Education Commons^™

The Experiences Of Professionals Of Color At A Predominantly White Institution, Brandy Matthews

Masters Theses

This qualitative study looks at the experiences professionals of color face in a Predominately White institution. More specifically, this study showed that professionals of color still face many challenges due to the barriers they face on, and off-campus compared to their White counterparts. This study utilized semi-structured interviews to help explore professionals of color experiences at a rural mid-sized university in the Midwest.

The Experiences And Transition Of Black Former Student Athletes Through And Out Of College, Nyjah Lane

Masters Theses

Using a narrative approach this researcher used a qualitative study to examine the experiences and transitions of former Black student athletes at a Division I institution. The study involved four participants who were three to four years removed from completing college and athletic retirement. Schlossberg’s (1981) transition theory, Astin’s (1999) involvement theory, and Baxter Magolda’s (2008) Self authorship theory was used as the theoretical frameworks for this study. The findings provide insight in to how their experiences as college student athletes impacted their ability to graduate and transition out of college. The participants relied on the support and strategies they …

Pleasure Reading Workshop: Meeting Sel Competencies Based On Sustained (And Maybe Not So Silent) Reading, Lora Sink

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the benefits pleasure reading had on students' understanding of social emotional learning and the Teacher Librarian’s (TL) foundational role for providing an environment for pleasure reading that fostered social emotional learning (SEL) at the middle school level. The participants included one language arts class of 14 seventh graders at a private K-8 school located in the Midwest. Students were given ample class time to read, and their writing, discussions, and evaluations centered around social and emotional learning. Results in 6 themes showed that using pleasure reading as a base, teachers …

Reflections On Teaching And Learning Chemistry Through Youth Participatory Science, Daniel Morales-Doyle, Alejandra Frausto Aceves, Karen Canales Salas, Mindy J. Chappell, Tomasz Rajski, Adilene Aguilera, Giani Clay, Delani Lopez

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

This chapter captures a panel discussion from the 2019 conference of Science Educators for Equity, Diversity, and Social Justice (SEEDS) in Norfolk, Virginia. The panel included two high school students, three high school chemistry teachers, a community organizer, an administrator for a large urban school district, and a university-based science educator. These panelists, the authors of this chapter, had been collaborating on an initiative to support youth participatory science (YPS) projects in high school chemistry classes (Morales-Doyle & Frausto, 2021). We share this lightly edited transcript of our conversation as a way to communicate perspectives about the opportunities and challenges …

The Implementation Of Conversation-Help-Activity-Movement-Participation-Success Procedures To Improve Behavior And Academic Performance, Henreta Jarrett

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation was designed to examine the fidelity level of implementation of Conversation-Help-Activity-Movement-Participation-Success (CHAMPS) classroom management strategies designed to reduce students’ behavior problems and boost academic performance at a large Title I elementary school in the southeastern United States. The participants included 10 teachers with experience teaching Grades 3 to 5 who had 3 years of experience implementing the CHAMPS classroom-management plan.

The researcher implemented bracketing, intuition, open-ended coding, and Axial coding to examine the implementation of the CHAMPS classroom-management plan in reducing behavior problems and boosting academic performance. The evaluation intended to address the central research question: How is …

Liderazgo Directivo Escolar En El Funcionamiento Del Programa De Educación Especial De La Región Norte De Puerto Rico, Meilin Gomez Román

Theses and Dissertations

El propósito de este estudio es explicar el efecto del liderazgo directivo en el funcionamiento del Programa de Educación Especial en la Región Norte de Puerto Rico. Mediante este estudio se pretende conocer de qué manera el liderazgo que ejercen los directores escolares afecta el funcionamiento del Programa de Educación Especial.

Este estudio tiene un enfoque cuantitativo con un diseño no experimental transversal de alcance descriptivo. Se administraron dos cuestionarios para la recolección de datos. La muestra estuvo constituida por 32 directores escolares que participaron de manera voluntaria.

Los resultados demostraron que el estilo de liderazgo predominante y que más …

The Discover Model: A Prescriptive Method For Instructional Tool Selection And Use In Seeking To Boost Instructor Immediacy And Social Presence In Online Courses, Lee O. Silverman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Higher education faculty who teach online can face numerous challenges in providing optimal experiences for their students. Besides their potentially limited instructional design expertise and understanding of how to optimize technology to support learning, faculty may have difficulties in finding ways to make themselves be perceived as real people who are approachable, caring, and likeable due to online nature of the learning context. As a preliminary means to address these issues, the current study focused on the development of the DISCOVER Model, which was designed to provide higher education faculty with a framework to develop actionable plans in the creation …

