Educational Administration and Supervision Commons^™

Identifying Practices That Facilitate Effective Implementation And Sustainability Of Research-Based Professional Development Strategies, Emily Victoria Bryan Kibodeaux

Dissertations

This study was designed to determine whether significant differences existed in the level of implementation of a professional development strategy, the attitude of teachers toward this professional development strategy, and the knowledge of teachers regarding this professional development strategy. After teachers were trained on the professional development strategy, three treatments were utilized in the project: administrative observations and feedback, participation in a professional learning community (PLC), or training follow-up. Twenty-four teachers from four different schools in a school district in South Mississippi participated in the project over an 8 week time period. This quasi-experimental study collected pre- and post-treatment data …

Superintendent Perceptions Of The Accreditation Process In The State Of Mississippi, Betty Mae Merhundrew

Dissertations

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 provides guidelines that all public schools in the United States must follow. Provisions of this law require that specific assessments be given to all students in schools across the United States and that individual states establish one system of accountability for all schools. Although much is being done, public schools are still lacking in the area of accountability reform. Many states set their own achievement goals and standards for which schools within their states are measured and then held accountable for students’ performance. This study examined the perceptions of all Mississippi school …

An Examination Of Hurricane Emergency Preparedness Planning At Institutions Of Higher Learning Of The Gulf South Region Post Hurricane Katrina, Caterina Gulli Ventura

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine hurricane emergency preparedness planning at institutions of higher learning of the Gulf South region following Hurricane Katrina. The problem addressed the impact of Hurricane Katrina on decision-making and policy planning processes. The focus was on individuals that administer the hurricane emergency preparedness plans and processes at universities. The research sought comprehension of the complexity of responsibilities while aspiring to build more effective policy. The research procedures consisted of two phases. The first phase of the research used the hurricane emergency preparedness plans of universities and colleges in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi to …

Kindergarten Assessments As A Predictor For A Student’S Need For Intervention, Victoria Ellen Weinketz Hoover

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the kindergarten assessment results from the three windows in reading, written communication, and mathematics were a valid predictor of a student’s need for intervention up until the conclusion of second grade. Reynolds (1992) suggested that a student’s overall school success is reflective of the approach taken early in kindergarten. With the demands of the No Child Left Behind Act (2001), districts have set in place strategies to meet the standard of all students reading on grade level at the conclusion of the third grade. If districts are to rise to the …

Differences In Student Misbehavior After Completing In-School Suspension Between Rural High School And Suburban High School Students, Martin Ervind Welch

Dissertations

This study investigated the differences that exist in rural and suburban high school student misbehavior after completing in-school suspension (ISS) in Alabama's Mobile County Public School System. The independent variables of rural or suburban, gender, and ethnicity were used to determine the differences of the various groups. The archival discipline data of students assigned to ISS during the 2008-2009 school year were analyzed. Out of the 821 students assigned to ISS, 146 (17.8%) were not referred to the office again during the school year. There was a statistically significant relationship between rural or suburban and office referral after attending ISS. …

High-Stakes Testing And Its Relationship To Stress Levels Of Secondary Teachers, Sonya Colman Christian

Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between high-stakes testing and the stress levels of secondary teachers in Jackson’s Jackson Public School District. The independent variables of age, gender, subject taught, teaching experience, degree and school level were used to determine the differences of the various groups. A survey was piloted and used to determine teachers’ levels of stress. There was not a statistically significant difference between the stress levels of teachers who teach subjects that are measured by high-stakes testing and those who do not. There also was not a statistically significant difference between the stress levels of veteran teachers and …

Third Grade Reading Performance And Teacher Perceptions Of The Scott Foresman Reading Street Program In Title I Schools In South Mobile County, Jamie Ladnier Hicks

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if third grade reading performance of students enrolled in south Mobile County Title I schools improved as a result of the first year implementation of the Scott Foresman Reading Street program. Attempts were also made to identify predictors that may improve future reading performance and data were obtained regarding the perceptions and overall satisfaction of the certified instructional personnel in grades K-5 employed in the Mobile County Public School System during the 2009-2010 school year, the first school year following the initial full year of program implementation. Reading performance was measured using …

