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Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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Full-Text Articles in Educational Administration and Supervision

The Dissemination Of Teacher Learning: A Study Of The Similarities And Differences Between Public School Levels And Locations, Jacqueline M. Krohn Jan 2010

The Dissemination Of Teacher Learning: A Study Of The Similarities And Differences Between Public School Levels And Locations, Jacqueline M. Krohn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teacher learning, whether in-service, continued education, or experience based, is a key component of school reform. Specific research on the use of teacher learning to improve student achievement and instructional practices in and across schools is limited. The research questions addressed in this study were: (a) the degree to which teacher learning is disseminated throughout a school organization to improve student learning and instructional practices, and (b) differences and similarities in the dissemination of teacher learning between schools. Watkins and Marsick's learning organization theory, Senge's system theory, and Dewey's constructivist learning theory were used as the theoretical framework. A variation …

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Making Sense Of Exit Exam Policies: A Phenomenological Study Of English Language Development Teachers, Scott N. Forrest Jan 2010

Making Sense Of Exit Exam Policies: A Phenomenological Study Of English Language Development Teachers, Scott N. Forrest

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a lack of understanding regarding how sensemaking could be incorporated into a professional development program to improve teacher quality and student achievement. The lived experiences of high school English language development teachers as they interpret English language development and one state's high school exit exam instructional policies were explored in this phenomenological study. The conceptual framework that supported this study is based on the theory of sensemaking, the processes by which educators interpret and implement policies. The participants were English language development teachers of English learners who have not yet passed the exit exam. Data were collected through …

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Reflective Thinking And Emotional Intelligence As Predictive Performance Factors In Problem-Based Learning Situations, Kathleen Mitchell-White Jan 2010

Reflective Thinking And Emotional Intelligence As Predictive Performance Factors In Problem-Based Learning Situations, Kathleen Mitchell-White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Continued improvement of the training and preparation of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agents is critical to the organization's ability to protect the national security of the United States. Too little attention has been paid to the factors that improve new agent trainees' (NATs) ability to learn and succeed in their training programs. Based on the theories of reflective thinking and emotional intelligence, this nonexperimental, correlational study explored predictors of NATs' (N = 183) performance in problem-based exercises as part of the 20-week training program. Self-report instruments measured levels of critical reflection (CR), emotional intelligence (EQ), and perceived ability …

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The Perceptions Of African American Middle School Students About Participation In Gifted Programs: A Qualitative Study To Promote Social Justice In Gifted Education, Jenelle Susan Nisly Jan 2010

The Perceptions Of African American Middle School Students About Participation In Gifted Programs: A Qualitative Study To Promote Social Justice In Gifted Education, Jenelle Susan Nisly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American students have been historically underrepresented in gifted programs throughout the United States. Research about retaining identified African American students in gifted programs is limited. This qualitative phenomenological study examined the perceptions of a purposeful sample of seven identified talented and potentially talented African American middle school students about participation in gifted programs. The purpose of the study was to understand the meaning of participants' expectations, attitudes, and experiences with regard to participating and remaining in a gifted program or participating and then dropping out. Data were collected through individual interviews. Interpretative phenomenological analysis revealed that participants expected talented …

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The Effects Of A High Quality Teaching Professional Development Program On Fourth Grade Student Achievement, Ethel J. Hasty Jan 2010

The Effects Of A High Quality Teaching Professional Development Program On Fourth Grade Student Achievement, Ethel J. Hasty

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In many states, local school systems are under pressure to implement educational programs to help students pass the statewide Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (ASK) in science, mathematics, and language arts literacy. The school district in which this study was conducted implemented a high quality teaching professional development (HQTPD) program for grade four teachers in 2008. The research problem was that, at the data site, fourth grade students were not making academic progress, and elementary schools were failing to make adequate yearly progress (AYP). The HQTPD program intervention was grounded in social learning theory. The main research question that guided …

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Attitudes Towards Inclusion Of General Education Teachers Who Have And Have Not Taught In An Inclusive Classroom, Nicole P. Maccarthy Jan 2010

Attitudes Towards Inclusion Of General Education Teachers Who Have And Have Not Taught In An Inclusive Classroom, Nicole P. Maccarthy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Through the lens of Bandura's social-cognitive theory, which proposes that one's sense of self-efficacy can foster positive beliefs, the purpose of this descriptive, quantitative study was to determine whether the attitudes held by general education teachers have an influence on their perceptions of inclusion. General education teachers' beliefs in their abilities regarding teaching in inclusive classrooms may have an influence on the success of inclusion. This study examined the difference in attitudes toward inclusion between elementary school general education teachers whose previous teaching experience was with solely general education students but who now teach in an inclusive classroom, and those …

