Education Commons^™

Exploring The Relationships Between White Teachers And Black Students: A Qualitative Study On The Impact That Culturally Relevant Pedagogy And Positive Relationships Can Have On Student Success, Lindsay Johnson-Hansen

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study began as a way to investigate the impact of the relationships that White teachers have on their Black students and what strategies can be implemented to promote success in the absence of a positive relationship. Historical information provides the reader with the basic understanding of why academic deficiencies exist and continue to exist in the Black community and what strategies inside and outside of school can remedy the achievement gap. This qualitative study provides information directly from the students who experienced the inequities as told through interviews and an anonymous survey. The lack of diversity among …

A Mixed-Methods Investigation Into The Factors Impacting Middle School Academic Motivation, Paul Ambrose Hammond Iv

Theses and Dissertations

One of the most important tasks of schools is to foster and grow the achievement motivation of students. However, middle school is a time period which frequently sees a downturn in students’ levels of engagement. In this action research study, the causes of this downturn in motivation are investigated by drawing out the voices of the students themselves regarding their educational experiences and viewpoints. Using the expectancy-value theory as the primary lens, the researcher employed a mixed-methods approach to investigate the causes of declining academic motivation at his school through the perspectives of three students with exceptionally high levels of …

The Impact Of A Professional Learning Community (Plc) On 10 Early Career Teachers Who Seek To Understand The Meaning And Practice Of Teacher Leadership, Laura Alsbrooks Goldzung

Theses and Dissertations

Early career teachers are eager to engage in leadership given supportive cultural conditions, relevant training and development, and school structures encourage all members to contribute to the teaching process. The aim of this action research study was to explore the meaning and practice of teacher leadership with 10 early career teachers through participation in an eight-week professional learning community (PLC) book study. Selected readings informed group discussion topics and reflections in journal entries. Qualitative data analysis revealed three themes that work in concert to create conditions that support teacher leadership at ABC Elementary School (ABCES): communication, professional trust, and a …

Factors To Integrate Technology For Student Collaboration In The Elementary School: An Action Research Study, Lisa Roseanne Goldey

Theses and Dissertations

The problem of practice in this research study focused on the inconsistent use of Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals (formerly G Suite for Education) for student collaboration. The purpose of this action research was to investigate how elementary teachers used Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals for student collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal was to make recommendations for technology integration in Grades 3 through 5 in a school in central New Jersey.

The focus of this study was on three overarching research questions: 1. How do elementary teachers at a school in central New Jersey integrate technology using Google …

The Death Of An Academic Department: Sense-Losing And Sacred Loss, Diane D. Walsh, Kathy D. Richardson, Marie Tylsova, William Guri, Ian Tucker Brown, Kari O'Grady Ph.D.

Journal of Catholic Education

An unexpected academic department closure can be deeply unsettling to many stakeholders. Department closure is typically intended to be a cost-saving measure; however, department closure can be a difficult, time-consuming process with unexpected consequences. This study takes a hermeneutical phenomenological approach to explore the impact of the closure of an academic department. Participants were enrolled in one of the department’s academic programs at the time of the closure announcement and during data collection. Results indicated that participants sanctified the department, a process in which persons instill an object or aspect of their lives with spiritual significance (Pargament, Magyar, Benore, & …

Examining Teacher Advocacy For Full Inclusion, Jill Bradley-Levine

Journal of Catholic Education

This critical ethnography examined the motivations of, and processes used by teachers to advocate for the inclusion of students with exceptionalities in their Catholic school. Because students with exceptionalities have been marginalized in K-12 Catholic schools, learning more about teachers who have been successful advocates on their behalf is essential to building more inclusive schools, as well as inclusive local and global communities. The findings of this study help to identify some key elements for teacher-led advocacy including practices that align with ethical leadership and that encourage teachers to take risks and pursue passions when there is potential for positive …

The Creation Of The Regis Jesuit High School Girls Division: Same Sex Education For Young Women In American Catholic Jesuit Secondary Education, Sajit U. Kabadi Ph.D.

Journal of Catholic Education

Findings from a historiographic case study are reported. Qualitative data was collected from a series of interviews and cultural artifacts exploring the history of the creation of the Regis Jesuit High School, Girls Division- the first American all girls Catholic Jesuit high school. The study traces the process of how Regis Jesuit became a co-divisional campus educating both women and men in same sex classes utilizing Ignatian Strategic Planning conceptual framework that emphasizes the Jesuit concept of Magis while exploring its impact on the historical and contemporary role that women play in the Jesuit mission.

