Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Perceptions Of School Leaders Regarding The Benefits Of Leadership Dashboards, Chance A. Wistrom

Dissertations

Implementation of continuous improvement structures in education continues to expand as demands for accountability increase in response to ongoing educational reform (Frickx, 2015). Park, Hironaka, Carver, and Nordstrum (2013) found the systemic nature of educational organizations often inhibits these organizations from successfully implementing continuous improvement structures characteristic of high-reliability organizations. Specifically, system leaders in educational entities are ill-equipped to lead system improvement due to poor preparation and lack of focus on specific implementation drivers (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2014). This has resulted in a need for educational system leaders to develop a leadership dashboard similar to dashboards created by Jack Stack …

The Relationship Between Political Affiliation And Student Achievement In The Areas Of Reading And Mathematics, With Respect To Black Students, Steven Michael Smith

Dissertations

The role of politicians is integral within the public school system. Politician influence directly the policies that impact student achievement. The impact could be based on ideologies. These ideologies could influence a significant difference in Black student achievement. In preparing for this study, the researcher was unable to find investigations of the potential influence political affiliations of state and local officials may have on student achievement, and specifically on Black student achievement. This exploratory, correlational study analyzed the potential relationship between political party affiliation and student achievement of fourth and eighth grade students in the areas of mathematics and reading, …

Obstacles Facing Veterans In Applied Sciences Programs At The Community College Level, Alexander B. Neeley

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the presence (or absence) of barriers that hindered the ability of veteran student populations in completing degrees in the applied sciences field. Furthermore, in this study, the researcher sought to identify and to understand any detected barriers. The researcher examined the academic performances of veterans and non-veterans in the environmental science program at a Missouri community college. This study focused on collecting supplemental sources and gathering additional research on veterans pursuing applied science degrees. The researcher analyzed quantitative metrics and qualitative data, as well as compared personal responses from students to determine …

A Comparative Analysis Of Missouri Elementary School Arts Curriculums, Shenicquel Larene Spotts

Dissertations

Since the beginning of recorded history, artists of distinction have contributed to society’s aesthetic sensibilities through their media of choice. The lives of these artists continue through their visually recorded work. We see their best products featured in history books and films, thus generally contributing to our day-to-day lives. Despite the influence of art on society, this deep and multi-faceted subject is often among the first to be cut during periods of economic instability or budget constraints. While funding may reflect the impact of arts programs on the educational experience, the true value of arts programs emerges when their usefulness …

At-Risk Students: An Analysis Of School Improvement Grants In The State Of Missouri, Anissa Witherspoon

Dissertations

The educational system in the United States continues to pose many challenges for law and policy makers. Many of these challenges can be traced back to two landmark cases, Plessy vs. Ferguson and Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka. And, while the U.S. Department of Education developed programs to address many of these issues, the cost versus the benefits must be considered. This research study examined the impact of federally-funded School Improvement Grants (SIGs) for elementary, middle, and high schools across the state of Missouri from 2010 to 2015 on retention rates, graduation rates, and test scores. The state …

Exercising Their Privilege To Borrow: A Demonstrated Understanding Of The Obligation Of Student Loans In A Community College, Joan M. Meyer-Barrett

Dissertations

The costs associated with attending a community college have increased over the years, not unlike most sectors within higher education (Mitchell & Leachman, 2015). As such, community college students often find borrowing student loans a necessity in order to seek the academic credential they intend (McKinney & Backscheider Burridge, 2015). In recent years, it is community college students who stop or drop out without completing an academic credential, with little increased earning potential, who are at high risk of defaulting on their student loan balance (McKinney & Backscheider Burridge, 2015). While enrolled in college, these students are at-risk for completing …

Online Formative Assessments As Valid Correlates Of Foreign Language Proficiency Levels As Measured By Ilr/Dlpt5 Summative Tests, Alma Castro-Peet

Dissertations

Purpose: This study explored a technological contribution to education made by the

Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) in the formative assessment field. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to identify the relationship between online formative (Online Diagnostic Assessment; ODA) and summative (Defense Language Proficiency Test 5; DLPT5) assessments in foreign language instruction in Spanish, Korean, Chinese Mandarin, and Standard Arabic to determine their relationship to student success in a basic course program for adult students at the DLIFLC.

Methodology: This nonexperimental correlational study included a standard regression model to determine correlations between ODA scores and DLPT5 …

Ethical Decision-Making Accounting Competencies: Practitioners’ Perspectives, Gwendolyn P. Meador

Dissertations

Recent accounting and corporate scandals call into question the ethicality of accounting practice, likewise accounting graduates. Advances in ethical accounting education are not emphasized in today’s business schools leaving accounting graduates lacking necessary ethical accounting competencies to make ethical accounting decisions (Abend, 2013; Mastracchio, Jiménez-Angueira, & Toth, 2015; Waples, Antes, Murphy, Connelly, & Mumford, 2009).

