Educational Administration and Supervision Commons^™

Stakeholder Perceptions Of Gun Violence Perpetrated By Young Men, Birda Garrett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In three low socioeconomic urban communities of Greenwood (pseudonym), young men's lack of education provides dim prospects of employment, possibly causing the young men to turn to gun violence. The purpose of this study was to understand the perceptions of concerned clergy, law officials, and members of a Neighborhood Watch organization regarding the factors that contribute to gun violence in the southern communities in the United States. The conceptual framework for this study was Bandura's modeling theory. The central research question addressed how the community stakeholder groups described their perceptions regarding gun violence among young male adults. For this qualitative …

Influence Of Student Discipline Referrals On School Climate In A K-12 Urban Public School District, Lori Phillips

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research indicates a connection between student discipline rates and school climate. In a large, urban K-12 public school district, student discipline concerns were increasing while school climate ratings were decreasing during the last few years. Guided by Bandura's social learning theory, the purpose of this ex post facto, causal-comparative study was to identify differences in teachers' perceptions of school climate, as measured by the New Teacher Project (TNTP) Insight Survey, between schools with high student discipline referral rates and schools with low student discipline referral rates in this school district. The study sample included 6,994 new and veteran certified teachers …

Phenomenological Dynamic Of How Adhd Student Recidivism Affects Alternative Education Teacher Services, Lisa A. Charette

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The research problem in this study involved the student cycling, or recidivism, problem associated with specialized education environments. In particular, alternative education students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are cycling in and out of alternative and regular education at a concerning frequency. This student recidivism problem affects the services of teachers who are trying to transform them into permanent regular education learners. The purpose of this study was to obtain specific information from these teachers, via the research questions, as it applies to the theoretical foundation of Bandura's self-efficacy construct, and methodological design of the study. The qualitative method of …

Perceptions Of Faculty Using Mymathlab In Traditional, In-Seat Math Classes, Kathleen Gromilovitz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

MyMathLab, an online interactive and educational system by Pearson Publisher, was implemented in 2 lower-level, traditional in-seat algebra courses to provide supplemental, instructional support to students in the fall of 2015 at the college under study. After the first year of use, no significant change in student success was reported, although more students passed intermediate algebra without first taking elementary algebra. The problem addressed in this study was that student results suggested there might be benefits to using MyMathLab that should be investigated. Knowles' theory of andragogy was used in this qualitative case study to gather perceptions of 7 2016-2017 …

Fostering Leadership In High School: Development And Validation Of Student Leadership Capacity Building Scales, Lindsay Beth Lyons

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study developed a set of scales to measure building student leadership capacity in high schools. Student leadership is defined here as students working collaboratively to affect positive change in their educational environments with support from adults and mechanisms in the school. Fostering student leadership in schools has the potential to improve student development and academic achievement. The three scales are organized into three capacity building dimensions: personal, interpersonal, and organizational. Within each scale, items reflect leadership competencies of critical awareness, inclusivity, and positivity. Eight mechanisms identified from the student voice literature were also embedded in the items: radical collegiality, …

8870: Program Administrators' Perceived Challenges Associated With Developing Preceptors, J. L. Rager, J. M. Cavallario, D. A. Hankemeier, C. E. Welch Bacon, S. E. Walker

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Context: While research has revealed the characteristics, behaviors, and skills that help improve preceptors' success in meeting the objectives of clinical education, a gap in the literature exists as to how preceptors are being developed to ensure they exhibit such characteristics, behaviors, and skills. Understanding potential barriers that prevent program administrators from providing high-quality preceptor development opportunities will help develop future strategies and initiatives that enhance the development of preceptors. Objective: To explore the challenges program administrators (ie, program directors, clinical education coordinators) encounter when developing preceptors for graduate professional athletic training programs. Design: A consensual qualitative research approach guided …

Not Just The Playground: Adult Bullying In The K-12 Workplace, Cynthia J. Kleinheksel

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This non-experimental, explanatory, quantitative research study surveyed K-12 educators and other K-12 school employees to gather data about negative school workplace climate using the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R). Through the NAQ-R and other demographic survey questions, the researcher studied the prevalence and characteristics of adult-on-adult bullying in the K-12 workplace. Categories of Emotional Intimidation, Workplace Intimidation, and Physical Intimidation were identified and regressions were completed to analyze results against a study by Einarsen, Hoel, and Notelaers (2009). Using R. J. Bies's four categories of interactional justice, the characteristics of adult bullying in the K-12 workplace were identified and analyzed to …

Education Models For Teaching Adults About Modifying Dietary Carbohydrate And Controlling Weight, Vincient Cleamons