Frederick Douglass: An American Adult Educator, Jerry Paul Ross

Dissertations

Throughout his I ife, Frederick Douglass struggled to be something extraordinary. He rose from a life in slavery to become the most prominent African-American of his day and a leading figure in the abolitionist movement. Lost in the discussion of his life are the adult education roles that he played throughout his life and career. Beginning while he was still a slave and extending until his death, he worked to educate adults in order to transfonn individual lives and society as a whole. Douglass was primarily engaged in adult education in the fields of religious adult education, social movements, popular …

A Longitudinal Study Of Block Scheduling Versus Traditional Scheduling In Mississippi Schools: Utilizing The Mississippi Student Assessment System And Administrators’ Perceptions, Linda Oettiker Smith

Dissertations

Accountability has become increasingly important in an era of financial stress coupled with the demand for continuous improvement, demonstrated through state mandated tests. In order to address the accountability issues associated with No Child Left Behind and in all probability the future Elementary and Secondary Education Act, it is critical to have current data regarding issues related to student achievement. For over a decade, school leaders have been encouraged to examine instructional time, or the use of scheduling formats, such as block scheduling.

This study was intended to provide school and district-level administrators with additional data relevant to the effect …

Web 2.0 And Self-Reported Student Performance Among High School Students In Rural Schools, Joseph Carl Cash

Dissertations

This research intends to contribute to the current literature available on the appropriate levels of utilizing Web 2.0 resources in the classroom, therefore, amicably submitting the study's results collaboration of a dynamic theoretical construct for pedagogy in the digital age. Educators must contend with and adapt to cognitive changes within their students. School leaders face existential questions regarding the role of the teacher, the role ofthe student, and the method by which these two partners interact. School administrators aware of the substantive challenge facing traditional methods of instruction should be able to provide professional development to teachers that would accurately …

Teacher Depth Of Knowledge As A Predictor Of Student Achievement In The Middle Grades, Tracy Henshaw Jackson

Dissertations

Schools strive to hire highly qualified teachers to educate and empower students to become high performers (NCEE, 1983; Erickson, 1995). As a part of this effort, teachers are required to obtain specific skills and certification to meet students’ academic needs. While the intent is recognized, there continues to be a discrepancy between highly qualified teachers in the middle grades and student achievement (The Nations Report Card, 2005; Turner-Bissett, 1999). Therefore, it is imperative to examine teachers’ perceptions and instructional strategies that may influence students’ achievement.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a correlation between high-performing …

Transformative Pedagogy In Conversation: The Role Of Instructor Interventions In Peer Feedback For Speech Outline Development, Michael J. Stasio

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the efficacy of written and oral peer feedback used as an instructional strategy to support student learning in speech outline development. One hundred seven students from a California Community College participated in a mixed-methods evaluative quasi-experimental study conducted in a two-fold process with both quantitative and qualitative measures. Existing literature on peer-centered learning has various gaps. These include four areas of uncertainty: implementation interventions, trust, self-perceived benefits, and contexts. Overall perceived learning benefits and four specific instructor intervention variables were measured in this study: (1) creation of a safe space for collaboration, (2) student training on the …

Lsuhsc Facilities Daily Update: May 2010, Lsuhsc Property And Facilities Management

LSUHSC Facilities Daily Updates: 2010

LSUHSC Facilities Daily Updates from May 2010.

These updates describe damage and a timeline of repairs at the LSU Health Sciences Center - New Orleans campus due to Hurricane Katrina which made landfall August 29, 2005.

Lsuhsc Facilities Biweekly Update: May 2010, Lsuhsc Property And Facilities Management

LSUHSC Facilities Biweekly Updates: 2010

LSUHSC Facilities Biweekly Updates from May 5 and 21, 2010.

These updates describe damage and a timeline of repairs at the LSU Health Sciences Center - New Orleans campus due to Hurricane Katrina which made landfall August 29, 2005.

