Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

A Study Of Cooperative Learning At The High School Level, Lisabeth S. Margulus

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to answer the following research questions:

1. Which teacher skills are necessary to implement effective teamwork in a classroom?

2. What kind of learning environment is optimal for implementing effective teamwork in a classroom?

3. In classrooms using teamwork, does greater student achievement occur than in classrooms not using teamwork?

The study outlined the specific teacher skills and described the optimal learning environment for implementing cooperative strategies in high school classrooms. To address the third question , an experimental study was conducted in which sixty-four 10th-,11th-, and 12th-grade Business Applications and Technology students in …

A Comparative Study Of High And Low Achieving Inner-City African-American Sophomore Males’ Expectations Of Self, In-School And Out-Of-School Support, John L. Jackson Sr.

Dissertations

Academic and personal successes and failures of young inner-city African- American males are invariably linked to the dynamics of family life, societal acceptance, economic and political opportunities and participation, and cultural expressions and peculiarities. Additionally, there may be other important factors, such as personal meanings, present and projected insecurities, differing values, hopes, and so forth, which may be highly contributive to determining the extent to which these youngsters perceive their chances of succeeding in the larger society. The implication here is that academic and other life successes are not only depended on individual responsibility and commitment, but also the supportive …

Spatial Visualization And Leadership In Teaching Multiview Orthographic Projection: An Alternative To The Glass Box, Mark A. Curtis

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of using one instructional method versus another in teaching multi view orthographic projection to college students possessing varied spatial visualization abilities. Two instructional methods were used: (1) the traditional hinged glass box method and (2) an unconventional method in which an object is placed in the middle of a bowl/ hemispheric shape where the front view of the object is seen by looking directly into the bowl. Other views are developed by sliding the object along the surface of the bowl until they are at right angle to the viewer's …

The Effect Of Leadership Styles On Hospital Labor Productivity, Anthony R. Tersigni

Dissertations

This research examined hospital management leadership style and its effects on hospital labor productivity . Information derived from this research will be useful in the education and training of future health care executives and in the continuing education of those responsible for the day-to-day operations of general acute hospitals.

The hypothesis that was researched in the study was that high consideration/high structure and high consideration/low structure leadership styles would increase productivity in hospital employees who are in the middle stages of organizational development. This was operationally defined in the alternate hypothesis as a relationship between productivity as measured by the …

Frequency Of Job Skills Deemed Critical By Employers Appearing On The Individualized Education Plans (Ieps) Of Moderately Retarded Students, Linda Dagen Mccrea

Dissertations

The successful employment of moderately retarded students is dependent upon an educational program which is focused upon employment as an expected outcome. The purpose of this study was to examine the relative frequency that work-related skills deemed critical by employers appear on the exiting Individualized Education Plans (lEPs) of moderately retarded students (i.e., those labeled trainable mentally impaired students [TMI] in the state of Michigan).

An extensive literature review was conducted and found 49 job skills and/or work behaviors that employers view as critical for job success. An expert group sorted these critical job skills into three work-related behavior categories. …

Developing Language Through A Musical Program And Its Effect On The Reading Achievement Of Spanish Speaking Migrant Children, Dora Dominguez

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a language development program that uses music as a medium of instruction on the reading achievement of Spanish speaking migrant children. Fifty-one preschool aged subjects from a Title I (Michigan Department of Education, 1987) Summer Migrant Education Program participated in the study.

The subjects were randomly divided into 2 groups. They were provided oral language instruction to help them acquire the language of the basal readers. In other words, the vocabulary and language patterns found in a basal reading program were built into the daily language lessons. In the …

Using Technology To Improve Equity Of Curriculum Access For Students In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Herbert L. Harroun

Dissertations

In this study, the curriculum offerings available to students attending 50 of the 54 high schools in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (U .P .) that responded to the survey were compared to the offerings identified as requisites of a modern comprehensive Michigan high school, particularly in the areas of English and communications skills , social studies, mathematics, science, and foreign languages. Upper Peninsula student enrollment levels in those core curriculum areas in 1989-90 were analyzed to determine the impact the adoption of the course study recommendations in the Michigan K-12 Program Standards of Quality (Michigan State Board of Education, 1987) throughout …

Faculty Satisfaction With Their Position Functions Of Teaching, Research, And Service Across Venezuelan Teacher Colleges, Ana Gil-Garcia Serafin

