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2020

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Full-Text Articles in Education

Challenges For Active-Duty Military Personnel In Completing Undergraduate Degrees, Kathleen Marie Parrish Jan 2020

Challenges For Active-Duty Military Personnel In Completing Undergraduate Degrees, Kathleen Marie Parrish

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem this basic qualitative study addressed was the low baccalaureate degreecompletion rate for airmen at an Air Force base in the Eastern Region of the United States (AFER). This problem is important because understanding the challenges airmen face may enable leadership to support degree completion, thus improve employment options after military service. The purpose of this study was to examine experiences of enlisted airmen completing a baccalaureate degree while serving in the military. Bean and Metzner’s theory on nontraditional student attrition was used as a framework for this study. The research questions were designed to help understand the challenges …


Use Of Metaconceptual Scaffolding In The Science Classroom To Promote Conceptual Change, Erin Duez Jan 2020

Use Of Metaconceptual Scaffolding In The Science Classroom To Promote Conceptual Change, Erin Duez

Education Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of providing metaconceptual awareness questions on the conceptual change and metaconceptual awareness of students in the chemistry classroom. This quasi-experimental study with a repeated-measures design analyzed the effects of providing metaconceptual awareness questions on the conceptual change and metaconceptual awareness of high school chemistry students. The intervention consisted of providing metaconceptual awareness questions nine times to the experimental group over a three-week period. The chemistry conceptual knowledge of both groups was assessed three times: pretest, posttest, and a delayed retention test. The metaconceptual awareness of the students was assessed twice …


Principal Leadership And Student Academic Achievement, Brigitte Karin Manns Jan 2020

Principal Leadership And Student Academic Achievement, Brigitte Karin Manns

Education Dissertations

This case study is an analysis of the relationship between principal leadership and student academic achievement. This research is based upon two dominant leadership theories from the past four decades, namely transformational leadership, which has been studied extensively by Bernard Bass and Bruce Avolio among others, and instructional leadership, which has been researched most notably by Philip Hallinger and colleagues. More recently, several researchers have proposed that transformational leadership and instructional leadership may be related to increases in student learning when used simultaneously by a school leader. This case study is an examination of the leadership style of a principal …


Adults' Use Of Mobile Learning Environments While Enrolled In General Educational Development Classes, Tia Wilkinson Jan 2020

Adults' Use Of Mobile Learning Environments While Enrolled In General Educational Development Classes, Tia Wilkinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mobile learning environments (MLEs) offer ubiquitous learning opportunities for adults in General Educational Development (GED) programs. However, MLEs have not been integrated into most adult GED programs; therefore, little is known about the experiences of adult learners who use MLEs as part of their education. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore how adult learners described making connections within MLEs, how they perceived learning with MLEs, and how they expanded their use of MLEs. The principles of connectivism provided the conceptual framework for the study. Participants were 11 adult learners in GED programs in a Southern urban …


Increasing Reading Skills For Students With Intellectual Disabilities Through Lively Letters, Barbara Ann Forney-Misuraca Jan 2020

Increasing Reading Skills For Students With Intellectual Disabilities Through Lively Letters, Barbara Ann Forney-Misuraca

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

All students can learn how to read, but students with intellectual disabilities (ID) often learn at a slower rate than their peers without disabilities. The purpose of this quantitative, pretest-posttest study design was to analyze whether Lively Letters (LL), a researched-based program, was a useful tool for teaching students with ID to read by using a multisensory approach. The two main theories used were Bandura’s social cognitive theory, also known as social learning theory, and Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning. Sixty-eight students participated in a self-contained program. The students’ phonological skills (PA) skills were measured before and after the …


Job Satisfaction And Retention Of Middle School Teachers, Rebecca Jane Gault Jan 2020

Job Satisfaction And Retention Of Middle School Teachers, Rebecca Jane Gault

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem investigated in this study was the high turnover rates of experienced, quality, and highly effective middle school teachers, which has a negative effect on student learning and achievement. The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover what specific support and professional development middle school teachers need to remain teaching. The conceptual framework that grounded this study was Herzberg’s two-factor theory of motivation. The research questions explored what experienced middle school teachers need in terms of support and professional development in order to improve their job satisfaction and increase their retention. Nine teachers, one from each middle school …


