Educational Administration and Supervision Commons^™

The Relationship Between Vocabulary Development, Low Socioeconomic Status, And Teacher Discourse, Amy M. Pritts

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Elementary students from low socioeconomic households often begin and remain behind other socioeconomic groups in vocabulary knowledge. Many reasons for this gap, including cognitive, environmental, and educational, have been researched. The current study examined the relationship between vocabulary knowledge, socioeconomic status, and type of teacher discourse within an early elementary setting not yet explored within the research. This concurrent mixed-method research study investigated this relationship using study groups, taped classroom lessons, and the DIBELS word use fluency assessment measure. Interpretative analysis was used for the qualitative data, and correlational analysis was used to determine relationships between the discourse types and …

The Impact Of Looping On Academic And Social Experiences Of Middle School Students, Brad S. Gregory

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Georgia school districts have been concerned with the social and academic outcomes of looping middle school students. School district administrators need research-based findings to determine the effectiveness of middle school looping programs which place middle school students and teacher(s) together for 2 or more consecutive years. The purpose of this quantitative study was to analyze standardized testing data and perceptions of 240 middle school students. This study was grounded in the social development theory as it pertains to the academic and social outcomes of adolescent middle school students. The research questions for this study focused on social experiences, conduct, and …

Faculty Senate Librarian's Report-2009, Georgia Southern University

Faculty Senate: Librarian's Reports

No abstract provided.

2009-2010 Senate, Senate Committee, And University Committee Membershiip, Georgia Southern University

Faculty Senate: Membership Lists

No abstract provided.

From Vision To Learning: Effectiveness Measures Of Christian School Boards, Ryan G. Zonnefeld

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

This exploratory study investigated the effectiveness of Christian School boards, as perceived by its members, and examined patterns and characteristics that describe internal board activities. The study employed a quantitative survey research design that revealed areas of strength and areas of growth for Christian School board operations. Board effectiveness was measured in accordance with Smoley's (1999) Model for Effective School Boards.

The research focused on four questions: (a) What are the background characteristics of Christian School board members? (b) What patterns exist in the Christian School board effectiveness ratings of school board members, presidents, and school administrators? (c) Are there …

Responding To Disruptive Or Threatening Student Behavior: A Guide For Faculty (Draft), Georgia Southern University

Faculty Senate: Index

No abstract provided.

Viral Marketing In Tertiary Level Educational Establishments, Vicky O'Sullivan

Theses

Technological evolutions, principally developments in electronic and digital social media, have introduced new marketing paradigms, such as viral marketing. Viral marketing is a relatively new phenomenon which offers marketing practitioners significant opportunities to reach target audiences in a credible and attention grabbing way.

Students have rapidly adopted new social technologies, and they use these media to enrich existing offline personal relationships that they have with friends within their tertiary level environment. Students have a predilection to forward messages to friends, and value messages they receive from friends. This is because students trust friends, and also believe that friends will know …

The Effect Of A School-Year-Long In-Service Leadership Development Grow-Your-Own Program On New And Veteran Assistant Principals’ Perceived Leadership Effectiveness, Luann M. Richardson

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a required school-year-long in-service leadership development grow-your-own program on new and veteran assistant principals' perceived leadership effectiveness compared to supervising principal and central office administrator ratings. The study analyzed perceived leadership effectiveness as measured by the school district's Principal/Assistant Principal Evaluation Form in six domains: (a) shared vision, (b) the culture of learning, (c) management, (d) family and community, (e) ethics, and (f) societal context after participation in a required school-year-long in-service leadership development grow-your-own program. Overall, pretest-posttest results indicated that new assistant principals' ( n = 8) and …

The Effect Of A Back-To-Basics Core Academic Program Compared To A Traditional Academic Program On Participating 4th-Grade Students’ Achievement And Perceptions Of Life Skills, Paula A. Peal