Social Encyclicals And The Worker: The Evolution Of Catholic Labor Schools In Pennsylvania, Paul Lubienecki, Phd

Journal of Catholic Education

Many often identified the Catholic Church with the cause of labor and worker’s rights in the United States. However that was not the common situation encountered by laborers throughout most of the nineteenth century. The proclamation of the social encyclicals: Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum (1891) and Pope Pius XI’s Quadragesimo Anno (1931) elevated the status of the worker, endorsed worker associations and placed the Catholic Church as an advocate of worker’s rights. But for the worker to clearly understand this change as well as his rights and duties education was vital. For workers in Pennsylvania, especially in Pittsburgh and …

Social Reconstruction: American Catholics Radical Response To The Social Gospel Movement And Progressives., Paul Lubienecki, Phd

Journal of Catholic Education

At the fin de siècle the Industrial Revolution created egregious physical, emotional and spiritual conditions for American society and especially for the worker but who would come forward to alleviate those conditions? Protestants implemented their Social Gospel Movement as a proposed cure to these problems. Secular Progressives engaged in a more activist role both materially and through legislation. Both of these groups had limited successes with disappointing outcomes. America’s Catholics, more accustomed to living and working in industrialized neighborhoods, eventually developed their own programs and agenda to address social and labor concerns. However some scholars believed that Catholic efforts merely …

Preparing Priests To Lead Parish Schools: Concerns And Recommendations, Thomas A. Simonds S.J., Timothy Cook, Max Engel, Ronald D. Fussell, Jean Hearn, Jerry Meyer

Journal of Catholic Education

Canon law recognizes the pastor as the chief educational officer (CEO) of the parish school. However, recent studies demonstrate that seminaries do not prepare seminarians for work in or leadership of Catholic schools, and recent scholarship also demonstrates that an increasing number of seminarians lack the desire to lead a parish school. Our research study examined the post-seminary preparation of priests for leadership of parish schools. We also explored alternative governance models for Catholic schools. We conducted structured interviews with 10 national leaders to explore these two areas of interest. Our findings demonstrate that preparation of newly ordained …

Activities, Advantages, And Inequalities: The Theory And Practice Of Sports, Arts, And Service In Catholic High Schools, Andrew M. Guest

Journal of Catholic Education

Catholic schools have a particular tradition of excellence in the types of sports, arts, and service activities that have a prominent role in contemporary American education and youth culture. When Sports Illustrated magazine, for example, rated the top High School athletic programs in the United States over half (13 of the 25) were Catholic schools, despite the fact that only about three percent of American secondary schools are Catholic. Likewise, though other types of activity programs are harder to quantify, many Catholic schools have extensive and high quality offerings in music, drama, community service, and other domains that serve to …

A New Vision For Education Towards Fraternal Humanism, Vincenzo Zani

Journal of Catholic Education

This article considers three fundamental perspectives for Catholic education, all mentioned in the encyclical letter Populorum Progressio of Paul VI, which have also been present in the teachings of successive pontiffs. The first perspective is the need to build a new civilization and the idea that ”the world suffers due to lack of thought.” The second perspective is the idea that ”there is no true humanism but in the opening to the Absolute.” The third perspective is the idea that at the origin of injustice there is a lack of fraternity. The second Vatican Council stated that ”true education should …

Video Message To Participants To Oiec's World Congress In New York, Pope Francis

Journal of Catholic Education

In his video message sent on the occasion of the closing plenary of OIEC’s World Congress, Pope Francis expressed sincere gratitude for all those who work in Catholic education. “I thank you for this service, and through you I would like to convey my sincere gratitude to all those who work in Catholic education: lay people, men and women religious, and priests,” he said. He also conveyed his warmest greetings to millions of students who attend Catholic institutes in city centers, making special mention of Catholic school students who live in the peripheries of society. The Pope said young people …

Declining Enrollment In Catholic Schools In The West And Insights From The United States, Quentin Wodon

Journal of Catholic Education

While enrollment in Catholic schools is rising in the global south, it is declining in many Western countries. Providing a quality and holistic education experience remains essential in both developed and developing countries, especially for disadvantaged groups. But in addition, in developed countries, trade-offs may have to be confronted to stem the decline in enrollment that affects the financial sustainability of schools. Building on a presentation made at the closing plenary of OIEC’s World Congress in New York, this paper focuses on the United States where enrollment in Catholic schools has been dropping for more than 50 years. In the …