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The prevalence of diabetes and other pathophysiological conditions has been correlated with the incidence of obesity. A large portion of an adult community in the northwestern United States suffers from excessive weight that has been linked to premature mortality rates and certain forms of diabetes. Excess calories from carbohydrate have been shown to increase weight. Therefore, diets that are modified in carbohydrate and calories may help mitigate weight and obesity comorbidities. This qualitative, single case study's purpose was to explore the methods health care professionals use for teaching adults about controlling weight. Altheide and Johnson's analytic realism theory, in which …

Education Sector Interconnections: Practitioner Level, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Education Analytics Service

The purpose of this module is to enhance the understanding of education sector staff on the structure of education systems in developing countries, the interconnections within the education sector, and the wider implications of policy reforms across education systems. It is recommended that staff complete the Education Sector Interconnections: Foundation level module as background information to this Practitioner level module. Topics covered in this module include: why it is important to understand how a country’s education systems are structured; policy decisions in one sub-sector have implications for the others; the implications of policy reforms; how development partners can engage effectively …

An Analysis Of The Preparedness Of Educational Institutions To Ensure The Security Of Their Institutional Information, Vikram Ahmed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this exploratory study was to analyze and examine the differences in the preparedness of educational institutions toward ensuring the security of their data by comparing their self-reported perceptions of security risks and their assessments of the corresponding risk-mitigating practices. Factors that were studied with reference to securing institutional data were aligned with the five components of information systems: hardware, software, data, procedures and people. The study examined the perceptions of security threats associated with these factors and explored the perceptions of the effectiveness of critical measures with respect to these factors within the constraints applicable to educational …

Effective Characteristics Of Rural English Learner Programs, Sarah Huseby

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine specific characteristics of English learner programs in a rural areas in order to determine possible factors that promoted higher English language proficiency growth for English learners. The subjects in this study were English learner teachers and administrators from five micropolitan school districts in a rural Midwestern state. The school districts in this study were identified and recruited based on two specific criteria: a mircopolitan community and a student population of English language learners. The study utilized both survey and archival data. The survey was administered to all EL teachers and administrators …

Schools Uniting Neighborhoods: Sustainability And Racial Equity In A Community Schools Initiative, Rachel Geller

Scripps Senior Theses

Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN), a collaborative initiative in Multnomah County, Oregon, combines the increasingly popular community school model with an innovative organizational structure to further two key goals: sustainability as an initiative and furthering racial equity. This thesis situates SUN within the context of American public education reform and existing literature on the positive outcomes, organizational structures, and leadership components of community schools. Building on past reviews of SUN and its outcomes, I use results from qualitative interviews with key stakeholders to provide insight into how its organizational structure contributes to the goals of sustainability and racial equity. I discuss …

Examining Paths To Success By Assessing Performance Of Undergraduate Pre-Service Teachers On High-Stakes Texas Examinations Of Educator Standards Teacher Certification Exams, Héctor Hernández Jr.

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to identify predictors of success for pre-service teachers in state mandated high-stakes teacher certification exams. In the last decade, Texas legislators have centered their attention in the preparation and certification of educators and have turned to more rigorous accountability measures to reach their objective of having programs be more selective about the candidates they prepare. The uniqueness of the student population at the institution served as the catalyst to bring to light the importance of not leaving behind these vulnerable populations. A path analysis model was developed to analyze the relationships of four exogenous …

Change In The Organization Socialization Of The United States Border Patrol's Basic Law Enforcement Training Academy: A Supervisor's Perspective, Vic M. Manjarrez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the role of a changed organizational socialization process on supervisory adaptation. The research study is motivated by the central question: how do supervisors adapt in their role as supervisors when the initial organizational socialization process has changed. Literature on socialization in policing has focused almost exclusively on long-term job satisfaction, while literature on police supervisory adaptation centers on leadership approaches. Previous research on police socialization clearly indicates the process is a series of stages filled with "rite of passages". There is no distinction between the socialization of a non-supervisor officer versus a supervisory officer. The literature is …

Beyond Teacher Knowledge: Connections Between Content Knowledge, Mindset For Learning, And Teaching In Two-Year College Mathematics Faculty, Lucy Hernandez Michal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Addressing thousands of students entering unprepared to enroll in college freshman mathematics courses is a challenge two-year college mathematics faculty face every semester. The study addresses this challenge through a mixed methods sequential nested multi-case design to investigate what faculty need, beyond teacher knowledge, to teach mathematics effectively to students. The three-part study measured the mindset learning profile and content knowledge of a sample of mathematics faculty at a two-year college. The quantitative and qualitative data provided references to select four faculty typologies to interview and observe. Interviews reflected faculty perceptions of teaching and learning. Class observations captured images of …