The Influence Of Age And A Self-Actualizing Workshop On Adult Self-Actualization Scores, Tami Amelia Michelle Harris Jan 2020

The Influence Of Age And A Self-Actualizing Workshop On Adult Self-Actualization Scores, Tami Amelia Michelle Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Seeking self-fulfillment is a relevant goal among many adults but one that is often not attained. Existing literature includes research on programs that enhance the well-being of participants but does not teach how core self-actualization attributes are significant in developing self-fulfillment. The main theoretical framework for this study was Maslow’s hierarchy of needs concentrating on the internal and external schemas of self-actualizing attributes. Using a snowball sample, the total number of qualified participants for this study was 80; the study was a cross-section sample of adults using a between group, single group, pre-/posttest, quantitative design. The 10 items of the …


Texas Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions Of Data Chats, Candace Christina Hopkins Jan 2020

Texas Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions Of Data Chats, Candace Christina Hopkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A gap in practice at CES Elementary School (pseudonym) was the lack of data driven instructional decision making. This lack has contributed to the problem of low school scores on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). Low STAAR scores have negatively impacted student, teacher, and administrator retention. Data chats were implemented to help overcome the problem and improve practice, but this did not work. Hence, the purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of data chats that occurred within CES’s professional learning communities. The study was conceptually guided by the theory of action. Teachers’ perceptions …


Instructors’ Perspectives On Misalignment Of Secondary And College Business Curriculum, Ronderrick Johnson Jan 2020

Instructors’ Perspectives On Misalignment Of Secondary And College Business Curriculum, Ronderrick Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Curricula developers have not been aligning high school career and technical education (CTE) business curricula to prepare high school students for college business courses. The purpose of this research was to explore and seek to understand misalignment issues regarding CTE business curricula at a public school district and three surrounding colleges in the southern United States. The conceptual framework was curricula integration theory, which posits that education leaders and curricula developers improve existing knowledge by designing curricula systems that address real-world problems, issues, and concerns. The research questions for this qualitative case study were about the perceptions of college business …


Principal Transformational Leadership And School Climate In Title 1 Schools, Heidi H. Miller Jan 2020

Principal Transformational Leadership And School Climate In Title 1 Schools, Heidi H. Miller

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students living in poverty who attend Title 1 schools continue to underperform academically compared to their more-advantaged peers. Researchers have shown that leadership and school climate influence academic outcomes for students, and educators and community members need to understand effective leadership and school climate practices used where students have demonstrated academic growth. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain an understanding of principals’ perspectives on their leadership and school climate practices that may contribute to students’ academic growth in Title 1 elementary schools. The conceptual framework encompassed elements of transformational leadership and constructs of school climate. Interviews …


Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, Blogging Groups, And Interpretation In The Literature Classroom, Michael Nester Jan 2020

Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, Blogging Groups, And Interpretation In The Literature Classroom, Michael Nester

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Community college world literature students are often ill prepared to analyze and interpret passages of creative fiction because traditional, teacher-centric pedagogical approaches do not promote students’ literary interpretive authority. However, a method to fill the interpretation gap remains unclear. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore the efficacy of using computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) blogging groups to promote students’ interpretive authority and critical thinking skills. Blending transactional reading theory, social constructivist theory, and transformative learning theory provided the conceptual framework for the study. Participants were 8 students and their instructor from a purposefully selected community college …


Case Study Of Teachers’ Instructional Practices Among Eighth Grade Students With Disabilities, Lashaundon Perkins Jan 2020

Case Study Of Teachers’ Instructional Practices Among Eighth Grade Students With Disabilities, Lashaundon Perkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Academic achievement of students relies heavily on a student’s reading proficiency. The college-and career-readiness reading test results of 8th grade North Carolina students did not meet expectations during the 2016-2017 school year. The overall reading performance of 8th grade North Carolina students who have shown achievement at or above proficient was 30%, which is below the national average. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the instructional practices of special education teachers in a low performing school in the eastern region of North Carolina. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory provided the conceptual framework for this study. Research questions addressed …


Teachers’ Challenges With Implementing Curriculum-Based Assessment In Secondary Students With Disabilities, Kim Welch Jan 2020