How Education Can Save The World, Augusta Muthigani

Journal of Catholic Education

While issues faced by Catholic schools around the world depend on local context, a number of common challenges are often encountered globally. This article considers eight such challenges: (1) the decline in the depth of faith and values; (2) an inadequate number of clergy and religious serving in schools; (3) a changing scenario for teaching personnel; (4) a changing face of families; (5) ethical and religious pluralism; (6) inadequate child safety mechanism; (7) lack of research, data and documentation; and finally (8) the need for catholic Schools to reach the socio-economically marginalized. Based on an analysis of these challenges, the …

Childhood Trauma And Substance Use: Differences By Race And Sex In Juvenile Justice Prevention Programs In Nebraska, Sophie Holtz

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This study seeks to analyze whether demographic factors such as gender and race have a relationship to the reporting of trauma symptoms in juveniles. This study also examines whether higher substance use has a relationship to higher reports of trauma symptoms. To gather this data, surveys were administered to juveniles involved in juvenile justice prevention programs across the state of Nebraska. Overall, we found that juvenile girls reported significantly higher amounts of trauma symptoms than boys do. There was also a significant difference in how much juvenile girls report using cannabis compared to juvenile boys. Furthermore, there was not a …

Publications/Conferences And Showcases Related To The Leadership And Isteam For Females In Elementary Schools (Life) Project, Bruce G. Bukiet, James Lipuma, Cristo Leon

STEM for Success Resources

A list of all publications and conferences for the project

School Employees’ Perceptions Of Organizational Support During A Critical Incident, Donavon P. Soumas

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to discover the lived experiences and perceived organizational support (POS) of school employees’ during the abrupt transition to remote education instruction resulting from a critical incident such as COVID-19. In direct connection, this study’s problem was to fill a gap in the literature regarding school employees’ lived experiences and POS during the abrupt transition to remote education instruction as the result of a critical incident. Organizational support theory and experiential learning theory were the conceptual framework that guided this study. The researcher used semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with 10 school employees at a …

"Pivoting Cataloging Staff To Remote Work Without An Integrated Library System: Gaining Metadata Skills And Promoting Faculty Scholarship With Wikidata", Christa Strickler

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Evidence-Based Leadership Preparation Program Practices: From The Perceptions Of Georgia Rural School Leaders, Kristen N. Dickens, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Summer Pannell, Katherine Fallon

Georgia Educational Researcher

Phenomenological analysis was used to explore Georgia rural school principals’ lived experiences of effective school leadership preparedness. Four overarching themes were found: productive/favorable leadership preparation program culture, bridge theory and practice in educational leadership preparation program, multicultural competencies for practice, and recommendations for effective principal preparation. The findings revealed that school leaders need increased experiential learning opportunities, increased assignments applicable to daily leader tasks, and increased cultural awareness and diversity training in their preparation programs. Principal preparation programs should work with school districts to provide purposeful, collaborative, and sustainable professional learning to prepare competent school leaders. Further research includes recruiting …

Exploring Students’ Cosmopolitan Perspectives In An Undergraduate, Intermediate Spanish-Language Class, Erin Carlson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore how SPAN 121 might be designed to foster and support students’ development of cosmopolitan perspectives. Specifically, it explored how English-speaking students might demonstrate cosmopolitan perspectives in response to activities engaging them in Spanish with global Spanish speakers as part of their undergraduate, intermediate Spanish-language class. Theories of cosmopolitanism value responsible, global citizens engaged in open and respectful dialogue across geographic boundaries to learn about themselves and the world and may guide undergraduate college students in intercultural interactions. Through teacher action research utilizing qualitative case study, this study explored which activities might foster …

Applying The Comprehensive Evaluation Of Return-On-Talent-Investment Model (Certi) In Higher Education, Mazen Aziz

Theses and Dissertations

Economic turmoil has forced higher education institutions (HEI) to reduce expenditures in many areas, including human resource operations such as talent development. Before considering these cuts, HEI should conduct robust assessments of their efficacy, including whether they generate more revenue than they cost to administer. These assessments were critical contextually as state divestment in higher education and mounting public pressure against tuition hikes forced HEI to heavily rely on external funding sources, which became essential in these economically uncertain times. This three-article dissertation critically examined existing evaluation methodologies of a type of talent development initiative, faculty research development (FRD) programs, …

Three Studies Investigating Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program-Aligned Opportunities To Enhance Students’ Physical Education Learning, Jongho Moon

Theses and Dissertations

Schools have been identified as key venues that have a positive impact on students’ development through physical activity (PA) and physical education (PE) programming. A comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s [CDC] national framework for school-based PA (CDC, 2019). A CSPAP was conceptualized as a strategic approach to leverage the full range of resources needed to meet two broad goals: (a) provide school-aged youth with the opportunity to meet the nationally recommended 60 minutes of daily PA, and (b) achieve Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) America’s National Standards for K-12 …

The Impacts Of An Online Planning Tool On Online Co-Teaching Practices During A Pandemic, Jeffrey Todd Harrell

Theses and Dissertations

Co-teachers at three Atlanta area schools are not providing the appropriate instruction to students with disabilities in the co-teaching setting due to the lack of collaboration in planning and teaching. The purpose of this action research was to evaluate the impact of the use of Microsoft Teams (MS Teams) as an online planning tool on the practices and responsibilities of general and special education co-teachers in the online co-teaching setting along with exploring teachers’ perceptions of the use of this online planning tool during a pandemic at three Atlanta area schools to make recommendations for its future use.