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The Experience Of Adjunct And Full-Time Faculty Participation In A Public University Teacher Education Department, Crystal Marie Aker Jan 2010

The Experience Of Adjunct And Full-Time Faculty Participation In A Public University Teacher Education Department, Crystal Marie Aker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Higher education has recently experienced a shift from an input-based accountability system (curriculum and instruction) to one that is now output-based (assessment). Faculty members are the intermediaries who prepare curriculum and instruction to meet the requirements of teacher education departments and to demonstrate results through the achievement of students. The purpose of this study was to understand how adjunct and full-time faculty members experience participation in a public university teacher education department and if faculty members' experience of participation influences instruction. Theories of systems, teacher education, faculty work, and communities of practice formed the study's conceptual framework. Data for the …

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Improving Academic Achievement Of Students With Problematic Attendance By Implementing A Multisystemic School-Based Model, James Edward Kay Jan 2010

Improving Academic Achievement Of Students With Problematic Attendance By Implementing A Multisystemic School-Based Model, James Edward Kay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study addressed the problem of poor attendance adversely affecting grades and learning. Current school policies do not address problematic attendance for all school-aged children, perpetuating trends of academic failure. The research objective was to determine if unexcused absences had a greater negative impact on a high-stakes test compared to excused absences and then develop a manual of best attendance policies to better serve all school-aged children. This study sampled 10,403 students in a southern United States county. Bivariate regression and ANOVA analyses examined the scores students earned on their first attempt at the Social Studies Georgia High School Graduation …

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A Phenomenological Examination Of Antisocial Behaviors In The Elementary School Workplace, Cynthia Morton Jan 2010

A Phenomenological Examination Of Antisocial Behaviors In The Elementary School Workplace, Cynthia Morton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Antisocial behavior has a direct impact on the public elementary school setting. While considerable research has been conducted on collegiality in postsecondary schools, this study addressed the gap in practice concerning the lack of attention in regard to the impact of antisocial behavior on collegial relationships in the elementary school workplace. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the perceptions of elementary faculty members regarding the effect of antisocial behavior on collegial relationships using the conceptual framework of systems theory which focuses on relationships in organizations. The central research question asked participants about experiences and perceptions of antisocial …

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The Relationship Between Timed Drill Practice And The Increase Of Automaticity Of Basic Multiplication Facts For Regular Education Sixth Graders, Nelly P. Knowles Jan 2010

The Relationship Between Timed Drill Practice And The Increase Of Automaticity Of Basic Multiplication Facts For Regular Education Sixth Graders, Nelly P. Knowles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

By the time students transition from elementary to middle school, many do not demonstrate mastery of recalling basic math facts. This 8-week quasi-experimental quantitative study, based in cognitive development and theories of the construction of memory, used a 3-level independent variable experimental design to determine if there was a relationship between teachers' implementation of timed drill practices and the students' level of automaticity with regard to basic multiplication facts in 9 sixth-grade, regular education math classes. The control group received no intervention, the first treatment group received weekly timed drill practice for 3 minutes, and a second treatment group received …

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The Effect Of Learning Styles Strategies On Benchmark Eighth Grade Middle School Mathematics Achievement, Jean Ferrara Jan 2010

The Effect Of Learning Styles Strategies On Benchmark Eighth Grade Middle School Mathematics Achievement, Jean Ferrara

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Low standardized mathematics scores resulted in a suburban middle school not reaching adequate yearly progress (AYP) for the 2 previous years. There were many possible factors contributing to this problem, among them the design of instruction. The purpose of this study was to identify learning styles of students and implement differentiated instructional strategies that address the learners' needs. The study was based on the Silver and Hanson's theory of learning style instruction and Gardner's multiple intelligences as a model for differentiating instruction. This sequential mixed methods quasi-experimental causal comparative design study investigated the effect of classroom intervention based on learning …

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Arts Integration Professional Development: Teacher Perspective And Transfer To Instructional Practice, Jo Ann Garrett Jan 2010

