Education Commons^™

Building A Future Of "Vision, Passion, And Possibilities" In Eastern Kentucky: How Veteran Educators Understand And Suggest Improving Teacher Retention., Robert Brian Collins Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study investigates the root causes of teacher attrition, retention, and turnover in Eastern Kentucky through the perceptions and lived experiences of highquality veteran educators—those who have persisted in the profession for five or more years. Grounded in participatory action research, asset-based community development, and future-creating methodologies, the study centers the voices of experienced teachers not only as subjects of inquiry but as co-constructors of knowledge and potential solutions. Drawing on empathy interviews with educators across Eastern Kentucky districts, the research identifies core tensions contributing to attrition, including policy misalignment, lack of autonomy, and emotional exhaustion. Simultaneously, it illuminates …

Caregiver Mand Training: Evaluating The Effects Of Using Bug-In-Ear Coaching Via Telehealth, Makenna P. Carnesecca

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Applied Behavior Analysis has been seen to be an effective way to help teach skills to children with autism. Caregivers' involvement in teaching these skills is beneficial for their child's progress. Using Bug-in-Ear coaching, which provides in-the-moment instructions and feedback to caregivers via Bluetooth headphones, has been demonstrated to be a potential way to train caregivers to teach skills to their children. This current study aimed to evaluate if the use of Bug-in-Ear coaching via telehealth was an effective way to teach caregivers to train their children how to ask for wanted foods using picture cards. The results of this …

Learning Outdoors: A Pilot Program For Early Childhood Educator Professional Development, Cari Lee Gongora

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Research supports the use of outdoor spaces as a learning environment for child development; however, some early childhood educators may struggle to support learning when outdoors with young children. Reframing teacher mindset towards outdoor environments, gaining a knowledge of child development, and understanding how it applies within the context of naturalist studies have been identified as three key areas supportive for early childhood educators as they work outdoors with young children. Additionally, designing professional development sessions with targeted material, opportunities for observations, and providing time with a coach for support may further support learning and implementation of targeted material.

This …

Challenging Behavior In Inclusive Postsecondary Education Programs, Samantha J. Nercesian

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Inclusive postsecondary education programs – higher education programs that are specifically designed for individuals with intellectual disabilities – have grown exponentially in the last 10 years. With this growth has come the emergence of several barriers to inclusive postsecondary education admission and completion. Given the relatively short time inclusive postsecondary education programs have existed, only a small amount of research has looked into barriers that prevent graduation from inclusive postsecondary education programs. One barrier in particular has received little to no attention from researchers – challenging behavior. Challenging behavior is a construct that includes socially inappropriate behaviors, which may harm …

Development Of The Sexual Mindfulness Measure For Abstinent Persons, Kaitlyn Zito

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Sexual wellbeing plays a crucial role in overall health, influencing physical, emotional, social, and even spiritual aspects of life. One key factor in sexual wellbeing is sexual mindfulness, or the ability to be aware and accepting of one's sexual thoughts, feelings, and sensations. While previous research has focused on sexual mindfulness in romantic relationships, little is known about how it applies to abstinent individuals. To address this gap, I developed a 16-item validated measure of sexual mindfulness specifically for abstinent individuals: the Sexual Mindfulness Measure for Abstinent Persons (SMM-AP). This tool adapts key elements from the Five Facets of Mindfulness …

An Evaluation Of Using Linked Digital Activity Schedules To Teach Sociodramatic Play, Nicholas Lindgren

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Individuals with ASD often have difficulties communicating with peers and navigating social interactions (APA, 2022). Building these skills may help these individuals interact with peers, siblings, and others in the community. One area where individuals with ASD may need support is engaging in play. Specifically, in engaging in sociodramatic play (i.e., pretend play that involves role-playing aspects of real life). Traditionally, applied behavior analysis (ABA) and activity schedules are evidence-based approaches that have been used to teach play behaviors to individuals with ASD. However, few researchers have evaluated how a linked digital activity schedule can increase the sociodramatic play responding …

A Comparison Of Principal Motivational Orientation And The Orientation Of Principal Actions To Motivate Teachers, Charles K. Stewart

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study was planned and conducted to evaluate the correlation between a principal’s dominant motivation type (intrinsic or extrinsic) related to their dominant method to motivate others (intrinsic or extrinsic). The study included nine elementary school principals who led schools to high levels of academic performance. Three participating principals were selected from a school with high poverty rates. Three other principals were selected from schools with medium poverty rates, and three more were selected from schools with low poverty rates.