A Narrative Inquiry Into The Influence Of School Shooting Survival On College Transition And Experience, Jayne M. Piskorik

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

There is an extensive body of school-related shooting research exploring causes, how to recognize a threat, and what preparedness measures are effective (Lee et al., 2020; Muchert, 2007). However, there is insufficient research on how the broader context of school-related shootings in American society has influenced college-aged students. The purpose of this study was to tell the story of how students have been influenced by their experience surviving the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting during their transition to and performance in higher education. Narrative inquiry provided a deeper understanding through narrative retelling of the perceptions, decisions, and experiences …

Identifying Factors That Increase Sustainability Of Swpbis In Us Middle Schools, Heather L. Hoffert

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

School-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) is a multi-tiered framework with decades of documented success in reducing problem behavior, increasing academic achievement, and promoting positive school climates. Approximately 20% of schools nationwide (n=26,000) implement SWPBIS (Kittleman et al., 2020). However, many schools that adopt SWPBIS abandon the program after only a few years of implementation. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate factors that promote sustainability of SWPBIS. By identifying factors that increase schools’ likelihood to sustain practices, we can target our implementation efforts both effectively and efficiently thereby improving student outcomes. The Benchmarks of Quality (BoQ) is used annually …

How Do Higher Education Teaching And Learning Centers Contribute To An Institutional Culture Of Assessment?, Tracey Jean Beckley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Teaching and learning centers in higher education are often charged with providing faculty development programming in support of overarching institutional goals related to effective teaching and assessment of student learning. Using the theoretical frameworks of Maki and Weiner as a launch pad, this exploratory case study examines how two teaching and learning centers have provided services, implemented programming, and strategically affected cultural change among faculty and other stakeholders in support of an institutional culture of assessment. The study revealed four thematic strands to consider when developing practical ways for teaching and learning centers to contribute to a culture-building endeavor in …

The Lived Experiences Of Selected Choral Directors During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Angela Berna Milliren

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The shift to online education during the COVID-19 pandemic found secondary choral teachers moving traditional performance-based courses to the online venue. The pedagogical changes needed include implementing technology and disseminating information through learning management systems. Relationships between teachers and students, and teachers and colleagues, were challenged with the physical distance of quarantines in the Spring of 2020. This dissertation research project examined the difficulties six teachers faced concerning technology and relationships. I sat down for semi-structured interviews with six colleagues where I asked about their backgrounds, relationships with students and fellow colleagues, and the changes the pandemic brought to their …

An Examination Of Career Orientation Courses And College Students' Career Decision Self-Efficacy, Logan R. Mayhew

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Career development is an ongoing concern for college administrators as the modern knowledge era generates new and fluctuating jobs. College students are more anxious than in previous decades about starting their careers and making vocational decisions. Building career decision self-efficacy in students results in greater feelings of confidence and increases demonstration of career-related behaviors. Students in three online career courses at West Virginia University were assessed for gains in career decision self-efficacy in comparison with a control group after participation in the courses and compared on the basis of gender. Results of a mixed ANOVA indicated a significant increase in …

What Is The Perceived Self-Efficacy Of Defined Job Competencies For West Virginia University Extension Faculty?, Lacey Dawn Seckman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The central mission of the Extension Service is to diffuse knowledge and resources developed by teaching and research experts at land grant universities to clientele within local communities (Cummings, et al., 2015; Hall & Broyles, 2016; Seevers & Graham, 2012). Making sure faculty are prepared to carry out their roles in all aspects to serve their clientele is key to quality Extension programs. Extension faculty can come from various backgrounds, interests, and expertise, all of which are influencers of self-efficacy. Having defined competencies for employees in Extension can help express what to expect in this job day-to-day. McClelland (1973) described …

Examining The Relationship Among Perceived Academic Climate, Belongingness, And Engineering Identity, Sumaia Ali Raisa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

An attempt to cultivate an inclusive learning environment in engineering is trending as a response to women's underrepresentation and a lower retention rate than men undergraduates. This study was situated in such an undergraduate engineering program where interventions were embedded in the course curriculum focusing on cultivating an inclusive engineering identity. Following a sociocultural perspective, the present study aimed to examine the relation of engineering identity with perceived academic climate, sense of belonging, and gender among two engineering cohorts (before covid and during covid context). A total of 482 first-year engineering undergraduates' survey responses were analyzed in this study using …

Behaviors, Contextual Influences, And Consequences: Relationships That Affect Student Decision-Making Of Academic Misconduct In College, Justine A L Burnett

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Academic misconduct on college campuses is not a new challenge for higher education institutions but an old problem that has changed considerably. Student demonstrations of academic misconduct behaviors have evolved, making it difficult for institutions to consistently keep well-informed on how students cheat to effectively respond to violations of academic integrity policies. This study investigates the relationships between misbehaviors, their associated consequences, and influences to prevent, respond to, and reduce academic misconduct at a large research-intensive university.