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was (a) to investigate the interrelations of faculty satisfaction with the functions of teaching with research and service, and research with service across Venezuelan teacher colleges, and (b) to determine if there were significant differences between faculty satisfaction with their position functions relative to teaching, research, and service across teacher college campuses of Venezuela. Randomly selected full-time faculty members from the Universidad Pedagogica Experimental Libertador, composed of seven branches, were the sample (N^ = 234). The satisfaction of faculty regarding teaching, research, and service were compared across different capital city, state capital city, and rural …

The Academic Coordinator Of Clinical Education In Physical Therapist Educational Programs, Norene Clouten

Dissertations

In physical therapist educational programs the faculty member responsible for the clinical education portion of the curriculum is the Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education (ACCE). The factors that attract individuals to the career of ACCE and that influence them either to leave or remain in the position are of interest and concern to those planning for the future of the profession. The purpose of this study is to gather information about the career of the ACCE. The study was designed to determine the: (a) Personal characteristics and occupational status of ACCEs, (b) preparations made for the career of ACCE, (c) …

A Replication Of The National Association Of Secondary School Principals Study Of High School Principals And Their Schools In Michigan, Helen M. Potoczak

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to replicate in part and with revisions in the state of Michigan the 1987 National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) study of high school principals and their schools (Pellicer, Anderson, Keefe, Kelley, & McCleary, 1988). The research questions were (a) to determine if the personal and professional characteristics of high school principals in Michigan were similar to those throughout the United States; (b) to determine if the data of the national study compared to Michigan in regard to selected demographics and job related tasks of principals; and (c) to determine when the data …

Performance Evaluation In Athletic Training: Perceptions Of Athletic Trainers And Their Supervisors, R. Richard Ray Jr.

Dissertations

Three research questions were investigated in this study: (1) What is the status of performance evaluation as practiced within the profession of athletic training? (2) Do athletic trainers and persons who supervise them share common perceptions regarding the status of performance evaluation in athletic training? (3) Do athletic trainers who work in the four major employment settings share common perceptions regarding performance evaluation? The four major employment settings for athletic trainers are professional athletics, colleges and universities, high schools, and sports medicine clinics. A proportional random sample, stratified by employment group, was selected from the population of all National Athletic …

The Relationship Between School Readiness Placement And Student Achievement, Jayne Mohr

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between school readiness placement and student achievement. A descriptive comparison in first grade of the three student groups placed in kindergarten (K, n = 194), developmental kindergarten (DK, n = 58) or waived to kindergarten (WK, n = 25) was completed.

Math and reading scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) were analyzed through an analysis of variance and Tukey/Kramer post hoc analysis. The relationship between level of education of the mother (LEM) and total reading and math ITBS scores was measured with a Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient. …

Standardized Testing Practices: A Comparison Of Michigan Public School Districts From 1976 To 1986, Richard J. Syrek

Dissertations

In 1976 and again in 1986, surveys were completed by participating school districts in the state of Michigan pertaining to the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) (developed by the Michigan Department of Education and published annually) testing. The findings of these two surveys are compared in this study.

A comparison of testing practices over a 10-year period can reflect educational changes in Michigan. The purposes of this study were to compare changes, if any, which occurred between 1976 and 1986 in the areas of the uses of MEAP data; personnel involved in testing programs; personnel involved in the development, review, …

A Study Of Variables That Attract Certified Special Education Substitute Teachers To Selected Urban School Districts In The State Of Michigan, Patsy Ann Fox

Dissertations

Demand and supply of certified special education substitute teachers in the Middle Cities Education Association in Michigan was examined to determine the difference between supply and demand and to describe the factors that attract these teachers to substitute teach in the public schools.

A four-item letter of inquiry was used to acquire information from the membership of the Middle Cities Education Association in regards to supply and demand. Twenty-eight usable returns were received for a 100% response rate.

Questionnaires were distributed to certified special education substitute teachers in 19 school districts. The questionnaire consisted of two parts. Seventeen items related …

Variables Related To Faculty Attitudes Towards Computing At Western Michigan University, Marianne P. Vakalis

Dissertations

The purpose of this study were: (a) to describe characteristics of faculty at Western Michigan University who hold favorable or unfavorable attitudes towards computing with respect to the 13 variables used in previous research; (b) to investigate other selected variables which could be used to describe faculty who are likely to have favorable attitudes towards computing at Western on which little, if any, research has been reported in the literature; and (c) to develop implications of findings for identifying possible interventions with faculty who hold unfavorable attitudes towards computing at Western Michigan University.