The researcher collected information from the nine participating principals regarding factors that motivate them to improve student learning at their …

Second Nature: Nurturing Stewardship Through Ecological Presence, Tyler Hansen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Environmental education is essential for preparing students to address today’s ecological challenges. However, many educational approaches focus primarily on individual behavior (e.g., personally conserving water) rather than broader systemic solutions. This research highlights that gap through a review of environmental education and introduces a new framework for designing and evaluating environmental education. This framework aims to help students explore their relationship with the environment in locally relevant and place-based ways. By applying this framework in rural Hawaii, this study examines how students perceive their roles within ecological systems and compares different curricular approaches to see how students’ understanding evolves. This …

Effects Of Domestic Violence On Third-Grade Students' Academic And Behavioral Performance, Leah N. Gordone

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to investigate the relationship between witnessing domestic violence and third-grade students' academic performance and behavioral conduct, with a focus on gender differences. Additionally, the study explored the connection between exposure to domestic violence and English Language Arts achievement. The research involved 280 third-grade students and parents at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in southwestern Georgia. Participants were part of social-emotional learning programs. Data collection included parent observation surveys, end-of-grade test scores (using the Georgia Milestones End-of-Grade assessment), and a child survey (the Violence Exposure Scale for Children – Revised). The …

A Qualitative Descriptive Study Of Course Developer/Instructor: Incorporating Systems-Based Knowledge And A Systemic Approach To Performance-Based Instructional Design In Law Enforcement Training, Dalisay A. B. Rosado

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore and understand the incorporation of systems-based knowledge and a systemic approach into performance-based instructional design (PBID) in law enforcement training at a regional police academy located in the Eastern time zone of the United States. The theoretical framework for this study was based on Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory (EST), which underscores the notion that the practical value of knowledge is measured by its effectiveness in a real-world application, aligning with the principles of performance-based learning. The central question asked was: How do CDIs' ascribed experiences with incorporating or lacking multiple …

A Qualitative Case Study On Administrators’ Leadership Practices To Improve Academic Achievement For African Americans In An Urban Elementary School In The Southeastern United States, Maria Wright

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative intrinsic study aimed to understand what leadership practices administrators used to improve African American academic achievement in an urban school in the Southeastern United States. Bandura's theory of self-efficacy offered a structure to address the central research question: What key elements of leadership practices will best improve the academic achievement of African American children in an urban elementary school? The sample included teachers, parents, and administrators in an urban school in the Southern United States. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and questionnaires. A thematic analysis approach was used for data analysis. Data collection yielded the …

A Phenomenological Study Examining The Experiences Of Instructors Who Teach Undergraduate Students With Disabilities, Nakiya Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to investigate the experiences of instructors who teach undergraduate students with a documented disability and receive accommodations through the Office of Accessibility and Disability. The theory guiding this study was Noddings’ theory on ethical care as it details how caring is an integral part of the role that both online instructors and those who teach in traditional classrooms play in the lives of their college students. This study sought to understand the effect of caring in the retrieval of accommodations for students with disabilities. This qualitative study utilized questionnaires, interviews, and participant …

Profilicity And Self-Identity: Finding One’S Authentic Self Within A Social Media-Filtered World, Stacey Renee Meads

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological qualitative case study explored how young Christian adults construct their identities when influenced by external factors such as social media using the theoretical framework of profilicity. The study took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The location was a church setting, the mainstay of the youth adult group activities, and the site was approved to conduct the case study. The participant group was the young adult group. The church is the mainstay for all the participants. Designated rooms were identified to permit anonymity and confidentiality. No other meetings or church activities were scheduled during the allotted times for this case …

Relationship Of Religiosity And Depression And Anxiety Of K-12th Grade Educators, Melissa Christian Martin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

As more people suffer from a decline in mental health, the education profession is especially vulnerable to anxiety and depression. K-12th grade teachers face a plethora of job-related stressors that impact their mental health, which often affects the quality of education and student outcomes. Public school teachers face the daily challenge of managing student behavior, responding to parent, community, and administrator demands, high-stakes testing, and the responsibility of designing rigorous lessons. They must face these challenges while balancing personal stressors such as financial struggles with minimal pay. Additionally, teachers’ mental health influences the culture and climate of the school environment …

School Counselors’ Lived Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Katie M. Guzman Dunn

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how school counselor perceptions of their roles may have been permanently impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) Ecological Systems Theory, which relates to the interactions of an individual and the environment around them, guided the study. The study’s central research was: What are public school counselors’ lived experiences regarding their role perception during the COVID-19 pandemic? Data was collected through virtual semi-structured interviews and photo elicitation with 10 school counselors who were members of the Kentucky School Counselor Association. The data collected from the interviews was analyzed using bracketing to …