This quantitative study uses institutional academic misconduct reports between 2017 and 2020 and student surveys to examine significant relationships in the decision-making process …

Mhc Diversity Analysis Of Spheniscus Demersus For In Situ And Ex Situ Populations, Antonieta Van Den Berg Monsalve

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

The South African Penguin has been listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) alleles provide valuable statistics because of their variation in terms of vertebrate genomes and are pertinent to immune and reproductive health. A greater number of MHC alleles correlates with survivability of a population because the genes control the immune and reproductive systems. Legacy research by Otterbein alumni and Dr. Simon Lawrance studied MHC samples from wild, in situ, and captive, ex situ, penguin populations. By comparing these populations' major histocompatibility complexes through biostatistical analysis, contributions to conservation of the …

Unstacking The Matryoshka Nesting Doll: A Self-Study Of Playful Language Instruction For Adult Second Language Learners, Marine Pepanyan

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In the recent three decades teaching second language (L2) vocabulary has expanded from sentence-level morphosyntactic features and pragmatics to the promotion and advancement of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). Nevertheless, the L2 instructors are constantly seeking alternative strategies for vocabulary teaching and assessment due to a superficial level of vocabulary memorization and lack of student engagement. As an instructor-practitioner, I undertook a self-study of the process of implementing Playful Language Instruction (PLI) of L2 vocabulary in an Intensive English Program. In this self-study I combined conceptual lenses of theories of play, CLT, and the Adult Learning Theory to examine how playful …

Using Internet Reciprocal Teaching To Develop Second Graders' Online Text Evaluation Skills, Annika Buell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

No abstract provided.

Use Of Technology And Its Impact On Higher Order Thinking In The Science Classroom, Mauree Angelina Haage

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study focuses on examining the impact of technology on higher order thinking in the science classroom by first examining the impact of a teacher’s knowledge of Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy on the integration of higher order thinking activities and then by examining what levels of higher order thinking exist when technology was utilized. Previous research has found correlations between the levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy exhibited when using technology, particularly probeware, simulations/virtual labs, and special software like LoggerPro. In addition, previous research has shown a trend of teachers inaccurately categorizing their lessons and activities as having a higher order thinking level …

Educational Experiences Of First Generation Black African Students With And Without Dis/Abilities, Shehreen Iqtadar

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Several studies have focused on the disproportionate representation of students from historically multiply marginalized communities in special education (Artiles, 2011, 2013; Artiles et al., 2005; Brayboy et al., 2007; Cavendish et al., 2018; Cooc & Kiru, 2018; Dunn, 1968; Hosp & Reschly, 2004; O’Connor & Fernandez, 2006; Voulgarides et al., 2017). Only recently, researchers have begun to explore the connections between immigrant and refugee students and special education (Migliarini, 2017; Song, 2018; Qing, 2018). Missing in this literature are the critical accounts of students and (a) their perspectives about the nature of dis/ability and their placement within special education and …

Students Vs. Suspects: A Qualitative Examination Of Stereotype Threat And The Impact On Behavior Of Black Males, Ryan J. Williamson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This qualitative study focused on the impact of stereotype threat on the behavior of black males in the educational system. Black males currently involved in the juvenile justice system were interviewed about their lived experiences in the educational system. The literature surrounding stereotype threat focuses on academic achievement and performance. It provides spaces in the potential of stereotype threat impacting behavior.

Stereotype threat argues that individuals will confirm a self-characteristic which supports a negative stereotype associated with a specific group within society (Spencer et al., 2016). In theory, people will underperform based on a preconceived notion of failure. If a …

Lexile Levels And Their Value To Public School Teachers, Kristin Schumacher

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This thesis examines how teachers perceive Lexile level and its value, and whether or not their beliefs inform their practice. To address questions regarding teachers’ beliefs about Lexile level, I designed and implemented an online survey for public school teachers. My research shows that teachers have a favorable view of Lexile level, that they believe both students and parents should be informed of students’ Lexile level, that books should be labeled with Lexile level, and that asking students to read within their Lexile level range is a good practice. This survey research reveals the need to further interrogate whether or …

Leading Early Childhood Education In Iowa Schools, Alaina T. Daters

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Over the last 15 years, Iowa’s Statewide Voluntary Preschool Programs (SWVPP) have undergone significant growth. By the end of the 2021-2022 school year, 323 out of 327 (99%) of Iowa public school districts offered preschool (Iowa Department of Education, 2022c). As a result, well over 450 Iowa administrators are potentially responsible for leading their district’s preschool program.

