Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Effects Of The Afterschool Program On Student Achievement Of Students With Disabilities In A Rural Georgia Middle School, Constance Franklin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative nonexperimental causal comparative research study is to determine if there is a statistically significant difference in reading and math achievement as measured by the Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) for sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students with disabilities (SWD) who attended the afterschool program of one rural Georgia middle school when compared to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade SWD who did not attend the program. The results of this research are important because they will identify practices used in the specified afterschool program to improve the academic achievement of SWD. A quantitative research method using …

Comparing Traditional And Year-Round Academic Calendars In Regard To Student Achievement In Two Virginia High Schools: Is There A Difference?, Gregory Morin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined possible differences between a traditional and a year-round academic calendar with regard to student achievement in two suburban high schools in northern Virginia. This study’s importance derives from the fact that additional exploration is needed in order to more fully explore the potential loss of learned knowledge and diminished retention and recall of instructional material in students who experience an extended summer vacation period as part of a traditional school calendar. The purpose of this non-experimental, ex post facto, causal-comparative study was to test the theory of German psychologist, Hermann Ebbinghaus, called the spacing effect as it …

Impact Of Integrated Science And English Language Arts Literacy Supplemental Instructional Intervention On Science Academic Achievement Of Elementary Students, Jamar Marks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quasi-experimental, nonequivalent pretest-posttest control group design study was to determine if any differences existed in upper elementary school students’ science academic achievement when instructed using an 8-week integrated science and English language arts literacy supplemental instructional intervention in conjunction with traditional science classroom instruction as compared to when instructed using solely traditional science classroom instruction. The targeted sample population consisted of fourth-grade students enrolled in a public elementary school located in the southeastern region of the United States. The convenience sample size consisted of 115 fourth-grade students enrolled in science classes. The pretest and posttest academic …

Integrating Google Apps And Google Chromebooks Into The Core Curriculum: A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experience Of Public School Teachers, Paula Bartolo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of public school teachers using Google Suite for Education with Google Chromebooks integrated into the core curriculum. With the adoption of Common Core standards by 46 states, the increased use of technology has occurred due to standards that integrate technology. Google has created a free cloud-based educational suite for K-12 and Higher education institutions. The central research question that guided the study was: How do grade 4-8 public school core content teachers perceive the experience of using Google Suite for Education with Chromebooks in the classroom? The theory …

A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Exploration Of The Impact Of Technology On The Collaborative Practices Of Rural Middle School Teachers, Kimberli Dailey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study described the impact of collaboration and technology-based communication on the professional experiences of rural middle school classroom teachers. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used to determine if technology-based tools, such as online discussion boards, email, social networking sites, and short message service (SMS) texting has made an impact on instructional collaboration for rural middle school teachers. The theory guiding this study was connectivism (Siemens, 2005) as it addresses the concept that in the digital age knowledge is stored outside the learner and distributed knowledge as it relates to the connections formed between individuals and/or networks (Downes, 2005, …

Translanguaging Supports Reading With Deaf Adult Bilinguals: A Qualitative Approach, Dan Hoffman, Ju-Lee Wolsey, Jean Andrews, Diane Clark

The Qualitative Report

Translanguaging is a pedagogical theory and an approach to teaching language. It conceptualizes the dynamic ways in which bilinguals use their linguistic repertoire and language practices in both languages for learning, meaning-making, reading, and writing. This study reports on the results of a qualitative study using Grounded Theory. The research question posed was, “what insights do bilingual Deaf readers provide regarding their metalinguistic processes and reading strategies used during translanguaging? To answer this question, responses were gathered from Deaf adults who were interviewed on their language and literacy histories. Further, they were queried about their reading comprehension practices using translanguaging. …

The Learning Experience Of Graduate Nursing Students: Content Analysis, Parand Pourghane, Maryam Rajab Pour Nikfam, Fazlollah Ahmadi

The Qualitative Report

Learning is also considered as an important which can create changes in individuals’ knowledge, attitude, values, and feelings. As learning requires a new conceptual framework where one can take decisions in which change and innovation manifests, it is evident that this conceptual realization is only possible through a qualitative research. The present study aims to explore and justify graduate nursing students’ learning experience.The present study is a conventional qualitative content analysis research which was conducted in 27 graduate nursing students studying in Guilan university of Medical sciences in Iran. The study population was selected through purposive sampling, and the data …