Evaluating The Influence Of Self-Determination In Secondary Writing Instruction On Post-Secondary Academic Success, Mary A. Peach Partridge

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to discover what components of secondary education writing instruction develop adequate self-determination for post-secondary academic writing success for first year university students at Central midwestern metropolitan area universities. The theory guiding this study was Ryan and Deci’s Self-Determination Theory as it connects the idea of developing adequate relatedness, competence, and autonomy with successful development of critical thinking and social cognitive skills for success beyond secondary education. The Central Research Question asked, “what methods of secondary writing instruction adequately develop self-determination for first year university students in the Central midwestern metropolitan area to enable …

The Use Of An Online Orientation At A For-Profit Higher Education Institution To Support And Retain Online Adult Learners: A Qualitative Case Study, Logan Robb

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative holistic case study was to explore how support staff, faculty, and online adult learners at a FPHEI located in Pennsylvania perceive the use of an online orientation as a proactive institutional support strategy to increase the preparedness of online adult learners and potentially improve their retention rates. The theory guiding this study was Tinto’s theory of student departure. The central research question that was guiding this study was: How do support staff, faculty, and online adult learners at one FPHEI perceive the effectiveness of an online orientation as a proactive institutional support strategy to enhance …

The Differences In Emotional Intelligence Within Schools That Have Adopted Glasser’S Choice Theory: A Causal-Comparative Analysis, Leaja Hartman Horne

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to determine if statistically significant differences exist in the emotional intelligence (EI) of students in classrooms that have adopted Glasser’s choice theory (CT) compared to schools that have not (NCT). CT, the guiding theory, defines social-emotional learning (SEL) practices and seeks to improve relationships, internal locus of control, and motivation while fostering an engaged learning environment. Research clarifies the need for social-emotional health to support academic achievement; however, the specifics of these relationships require further clarification. The participants were a convenience sample of 59 private and public elementary school students from North …

Grading Of Discussion Boards In Asynchronous Higher Education Courses And Its Effect On Social Presence: A Causal-Comparative Study, Heather Ann Hanson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative, non-experimental study was to determine if the grading methods of discussion board assignments in asynchronous courses affect the students’ perceived social presence. Social presence is one of the three factors of the Community of Inquiry (COI) that play a role in supporting the learning experience. The target population was graduate students in asynchronous online education courses. A sample of 92 students were surveyed from five institutions using the Community of Inquiry (COI) survey. They were placed in three groups based on the grading methods of discussion board assignments. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) …

Educating Indians, Learning ‘Indianness’: Navigating Pluralistic Educational Infrastructures In Diasporic Singapore, Emma Grimley, Orlando Woods, Lily Kong

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

This paper advances the idea of ‘educational infrastructures’ to explore the slippages created by national education frameworks and the everyday ways in which citizen-subjects learn to be part of an ethno-cultural community. In doing so, we tease apart the differences between education as a top-down process of citizen-making and learning as a poly-directional assemblage of behaviours and influences that permeate the socio-spatial landscapes of ethnic belonging. We illustrate these theoretical arguments through an analysis of Singapore’s diasporic Indian community and the collapse of linguistically and culturally complex community backgrounds under the Mother Tongue policy. This leads to a pluralisation of …

May 2025 Cafe Newsletter, Center For Advancing Faculty Excellence

CAFE Faculty Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Data Package Supporting Research On Personalized Learning Path Problem Derived From The Cognitive Theory Of Multimedia Learning, Sean A. Mochocki, Mark Reith

Faculty Publications

Personalized Learning Paths (PLP)s are sequences of learning materials and activities that are designed to deliver personalized education to students. Unfortunately, PLPs are often defined and implemented based on faulty cognitive science practices. The PLP research community may benefit from a problem domain and data set that is derived from a scientifically supported cognitive science discipline. This data is published to support the paper, “A Two-Stage Multi-Objective Personalized Learning Path Problem Based on the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning.” This data set includes the data used in this paper, the questionnaire used to gather learner profile data, and the python …

The Impact Of On-Campus And Off-Campus Employment On College Students' Leadership Development, Juliet Eckert

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study examines the impact of on-campus and off-campus employment on college students’ leadership development, focusing on three proximal indices: leader self-efficacy (LSE), motivation to lead (MTL), and leader identity. Drawing from the Hexagon Theory of leadership, the study utilized secondary longitudinal data from a sample of students enrolled in leadership development programs across five universities, tracked over six years from freshman year through two years post-college. A series of two-step linear regressions were conducted to assess the predictive value of employment type on each leadership construct. Results revealed that neither on-campus nor off-campus employment significantly predicted LSE, MTL, or …