Language, Literacy And Project Based Learning: An Ethnographic Case Study Of A New Tech Classroom In A High School On The Us/Mexico Border, Nora Lee Paugh

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This ethnographic case study sought to understand how English Language Learners used their language and literacy practices within a project based learning (PBL) classroom to complete their PBL tasks. Studies revealed the impact of how English language learners within a PBL learning environment were able to use their language and literacy as a social practices that led to successful student engagement (Call & Sotillo, 1995; Campbell, 2012). This study was conducted at Wilson High School, located along the US/Mexico border. The focus of the case study was a 9th grade combination English/World Geography class of the school's inaugural New Tech …

Efl Teachers' Identities And Their Teaching And Assessment Practices In A Public University Of A Major City In Colombia, Diana Patricia Pineda Montoya

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This one-year long ethnographic case study seeks to add to the body of literature on EFL teachers' identities in Colombia by drawing on ethnographic methods and sociocultural theories to examine the identity construction of four EFL teachers at the university level. Specifically, this study explores how EFL teachers' identities shaped and were shaped by their teaching and assessment practices. The study was conducted at a public university and involved ethnographic participant-observation with four cátedra teachers (adjunct faculty) situated across five language programs in the Foreign Language Teaching Section (FLTS) of the Department of Languages.

The analysis of multiple data sources …

An Examination Of Student Self-Regulation Learning Strategies In Online Courses At A Hispanic Serving Institution, Ricardo Acevedo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The study examined student utilization and application of learning strategies in college level online courses and the context was a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in the Southwest. Even though online courses continue to grow at a steady pace, few research studies have taken the task to analyze the utilization of learning strategies and their utility in online learning programs and under the fold of student success. The overarching purpose of the present study was to delve into important student factors across learning strategies under this instructional format. For the present study a multivariate analysis of covariance with five outcome variables …

Improving Instructional Leadership: A Multi-Case Study Of Principal Perspectives On Formal Evaluations, Brenda Chacon-Robles

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In a time when public schools continue to be scrutinized, school leadership never mattered more in order to exercise school reform. This qualitative study examined how five principals working in an urban school district perceived their evaluation and how it contributed to their practice. I applied a descriptive case study approach. Evaluations can be intended to find "the best way" to do things overall, to discover a better way to do things in a particular situation, or to develop practitioners' abilities to respond and adapt in different ways (Shaw, 2006). The instructional leadership piece provides insight to what it takes …

Experiences Of Military-Trained Educational Leaders: Transference Of Military Leadership Skills To Public School Administration In Texas, Kristopher Johnson

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The influence of military-trained educational leaders on education is a growing topic in educational research. Troops to Teachers and Teach for America contribute to former military service members transitioning to K-12 education. Military service members possess unique experiences and talents that make them attractive to local school districts. They contribute many experiences as employees: they follow the rules, are hardworking and loyal, and demonstrate leadership qualities. Other factors, not in direct relation to teaching include maturity, worldviews, experiences, self-reflection, ability to make a difference, and the diversity of military who want to teach.

The purpose of this qualitative research was …

A Narrative Inquiry Of Experiences Of Validation Of Graduate Students In Economics, Eva Ximena Quintana

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of students in a graduate Economics program located at a predominantly Hispanic-serving institution using narrative research design, a methodology that is not used in economics literature. The research question that guided the study was: How are graduate students validated throughout the process of their graduate education at a Master's in Economics program at a predominantly Hispanic-serving institution? The researcher interviewed 3 graduate women economics students, and 3 graduate men economics students to ensure triangulation of data. After conducting the study it became apparent that graduate women economics students and graduate …

Public School Based Early Childhood Teachers' Beliefs And Their Approaches To Curriculum: A Naturalistic Case Study, Jessica D. Slade

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study explores the beliefs about teaching approaches and classroom practices of public school-based early childhood pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers on the U.S. -Mexico border. Additionally, introduced in this work is a new framework for making visible the belief and practices of classroom teachers, as well as theories and approaches to Early Childhood Education, called the process-product continuum. This naturalist multi-case study utilized semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, artifact collection, and construction of visual timelines from three participants; participant narratives are presented, classroom practices and belief statements are analyzed, and mapped on the process-product continuum. Findings indicate that in addition to …

A Case Study Using Systems Theory For Understanding The Institutionalization Process Of Engineering Certificate Programs In A Public Texas University, Michele Carolynn Williams

