Education Commons^™

The Impact Of Positive Human Interest Stories On Raising Hope Through Social Media In Kentucky's Promise Zone Counties, Melissa Newman

Online Theses and Dissertations

During the past decade, social media has gained dominance over traditional media in an agenda-setting role for journalists, often dictating the news of the day (Pfeffer et al., 2014). With data collected from Kentucky’s Promise Zone counties and C. R. Snyder’s (1991) Hope Scale instrument, this study looks at how the use of social media affects hope, while considering five decades of news media negative stereotypical views of those who live in the mountains of Appalachia (Bowler, 1985). This study examines data from those who live in Kentucky’s designated Promise Zone counties, a 2014 designation by President Barack Obama. Kentucky’s …

Preparing For The Teaching Of English Language Learners: A Comparative Study Of Cultural Intelligence From One Rural Kentucky University, Elisha Lawrence

Online Theses and Dissertations

This cross-comparative qualitative study included the analysis of teaching candidates who graduated in the Spring of 2019 and former students who graduated in the Spring of 2018 from the same rural Kentucky Independent Higher Education University. Each of the Spring 2018 participants were mostly current teachers who could reflect not only on their prior teacher preparation experience but also on their experience in working with English Language Learners as current teachers. Both sets of participants were divided among three groups. The first group of participants were those who had the opportunity to student-teach in a foreign country. The second group …

The Impact Of Prior Settings In Early Childhood On Kindergarten Readiness, April Trent

Online Theses and Dissertations

Learning begins at birth, and 90% of the brain is developed by the age of five. This is one reason why it is critical that children spend time in a quality early childhood prior setting that provides continuous opportunities for optimal cognitive and social development. For this study, the researcher examined Brigance Screener scores for all children in Scott County, Kentucky that would enter kindergarten in 2018. From that screener, prior early childhood settings information was gathered. The data in this study discovered that children who attended public preschool were more ready for kindergarten than children who did not attend …

The Impact Of Blended Learning On Measures Of Academic Progress (Map) Based On Student Growth, Molly Elizabeth Mccomas

Online Theses and Dissertations

Blended learning in the secondary setting is a growing and evolving method of instructional delivery. Current research continues to focus on the post-secondary setting and often neglects the impact on student growth in the secondary settings. The combination of technology and teacher involvement to deliver high quality instruction is important in 21st century learning. This quantitative, non-experimental, causal-comparative study analyzes student growth scores on Measures of Academic Progress in the area of mathematics for 8th grade students after two consecutive years in a blended learning instructional setting as compared to 8th grade students after two consecutive years in a traditional …

Exploring The Lived Experience Of Female Presidents In Higher Education: A Journey Of Ascension To The Rural Community College Presidency, Patsy Jackson

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study is to investigate the lived experience of females who ascended to rural community college presidencies. This study explores their perceptions of barriers and facilitators that influenced their success in capturing a rural community college presidency. Lastly, this study aims to examine their leadership approach and their intended leadership legacy. An imminent leadership crisis exists for community colleges and has created an uncertain future for these open access institutions. The number of qualified applicants to fill the presidential pipeline is declining and sitting presidents are retiring at alarming rates, threatening the sustainable of community …

The Efficacy Of Residential Learning Communities On First Generation, First-Year College Students' Success At A Rural Regional University, April Dannielle Barnes

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effect of residential learning communities on the success of first-generation first-year students. Using the theoretical framework of Tinto’s Conceptual Schema this study looked at the social and academic integration factors of living in a residential learning community through fall-to-fall retention rates and EKU GPA. A large institutional database was used to identify the first-generation first-year students in the study as well as their demographic differences. When controlling for gender, race, Pell Grant eligibility, high school GPA, and composite ACT scores, results showed participation in residential learning communities did not make a significant difference in the fall-to-fall …

Associations Between School Safety And Behavioral Health Issues: A Multivariable Study Of A Large School Sample In Kentucky, Patricia M. Clark

Online Theses and Dissertations

The perception of feeling safe in school impacts academic achievement of students. As the number of school shootings has grown, implementing effective school safety plans has become a significant job duty of educators. There is some conflict in the exact constructs that fit within the school safety definition and often behavioral health issues are not addressed as part of the school safety planning process. Research shows that when students don’t feel safe their behavioral health issues increase (Fletcher, A., Bonell, C., Sorhaindo, A., & Strange, V., 2009). The multivariable regression study identified the association of substance use, mental health issues, …

An Examination Of Clery Crime Statistics At Four Year Public Institutions Of Higher Education Served By Or Without Dedicated University Police Departments, Bryan Makinen

Online Theses and Dissertations

This paper was written to examine the impact of dedicated university police departments relative to reporting Clery statistics, fundamental information that prospective students and their parents can use in selecting an institution of higher education. The prospect of gaining knowledge and bettering one’s life occurs best when taking place in a safe and transparent environment. While college and university campuses are not immune to crime, similar to society as a whole, they are statistically safer places by which learning can occur.

The college years are instrumental in shaping the lives and mindset of America’s youth by exposing them to a …