A Computing Favorability Scale (Shields, 1984), used …

Extension Of The Audio-Visual Combination Discrimination Test, Valerie R. Davine

Masters Theses

The Audio-Visual Combination (AVC) scale (Kerr, Meyerson, & Flora, 1977) was developed to assess basic discrimination skills in the developmentally disabled population. Acquisition of such skills has been demonstrated to follow a progressive pattern. The existing AVC test assesses discrimination skills in the following hierarchy: Imitation, Position, Visual, Match-To-Sample, Auditory, and Auditory- Visual Combination. This investigation attempted to discover transitional skills between the Match-To-Sample and the Auditory levels. Twenty-four developmentally disabled adults were tested using the original AVC tool with the addition of four new discrimination tasks that were added to the existing scale to ascertain a finer gradation of …

Members Of Minority Student Organizations And Their Perceptions Of Their Academic And Social Integration, Oris Tamaria Griffin

Dissertations

Hundreds of studies of student retention have been conducted at colleges and universities over the years, and invariably they have focused on identifying student characteristics and other factors related to retention, as well as on causes of attrition which can help us identify ways to improve this situation.

Importantly the literature on student retention has identified academic and social integration as playing key roles in student retention, although admittedly some studies have shown more promise on these variables than others.

The purpose of this study was to determine if members of any one of three organizational types (social, professional, ethnic) …

Causes Of Juvenile Delinquency In Jordan, Ayed A. Irfaifeh

Dissertations

This dissertation sought to examine the extent to which a set of social bonding factors were helpful in preventing delinquency in the Jordanian society. A sample of 147 juveniles (male eleventh-graders) from seven public high schools in the Tafielah Covernate and its localities completed a self-reported survey. Their answers were useful in ascertaining whether or not Hirschi's (1969) social control theory was indeed applicable cross-culturally, especially in a society dissimilar to the United States. Within the theoretical confines of Hirschi's theory, the descriptive data suggest that Jordanian youth have similar cultural beliefs, values, attitudes, and affiliation to the convention order …

Perceptions Of Leadership Styles Of Principals In The Archdiocese Of Detroit, Denise Seymour

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the congruence of perceptions of ideal and real leadership behavior of principals in Catholic elementary and high schools located in the Archdiocese of Detroit. The Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaire (Halpin, 1957a), (LBDQ) developed through the College of Administrative Sciences at Ohio State University, was used. An instrument developed by the researcher was used to collect data on age, gender, experience and religious or lay status of principals and teachers.

The data were analyzed using the SAS Package for the IBM 4341 utilizing the CMS operating system at Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo) Statistical …

The Effectiveness Of A Structured Tutoring Program Used With Migrant Students, Cortland L. Hillman

Dissertations

Among the circumstances that plague migrant students are mobility, poverty, low expectations, educational fragmentation, and cultural alienation. A typical migrant student might attend as many as three or more schools per year. More than 50% of all migrant students drop out of school, a figure nearly twice the national average for all other U.S. students. Ninety percent or more of all migrant students follow their parents into a lifetime of employment as field workers. The cost to the migrant student of not being academically successful is a life of limited opportunity.

In this study a structured tutoring program in reading …

Parent, Student, And Teacher Perceptions Of Discipline Problems In The Middle School, Marilyn J. Giannangeli

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of parents, students, and teachers relative to specific, documented behavioral problems which occur in the middle school environment. Of particular interest were the perceptions of the frequency with which these behaviors occurred, whether these perceptions correlated with the actual frequencies as documented by formal dismissal referrals, and the perceptions of appropriateness of referral to a school administrator of these behaviors.

The sample group consisted of 230 students, 25 teachers, and 230 parents from a selected middle school in Macomb County, located in southeastern Michigan. The instrument used for data collection …

An Investigation Of Elementary Teachers' Self-Perception Of Burnout While Participating In A Professional Development Change Process, Lana L. Callihan

Dissertations

Teachers are experiencing pressures from the demands of educational change required in their profession. The quality of education is reflected by the competency of the teacher. The research suggests that efforts should be directed toward identifying a process for change that will reduce the feelings of burnout which block the energy and enthusiasm needed for change.

This study investigated the question, "Does involvement in a professional development process modify a teacher's perceived feelings of burnout?" The professional development models studied were the Collaborative Curriculum and Professional Development Process (CCPDP), Instructional Theory Into Practice (ITIP), and the Michigan School Improvement Process …

Perceptions And Evaluations Of University Principal Preparation Programs By Michigan Public School Principals, Linda Berk Voit

Dissertations

In this study, Michigan public school principals reported their evaluative perceptions regarding: (a) the degree to which 9 of the 12 generic skills were developed in their university administrator programs, (b) the frequency and effectiveness of the instructional modes used to develop these generic skills, and (c) the ideal instructional modes which are most effective for developing these skills.

