Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Understanding The Influence Of Interdisciplinary Research: An Examination Of Carol Hirschon Weiss’S Scholarship, Gregory Dee Greenman Ii

Dissertations

Research evaluation is the subfield of evaluation that examines the processes and products of scientific and technological research. This dissertation explores the case of interdisciplinary research evaluation by reviewing the publications of one of the most influential and highly cited scholars in evaluation, public administration, and knowledge utilization: Carol Hirschon Weiss. As one of the foundational theorists of evaluation, the evaluation perspective of Weiss's work typically pervades discussions. That approach ignores her influence in other fields, particularly her centrality to the knowledge utilization field. Prior research indicates that the influence of interdisciplinary research is challenging to ascertain because research evaluation …

Teacher Perceptions Regarding The Purpose Of K-12 Education, Peter M. Grostic

Dissertations

This study explored the perceptions of teachers regarding the purposes of K-12 education and the influence of belief sources on their perceptions. Purposes of K-12 education and the ways in which they have changed over time are topics for which researchers are concerned (Carpenter, 2005; Labaree, 2013). Addressing this concern, there is existing literature focused on understanding purposes through K-12 school mission statements (Schafft & Biddle, 2014; Stemler & Bebell, 2012), and a multitude of reflections regarding what K-12 education purposes should be (Biesta, 2015; Macallister, 2016; Robinson & Aronica, 2014). Less is known regarding what frontline K-12 education practitioners …

An Empirical Study Of Design Parameters For Planning Two-Level And Three-Level Cluster Randomized Trials To Detect Moderator Effects, Qi Zhang

Dissertations

In the last two decades, we have seen an increasing number of impact studies in education that are designed to detect a meaningful average treatment effect, which answers the what works question. Recently, researchers have started to consider how to expand the design of impact studies to answer questions regarding the treatment effect heterogeneity across different contexts, such as for whom and under what conditions programs work. Answering these questions is imperative in the quest to make evidence-based and context-relevant decisions to improve educational outcomes for all students.

Many of the impact studies utilize a cluster randomized trial (CRT). CRTs …

Assessing Student Employees' Career Readiness, Ewa Urban, Wayne Bond

Assessment Grants

The purpose of this project was to measure, using direct assessment data, student employees’ career readiness competencies gained through campus student employment. Career and Student Employment Services developed and delivered a career readiness certification program to 148 student employees in 14 WMU campus departments. The program was designed to teach students to articulate, through resumes and answers to interview questions, the career readiness competencies required by employers in all industries. These competencies include: critical thinking, communication, teamwork, technology application, leadership, professionalism, career management, and intercultural fluency.

To address the program learning outcomes, students participated in a face-to-face workshop, completed a …

Health Mentors Program, Yvonne Jackson, Debra Lindstrom

Assessment Grants

Three disciplines (Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Physician Assistant) in the College of Health and Human Services at WMU have collaborated to provide interprofessional education experiences for entry level prelicensure students. First year students from the three disciplines were assigned to one of 16 small interprofessional teams for the academic year 2019-20. During this year, the students were expected to meet with their Health Mentors in their groups three times. The fall meeting was a luncheon with all the mentors and their small IPE teams. The spring meeting occurred at a place of the mentors’ choice. Preliminary assessment data from …

Plan It 4-Ward: Assessment Of Student Awareness And Engagement, Andrea E. Bau, Steve Booher, Fanny Hernandez De Alvarez

Assessment Grants

Plan It 4-Ward is a tool that students can use to strategically plan their path to graduation while considering specific areas impacting the overall college experience: Academic, Career, Engagement, Financial, and Well-being. The idea is to plan in multiple areas while continuing to move 4-ward. Plan It 4-Ward is introduced to students in the First-Year Experience course, and students are encouraged to continue use of the tool beyond the first semester. The purpose of this assessment project was to: 1) Identify whether students found the tool useful in their first semester; 2) Understand if students continued to utilize the tool …

Assessing Student Needs To Clear Obstacles For Retention And Persistence, Josh Conley, Kelly Reed

Assessment Grants

The Invisible Need Project works to support WMU students with unmet basic needs. This assessment project was implemented to help gain a better understanding of those needs and barriers faced by current Western students. As a part of this project, three focus groups were held during the Fall 2019 semester. Results found that students who are aware of INP are grateful for what it provides, but much more work can be done around raising awareness, for students and campus as a whole. Additionally, students helped to shed light on other barriers they face, including clothing and transportation. The Invisible Need …