An Analysis Of Expenditures On Student Affairs / Services And College Student Retention At Four-Year Colleges And Universities In The United States, Jason Umfress

All Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between expenditures for student affairs / services and college student retention rates. Data reported to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Set (IPEDS) for the 2007-2008 academic year were used. Public and private-not-for-profit institutions in the United States that completed the IPEDS survey we included in the population and analysis.
A multiple regression analysis was conducted, controlling for institutional size, institutional control, institutional mission, institutional selectivity, and non-student affairs / services expenditures. The study found that expenditures for student affairs / services were a significant predictor of college student retention rates, …

College Football Players: The New Nontraditional Student, Michael Godfrey

All Dissertations

The focus on the collegiate careers of student athletes continues to grow within the community of higher education. As the focus has been centered on academic performance, a growing concern is evolving for the overall experience student athletes obtain in a higher education setting. As the focus on college experience gains momentum, higher education professionals must investigate why traditional stereotypes maintain their strength and the appropriateness of the expectations placed upon student athletes.
The purpose of the study is to gain understanding and insight into the relationship between athletics and academics for Division I football players in higher education. To …

The Role Of Student Support Services In Encouraging Student Involvement And Its Impact On Student Perceptions And Academic Experiences, Caren Kelley-Hall

All Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the role of Student Support Services (SSS) in encouraging student involvement and its impact on student perceptions and academic experiences in three technical colleges in upstate South Carolina. By
examining Alexander Astin's theory of student involvement in the services provided by the program, a better understanding of the existing functions of SSS may be obtained. The study may offer information to increase knowledge and awareness about the college experience for a diverse group of college students. It is hoped that the study will help to better understand unique experiences of SSS participants …

The Study Of Teachers’ Task Values And Self-Efficacy On Their Commitment And Effectiveness For Technology-Instruction Integration, Chia-Jung Lin, Mei-Yan Lu

Faculty Publications

The city of Taipei has been considered as a leading role of information technology education in Taiwan. However, many questions have been waited to be answered. The purpose of this study was to investigate the current situations and problems of primary school teachers’ technology-instruction integration. By implementing the approach of cognitive motivators and the human performance technology (HPT) theory, this study also investigated the relationships among teachers’ cognitive motivators (self-efficacy and task values) and their commitment and effort on technology-instruction integration. The researchers delivered 2,952 questionnaires via Internet, e-mail and airmail in January 2008. Finally, 1,549 questionnaires replied back and …

Appreciative Advising From The Academic Advisor's Viewpoint: A Qualitative Study, Nancy G. Howell

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Appreciative Advising represents a revolutionary new approach to the field of academic advising. Based on Appreciative Inquiry, which was developed by David Cooperrider at Case Western Reserve University in the 1980’s, Appreciative Advising is also influenced by positive psychology, reality therapy, and strengths based advising. The Appreciative Advising model makes use of positive, open-ended questions and a the development of a reciprocal relationship between student and advisor to help students achieve their academic and career goals.

Pioneered by Bloom, Hutson, and He, Appreciative Advising is fully student centered and shows great promise in helping students from a wide variety of …

Making The Great Journey: International Students’ Experiences At The University Of Nebraska–Lincoln, Anh Le

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The main purpose of the study was to produce an overview of international students’ experiences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) as articulated via their own words. The knowledge drawn from this study served as useful reference information for programs and courses geared toward international students. Given the many challenges facing international students and the great benefits that they bring, this study explored the experiences of international students at UNL. Although there has been a substantial amount of literature about international students, most of the research has been focused on a particular aspect of international students such as advising relationships …

Understanding The Influence Of Strengths On The College Experience: A Qualitative Case Study Of Undergraduate Business Students, Jennifer A. Mostek

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this qualitative, interview-based study was to identify the way that students and advisors utilized knowledge about students’ strengths in college. Strengths were defined by StrengthsQuest, a product of The Gallup Organization. Five college students and three academic advisors from the business college at a large, public research university, representing various cultural backgrounds, family statuses and ages participated in the study. Student and advisor participants explored the influence of strengths on self awareness, confidence, relationships, academic matters, as well as future plans. Advisor participants also discussed the need for additional courses or integration of strengths-based education in existing …

The Impact Of Undergraduate Experiences On The Decision To Become A Student Affairs Professional, Jay A. Fennell

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study explored the undergraduate experiences of student affairs professionals and how those experiences impacted their decision to enter the student affairs profession. The study explores how student affairs professionals perceived their undergraduate experiences and how this time in their lives impacted their career decision, their career path, the way they interacted with students as professionals and what they do as student affairs professionals to encourage students to enter the field. Three themes emerged in this study: (a) The importance of campus involvement, (b) mentor relationships, and (c) encouraging students to enter student affairs. The results of this study help …