Student Work

Study results indicate that 3rd-grade to 4th-grade same school Core Academy Program and Traditional Academic Program learning experiences resulted in numerical equipoise for norm referenced reading, math, social studies, and science test score results. Randomly assigned Core Academy Program students' ( n = 16) norm referenced language NCE posttest scores were statistically significantly greater following participation than the naturally formed group of students (n = 16) following participation in the Traditional Academic Program. Core Academy Program students' criterion referenced writing and math cutscores were also statistically greater at posttest. Finally, the teacher life skills perceptions awarded to students were …

Facing The Challenge Of Quality In Mexican Private Higher Education: A Study Of Three Cases, Gus Gregorutti

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

La Producción Intelectual En Las Universidades Privadas Venezolanas, Gus Gregorutti

Faculty Publications

Over the last 30 years, throughout the Latin America region, there has been an increasingnumber of private higher education institutions. This trend has brought both sometensions with the existing and dominant models of tertiary education and, from the otherside, the new governmental demands to allow these new players to be fully recognizedin society. One of these requirements is research productivity as a defining feature forhigher education. Venezuela is not an exception. Governments are asking privateuniversities to produce knowledge in order to be accredited and recognized within thenational system of universities. However, many of these private institutions are notready and don’t …

The Effect Of Student Engagement On Student Success At A Binational Hispanic Serving Institution, Charles Edwin Gibbens

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This purpose of this study was to examine student engagement practices at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). This institution was chosen due to the unique location - in the city of El Paso on the U.S. Mexico border. It was also chosen due to the unique population served - majority of students are first generation and Hispanic.

The instrument used to gather student engagement practices was the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) survey for 2006, 2007, & 2008. One section of the survey asks respondents to self identify their levels of engagement in 19 educationally purposeful …

Perceptions Of Female Hiring In Educational Administration In Rural Pennsylvania Public-School Districts As Perceived By School-Board Members, Barbara J. Kelly

Dissertations

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine the selection practices and requirements for administrators in rural Pennsylvania public-school systems. This study examined aspects of the administrative hiring process in order to explain the significant lack of women in the pool of administrators drawn from the rural Pennsylvania school districts. The research question intended to discern whether school-board members perceived gender bias of female applicants as a deterrent in their hiring or whether there was a paucity of female applicants.

Method

A review of the literature traced the history of education as it pertained to the hiring of women …

A Study Of Perceived Actual Versus Expected Roles Of Presidents Of Seventh-Day Adventist Senior Colleges And Universities In Eleven World Administrative Divisions, Sunith Kumar Das

Dissertations

Problem

To date no study has been undertaken with respect to Seventh-day Adventist senior college and university presidents’ actual and expected roles as perceived by the administrative team members and governing board chairs of these institutions. The purpose of this study was to determine the differences between presidents’ actual and expected roles.

Method

This descriptive, exploratory, survey study included a sample (n = 78) of board chairs, presidents, academic vice presidents, student service vice presidents, and finance vice presidents located in 27 senior colleges and universities operated by Seventh-day Adventists in 17 countries, including the U.S.A. Data were collected on …

An Examination Of Differences Between Online Learning For Hispanic And Caucasian Community College Students, Edward J. Beyer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hispanic students are enrolling in community colleges at an increasing rate, and they do not succeed in community college online courses at a rate comparable to Caucasian students. Increasing Hispanic success in online education could potentially enhance their socioeconomic status. Drawing from the theoretical frameworks of andragogy and constructivism, the purpose of this case study was to examine differences between Hispanic and Caucasian students in online learning and identify factors that might contribute to the reported differences in success across Hispanic and Caucasian online students. Research questions contrasted the impact of course design, Internet access, learning preferences, and motivation on …

An Impact Study Of Locally-Designed Head Start Program Models On Children's Assessment Scores, Jennifer Price

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Head Start, a nationwide early childhood program, promotes the development and use of locally-designed program models, such as partnerships with child care centers, to expand enrollment opportunities and improve service delivery to eligible children and families. Partnerships are considered to be an efficient solution with positive benefits accruing to the Head Start grantee, partnering child care center, and participating families. It is not known, however, whether partnerships differ from standard, direct-managed centers in terms of promoting school readiness among children, the goal of Head Start. This study addresses that question, undertaking an assessment of the impact, if any, that program …