Students Learn About Trauma And Black Adolescents: Integrating Evidence-Based Instruction, Bridget Weller, Winifred Wilson

Assessment Grants

The purpose of this student learning assessment project was to evaluate the impact of integrating evidence-based instructional strategies in a graduate-level course on trauma and black adolescents. We addressed the following questions: (a) How well did the teaching strategies achieve the intended student learning outcomes? And, (b) what particular teaching strategies made a positive impact on student learning? Paired-sample t-test results suggested improvements in student learning outcomes. Results from qualitative analyses indicated students found a workshop approach to integrating evidence-based instructional approaches (e.g., guided notes, concept mapping, group work, in-the-moment feedback, and mini-lectures incorporating research and personal experiences) beneficial.

Engagement Through Wmu Signature: The Student Perspective, Allison Grime, Evan Heiser

Assessment Grants

WMU Signature validates WMU students out-of-class learning experiences to help them stand out to future employers and graduate schools. Through WMU Signature students explore and identify a passion, and then complete a unique experience of putting that passion into action, earning them a designation on their diploma. WMU Signature is built on research showing that co-curricular/extracurricular involvement, especially involvement that includes reflection, increases student’s cognitive and intellectual growth in college, as well as their overall satisfaction and retention. The purpose of this assessment project was to gather student feedback to continue to improve WMU Signature.

An Exploration Of Preschool Choice With Low-Income Families: The Critical Role Of Positive Attitudes, Behavioral Norms And Control Beliefs, Laurel E. Schmitt

Dissertations

Since the 1960s preschool has been seen as a potential equalizer for children of poverty as they enter kindergarten and long term studies of state and federal preschools have documented positive impacts, especially for low-income students. What has yet to be deeply explored is guardians’ decision-making processes to explain the lack of enrollment even when the stated barriers are eliminated (Obi, 2011; Payne, 1994; Swartz, 1996).

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe and interpret, through a phenomenological lens, how low income parents and guardians made decisions to enroll their child or dependent in a preschool program. I …

Parent And Guardian Perspectives Regarding Attendance: Evidence From A Governmental Early Childhood Education And Care Program, Rita L. Cruz Santelises

Dissertations

In 2013, the Dominican government began the implementation of a national plan called Quisqueya Empieza Contigo (QEC) (Exec. Order No. 102, 2013), aimed to fulfill the needs of children zero to five years old holistically. The National Institute of Comprehensive Care (INAIPI, acronym in Spanish) carries two of the most ambitious programs embedded in this national plan. Early Childhood is the governmental institution authorized to carry out this recent intervention. The intervention has increased coverage of early childhood services through two programs: Programmed Comprehensive Family Care centered on the community (Centro de Atención Familiar e Infancia, [CAFI]) and the Comprehensive …

Undergraduate Educational Research Experiences In The Study Of Interior Design, Julia Virginia Pimentel Jiménez

Dissertations

Designers create social constructions (experiences and interactions) for human beings among themselves and with and within interior environments to enhance meaning in people´s lives (Poldma, 2011). Those social constructions are created through the design process developed by the interior designer; that process relies heavily on design research. Therefore, it is at the undergraduate level that the passion for research should start for interior design (ID) students. Faculty in ID programs need to encourage that passion by engage students in meaningful learning experiences such as how to ask questions about users, functions, activities, and aesthetics.

This study explored what types of …

Saudi Arabian Science Teachers And Formative Assessment In The Gender Segregated Male School System, Khalid Abdullah Kariri

Dissertations

Formative assessment is a key pedagogical tool that allows teachers to make instructional assessments in real time for the improvement of student learning. It gives students the opportunity to provide evidence of their learning thus giving teachers assurances that their hard work is not in vain. Formative assessment is commonly practiced in Western schools, while most Saudi science classroom teachers rely on end-of-unit summative assessment. A review of the literature reveals that very little research has been done related to Saudi teachers’ use of formative assessment in science classrooms. The goal of this dissertation was to address this absence of …

Teachers’ Experiences In Schools That Serve Rural Communities In The Dominican Republic: Their Readiness To Respond To Challenges, Nidia Beatriz Columna Pérez

Dissertations

In 2016, the Dominican Institute for Evaluation and Research of Educational Quality (IDEICE), indicated educational inequalities due to the geographical location of schools in the Dominican Republic. Despite several policies enacted by the Ministry of Education, including curriculum and teacher credentialing reforms, success indicators such as completion rates and academic performance still suggest a major achievement gap. Limitations in understanding the unique characteristics of schools that serve student in rural communities contribute to education policies that may not be sufficiently sensitive to those circumstances. One particular area of insufficient understanding is the manner in which teachers experience teaching in schools …