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A case study involving practices supporting the institutionalization process of graduate engineering certificate programs in a Texas public university, and the factors that influence their institutionalization was viewed through a systems theory lens. Although certificate programs have increased in popularity, research on the topic has to date been limited. Engineering certificate programs have served as a convenient mid-career educational niche model for closing gaps between technological knowledge growth and professional practice know how. The data was collected in eighteen semi-structured interviews, along with document reviews and observations. Organized in three themes, the data analyses yielded a list of practices and …

Motivators And Demotivators Of Dominican Immigrant High School Esl Students In Puerto Rico, Luis A. Amador

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem is that Dominican student immigrants enrolling in Puerto Rican high

schools need to be English proficient and the English as second language program (ESL)

is not effectively supporting these students to develop English proficiency to graduate

from the target high school. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand

the perceptions of Dominican immigrant ESL students regarding motivators and

demotivators in ESL classes to develop English proficiency at the target site. Using

Krashen's conceptual framework, students' perceptions of motivators and demotivators

regarding ESL classes, and their suggestions for improving the ESL instruction were

explored. A qualitative …

Engagement Factors Impacting First-Year Persistence Of Hispanic And Non-Hispanic Students In Idaho Community Colleges, Kimberly May Scheffer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although minority students are enrolling in community colleges at increasing rates, these students also leave at higher rates than their non-minority counterparts. The purpose of this quantitative study was to understand the relationship between selected antecedents of educational engagement and student persistence and to examine how persistence varied for first-year Hispanic and non-Hispanic students in Idaho community colleges. Drawing from Kahu's holistic approach, which conceptualizes students' engagement as arising from an interrelationship between institutional and student characteristics, this study surveyed 132 first-semester Idaho community college students. A MANOVA was used to identify the relationship between variables representing aspects of student …

Challenges To Student Success In An Introductory Music Theory I Course, Megan Darby

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A state college in the mid-Atlantic United States requires a music theory course for 4 of its undergraduate music programs. In the 6 years prior to this study, students had difficulty with the course, with many failing or withdrawing. Tinto's theory of student retention served as the foundation of the conceptual framework for this study, the purpose of which was to identify challenges to successfully completing the course. This purpose was reflected in the study's driving research question focused on students' experiences regarding challenges to success. In this instrumental case study, 12 students and 2 instructors participated in individual interviews, …

Factors Deterring Male Enrollment In Higher Education In Barbados, Debbie Samantha Bovell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Barbados, a small island in the Caribbean, is experiencing the challenge of low male enrollment in higher education (HE). The research indicated that this problem, left unaddressed, could undermine the development of men, their families, and communities. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to provide insight into the dispositional, institutional, and situational factors deterring young men who acquired the requisite number of certificates for entry to HE but did not enroll. The theoretical frameworks used to ground this study were Cross's chain of response theory, Bourdieu's social capital theory, and Knowles' theory of andragogy. The research questions addressed …

Relationship Between Policy Expectations And Education Outcomes In A Midwestern School District, Latonya Latamore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A financially secure public school district can provide children with an educational foundation that will eventually transition them into self-sufficient employed adults. These adults will become tax-paying citizens who will contribute to their local economies. The problem with one midwestern public school district is that a history of financial insecurity has affected the district's ability to provide students with all of the programs to which they are entitled. Using Baumgartner and Jones' conceptualization of punctuated equilibrium as the theoretical foundation, the purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the relationship between aspects of the Local Financial Stability and Choice …

Teacher Perceptions Of Self-Determination, Students With Disabilities, And Peer Advocates, Andrea Charmaine Mcdonald

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Self-determination and self-advocacy skills, necessary for students to successfully transition to secondary education and beyond, are often missing in students with disabilities. These skills are an important part of the process of addressing transition in an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The purpose of this case study was to gain an understanding of general education teachers' perceptions about self-determination and self-advocacy skills in students with disabilities. Guided by Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory, this study examined general education teachers' perceptions about self-determination and self-advocacy skills in students with disabilities, and attempted to determine how these skills changed after students with disabilities …

Improving Attendance In An Undergraduate Business Program At A For-Profit College, Erica Schacht

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At a small for-profit college located outside of New York City, declining classroom attendance over the last few years has become a serious concern in the business program. Poor attendance is one of the major causes for enrollment dropping and poor student retention. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify factors that influence student attendance. The study was based on Tinto's (1975) model of student integration and Nora and Cabrera's (1996) student adjustment model, which relates environmental influences on student retention. The research questions were used to investigate why students attend or do not attend classes, and …