Teachers’ Challenges With Implementing Curriculum-Based Assessment In Secondary Students With Disabilities, Kim Welch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative research study was an investigation into teachers’ challenges for not consistently using curriculum-based assessments to assess 9th and 12th grade students with disabilities. The conceptual framework of the study was guided by Nitko’s curriculum-based criterion-reference practices theory, which posits that curriculum-based assessment should be the basis for assessing student learning, especially in high-stakes evaluation. The research questions addressed: 1) Special and general education teachers’ perceptions of the use of curriculum-based assessments for 9th and 12th grade students with learning disabilities, and 2) Special and general education teachers’ challenges to conducting curriculum-based assessment with fidelity for 9th and 12th …


Perceptions, Potholes, And Possibilities Of Using Digital Voice Assistants To Differentiate Instructions, Adrian A. Weir Jan 2020

Perceptions, Potholes, And Possibilities Of Using Digital Voice Assistants To Differentiate Instructions, Adrian A. Weir

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Access to technologies and understanding the potential uses of technology to differentiate instruction have been a concern for the teachers and students in a local school district located in the southeastern United States. Despite the emergence of digital voice assistants (DVAs) as tools for instructions, teachers lack knowledge and strategies for using DVAs to differentiate instruction in their classrooms. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify teacher knowledge and strategies employed among special education (SPED) teachers using DVAs to differentiate instruction in their classrooms. The concepts of Carol Tomlinson’s differentiation theory and Mishra and Koehler’s TPACK framework served …


Rural Elementary Educator Perceptions About Mathematics Instructional Resources And Strategies, Kristina Gabrielle Anderson Jan 2020

Rural Elementary Educator Perceptions About Mathematics Instructional Resources And Strategies, Kristina Gabrielle Anderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An increasing number of students in a rural elementary school have not met the mathematics proficiency benchmark. Despite these changes made to mathematic curriculum and instruction, student data continued to indicate an increasing number of students in Grades 3–6 had not met the mathematics proficiency standard. The purpose of this study was to investigate perceptions of elementary mathematics teachers in Grades 3–6 and administrators regarding instructional resources, strategies used to teach mathematics, and professional development for teaching mathematics. Archer and Hughes’ concept of explicit instruction formed the conceptual framework that guided this study. The research questions for this study addressed …


Preparing Clinical Faculty To Teach And Reinforce Hourly Rounding, Lisa Bailey Jan 2020

Preparing Clinical Faculty To Teach And Reinforce Hourly Rounding, Lisa Bailey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A gap exists in the knowledge of clinical faculty teaching prelicensure students about hourly rounding. The purpose of this project was to develop an educational program to prepare clinical faculty teaching student nurses to conduct hourly rounding. Hourly rounding trained faculty ensure safe practice by students and adherence to hospital policies. Hourly rounding includes the 4 Ps, which entails the assessment of “potty”, pain, position, and possession/periphery. Models and theories used to inform the project included the American Academy of Pediatrics’ 10-step process for developing training courses, Knowles’ theory of adult learning, Kirkpatrick's evaluation model, and the Accreditation Commission for …


Leaders And At-Risk Students' Perceptions Of Online Credit Recovery Opportunities And The Role Of Efficacy, Angelo Mitsuo Barcinas Jan 2020

Leaders And At-Risk Students' Perceptions Of Online Credit Recovery Opportunities And The Role Of Efficacy, Angelo Mitsuo Barcinas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although online credit recovery opportunities are available to high school students enrolled in a United States of America territory credit recovery school, the inability of students to access these courses outside of the school is difficult because students do not have online access. This study examines the role self-efficacy plays on students successfully completing high school through taking advantage of online credit recovery opportunities. The purpose of this general qualitative interview study was to examine at-risk students’ perceptions of online credit recovery opportunities and the role of efficacy for students enrolled in online credit recovery school. Using the social cognitive …


The Relationship Between Multifaceted Motivational Factors And Academic Achievement, Sandra Luann Beasley Jan 2020

The Relationship Between Multifaceted Motivational Factors And Academic Achievement, Sandra Luann Beasley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States has yet to reach the White House’s 2020 goal of attaining the top international ranking in college degree attainment among young adults. Researchers have investigated the academic performance variables associated with timely degree attainment for first-year college students. Prior research has indicated that poorly motivated students are likely to struggle academically, experience academic stress, and drop out of school. However, it remains unknown which types of motivation significantly affect academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to better understand which Reiss basic desires of motivation predict undergraduate academic achievement. An additional purpose of this study was …


