospects for students at risk of school failure. However, research on the daily experiences of the special educators in alternate school settings tasked with educating the at-risk population, is limited. The purpose of this phenomenological study was (a) to recognize the perceptions of special educators concerning their preparation to advance the success of SEN students who are at risk of school failure; (b) to determine how to improve special educator preparation programs in alternative school settings. Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory, focused on student success provided the study's framework. Twelve semistructured interviews were conducted to …

Go to article

A Qualitative Case Study About Online Reflection For Elementary Mathematics Teachers, Michelle Mccabe Trofort Jan 2018

A Qualitative Case Study About Online Reflection For Elementary Mathematics Teachers, Michelle Mccabe Trofort

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many teachers report that they rarely engage in reflection. Asynchronous forums have been used to foster reflection among prospective teachers, but there is limited research about the allocation of time for reflection in an asynchronous forum for practicing teachers. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to (a) determine teachers' perceptions about the benefits and drawbacks of the use of an online forum to allocate time for reflection and (b) to classify the levels of the teachers' reflections in the forum. A conceptual framework based on select writings by Dewey, Hatton and Smith, and van Manen was used to …

Go to article

Custom Advising's Effect On Success And Retention Of Developmental Math Students, Jason Peter Barr Jan 2018

Custom Advising's Effect On Success And Retention Of Developmental Math Students, Jason Peter Barr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of high school graduates entering college needing to take developmental math courses is increasing. Gilmer State College (a pseudonym) introduced customized scheduling in which students identified as at risk after scoring low on the math entrance exam are placed in the developmental math course and additional courses that traditionally have a pass rate of 75% or better. The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in passing and retention rates between 1st-time college freshmen who attended Gilmer State College before the customized scheduling and after the customized scheduling was implemented. This study was based on Adelman's …

Go to article

Effect Of Eustress, Flow, And Test Anxiety On Physical Therapy Psychomotor Practical Examinations, Todd Joseph Bourgeois Jan 2018

Effect Of Eustress, Flow, And Test Anxiety On Physical Therapy Psychomotor Practical Examinations, Todd Joseph Bourgeois

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students at the graduate level undergo higher levels of stress compared to their peers, and this stress is known to affect academic performance. Most of the research is focused on the negative aspect of stress. Positive psychology aspects, such as eustress and flow, are related to success in some activities; however, it is unknown whether these correlate with academic performance. Several stress-related theories-Yerkes-Dodson curve, cybernetics, conservation of resources, and choking under pressure-guided this quantitative study of the effects of eustress, flow, and cognitive test anxiety (CTA) on a psychomotor practical examination for physical therapy students. A sample of 192 physical …

Go to article

Thematic Narrative Of Lgbt Faculty Members' Professional Identity And Activism, Kathy Luanne Williamson Gall Jan 2018

Thematic Narrative Of Lgbt Faculty Members' Professional Identity And Activism, Kathy Luanne Williamson Gall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over the past 20 years, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals have made progress in attaining the same basic civil rights as heterosexual individuals. As in other civil rights movements, the college campus has played an important role. The LGBT community participates in academic and campus life, and numerous colleges are developing and supporting an inclusive, safe, and respectful culture. However, bias and prejudice continue to occur. While researchers have studied the repercussions of prejudice, discrimination, and low evaluation scores for LGBT faculty, little research has been done to explore professional identity and activism in LGBT faculty at traditional …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last