Dominican Nursing Students’ Self-Reported Mastery Of International Nursing Competencies, Wady Ramirez

Dissertations

The Dominican health care system has many challenges to meet the legal and the population’s health care expectations (La Hoz, 2018; United States Agency for International Development, 2013). The purpose of this study was to evaluate how well Dominican nursing students, who have completed their internship but not yet defended their final career project, assessed themselves against a set of international nursing competencies. In addition, the purpose was to explore any differences in their self-assessments based on whether these students completed their internship at public health care centers or not. Finally, the goal was to determine to what extent do …

Master’S And Doctoral Occupational Therapy Students’ Perceptions Of Research Integration In Their Programs, Jeffrey Sargent, Ashley Wermers, Lauren Russo, Kristin Valdes

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

This is a pilot study with the intent of identifying occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) and master’s (MOT) students’ perceptions of research in their coursework. A cross-sectional study was conducted through a survey of OTD and MOT students. The Student Perception of Research Integration Questionnaire (SPRIQ) was emailed to graduate occupational therapy programs in the United States. An unpaired single tailed t-test was used to compare the mean scores between the MOT and OTD student responses for each scale and subscale. Two hundred and twenty-six students filled out the questionnaire. Both the OTD and MOT students had a favorable perception …

Journal Of Communication Pedagogy, Complete Volume, 2020

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

Wiser Assessment: A Communication Program Assessment Framework, Michael G. Strawser, Lindsay Neuberger

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Learning outcome assessment is a fairly recent trend in higher education that began in the 1980s (Lubinescu et al., 2001). Today, many faculty perceive assessment reporting to be tedious, time-consuming, and irrelevant busywork (Wang & Hurley, 2012). Unfortunately, this systematic process created to use empirical evidence to measure, document, and improve student learning has in many cases lost sight of this central goal. As a result, faculty may be justified in their opinions about it. This essay proposes a framework for addressing this thorny issue via WISER. WISER is an acronym for five content pillars of the communication discipline faculty …

The Learning Experiences Of Practicing School Leadership Coaches: A Multiple Case Study, Dustin Anderson

Dissertations

In 2017, the US Department of Education awarded Western Michigan University (WMU) a Supporting Educator Effectiveness Development (SEED) grant to fund the High-Impact Leadership for School Renewal (HIL) Project. The purpose of the HIL Project is to recruit and prepare school leaders with the skills associated with instructional leadership for improving school conditions that support student achievement. Through the use of school leadership coaches (called Implementation Facilitators in the HIL Project) trained on an adaptive school leadership coaching model, the HIL Project seeks to address one of the most challenging aspects of school leadership: developing and sustaining the HIL Model …

Handwriting Performance Of Typical Second-Grade Students As Measured By The Evaluation Tool Of Children's Handwriting - Manuscript And Teacher Perceptions Of Legibility, Diane M. Long, James Conklin

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: The purpose of the study was to describe scores achieved by typical second-grade students on the Evaluation Tool of Children’s Handwriting – Manuscript and to compare scores with teacher perceptions.

Method: As part of a larger study, the ETCH-M was administered to 74 second-grade students. Teachers scored classroom samples of handwriting assignments using a researcher-developed scale and scores were compared to ETCH-M scores to determine cutoff values for good versus poor handwriting.

Results: Mean scores for total word legibility, total letter legibility, and total numeral legibility were 88.82%, 84.30%, and 89.26%, respectively. Cutoff scores below 82% …

Assessment Matters @ Wmu, Fall 2019, Karen M. Stokes Chapo, Assessment In Action Committee

Assessment Matters @ WMU

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Competencies, Instruction, And Academic Leadership, Daniela C. Schroeter

Academic Leadership Academy

Background and Context

My primary research interests center on evaluation theory, methodology, practice, and capacity building. In particular, my current research focuses on evaluation competencies among public and nonprofit sector employees. In light of the 2018-2019 Academic Leadership Academy and Instructional Development grant, this poster revisits findings from a federal evaluator survey and examines: What evaluation and leadership competencies should be emphasized in the developments of public administrators?