The purpose of this mixed methods research study was to gain an understanding of the experiences, knowledge, and pedagogical needs of licensed Iowa administrators that are responsible for their district’s SWVPP. Data was collected through a survey and analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis …

Fourth Industrial Revolution (4ir) Technologies As Catalyst For Partnership And Collaboration Among Libraries In Nigeria: A Review, Amugen Sarah Akpobasah Mrs, Gloria Ngozi Mordi Mrs (Cln), Ochigbihi Prince Owoicho Mr, Ademola Ferdinand Omosekejimi Mr (Cln)

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study is a review of fourth industrial revolution (4IR) technologies as catalyst for partnership and collaboration among libraries in Nigeria. The study reviewed relevant literature on issues bothering on concept of partnership and collaboration, concept of fourth industrial revolution (4IR), technologies associated with 4IR, 4IR technologies that can be used for partnership and collaboration in libraries, cloud computing applications that are useful for partnership and collaboration in libraries, importance of 4IR technologies to partnership and collaboration in libraries and challenges of using cloud computing technologies for partnership and collaboration in libraries. The study reviewed relevant literature on the topic …

Review Of Manuscripts On “Library Marketing” Published In Library Philosophy And Practice (E-Journal), Ikram Ul Haq, Muhammad Tanveer, Haider Mahmood

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Objective: The assessment of scholarly communication on the particular area of knowledge has been used frequently by the subject specialists. The current study aimed to observe the coverage of articles on the subject area of “Library Marketing” in one of the library and information science journals, Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal).

Methods: Data search was performed on the Elsevier’s Scopus database on October 10, 2021. The name of the journal was written in the main search box after selecting the “source title” option and in the second search box, “library marketing” was written …

Impacts Of User Education On Users’ Awareness, Accessibility And Use Of Information Resources And Services In Federal Polytechnic Ede Library, Osun State, Nigeria, Uwaebuka W. Madu Mr., G. I. Buhari Mr, Mulikat Bola Aliyu Mrs

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study investigated the impacts of user education on users’ awareness, accessibility and use of information resources and services in Federal Polytechnic Ede Library. The study employed a survey research design. The population of this study consisted of all registered student users of the library totaling 6,000; 10% of the entire population amounting 600 was used for the study. The random sampling technique was adopted. Structured questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection. Out of the 600 copies of questionnaire distributed, 517 (86.2%) were retrieved and found valid for analysis. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. …

Role Of Morphological Awareness In Language And Literacy In Children With And Without Developmental Language Disorder, Melissa Phelan

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Past research has shown phonological awareness is highly correlated with language and literacy success in children with and without Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), but a less examined area of language and literacy is morphological awareness. Delayed morphology in children with DLD has been studied extensively in spoken language, but relatively little in written language in the DLD population. This study explored two research questions: 1) Is morphological awareness related to language and literacy success in children with and without DLD, and 2) Is morphological awareness impaired for those children with DLD and dyslexia similarly to that of phonological awareness. A …

Using Online Training Modules To Enhance Parents' Early Literacy Training Skills And Understanding, Ayodele Sanni

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Parental involvement is considered a crucial factor in developing children’s early literacy and reading skills, especially for children not yet in school. The present study aims to determine whether an online literacy module can increase early literacy knowledge in parents who may not have the training to promote their child’s learning. Additionally, the study examines parent perspectives of online video training and the practicality of the video’s content. To test the hypothesis that parent knowledge will increase after exposure to the online video, 29 Canadian parents (27 mothers, two fathers) with children aged 3 to 5 were provided with supervised …

The Influence Of Institutional Social Media And College Students' Choice, Anna Fishbein

Masters Theses

Social media has become a way of personal communication as well as a way for brands and businesses to connect with consumers. In the past twenty years, the expansion of technology into everyday life has impacted the way we interact and communication. There is a lack of information surrounding how social media is influencing prospective students’ college choice. There are studies focused on student college choice, and studies focused on how social media impacts consumers, but there is limited research focused on bridging the two concepts. This quantitative study utilized a causal-comparative survey to explore the influence of institutional social …

Undocumented Students’ Barriers To Completing Higher Education, Yesenia Muruato

Masters Theses

This study sought to examine the circumstances that influence DACA recipients in the United States to withdraw from their undergraduate institutions. This qualitative study on undocumented/DACA students who have left higher education prior to degree completion. It identifies the impact of immigration status on enrollment decisions, reasons for leaving higher education, obstacles students faced, and what programs or services might have successfully intervened and given them the opportunity to continue enrollment.