Both this replicated study with revisions and the completed Texas A&M University project (Witters-Churchill, 1988) were based upon recommendations made by the National Association of Secondary School Principals' Performance-Based Consortium.

The population of this study, 3,202 principals from Michigan public schools, …

Comparisons Of Learnings From Structured And Nonstructured Visits To A Science Exhibit, Rosario Canizales De Andrade

Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether the use of an activity worksheet during a museum visit to a science exhibit might help students achieve the objectives proposed for the visit. Two types of museum visits were identified: structured and nonstructured. During the structured visit students used the activity worksheet that focused their attention on concepts, displays, and activities presented in the exhibit. During the nonstructured visit, students did not use any attention-focusing device; instead, they interacted with the exhibit according to their own interests and preferences.

Secondary goals of the study were to determine if gender-related …

Comparison Of Five Role Groups Of Michigan Participants In Nassp Assessment Centers, Janice I. Blanck

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were (a) to describe the relationship of job assignment and assessment center performance; (b) to extend the research on the content validity of the NASSP Assessment Center Project (Schmitt et al., 1982); and (c) to determine if there were statistically significant differences among five role groups of Michigan educators for each of the 12 NASSP Assessment Center skill dimensions and the overall ratings. A one-way parametric analysis of variance was used to determine the significant differences among mean scores for the five role groups of elementary, middle, and high school teachers; assistant principals; and quasi-administrators. …

An Alternative Model For School District Organization In Michigan, William M. Johanns

Dissertations

School districts should be organized in an efficient manner while also being equitable to all. Reorganization of school districts could help meet these criteria. At present Michigan has 529 school districts varying in size from 75 to 200,000 students. Due to the large variation in number of students in districts, it is very difficult to achieve equity. During the period 1940 to 1964, progress toward equity occurred when school district reorganizations dropped the number of districts from 6,239 to 545. But since that time few reorganizations have taken place; consequently, Michigan residents continue to bear a high cost in efficiency …

The Relationship Of Supplemental Instruction And Final Grades Of Students Enrolled In High-Risk Courses, Sally A. Pryor

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant relationship between attendance at Supplemental Instruction (SI) and final course grades. This study focused on a program where only undergraduate students led SI sessions. The subjects were 268 students enrolled in three high-risk science courses at a public university in the Midwest during fall semester 1988.

Three research hypotheses were investigated: (1) There is a significant relationship between level of attendance at SI and final course grades. (2) Students who attend SI earn significantly higher final course grades than students who do not attend SI. (3) There …

A Study Of The Relationship Of Class Size And Student Achievement On The Michigan Educational Assessment Program Fourth Grade Test, Ralph Burde

Dissertations

In this study the relationship and differences in student achievement and class size were investigated. The population of the study was the 111,199 students who completed the fall 1988 Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP, Michigan State Board of Education, 1988) fourth grade test. The MEAP is a criterion referenced test and is the state of Michigan's only achievement test.

The independent variable of the study was class size. The dependent variables of the study were student achievement as measured by the students' fall 1988 MEAP reading, mathematics, and combined reading and mathematics test scores. The hypothesis of the study, supported …

The Effects Of School Size And Leadership Style On Teacher Job Satisfaction, Jon C. Haezebrouck

Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of school size and the principal's leadership style on teacher job satisfaction. Also studied was the relationship between leadership style and school size. Three standard control variables-sex, age, and ethnicity-were investigated to see if the sample showed any significant differences in satisfaction levels. A random sample was taken from 525 Michigan public high schools and their principals. The objectives of this study were to provide schools or school districts with criteria that could be used to make changes that maximize the achievement of both organizational and individual goals and to provide principals with information about …

Industrial Applicability Of The Joint Committee's Personnel Evaluation Standards, Michael Jay Orris

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine the degree to which The Personnel Evaluation Standards developed by the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation (1988) were applicable and could be applied in a specific industrial setting. Strengths and weaknesses of a specific corporate evaluation process were examined by using the Standards and guidelines within the Standards as a benchmark. The Standards were also used to recommend possible improvements in the design and development of the system.

The method used to apply the standards was patterned from the five steps outlined in "A General Approach to Applying the Standards" …