The Effect Of Socioeconomic Status And Gender On High School Student Perceptions About Career And Technical Education, Briael Chadwell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study examines the perceptions of career and technical education (CTE) among high school students based on their socioeconomic status and gender, and the interaction between the two. The study used a convenience sample of 207 students from four coastal South Carolina high schools. The data was collected using the Image of Vocational Education (IVE) survey. The data was analyzed using a two-way ANOVA. The results found that low socioeconomic status, middle socioeconomic status, high socioeconomic status all had positive perceptions of CTE; female and male had no differences in perception; and there is no interaction. The summary and …

Academic Dishonesty In The Digital Age From The Perspective Of Rural High School General Education Teachers In Southwest Ohio: A Phenomenological Study, Nathan Hamblin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe high school general education teachers’ experiences with academic dishonesty in the digital age in rural school districts in southwest Ohio. Academic dishonesty in the digital age is defined as student use of digital technologies to receive credit for academic work beyond their own ability or their willingness to attempt said work. The guiding research questions formulated investigate four areas of the phenomenon that include how teachers experience academic dishonesty, how they define it, how their role has evolved, and the connection of this experience to their pedagogy. The foundational theory that …

Narrating Neoliberalism: Alternative Education Teachers’ Conceptions Of Their Changing Roles, Noah Asher Golden

Education Faculty Articles and Research

The signifier ‘alternative’ in education has largely shifted from progressive or humanizing pedagogies to deficit framings requiring alternate graduation criteria. This development is part of broader neoliberal educational reform efforts that disrupt longstanding conceptions of teachers’ roles. This study serves to investigate long-term teachers’ understandings of their shifting roles in one secondary-level alternative education program in New York City. Specifically, this narrative analysis study explores participating teachers’ meanings around agency and their ability to form the relationships that they argue are central to meaningful pedagogies. Findings demonstrate a sense of loss regarding teacher agency and relationships, and a belief that …

“That’S Why I Say Stay In School”: Black Mothers’ Parental Involvement, Cultural Wealth, And Exclusion In Their Son’S Schooling, Quaylan Allen, Kimberly A. White-Smith

Education Faculty Articles and Research

This study examines parental involvement practices, the cultural wealth, and school experiences of poor and working-class mothers of Black boys. Drawing upon data from an ethnographic study, we examine qualitative interviews with four Black mothers. Using critical race theory and cultural wealth frameworks, we explore the mothers’ approaches to supporting their sons’ education. We also describe how the mothers and their sons experienced exclusion from the school, and how this exclusion limited the mothers’ involvement. We highlight their agency in making use of particular forms of cultural wealth in responding to the school’s failure of their sons.

Entertainment-Education Videos As A Persuasive Tool In The Substance Use Prevention Intervention "Keepin' It Real", Youngju Shin, Michelle Miller-Day, Michael L. Hecht, Janice L. Krieger

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Based on social cognitive theory and narrative engagement theory, the current study examined hypothesized indirect effects of engagement with keepin’ it REAL (kiR) curriculum entertainment–education (E–E) videos on youth alcohol use via youth drug offer refusal efficacy. Students in 7th grade (N = 1,464) at 25 public schools in two Midwestern states were randomly assigned to one of the two versions of the kiR curriculum, the kiR urban version and the kiR rural version. Each version had their own set of five culturally-grounded E–E videos depicting communicative skills to refuse drug offers. Differential effects for engagement components …

Teachers' Perceptions Of School Climate In High Performing Schools And Low Performing Schools, Briget Ethier

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, causal comparative research study was to determine if there was a significant difference in teachers’ perceptions of school climate between high performing schools and low performing schools. The study investigated teachers’ perceptions of overall school climate, collaboration, decision-making, instructional innovation, student relations, and school resources. Data was collected from 75 teachers in three high performing schools and 75 teachers in three low performing schools from one school district. The Revised School Level Environment Questionnaire (Revised SLEQ) was the instrument utilized in the study to measure teachers’ perceptions of overall school climate in addition to the …

Neighborhood Strategizing: Understanding Community Collaborations Within California Bay Area Public Schools, Windi Hazzard

Master's Projects and Capstones

For the better half of a century, education policy has been guided by economics and profit. One after another, every U.S. president since the 1960s has championed legislation that reflects neoliberal ideals of competition and profitable skills. Through the standardization of the public school system, education has become a marketplace rather than an environment for cultivating empowered learners and critical thinkers. The purpose of this field project is to show how communities are challenging the current education system in order to influence education policy in San Francisco, California. I interviewed four participants from two organizations that advocate parents’ rights as …

Unemployment, Does It Really Hurt?, Claudia Vargas

Theses and Dissertations

This paper analyzes the consequences of changes in the unemployment rate in Colombia on the level of education attained for adolescents. Increases in the unemployment rate are associated with an increase in the average number of years of education. No significant effect was found for men of the same age.