Cognitive moral development theory (Kohlberg & Hersh, 1977), stakeholder theory (Freeman, 2004), and organizational mindfulness theory (Ray, Baker, & Plowman, 2011) provide a theoretical framework supporting issues of accounting graduates’ ethicality, practitioner in the role of ethical decision-maker, and organizational awareness and performance of business …

A Qualitative Study Investigating Facility Managers’ Perceptions Of The Classroom Learning Environment, Eric Shannon Parr

Dissertations

Facility managers have the challenge of adhering to community college policies and procedures while fulfilling requirements of administration, students, and teachers concerning specific needs of classroom aesthetics. The role of facility manager and how specific entities affect perceptions of the design and implementation of classroom aesthetics were presented in this study in an attempt to further clarify present classroom design practices and future aesthetic possibilities. The purpose of this study was to explore and compare a facility manager’s perceptions of classroom learning environments, and a student’s learning environment aesthetic needs. A qualitative research design was utilized within the theoretical framework …

International Student Enrollment Trends From 2008-2014: Country Case Studies And Comparison To A Midwest Liberal Arts Institution, Emin Hajiyev

Dissertations

The international student recruitment and overall cross-border education have constantly been evolving. In the past two decades, higher education institutions were developing and implementing their plan of campus internationalization. Various universities and colleges have different approaches to the internationalization. However, through the implementation of the process, most of the institutions realized that the cornerstone of the internationalization is the international student recruitment. Despite providing the financial health to the institutions and overall to the process of internationalization, international student recruitment is the provider of the campus multiculturalism and diversity. This research is concentrated on the external factors of the cross-border …

Dual Credit Instructor And Counselor Opinions Concerning The Effectiveness Of Dual Credit Programs On Post-Secondary Readiness In Southwest Missouri, Natalie Gail Cook

Dissertations

Dual enrollment numbers continue to increase in public school districts; therefore, dual credit programs must be effective for students, adequately challenging them academically and preparing them for the college environment (Flores, 2014). The intention of this study was to survey dual credit instructors and counselors to determine their opinions of post-secondary readiness among dual credit learners in southwest Missouri. Results of the study were organized based upon significance regarding effectiveness. Researchers are uncertain concerning the effectiveness of dual credit programs for post-secondary readiness (Cowan & Goldhaber, 2015). This study was intended to close gaps in the research and to support …

Perceptions Of Academic Advising And Student Retention, Stacy Renaee Soden

Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to examine student and academic advisors’ perceptions of advisement techniques to determine the connection between academic advising strategies and student retention. If student retention rates are not addressed, higher education institutions are at risk of losing students, which is costly to the institution and the student (Himes, 2014). Most college students are in a state of change and need academic advice to achieve success during a college transition (Tinto, 2012). Academic advisors can assist students in finding the right career for students’ specific strengths. This qualitative study utilized Tinto’s (2012) theories of student …

Using Concept Maps To Monitor Knowledge Structure Changes In A Science Classroom, Leah J. Cook

Dissertations

The aim of this research is to determine what differences may exist in students’ structural knowledge while using a variety of concept mapping assessments. A concept map can be used as an assessment which connects concepts in a knowledge domain. A single assessment may not be powerful enough to establish how students’ new knowledge relates to prior knowledge. More research is needed to establish how various aspects of the concept mapping task influence the output of map creation by students. Using multiple concept maps and pre-instruction and postinstruction VNOS instruments during a 16-week semester, this study was designed to investigate …

Teacher Job Satisfaction As Related To Student Performance On State-Mandated Testing, James Douglas Crawford

Dissertations

The growing demand placed upon educators has taken a toll on the profession (Walker, 2014). Teacher burnout, stress, and unhappiness may be predestined unless administrators recognize how to prevent these from happening (Elias, 2012). The intent of this quantitative study was to survey teachers in southwest Missouri to determine their level of job satisfaction as it relates to student performance on state-mandated assessments. The survey included items designed to collect data on overall level of teacher job satisfaction in relation to demographic areas of age range, gender, level of education, years of teaching experience, subject areas taught, and salary range. …

Evaluating The Self-Efficacy Of Novice Educators In Nursing And Allied Health Care Programs As It Pertains To Faculty Development, Amanada Lea Doneski

Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to evaluate the self-efficacy of novice nursing and allied health educators as it pertains to their overall desire to enhance their knowledge of educational instruction. Many nursing and allied health faculty transition from clinical practice to teaching with little to no formalized knowledge in education (Cangelosi, 2014; Gresham-Anderson, 2015). Bandura’s (1977a) theory of social learning and self-efficacy was utilized as the theoretical framework for the study. This study was guided by four research questions used to investigate how the self-efficacy of nursing and allied health professionals changed as participants became more experienced educators, …

Mississippi’S Teacher Observation Rubric: Administrator Perceptions Of Appropriateness By Grade Level, Danette Irvine Moore

Dissertations

The focus of this study was to measure elementary, middle, and high school administrators’ beliefs regarding the appropriateness of the Mississippi Statewide Teacher Appraisal Rubric domains, as well as their perceptions regarding the Mississippi Statewide Teacher Appraisal Rubric’s overall alignment with the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium standards. This was a quantitative study that investigated whether a statistically significant difference existed between administrators’ beliefs regarding the appropriateness based on their grade level assignment. A 48-statement questionnaire was developed using the current Mississippi Statewide Teacher Appraisal Rubric domains and standards to obtain the quantitative data. A five-point scale ranging from Strongly …

Interpreting The Impact Of The Four-Day School Week: An Examination Of Performance Before And After Switching To The Four-Day School Week, Matthew Lee Gower

Dissertations

As four-day school weeks continue to gain popularity among school districts across the United States, determining the potential impact associated with the unconventional school week has become increasingly important (Johnson, 2013). The four-day school week has been credited with producing a number of potential benefits and consequences, but there is currently a limited amount of research available to determine the overall worth of the practice compared to the five-day school week. Some purported impacts of the four-day school week include shifts in teacher and student attendance, changes in achievement, financial adjustments, decreases in dropout rates, and improvement in morale (Plucker, …

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: …

The Goal-Driven, Resilient, And Influential Teens Program In Kentucky High Schools: The Impact On Social And Emotional Learning And Influencing Factors, Brant Von Goble

Dissertations

In order to assess the effects of the Goal-driven, Resilient, and Influential Teens (GRIT) program on social and emotional learning and academic performance in high schools throughout Kentucky, data from several sources were compiled and analyzed. These sources included results from the Student Engagement and Performance (STEP) survey, an instrument developed by the Rock Solid Evaluation Team at Western Kentucky University and administered yearly to high school students and teachers, and school-level academic and socioeconomic data from the Kentucky Department of Education. Additional data on fidelity of GRIT program implementation were obtained from FranklinCovey, the GRIT program’s developer and publisher. …

A Case Study: An Andragogical Exploration Of A Collegiate Swimming And Diving Coach’S Principles And Practices At Lindenwood University, Hannibal Najjar

Dissertations

Andragogy, defined as, “the art and science of helping adults learn” (Knowles, 1980, p. 43) has been used in education and organizations for more than five decades. This philosophy was examined in this study to explore to what extent Andragogy was being used, and perceived to be used, by the coach in a collegiate athletic program. Interviews, observations, and surveys of the coach, along with questionnaires, surveys, and focus group sessions of the student-athletes were used to determine whether an andragogically based coaching approach positively affected the performances and outcomes of the participants. By utilizing an adaptation of Henschke’s (1989) …

Are The Leadership Behaviors Of K–12 Leaders In Mid-Western Urban School Districts Influenced By Their Beliefs And Attitudes Regarding Spirituality?, Ericka M. Taylor

Dissertations

Working in a stressful and chaotic environment can be difficult for building principals in urban school districts (DeNisco, 2013; Stokley, 2002; Thompson, 2004). Presumably, the job is only expected to get more arduous with the increasing demands to improve student achievement (Allison, 2012; Kimball & Sirotnik, 2000; Queen & Schumacher, 2006). What is quite apparent today is that the role and responsibilities of the principal have changed dramatically over the past twenty years (Carlson, 2012; Hill-Yeverton, 2003) shifting from a factory model of management of learning to one in which teachers and principals have to create more student-centered and project-based …

Expanding A Path Analytic Model Of Quality Management To Include The Management Of Safety, Bruce J. Ladewski

Dissertations

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) reports that every year 4.1 million American workers are seriously injured from workplace accidents at an annual direct and indirect cost estimated at hundreds of billions (OSHA, 2012). At the public level, actions to reduce the workplace deaths, injuries, and associated costs in the form legislation. At the private level, actions taken include implementing behavior based safety programs focused on various ways of encouraging employee behaviors to reduce reported injuries. The most recent move to drive down worker injuries focuses on the implementation of management systems by adopting principles used to prevent product …

Case Study: Exploring The Presence Of Trust In One Suburban Christian School Climate, James Drury