Arts Integration Professional Development: Teacher Perspective And Transfer To Instructional Practice, Jo Ann Garrett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Limited data connect teacher training in arts integration (AI) to evidence that students benefit from arts integrated instruction. As teachers are challenged to facilitate instruction for a wide continuum of learning needs, and students are challenged to demonstrate learning through high-stakes testing, more data are needed on how teachers learn and transfer AI strategies to classroom practice. Teachers (N = 38) from five elementary schools learned multi-modal AI strategies via the Intensive Development through the Arts (IDEA) model. Interview data in this concurrent mixed methods study illustrated the IDEA experience as a positive influence on (a) the learning environment, (b) …

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Using Globally Significant Children's Literature To Increase Fourth-Grade Students' Global Attitudes And Intercultural Sensitivity, Tonya Salisbury Jan 2010

Using Globally Significant Children's Literature To Increase Fourth-Grade Students' Global Attitudes And Intercultural Sensitivity, Tonya Salisbury

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

It is vital for future generations to clearly grasp what it means to be global citizens in order for them to be successful and for America to maintain its status as a world leader. The purpose of this mixed-method study was to measure and describe the growth of global attitudes and intercultural sensitivity that fourth-grade students acquire through reading and discussing globally significant children's literature which honors and celebrates diversity worldwide, in terms of culture, race, language, religion, and social status. According to Rosenblatt's transactional theory, readers experience aesthetic transactions with the text leading to an understanding of the world …

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An Exploration Of Factors Influencing Effective Teachers' Decisions To Remain In Urban School Settings, Alison L. Grizzle Jan 2010

An Exploration Of Factors Influencing Effective Teachers' Decisions To Remain In Urban School Settings, Alison L. Grizzle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Existing problems identified in the literature on teacher retention and resilience include (a) a gap in understanding factors influencing urban teacher retention; (b) lack of clarity on multiple factors swaying teachers' decisions to remain despite challenges; (c) overlapping definitions of teacher retention, attrition, and resilience; and (d) absence of a theoretical framework for a potential relationship between retention and resilience. This embedded-case study sought to identify factors influencing effective teachers' decisions to remain in an urban setting and to examine the role of teachers' resilience, retention, and effectiveness with respect to this decision. Fourteen core-area secondary teachers, identified through criterion …

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The Experiences Of Parents With Adolescents Identified As Having A Specific Learning Disability, Linda J. Seals Jan 2010

The Experiences Of Parents With Adolescents Identified As Having A Specific Learning Disability, Linda J. Seals

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Of the 6.6 million children in the United States who were deemed in 2008 to have a disability that required special instruction, over 39% were classified as specific learning disabled (SLD). This figure translates into a high number of people who are parenting a child identified as having a SLD. Bronfenbrenner's theory of the ecology of human development indicated the importance of interconnections between school, home, and community settings. Collaboration between teachers and families may be strengthened by utilizing knowledge gained from parents' lived experiences of parenting an adolescent identified as having a SLD. The primary research question guiding this …

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A Behavior Management Seminar For Special Or General Education Graduate Students, Franklin D. Schindelheim Jan 2010

A Behavior Management Seminar For Special Or General Education Graduate Students, Franklin D. Schindelheim

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the classroom management needs of graduate education students in one college, and develop a seminar that emerged from the research. Researchers have shown that professional development provided for graduate education students typically deals with curriculum and instructional methodologies rather than classroom management. However, graduate education students have expressed the need to learn more effective classroom management skills. The research questions asked what classroom management skills participants said they needed to teach in both collaborative, and special education classrooms. A grounded theory approach and the constructivist paradigm were used in the study. …

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Exploring A Supplemental Educational Service Math Program: The Math Achievement Of Economically Disadvantaged Students And Teacher Professional Development, Vilma Caban-Vazquez Jan 2010

Exploring A Supplemental Educational Service Math Program: The Math Achievement Of Economically Disadvantaged Students And Teacher Professional Development, Vilma Caban-Vazquez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The No Child Left Behind education act mandates that school districts develop supplemental educational service programs for students not demonstrating mathematical proficiency on state standardized math assessments. Yet there is limited understanding of issues related to supplemental educational service math programs. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate a local after school math program to offer insight on the low math achievement for economically disadvantaged students involved in the program. Constructivist theories of math reform and education for economically disadvantaged students and English language learners guided this study of 10 teachers and 15 of their students in a …

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Preschool Environments, Relationships And Creative Skills: A Case Study, Petronella Anita Cameron Jan 2010

Preschool Environments, Relationships And Creative Skills: A Case Study, Petronella Anita Cameron