A Causal Comparative Study On The Effect Of Proficiency-Based Education On School Climate, Kay York

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

his quantitative, causal comparative study sought to determine if proficiency-based education has an effect on school climate. With sweeping school reform across the United States, educators are seeking ways to improve student achievement and maintain a positive school climate. This study consisted of 87 teachers in proficiency-based high schools and 125 teachers in non-proficiency-based high schools in New England who were emailed the Secondary School Climate Assessment Instrument (SCAI-S-G). Data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics computed for each teacher group through SPSS. SPSS was also used to conduct separate t tests for each of the eight domains of the SCAI-S-G …

The Effect Of Advanced Placement Or International Baccalaureate Exam Scores Upon College Gpa And College Choice, Daniel Farmer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative, causal-comparative and correlational study analyzed students’ academic performance in college based on whether the student was classified as an International Baccalaureate student, an Advanced Placement student, or a non-accelerated student (those who did not participate in IB or AP) and how that choice of academic program affected the type of college a student chose. The study used data obtained from Florida’s Education Data Warehouse (EDW). A stratified sample of 10,006 students was used to analyze college GPA performance and survey responses from 128,223 students were analyzed to determine the effect on college choice. The college grade point averages …

Exploring The Experiences Of Combat Veterans’ Degree Attainment In Online Higher Education: A Phenomenological Study, Ester Warren

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the essence of the experiences of combat veterans with significant combat exposure who successfully completed their bachelor’s degree through a private online program despite the presence of challenges related and unrelated to their combat exposure. For the purpose of this study, combat veteran was generally defined as a veteran of the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or National Guard who served in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), or Operation New Dawn (OND). In addition, significant combat exposure was indicated by a score of “light-moderate” to …

The System For Teacher And Student Advancement And Embedded Professional Development: A Case Study, Laconti Bryant

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of educators who participated in The System for Teacher and Student Achievement (TSTSA) and ongoing, applied professional development at multiple school sites in The School District of the Southwest. The guiding theories guiding this study were Knowles’ Adult Learning Theory and Mezirow’s Transformational Learning Theory to understand their experiences and perceptions about participating TSTSA and ongoing, applied professional growth for a minimum of three years. Participants in this study took part in face-to-face field interviews. In addition, documentation, direct observations, and participant observations were considered, compared, …

Socialized Leader Development: A Phenomenological Study Of The College Army Rotc Student Perspective And Experience, Ammon Campbell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine leader development within the college Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) in order to understand from the participating cadets’ perspectives, the leader development experience. The study focused on the following central research question: How do participants view and interpret their collegiate Army ROTC leadership development experience? Guiding theories for this study were Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory (1978), Bandura’s social learning theory (1977) and Tajfel’s identity theory (1982). The study involved twelve college seniors involved at three distinct universities; the data related to their experience as leaders and was collected through reflective journals, …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Transitioning From A Professional Career In Health Information Management To Teaching In Higher Education, Mildred Norris

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of faculty in Health Information Technology (HIT) programs as they transitioned from working in their field of expertise to become a teacher in the accredited HIT associate degree programs. The intended sample size, pending saturation, was comprised of 10 HIT faculty members at five colleges in the southeastern United States. Schlossberg’s (1981) transition theory is used to guide this study; it is a thematic approach, which can be used to identify the factors which affect people as they make transitions. The expectancy-value theory, conceptualized by Atkinson (1957), utilized …

The Effects Of Case-Based Instruction On Undergraduate Biology Students’ Understanding Of The Nature Of Science, Amy Burniston

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Undergraduate science education is currently seeing a dramatic pedagogical push towards teaching the philosophies underpinning science as well as an increase in strategies that employ active learning. Many active learning strategies stem from constructivist ideals and have been shown to affect a student’s understanding of how science operates and its impact on society- commonly referred to as the nature of science (NOS). One particular constructivist teaching strategy, case-based instruction (CBI), has been recommended by researchers and science education reformists as an effective instructional strategy for teaching NOS. Furthermore, when coupled with explicit-reflective instruction, CBI has been found to significantly increasing …

A Case Study Of Black Students' Education And Socialization Since Public School Closure In Prince Edward County Virginia, Jeffrey Scales