Perceived Influence Of An Acting Class On Students’ Verbal Communication Skills, Venustiano Borromeo Jan 2020

Perceived Influence Of An Acting Class On Students’ Verbal Communication Skills, Venustiano Borromeo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research demonstrates a widening gap between verbal communication skills expectations of employers and the perceived abilities of higher education graduates. Recent studies have also suggested that the art of acting is an effective pedagogical tool for developing oral communication skills; however, investigations of a beginning acting class in a higher educational setting are limited. The research question examined undergraduate students’ perceptions of the influence of a beginning acting class on the development of their verbal communication skills for future employment. This generic qualitative inquiry investigated and analyzed 8 undergraduate students’ perceptions of how an acting class helped improve their verbal …


Differentiating Instruction To Prepare African American Males For High School Accelerated Courses, Monique Carson Jan 2020

Differentiating Instruction To Prepare African American Males For High School Accelerated Courses, Monique Carson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Differentiating instruction is important in helping students with diverse backgrounds and learning styles understand curricula; however, this can be challenging for educators. The educators at the study site reported that teachers’ instructional practices could be affecting African American males’ preparedness for accelerated courses. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine how rigorous, differentiated instructional practices were being used in the classroom to prepare African American male students for accelerated courses at an urban, Title I school in the Southwest United States. The study was guided by Tomlinson’s differentiated instruction framework. Research questions addressed the types of instructional …


After-School Enrichment Programs And Secondary Education Achievement Among African American Males, Willis Roger Carter Jan 2020

After-School Enrichment Programs And Secondary Education Achievement Among African American Males, Willis Roger Carter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this single case study, at one high school in the Midwest region of United States, was to examine after-school enrichment programs and their connections to improving academic achievement for African American (AA) male students. The central question of what factors in structured after-school enrichment programs (ASEPs) contribute to academic achievement for AA males was studied using social learning theory and punctuated equilibrium as the theoretical guide. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews and surveys administered to 10 administrators, 10 parents, and 10 teachers who met the criteria for inclusion in the study. Data collection also included classroom …


The Effects Of Problem-Based Learning On The Academic Achievement Of Elementary Students And Teacher Perception, Eva Marie Cwynar Jan 2020

The Effects Of Problem-Based Learning On The Academic Achievement Of Elementary Students And Teacher Perception, Eva Marie Cwynar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As a result of a district’s initiative to change educational practices, schools in the local setting were considering the problem-based learning (PBL) constructivist model as a way of increasing student achievement. The problem was that it was unknown to what extent PBL was being used in the classroom and how its use correlated with student achievement. The purpose of this sequential mixed methods study was to determine the correlation between teachers’ reported degree of PBL implementation and the academic achievement of their students on the ELA assessment and to explore teachers’ experiences when implementing PBL. The study took place in …


Retail Business Leaders’ Strategies To Increase Employee Engagement And Workforce Productivity, Sada Hye Jaman Jan 2020

Retail Business Leaders’ Strategies To Increase Employee Engagement And Workforce Productivity, Sada Hye Jaman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Retail leaders face increased performance challenges due to disengaged employees. Disengaged employees cost United States’ organizations $77 billion to $96 billion in lost revenue annually. Grounded in the transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies retail leaders use to improve employee engagement and increase workforce productivity. Data were gathered from semistructured, face-to-face interviews using open-ended questions with 4 retail business leaders in the eastern region of the United States who effectively used strategies to engage sales associates and increase workforce productivity. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis through inductive coding of phrases …


Effects Of A Developmental English Program Redesign On Underprepared Students’ Academic Success, Susan Jean Konantz Jan 2020

Effects Of A Developmental English Program Redesign On Underprepared Students’ Academic Success, Susan Jean Konantz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The study explored first-year composition (FYC) success by students who were initially enrolled in developmental English at a public university in the western United States. The study site redesigned its developmental English program to increase time to completion and completion rates of FYC and minimize time to completion of that course by developmental students, yet no evaluation had been conducted to determine the effects of the redesigned program. The framework that supported this study was Adelman’s theory of academic momentum. Using a quantitative nonexperimental, causal-comparative design and census sample, the research question explored two dimensions of FYC completion, including (a) …


Teachers’ Perceptions Of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy’S Influence On Instructional Strategies, Dr. Lynn Marie Love-Kelly Jan 2020