The Motivation To Write Profile-College: A Tool To Assess The Writing Motivation Of Teacher Candidates, Ernest Solar, Angela Marie Mucci-Guido Ph.D., Carolyn Cook, Barbara Marinak

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Writing is an important aspect of literacy regardless of the grade or discipline. State standards have defined the writing genres, crafts, and skills that are to be taught by teachers in PK-12 classrooms. However, in addition to standards, research indicates that a teacher’s own conception of writing is crucial to establishing classroom conditions necessary for young writers to grow, explore and take risks. If this is the job of PK-12 educators, then it is essential for higher education instructors to understand and explore the writing conceptions of teacher candidates. One of these critical conceptions is the motivation to write. The …

An Exploratory Investigation Into The Role Of Evaluation Theory In Evaluative Thinking, Lyssa Wilson Becho

Dissertations

The field of evaluation generally agrees that evaluation theory is important. Evaluation theorists and scholars have written prolifically about the role of evaluation theory in practice. However, the empirical literature associated with how and why evaluation theory is important is still emerging. In particular, how evaluation theory fosters high quality evaluation practice through transparent logical reasoning, attention to values and valuing, and contextual responsiveness, and how these inform evaluative thinking are understudied phenomena in the field.

This study intends to provide insights into the relationship between evaluation theory and evaluation practice to answer two major research questions. The first research …

Values In Evaluations Of Maternal And Child Health Programs, Erica Lynn Dodds

Dissertations

Values are a central component in evaluation and are prominently discussed in evaluation theory, but relatively little is known about how they are used in practice. The theory-practice gap in evaluation may cause unsound evaluation practice or irrelevant or impractical evaluation theory. However, little is known about this gap as it relates to values and valuing. Failing to take certain values into account in an evaluation risks reinforcing the status quo to the detriment of vulnerable populations, so identifying how the theory-practice gap plays out in the use of values is important.

This study focuses on the maternal and child …

The Social-Construct Of Race And Ethnicity: One’S Self-Identity After A Dna Test, Kathryn Ann Wilson

Dissertations

Self-identity—specific to race and ethnicity—is shaped by a myriad of factors, including genealogical evidence, family lore, learned behaviors and lived experiences. How these various factors affect self-identity varies greatly from individual to individual. Even those raised within the same household may hold different views of who they are. This study examines how individuals’ self-identity is affected by results from DNA testing.

This study is filtered through the lens of Social Constructivism theory and looks at many components which may have impacted how we see ourselves and develop our personal self-identification. The study used mixed methods and sources of data. Quantitative …

Continuous Improvement In Student Affairs, Jen Wells

Assessment in Action Conference

Imagine booking a trip but never getting on the plane, or buying a movie ticket but never walking into the theater. Or what if you fully planned a program, but you never executed it? Barring environmental or extraneous factors, it’s hard to imagine not following through in these scenarios. Now, think about learning valuable information through an assessment project, but never using it. This should be equally unfathomable. The data collected in our assessments should be meaningful by informing our work and helping us continually improve. This presentation offers strategies on how to make data-informed decisions, demonstrate why this is …

Writing & Connecting Learning Outcomes Across The Co-Curricular Environment, Marilyn Duke, Ciji Heiser, Anthony Helms

Assessment in Action Conference

This session focuses on the two primary areas of writing learning outcomes and then connecting outcomes to a co-curricular map. In the first part of the session, participants will work through a learning outcomes model to draft new outcomes or revisit existing outcomes and receive feedback from peers and session facilitators. In the second part of the workshop, the discussion will shift to how to connect learning outcomes across multiple programs and services to develop co-curricular maps. Outcome maps help staff identify areas of strength in student learning outcomes and gaps in outcome development. Participants will have the opportunity to …

Graduate Student Success: Developing A Holistic Assessment Process For The Electronic Portfolio Using The Acpa/Naspa Professional Competency Areas, Ramona B. Lewis, Casey Dornhecker

Assessment Grants

The purpose of this project is to develop a holistic and sustainable assessment process for the Performance Driven Leadership electronic portfolio that is completed as part of the M.A. in Educational Leadership Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership (HESA) concentration.

Assessing Creative Growth In The Frostic School Of Art, William Charland

Assessment Grants

This project examined the suitability of the Torrance Test of Creativity as a direct measure of determining growth in student creativity from matriculation to graduation among students enrolled in B.F.A. and B.A. programs across the areas of the Frostic School of Art (FSoA). Test takers were anonymous, representing an opportunity sample of incoming and outgoing student cohorts. This research project’s aim was to determine if creativity, as distinct from techniques and skills, increased between the first year and graduation among students in the FSoA.