An Examination Of Core Course Admission Deficiencies And Their Impact On Six-Year Graduation Rates For Transfer Students At The University Of Nebraska–Lincoln, David S. Belieu

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to examine the six-year graduation rate of transfer students who enter the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a deficiency in a core course admission requirement. The study explored the odds of a transfer student graduating in a six-year period if he/she were admitted with a deficiency. Specifically, the study examined graduation rates for transfer students who entered UNL with a core course deficiency in mathematics and foreign language. The study also examined graduated transfer students admitted with one or more core course deficiencies GPAs versus graduated transfer students who were admitted without a deficiency. After …

Can Student Reflection Predict Academic Success And Clinical Performance In A Physical Therapist Education Program?, Jeanne L. Cook

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine if a predictive relationship existed between student reflection and student academic and clinical success as determined by student performance on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) and the Clinical Performance Instrument (CPI). Secondary questions included whether higher and lower reflection scores would correspond with higher and lower NPTE and CPI scores respectively, and whether students’ reflection scores would increase between the first and fourth clinical internships. Journal entries were submitted by students from a physical therapist education program at a large North Central Region university over the course of two clinical …

A Study To Determine The Influence Of Student Status And Gender On The Learning Styles Of Freshmen Students, Ali J. Morris

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to compare the learning styles, as defined by David A. Kolb, of traditional freshmen students and non-traditional freshmen students to determine if there is a significant difference between them. The researcher also collected data to determine if there is a correlation between learning styles for gender and traditional/non-traditional student status.

Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory (LSI) was used as the survey instrument and was administered to all students in the sample. The stratified random sample population consisted of 550 students selected from the freshmen class and provided to the researcher by the Office of Institutional …

A Ray Of Light: A Mixed-Methods Approach To Understanding Why Parents Choose Montessori Education, Emily M. Zarybnisky

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study explored why parents choose Montessori schools for their children. Parents from two public (n = 40) and two private (n = 10) Montessori schools responded to a written survey designed to discern what characteristics parents valued in making their decision. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and chi-square tests were used to understand the trends present in parents‟ responses. Comparisons were made between public and private Montessori parents to explore the overarching themes and to determine differences that existed between the two types of parents. The researcher conducted thirteen interviews designed to elicit additional information about why the parents chose Montessori …

Applying Schlossberg’S Transition Theory To Nontraditional Male Drop-Outs, Monica S. Powers

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this exploratory and phenomenological study was to investigate how nontraditional males who dropped out of a western four-year, Title IV authorized, public university before completing a bachelor’s degree described their perceptions of their situation, self, support, and strategies while moving in, moving through, and moving out of the college process. Fourteen interviews were conducted in person. Participants met the following criteria: (a) only included males; (b) met four or more nontraditional criteria to be included in the study; (c) were enrolled in an undergraduate degree program; (d) were enrolled within the last two calendar years with the …

A Change Management Effort In One Large Public Organization: An Exploration Of The Perception Of Needed Skills For Managing Change, Brian Paul Knudsen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Public managers are a key component of a bureaucracy. The reliance on a public manager by an elected official is high as is the expectations that these managers have the necessary skills to manage a public organization. The goal of this study was to explore what elected officials perceive are skills needed by managers to lessen the impact on the human resource, financial, and political challenges when faced with significant change efforts in order to meet their expectations and that of the citizens to whom the organization is responsible.

Findings indicate that managing upward and managing the political impacts are …

Principal Stress: Working In Conflicting Paradigms From Newtonian To New Science, Shelley Kresyman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Shortages of qualified principal candidates and retention of motivated principals, combined with the evidence that the principal is a vital part of effective school improvement, has ominous implications for the future quality of education. A body of research exists describing school administrators' stress over the last 25 years; yet, limited research reflects the impact the changing role of the principal in the accountability era of No Child Left Behind has had on principal stress and the possible connections to the shifting paradigms in organizational leadership.

If principals perceive themselves to be overstressed and unprepared to meet the current expectations and …

Ufa Aac Library Sub-Committee Meeting Minutes, April 2010, Barbara Swartzlander

UFA AAC Library Sub-committee Meeting Minutes

Meeting report from the University Faculty Assembly Academic Affairs Committee's Library Sub-committee meeting at the University of New England.