Making The Invisible Visible: The Experiences Of Black Women In Student Affairs At Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Gennae D. Hinson

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Black women have experienced instances of workplace discrimination in student affairs at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). This interpretive phenomenological study, guided by Black feminist thought, aimed to explore the lived experiences of Black women in student affairs within HSIs. This investigation found that some HSI systemic structures fostered racialized and gendered campus climates, contributing to Black women’s oppression through ageism, racism, tokenism, and sexism. Despite these challenges, Black women developed coping strategies to persist in their roles at HSIs. These strategies included minimizing their emotions, supportive spaces, and advocating for themselves. Sociopolitical forces also impacted Black women’s career advancement due to …

The Gaps Between The Stories: Motherteachers And The Impact Of The Patriarchy In Prek-12 Education, Tara S. Dimattia

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

As a secondary–level English teacher and the mother of three school-age children, I have learned that women’s knowledge and their ways of knowing (Belenky et al., 1986), specifically in relation to their roles as mothers, is marginalized in the world of PreK–12 schooling. In this qualitative study, through use of co/autoethnography (Coia & Taylor, 2013) and by way of group meetings, written reflections, and participatory arts–based data collection, I examined and documented how women’s roles as mothers impact their teaching in the patriarchal field of education, and worked to determine the ways in which women navigate this dialectical relationship in …

Listening To Learn: Insights From Students With Disabilities To Inform Teacher Education, Cheryl B. Jones

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Many students with disabilities are denied opportunities in schools because of the ways in which disability is conceptualized. This study examines the lived experiences of four students with disabilities. Using a basic qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted. The aim of the study was to understand how students with disabilities moved through school by centering their voices and listening to their firsthand accounts. The data revealed three main themes: 1) Participants felt misunderstood in school settings which became a primary shaper of their sense of self and educational experiences; 2) There is a misalignment of educational support and what students …

How Theatre Of The Oppressed Helps White Teachers Understand Race: Moving From Color-Blind To Color-Sight, Roger S. Kintish

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The growth of teachers of Color in American classrooms has not kept pace with the growth of students of Color. While the percentage of White teachers versus teachers of Color has held relatively steady at approximately 80 percent White teachers to 20 percent teachers of Color for four decades, there has been a dramatic shift from approximately 80 percent White students and 20 percent students of Color in the 1980s to a majority-minority status for White students. There is strong evidence that this lack of alignment in racial, cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds between the nation’s teaching force and our …

Investigating Elementary Preservice Teachers' Struggles In Mathematics Problem Solving And The Use Of Scaffolds For Supporting Them, Frank Forte

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Mathematical problem solving is a topic that has seen an increased focus in recent years, highlighted by its inclusion as the first Standard for Mathematical Practice in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM). However, elementary preservice teachers (PSTs) often struggle when solving problems that are nonroutine and require higher cognitive demand. Many have little experience solving this type of problem and show an increased level of anxiety around problem solving, which impacts the way they engage their students with problem solving. To support PSTs to become better problem solvers, it is important to provide opportunities for PSTs to …

College Readiness In Mathematics Related To Student Academic And Belonging Mindsets, Tabitha Sherrell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My quantitative study investigated the differences and correlations between students’ academic (growth vs. fixed) mindsets and belonging mindsets when enrolled in a college-level mathematics course or enrolled in both the college-level mathematics and learning support mathematics courses. The study was conducted at a Tennessee community college in the Fall 2021 semester. Sixty-two students completed the paper survey, which consisted of 17 items that measured academic (growth vs. fixed) and belonging mindsets and included demographic items (age and gender) and ACT mathematics scores. I conducted independent t-tests to find any significant differences between academic (growth vs. fixed) mindset scores and belonging …

The Uneven Disruptions Covid-19 Caused To Scholars’ Publication: A Preregistered Study, Marco De Prosperis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This proposed, preregistered study investigates the uneven impacts of COVID-19 on scholarly productivity among University of Arkansas faculty, focusing on how demographic and professional factors—such as gender, ethnicity, academic rank, tenure status, field of study, and the presence of children—may have moderated productivity during the pandemic. Utilizing a non-experimental, cross-sectional design, this research will collect data from 160 full-time faculty members through an online survey. Grounded in Role Theory, the study will examine role conflict and enrichment as faculty navigated shifting responsibilities in research, teaching, and caregiving during remote work. This study is particularly relevant as many assistant professors who …