Becoming A Leader For Equity And Excellence: It Starts With Instruction, Kathryn Bell Mckenzie, Leslie A. Locke

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Latina Sorority Involvement And The College Experience: Social And Academic Impact, Darilis Garcia-Mcmillian

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Membership in a Latina-based sorority communicates messages to sisters as well as the university community. These messages usually reflected the goals and principles of the organization which is often what attracts women to join. Once they are part of the sorority their affiliation impacts their college experience. This study looks at the effect Greek membership has on participants' social and academic lives. Through narrative analysis the women's responses were examined to understand their perceptions of how joining Delta Tau Lambda Sorority impacted their college experience. The human and rhetorical agency of members was examined through their survey responses. Their experiences …

The Effects Of Nclb On The Principal's Authority To Manage The Success Of English Language Learners, Dr. Annalisa Banegas-Peña

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) legislation on principals' authority to manage the success of English language learners (ELL). Seven research questions guided inquiry about the perceived effects of NCLB on the principal's authority to manage the success of the ELL. Participating principals were randomly selected. The only criterion was that their schools had to serve English language learners and that this population of students was aggregated into the accountability performance of the campus.

Definitions for transactional and transformational leadership styles were given to respondents to select from …

The Effectiveness Of Fba-Based Interventions On Social Goals And Behaviors Of A Student At Risk Of E/Bd, Hsin-Ju Chen

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of functional behavioral assessment (FBA) based interventions for improving prosocial goals and behaviors and reducing problem behaviors of a student at risk of emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD). Specifically, this study was interested in whether the behavioral intervention plans based on the function of behavior had an impact on the student's thought processes impacting prosocial decision making. There was one 11-year-old student who was placed in the behavior intervention class (BIC) participating in this study. Results showed that overall, the student's problem behaviors seemed to decrease during the classroom universal …

Passage And Initial Implementation Of The Supplemental Educational Services Element Of The No Child Left Behind Act: An Historical Inquiry Study, Brad D. Christensen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With reports alleging a sharp decline in student achievement in the last several years, there has been a call for higher standards in the United States education system. In response, with bipartisan support, politicians overwhelmingly passed the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. NCLB, the most recent reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), mandated increasing the educational performance of all children by focusing on accountability for student achievement, flexibility, higher academic standards, research-based reforms, parental choice, annual testing to measure student progress, analysis of the annual testing data, and sanctions for schools where students did …

Nontraditional Physical Activity Courses: Perceptions Of Community College Leaders, Long B. Nguyen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Innovative physical training practices and concepts such as yoga, Pilates, tai chi, cardio kickboxing, cardio spinning, and step aerobics have emerged to provide college students with alternative fitness exercises. However, due to unavailable research, community college administrative and curriculum leaders may perceive nontraditional physical activity courses as unrelated to the values of physical education. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the perceptions of chairpersons/deans and faculty in physical education regarding nontraditional physical activity courses as compared to sport-related courses offered in community college physical education programs. Educational change theories of beliefs, values, and decision-making structures provided the …

An Examination Of Cooperative Learning Models And Achievement In Middle And Secondary Level Social Studies, Jeffrey R. Niemi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a lack of understanding of different cooperative learning methods and their effects on student achievement in middle and secondary level social studies education. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to compare two different cooperative learning models in terms of their effects on student achievement in middle level social studies classes. The research question addressed in this study involved understanding the nature of the relationships between different cooperative learning models, gender, ability level and achievement in social studies students. The two cooperative learning models compared were the structured dyad model, which was effective in studies on reading achievement, …