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Studies indicate the importance of supporting children's creative and social skills during the early years of their development, in part because children can develop low self-esteem when these skills are left unattended in preschool environments. However, as of yet research has not identified strategies preschool instructors used to prepare preschool environments to nurture the development of these skills. This qualitative case study examined how preschool environments nurture the development of preschool children's creative skills and relationships. Grounded in Vygotsky's sociocultural theory and Torrance's theory of guiding creative talent, the study used a purposeful sample of 9 prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers …

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Leadership To Sustain Professional Learning Communities, Kelly P. Gillespie Jan 2010

Leadership To Sustain Professional Learning Communities, Kelly P. Gillespie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) have shown promise as a means to meet the challenge of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. A problem that has surfaced is the inabilty of schools to sustain PLCs. This project study examined leadership characteristics of elementary school principals in selected school districts to determine how these characteristics shape organizational culture and provide support for sustaining professional learning communities. At the center of this initiative have been the school principals and their leadership skills. The theoretical underpinnings of this study were based on the work of DuFour and DuFour, which places leadership of …

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Empowering Adolescents: A Multiple Case Study Of U.S. Montessori High Schools, Wendy J. Larue Jan 2010

Empowering Adolescents: A Multiple Case Study Of U.S. Montessori High Schools, Wendy J. Larue

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The standards-based, teach-and-test methods that have come to proliferate secondary education since the inception of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) fail to adequately prepare students for higher education and employment. This system lacks opportunities for developing 21st century skills such as higher-level thinking, problem solving, and group dynamics, as well as opportunities for fostering spiritual growth and personal development. This problem impacts graduates of U.S. high schools because they are unprepared for higher education and the 21st century workplace. Using qualitative multiple case study methodology, this study examined five U.S. Montessori high schools through the lens of cultural-historical …

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High School Teachers' Perspectives On Effective Approaches For Teaching Biology To Students With Special Needs, Agnieszka Kos Jan 2010

High School Teachers' Perspectives On Effective Approaches For Teaching Biology To Students With Special Needs, Agnieszka Kos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The demands of national educational reforms require high school biology teachers to provide high quality instruction to students with and without special needs. The reforms, however, do not provide teachers with adequate teaching strategies to meet the needs of all students in the same context. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to understand high school biology teachers' perspectives, practices, and challenges in relation to teaching students with special needs. This approach was used to develop a substantive model for high school biology teachers who are challenged with teaching students with and without special needs. Data were collected via …

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Staff Development And Leadership Roles Related To Response To Intervention Levels Of Implementation In Rural Schools, Karin A. Strohmyer Jan 2010

Staff Development And Leadership Roles Related To Response To Intervention Levels Of Implementation In Rural Schools, Karin A. Strohmyer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The concepts of professional learning communities and organizational disciplines support staff development and leadership that lead to sustainable systems. Little research has examined the ability of rural schools to achieve sustainable systems. This quantitative design study considered the relationships between predictor variables of administrative roles and staff development and the criterion variable of Response to Intervention (RtI) implementation level. Administrator roles included planning and scheduling training, participating in training, planning implementation, building knowledge and commitment, selecting RtI teams, participating on teams, promoting parental involvement, evaluating RtI, and implementing follow-up and targeted training. Staff development practices addressed commitment and support, team …

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The Relationship Between Campus Climate And The Teaching Of Critical Thinking Skills In Community College Classrooms, Thomas C. Simon Jan 2010

The Relationship Between Campus Climate And The Teaching Of Critical Thinking Skills In Community College Classrooms, Thomas C. Simon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although critical thinking skills are important for all citizens participating in a democratic society, many community college students appear to lack these skills. This study addressed the apparent lack of research relating critical thinking instruction to campus climate. Critical thinking theory and Moos's organizational climate theory served as the theoretical foundation. The relationship between faculty's perceptions of three campus climate factors and their use of five critical thinking instructional techniques in the classroom was analyzed in this quantitative study. An online instrument based on the School-Level Environment Questionnaire (SLEQ) to measure campus climate and a researcher-designed measure of critical thinking …

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The Relationship Between Psychological Well-Being And Perceived Wellness In Graduate-Level Counseling Students, Michel Renee Harris Jan 2010

The Relationship Between Psychological Well-Being And Perceived Wellness In Graduate-Level Counseling Students, Michel Renee Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

It is imperative that those who provide personal therapy to others be well-adjusted in their personal and professional lives and possess a keen and accurate perception of wellness. Yet, persons drawn to careers in counseling often have unresolved psychological issues. Counselor education programs should have a systematic way to evaluate and improve wellness in their students. Studies addressing the well-being of counselors-in-training, their perception of wellness, and their need for self-care are lacking in the professional literature. This study, therefore, examined the relationship between psychological well-being and perceived wellness in a sample (N = 97) of graduate students in a …