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy’S Influence On Instructional Strategies, Dr. Lynn Marie Love-Kelly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Urban high school literacy teachers are concerned with being prepared to teach incoming, culturally diverse ninth-grade students. More specifically, teachers have difficulty with implementing culturally responsive instructional strategies (CRIS) in urban high school literacy classrooms. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the challenges of using CRIS in urban high school literacy classrooms. Vygotsky’s social constructivist theory was the conceptual framework that informed this study, suggesting that students learn, and teachers instruct based on social experiences in thinking and interpreting the world. The guiding research question was concerning how high school teachers apply CRIS to address the …


African American College Students’ Perspectives Of Academic Challenges To Graduation, Bobby Calvin Luckett Jan 2020

African American College Students’ Perspectives Of Academic Challenges To Graduation, Bobby Calvin Luckett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Even though the enrollment numbers of African American students are comparable to other racial/ethnic groups at a university in the midwestern United States, the problem investigated through this study was that African American students were graduating at a slower rate compared to other groups. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of African American university students about the academic challenges they faced as they worked towards graduation as well as their experiences with and suggestions to improve institutional support to meet these challenges. The study was based on Tinto’s retention theory. For this basic qualitative study, data …


Prekindergarten Educators' Perspectives On Professional Development About Transgender And Gender-Nonconforming Children, Danita Marie Norris Mccray Jan 2020

Prekindergarten Educators' Perspectives On Professional Development About Transgender And Gender-Nonconforming Children, Danita Marie Norris Mccray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Young children start to develop an understanding of gender and gender identity in prekindergarten. Early childhood educators require professional development in creating safe, supportive learning environments for transgender and gender nonconforming children. Limited research has focused on prekindergarten educators' knowledge, skills, and dispositions about supporting transgender and gender nonconforming children in their classrooms. Framed by Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems theory and Derman-Sparks antibias early childhood concepts, the purpose of this basic qualitative study with interviews was to explore prekindergarten educators' perspectives on professional development about transgender and gender nonconforming children. Data were collected using semistructured, in-depth interviews with 12 prekindergarten educators …


Examining Teacher Decision Making And Instructional Practice In Data Teams, Kelly Jo Moffett Jan 2020

Examining Teacher Decision Making And Instructional Practice In Data Teams, Kelly Jo Moffett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Administration in a mid-Atlantic elementary school in the United States mandated implementation of the Data Wise improvement process (DWIP) to address accountability and student achievement concerns. Leaders were unsure if elementary educators used the approved DWIP within their data teams and how the data were used to support instructional practices. The purpose of this bounded qualitative descriptive single case study was to explore teachers’ collaboration and planning using DWIP in data teams, teachers’ perceptions of the influence of data team participation on their instructional practices, and how teachers demonstrated the use of data in planning for classroom instruction. The data-driven …


Associations Between Developmental English Models And College Students’ Completion And Persistence, Deanna Lynn Surfus Jan 2020

Associations Between Developmental English Models And College Students’ Completion And Persistence, Deanna Lynn Surfus

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Midwest Community College (a pseudonym) students who do not score high enough in reading and writing on an assessment must take an integrated reading and writing (IRW) developmental English (DEng) course. The college transitioned most of its IRW courses from stand-alone courses, grounded in Vygotsky’s scaffolding concept where students first take IRW and then the first-semester English course (ENGL 100), to a corequisite model, grounded in a modification of Tinto’s theory of persistence, in which students take the IRW course concurrently with ENGL 100. Even with the corequisite model, too many students are not passing ENGL 100. The purpose of …


Perceptions And Experiences Of Nontraditional Undergraduate Students, Erica Beatrice Wattley Jan 2020

Perceptions And Experiences Of Nontraditional Undergraduate Students, Erica Beatrice Wattley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nontraditional undergraduate students have had a high attrition rate over the course of a 4-year program at a for-profit northeastern university. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions and experiences of nontraditional undergraduate dropout students about the influence of academic difficulties, social life, and unresolved educational and occupational goals on leaving the university before graduating. The conceptual framework was guided by Tinto’s model of student persistence. The research questions focused on nontraditional undergraduate student perceptions and experiences of academic difficulties, social life, and unresolved goals. A basic qualitative study design was used to capture the insights of …