Dissertations

Trust is a topic that has been written about hundreds of times, still it is hard to define. In the literature, trust and relationships are grouped together as going hand-in-hand. In Christian education circles, trust is something that is implied to be present. This research explored the presence of trust in a suburban Christian school in the Midwest. The research explored trust from the perception of three different stakeholder groups (staff, parents, and board) from the study school. The researcher used data sets that included: The Visible Elements of Trust Inventory (VETI)- online survey, focus groups by stakeholder type, and …

A Mixed Method Study On The Missouri Beginning Teachers Assistance Program And Teacher Retention In Saint Louis School Districts, Raymond Ciolek

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate whether new teacher and new teacher mentor perceptions of the effectiveness of the Missouri State Beginning Teachers’ Assistance Program (BTAP) were positive and whether the new teacher perceptions led to the new teacher remaining in the teaching profession at least five years. At the time of this writing, in the state of Missouri, new teachers must work through a six step process to upgrade their initial teacher certification to a continual (99 year) certification (Appendix A). This paper describes research on the second step of Missouri’s process, which involved the new teacher …

Applying Andragogical Principles To Real-Time Embedded Parental Coaching When Helping Their Children With Hearing Loss To Talk, Betsy Moog Brooks

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the application of andragogical principles to real-time embedded coaching of parents, when teaching their children with hearing loss to talk. The research population included parents of children with hearing loss from 10 months-of-age to three years old. These participants engaged in parent support sessions at the Moog Center for Deaf Education using real-time embedded coaching during face-to-face sessions. The research population also included the teachers of the deaf, employed at the Moog Center, who provided the real-time embedded coaching with the application of andragogical principles during parent-child sessions. At the conclusion of …

Student Choice And Student Engagement, Joellyn Marie Travis

Dissertations

The focus of this study was school transformation to accommodate “new literacies, skills, and dispositions that students need to flourish in a networked world” (Richardson, 2016, p. ix). Many schools operate within a traditional model developed during the Industrial Revolution to fit the need for efficiency and compliance (Robinson & Aronica, 2015). However, according to Robinson and Aronica (2015), “These systems are inherently unsuited to the wholly different circumstances of the twenty-first century” (p. xxiii). The purpose of this study was to determine if student choice of where to sit or type of seating positively impact student engagement. Observations were …

A Mixed-Methods Investigation On Contributing Factors To The Political Efficacy Of Eighth Grade Students In A Suburban School District In Missouri, Colette Edson

Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between the political efficacy and expected civic engagement of eighth grade students in the Ferguson-Florissant School District, Missouri and demographic factors, reading ability, and parental attitudes. Data on students’ attitudes on topics such as citizenship, trust in institutions, opportunities, political efficacy, school efficacy, and political engagement were analyzed. The 180 students who completed the questionnaire demonstrated lower trust and assessment of access to opportunities and higher youth political engagement than the participants in the 1999 International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IAE) Civic Education (CIVED) study. Tests to determine the impact of student …

Student Achievement Versus Technology In The Catholic Classroom: Correlation Or Added Bonus, Cheryl L. Boze Hall

Dissertations

Spending limited educational budgets on technology for classrooms is a strategy many school districts have used to increase student achievement (Levenson, Baehr, Smith, & Sullivan, 2014). In recent years, the technology movement allowed for arbitrary purchasing of devices with little to no pedagogical planning for how technology device usage was expected to increase student achievement (Johnston, 2014). The purpose of this study was to analyze the correlation between student achievement and the amount of money spent on technology hardware, technology software, and technology-related professional development. The research design incorporated quantitative methods through collection of test scores and survey data regarding …

Effects Of The Classroom-Assigned Tasks And Responsibilities Program In Middle Schools, Hollis Faye Avis

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of classroomassigned tasks and responsibilities in middle school classrooms. This mixed methods research study focused on perceptions held by students and educational professionals, both classroom teachers and administrators, of the classroom-assigned tasks and responsibilities program in relation to overall classroom environment, overall school environment, and students’ sense of connectedness to the school. Quantitative data consisted of secondary data obtained from a survey taken by students exposed to the program and students not exposed to the program. Student survey results were compared to determine if a difference of perceptions existed between …

Measuring The Outcome Of At-Risk Students On Biology Standardized Tests When Using Different Instructional Strategies, Dana Burns

Dissertations

Over the last two decades, online education has become a popular concept in universities as well as K-12 education. This generation of students has grown up using technology and has shown interest in incorporating technology into their learning. The idea of using technology in the classroom to enhance student learning and create higher achievement has become necessary for administrators, teachers, and policymakers. Although online education is a popular topic, there has been minimal research on the effectiveness of online and blended learning strategies compared to the student learning in a traditional K-12 classroom setting. The purpose of this study was …