The study …

The Effects Of A Dialogic Pedagogy In A Hybrid Advanced Placement Environmental Science Course On Students’ Learning Experience, Blake Alspach

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study evolved from the sudden shift in schools and districts in response to the COVID 19 pandemic. Shifting from a traditional face-to-face AP Environmental Science classroom to a hybrid classroom required evaluating and revising the pedagogical choices made to create a positive learning experience. A hybrid classroom consists of face-to-face students in the classroom and online students attending the class simultaneously through video conferencing software. Teachers and students had little to no experience engaging in a hybrid learning model, thus creating a need to develop and implement effective instructional practices to support student learning. This qualitative action …

Using Graphic Organizers And Spreadsheets To Increase Quantitative Literacy Skills In High School History Students, Bruce Alexander Thames

Theses and Dissertations

Students are leaving high school and college with insufficient Quantitative Literacy (QL) skills to fully understand lifelong decisions about citizenship, personal finances, and healthcare. These quantitative skills are not taught consistently across the curriculum, which prevents students from making connections across multiple courses and correctly applying math skills beyond the classroom. The purpose of this action research was to evaluate the effectiveness of graphic organizers, spreadsheets, and authentic data on the QL skills of 11th grade students enrolled in an honors level United States History class enrolled at a suburban NJ high school (SHS).

This study focused on two overarching …

Student Perceptions Of Their Engagement With Online Writing As Influenced By Their Teacher’S Presence At A Virtual High School: A Mixed Methods Study, Adrienne Harvie

Theses and Dissertations

This convergent mixed-methods action study explored the virtual high school student perception of how their engagement on writing assignments is affected by the presence of their English teacher in an online class. Research questions specifically focused on how teacher presence in the virtual classroom affects student engagement in online writing assignments. Another question asked how students perceive teacher presence in the virtual classroom and the third question examined how students perceived their engagement in online writing assignments is affected by teacher presence.

In this study two English teachers at a virtual high school were mentored by the researcher to increase …

Mix It Up: Blended Collaborative Professional Development To Impact High School Teacher Efficacy, Briana Ghan

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research was to explore how a blended collaborative approach to professional development can influence teachers’ efficacy, collective efficacy, and collaboration in high school teachers. Three questions guided this study: (a) How and to what extent does teacher efficacy change with participation in a blended collaborative form of professional development?, (b) How and to what extent does collective teacher efficacy change with participation in a blended and collaborative form of professional development?, and (c) How does participation in a blended collaborative form of professional development affect sharing amongst participants?

Bandura’s sources of efficacy and the characteristics …

An Action Based Approach To Analyze Factors That Impact Academic Major And Career Choice Of Low-Income First-Generation College Students, James Kerry Winfield

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study analyzed career and major choice perceptions among low-income first-generation college students or FGCS while using self-efficacy as the primary metric. This study instituted a mixed-methods methodology to understand further student-related challenges and factors that affected their career and major decisions. Using a pretest-posttest design, participants’ self-efficacy levels were assessed using the Career Decision Self-Efficacy Assessment - Short Form (CDSE-SF). After analyzing the student performance in the five sub-factors of this instrument, these data were used to inform the individual interviews and focus groups. All participants were first-year students enrolled in a federally funded TRIO program, which …

Exploring Adult Basic Education Student Satisfaction: Influencing Factors And Programmatic Responses, Carol Current Hill

Theses and Dissertations

With the goal of improving student satisfaction, one local program, the Frances County Adult Education (FCAE) system, chose to create a systemic initiative named Honoring Adult Behaviors and Influencing Thinking Skills. This dissertation in practice explored two questions: 1) What benefits do students expect to receive as a result of student participation in the Frances County Adult Education program? and 2) How does implementation of the Honoring Adult Behaviors and Influencing Thinking Skills (HABITS) initiatives, inclusive of Habits of Mind curriculum and Integrated Educational Training, impact student satisfaction with Frances County Adult Education? Based on two theories, three-factor satisfaction and …