Perceptions Of Recess And The Effects Of A Morning Recess Break On The Oral Reading Fluency Of Second Grade Students, Joy M. Walker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A recent trend in schools has been to reduce or eliminate recess. The assumption behind this elimination is that less recess time provides more opportunities for learning and hence, better learning outcomes. However, little research has examined the effects of this assumption, and little is known about the relationship between recess and learning. The purpose of this mixed method quasi-experimental study was to test the massed versus distributed practice theory and the cognitive immaturity theory, and to gain a better understanding of recess and its implications for learning. The quantitative question was designed to determine whether segmenting instructional time with …

Teaching Them All: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Study Of African American Students' Perceptions Of Their Middle School's Culture, Henry Hankerson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research indicates school culture impacts student achievement. At Teach Them All Middle School (TTA), an achievement gap exists between African American and White students. The purpose of the current study was to examine the perceptions of African American students concerning the school culture at TTA. The research questions explored the perceptions of these students regarding the role of school leaders in shaping a school culture that is academically supportive, as well as their perceptions of the actual academic support, academic rigor, and encouragement they received from administrators and faculty. A sequential exploratory mixed methods strategy was used to quantify and …

The Effect Of Faculty Performance Measurement Systems On Student Retention, Timothy Woods

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Institutions of higher learning have been tracking student course-drop rates as a measure of student success along with faculty performance data. However, there is a lack of understanding as to how faculty performance data influences drop rates. The purpose of this study was to determine whether faculty knowledge of performance data creates a difference in drop rates. This study combined theories of performance measurement, decision support, self-determination theory (SDT), and personal decision making (PDM) as a conceptual foundation that linked faculty knowledge to student success. The specific research question addressed if data can be used to assist faculty efforts in …

Perceived Effects Of Teachers' Unions On Administrators' And Teachers' Roles And Morale, Eileen E. Berg

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Bill 160 in Ontario removed administrators from teachers' federations creating an unhealthy gap between groups and a lowering of morale for both. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between perceived effects of teachers' union actions on administrators' and teachers' roles and morale. Learning and organizational theories provided a theoretical framework for this quantitative study. Voluntary participants included teachers and administrators from Canadian Education Association and administrators from Ontario Principals' Council. Questionnaires addressed three hypotheses, which dealt with level of morale between participants, correlation between the morale score and the learning environment score, and …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Adolescent Females With Asperger Syndrome, Lisa Marie Beteta

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Minimal research focuses on females with Asperger Syndrome (AS). Without understanding the experiences of this population, the knowledge and understanding necessary for the development of appropriate diagnosis and supports is unavailable. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to gain insights into the challenges faced by females with AS by describing the central phenomena of their lived experiences from a critical feminist theoretical framework. Four participants were included in the study that explored their lived experiences pertaining to academic, home, personal, and social experiences including their recollections pertaining to these social contexts during elementary, middle, and high school. Data was …

High-Stakes Testing And Teacher Burnout In Public High School Teachers, Gail Tucker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Demands associated with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 contribute to the risk of teacher burnout; however, the relationship between teacher burnout and specific teaching assignments is unclear. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to investigate if burnout is greater for high-stakes subject area public high school teachers than for low-stakes subject area public high school teachers and to ascertain teachers' perceptions about difficulties associated with teaching a high-stakes subject area. The job demands-resources model and the multidimensional model of burnout provided the theoretical framework. The concurrent mixed methods design included quantitative tests of differences in burnout …

Social Interest And Self -Efficacy Levels Among High School Volunteer Mentors And Their Non -Mentor Peers: A Comparison Study, Courtney Brewer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study examined social interest, social self-efficacy, and general self-efficacy levels of high school volunteer mentors and their nonmentor peers. School-based peer mentoring has become a popular method for providing support services to students. While several studies examining mentee outcomes appeared in the past decade, less research has examined characteristics of the high school mentors involved. The choice of variables was grounded in Bandura's Social Learning Theory and Adler's Individual Psychology. Thirty-seven mentors and 32 nonmentors from a suburban New York high school completed the Social Interest Scale and the Self-efficacy Scale. Mentor volunteers scored significantly higher in social self-efficacy …