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The Perceptions Of Developmental Therapists About The Influence Of Inner-City Home Environments On Service Delivery, Tywanda Jiles Jan 2010

The Perceptions Of Developmental Therapists About The Influence Of Inner-City Home Environments On Service Delivery, Tywanda Jiles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Act required that early intervention services for young children from birth to age 3 take place in their natural environment. However, limited research has been conducted on the impact of this requirement on the actual service providers who work within the home environments. Lewin's field theory on behavior, individual person, and the environment formed the theoretical framework for this descriptive case study, which examined the perceptions of developmental therapists on how their service is influenced by the inner-city home environment. Ten developmental therapists in a midwestern metropolitan city were interviewed about their beliefs …

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School Administrators' Perceptions Of The Contributions Of No Child Left Behind To The Achievement Gap, Paula Payne Jan 2010

School Administrators' Perceptions Of The Contributions Of No Child Left Behind To The Achievement Gap, Paula Payne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Under the federal No Child Left Behind law (NCLB), schools that fail to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) receive assistance and eventually are subject to corrective action if they do not improve. This qualitative case study used interviews with 10 elementary and middle school administrators from 8 public schools to assess the influence of NCLB on schools with a high percentage of students of color and students in poverty. This study was viewed through the lens of Toffler's conceptual framework of how change occurs, and on the current school reform climate surrounding NCLB and how its accountability system of assessments …

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The Relationship Between Perceived Preparedness, Effiacy And Special Education Training, Leslie Haley Wasserman Jan 2010

The Relationship Between Perceived Preparedness, Effiacy And Special Education Training, Leslie Haley Wasserman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Limited information exists on early childhood first year teachers' training for accommodations for diverse student abilities in classrooms. This mixed methods sequential explanatory study examined the self-efficacy of 28 first year early childhood teachers from Midwest urban schools. Vygotsky's social learning theory and Gardner's multiple intelligences were used as the conceptual framework. Email survey data were collected and analyzed using a t-test to answer the quantitative questions on the relationship between perceived efficacy and type of and amount of special education training provided in preservice programs. Qualitative questions on self-efficacy to instruct diverse students within the regular classroom were examined …

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The Experiences Of Alternately Certified Teachers With Teacher Mentoring, Teacher Effectiveness, And Student Achievement, Charyl L. Pace Jan 2010

The Experiences Of Alternately Certified Teachers With Teacher Mentoring, Teacher Effectiveness, And Student Achievement, Charyl L. Pace

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Alternately certified teachers (ACTs) are teachers who receive teacher training in an accelerated program provided by alternate certification programs (ACPs). Induction/mentoring programs are provided to ACTs as a source of additional training. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine ACTs' perceptions of their effectiveness as teachers in relation to their students' achievement and the support provided to them as new teachers by their induction/mentoring training. The research question explored if there was a relationship between the amount of support provided to the ACTs from their induction/mentoring programs and the ACTs' perception of their effectiveness in relation to …

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Grounded Theory Approach To Understanding Student Perceptions Of Asynchronous High School Learning Environments, Paige N. Morabito Jan 2010

Grounded Theory Approach To Understanding Student Perceptions Of Asynchronous High School Learning Environments, Paige N. Morabito

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although the development of cyber high schools over the last 10 years has increased, no data are reported in the literature regarding the factors that have contributed to the increased enrollment or student perceptions of success. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to develop a theory describing why students currently enrolled in an online high school program chose an asynchronous setting and their subsequent perceptions of success. Critical pedagogy, as a basis of transformational experiences through education, served as the conceptual framework. An attitudinal survey, provided as a limited data set by the high school, was used to …

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A Phenomenological Examination Of The Influence Of Culture On Treating And Caring For Hispanic Children With Autism, Lynette Estrada Jan 2010

A Phenomenological Examination Of The Influence Of Culture On Treating And Caring For Hispanic Children With Autism, Lynette Estrada

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and describe the influence culture has on the decisions Hispanic parents make to aid their children with autism. The research problems addressed are the influences culture may have on how professionals and external family members affect the choices parents make. Cultural and family systems theories formed the conceptual framework for the study. Researchers have found that cultural factors may lead to lower rates of diagnosis in Hispanic children with autism and parents' lack of knowledge of therapies and practices used to treat autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Five research questions guided this …

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