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to explore the concerns about lower academic and social achievement of current Black students in Prince Edward County Public Schools where many local citizens believe were the results of public schools closing for five years from 1959-1964 and forced court ordered reopening. This single instrument qualitative study was conducted to gather greater knowledge from participants who had firsthand knowledge of the extended closure of public schools or reopening of schools over 50 years ago from former students, and community leaders. This researcher utilized face-to-face interviews, focus groups and extensive historical documentation to explore …

A Well-Rounded Experience: Connecting The Home Campus To The Study Abroad Experience And The Study Abroad Experience To The Home Campus, Mary Aurora Grandinetti

Capstone Collection

Many small liberal arts colleges across the United States partner with third-party providers or foreign institutions to provide their students with an opportunity to study abroad. Denison University, a small liberal arts school in Ohio, traditionally sends 50% of its student body to study abroad before they graduate. Since students have the option to spend a semester or two participating in study abroad, it is important for the students to be well prepared, for the experience to be integrated into their overall Denison education and for the students to transition back to campus successfully. To determine how students were preparing …

The Relationship Between A Community Of Inquiry And Transformative Learning, Patrick Dempsey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

To prepare learners for success in the 21st century, institutes of higher education must provide students with meaningful learning opportunities, including participation in discourse and critical reflection. The community of inquiry framework describes the elements necessary to create collaborative, online learning environments, while transformative learning describes the content and outcomes of meaningful learning. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study of 242 online, graduate MBA students from a business school in Maryland, was to measure the relationship between a community of inquiry and transformative learning in online, graduate business courses. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to analyze scores from …

Elementary Teachers' Participation In Edmodo As A Community Of Practice: A Phenomenology, Cynthia Reasoner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the shared, lived experience of elementary teachers’ participation in Edmodo as a community of practice. The theoretical framework guiding this research included Lave and Wenger’s (1991) community of practice theory and Bandura’s social learning theory (1977, 1984) which explained how learning through participation and observation occurs among teachers involved in learning communities. Social constructivism (Bruner, 1996; Piaget, 1971; Vygotsky, 1978) and adult learning theories (Mezirow, 1991, 1995; Knowles, 1984) also provided understanding as to how adults learn and create knowledge. This study described the lived experience of 10 elementary teachers and …

The Impact Of Project-Based Learning On Collegiate Preparedness, Tanya T. Macmartin

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore and describe collegiate PBL high school student graduates’ perceptions of their preparedness for their first year of college and the impact of how the BIE’s eight essential components of PBL (Larmer & Mergendoller, 2015b) contributed to their first year of college preparedness. A secondary purpose was to explore and describe the alignment of the students’ perceptions of the impact of how the BIE’s eight project-based components (Larmer & Mergendoller, 2015b) contributed to their first year of college preparedness as defined by Conley’s (2012) college readiness indicators.

Methodology: …

Learner-Directed Vs. Instructor-Provided Curriculum Among Undergraduate Students, Christopher D. Martinez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There has been little or no research on the use of a Learning Object in the field of religious studies. The purpose of this research study was to assess undergraduate student knowledge gain outcomes between instructor-provided and learner-directed methods, which is the independent variable, using asynchronous, online, narrated PowerPoint presentations compared to undergraduate student knowledge gain using an online learning-objects unit, in a college-level world religions survey course at St. Petersburg College. This study assessed undergraduate student knowledge gain outcomes between instructor-provided and learner-directed methods among 90 college undergraduate students and determined whether there was a significant difference in the …

The Relationship Between Elementary Teachers' Background In Mathematics, Teaching Self-Efficacy, And Teaching Outcome Expectancy When Implementing The Common Core State Standards, Jennifer Stuart

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this correlation study was to identify a possible relationship between elementary teacher background in mathematics as measured by completed college math credit hours, district-provided professional development hours of training in Common Core math standards, and years of teaching experience, and teacher efficacy in math as measured by personal teaching self efficacy and outcome expectancy. The sample in the present study consisted of 69 elementary (K-5) math teachers in a medium-sized semi-rural district located within a southern state. The data was collected using the Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument (MTEBI), an online survey that was sent to the …

The Effect Of Blended Learning On Math And Reading Achievement In A Charter School Context, Terry Chaney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In spite of its growing popularity, researchers have focused little attention on the effectiveness of combining traditional classroom instruction and online learning, a practice generally referred to as blended learning. The modest research on blended learning to date has tended to focus on higher education, leaving a significant gap in the research regarding K-12 education. Even less attention has been given to blended learning in charter school K-12 education. Framed within Vygotsky’s theory of social development, the purpose of this causal-comparative research study was to determine if there were any significant differences when comparing charter school students who participated in …