Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Microaggressions Towards Individuals With Learning Disability Within The College Setting, Cordava Valentina Aranda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Learning disability mircroaggressions refer to the everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights and mistreatment which convey a derogatory feeling or message to individuals with a learning disability across various settings. Learning disability microaggressions may contribute significantly to the negative aspects of mental health issues often perceived in individuals with learning disabilities. The purpose of this study was to develop a microaggression scale designed to assess microaggressions displayed towards individuals with learning disabilities (LD) within the academic setting. A scale designed to assess LD microaggressions was constructed and modeled after the Racial Microaggression Scale (RMAS). A confirmatory factor analysis was …

Inclusive Teaching Strategies: An Evaluation Of Course Structure And Summative Assessment In Introductory Biology, Oluwaseun O. Agboola

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Several active learning strategies have been used when increasing the structure of a course as increasing course structure has been known to improve student learning in introductory STEM courses. Much has been studied on the value of frequent formative assessment; however, few studies have evaluated the effective modes of delivering summative assessment. This study examines the use of summative assessment as an inclusive teaching practice to improve first generation college student success in introductory biology and also uses faculty surveys to find out how instructors structure their introductory biology course and why they are structured that way. Final exams were …

Dissertation Experiences Of Faculty Members: Individual, Relational And Structural Factors Of Success, Tanika R. Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological research study explored the dissertation experiences of individuals working as faculty members across disciplines at regionally accredited four year universities. Research questions utilized the constructs of social development theory to explore dissertation experiences from an individual, relational and structural perspective. Prior scholars have used social development theory as a framework to explore the individualities of the student, the relationship with faculty advisors and mentors, and the resources provided by the department and institution when evaluating the dissertation process (Liechty, Liao, & Schull, 2009).

A purposeful, criterion sampling strategy and maximum variation sampling were employed to select a wide …

Untangling The Role Of Postsecondary Education In Economic Success., Erin Smith Banjanovic

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explored the relationship between postsecondary education and economic success through a person-centered lens. A sample of 365,315 employed individuals between the ages of 25 and 35 from the American Community Survey (ACS) were used in combination with data from three occupational databases (O*NET, the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the NORC occupational dataset) to examine this topic. The various sources of data were merged together by occupation to permit examination of occupational characteristics and creation of two measures of education and occupation match: 1) match in education level attained and required, and 2) match in field of study and field …

Evaluation Of The Impact Of Social Work Services In Rural School Districts, Breanna Heinrich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students in rural communities are often subject to unique barriers and challenges that impact their holistic emotional, cognitive, physical, and social success in school. Because these factors have a strong impact on school attendance, behavior, and overall success, educators have begun to implement social work programs within both rural and urban school districts across the nation. While existing research affirms the effectiveness of school social work, very little research has been conducted to determine the effect in rural school districts. This paper evaluates the impact of a newly developed social work pilot program in two West Texas school districts implemented …

English Proficiency Associated With The High School Grades Of Lep Students In Abilene Isd, Donald A. Dolton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, immigration into the U.S. has increased because of growing economic problems around the world. Economic globalization and technological developments (internet access and the ability to move massive amounts of information and people in a short amount of time) have influenced the number of those seeking asylum. Accordingly, the U.S. school system continues to see an increase in students who are culturally diverse with greater educational deficiencies and limited English proficiency (LEP). In Texas there has been a 90% increase in the number of immigrants from 1990 to 2010 (National CE). This means that currently immigrants make up …

Factor Invariance Of The Standard Achievement Admission Test By Gender And School Types, Mohammed Alqabbaa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the factorial structure of the SAAT with exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Specifically, a CFA of a four-factor model (the hypothesized model) was tested to see if the model had good fit as well as a model generated from an EFA. The EFA showed that the SAAT test only measured two factors (biology and chemistry), not the four posited by the test developers. The CFA provided good fit to a two-factor model; however, a CFA showed that the hypothesized four-factor model also fit the data well and so the hypothesized model was selected …

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy In Adult Esl Classrooms: A Case Study Of A University Intensive English Program, Arongna Borjigin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored the English as a second language (ESL) teachers' perceptions and implementation of the culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) in an Intensive English Program (IEP) in Mountain University (pseudonym). IEPs are university-based language learning institutes for the pre-admission of English language learners (ELLs). The monolingual approach to ESL teaching does not fit the diverse language and cultural backgrounds of ELLs. It brings challenges for both ESL teachers and ELLs in IEPs. CRP encourages teachers to incorporate students' home cultures and first languages in their teaching and to bridge the gap between school culture and students' home culture, …

Principal Perceptions As Literacy Leaders At High-Need Elementary Schools, Janet Marie Lear

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation study explores the perceptions of principals as literacy leaders and the enactment of these perceptions in high-need elementary schools. Literacy leadership, as perceived by principals, was analyzed based on interview data from six participants. Individual cases were studied for the unique characterizations each participant brought to the construct of literacy leadership through their own lived experience. Cross-case analysis was conducted in order to draw out themes among participants. Conclusions suggest that there are commonalities among principals' perceptions and enactments as literacy leaders in high-need elementary schools. Participants focused on: adoption of literacy programs and curricular fidelity; data use …

Can We Improve Student Achievement Through Multiple Interventions? A Test Of Theory, Joshua Guillemette

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The research conducted tested a theory based on work by Tinto (1999), Astin (1984), and the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE, 2012) that multiple interventions are needed to significantly improve graduation rates at community colleges. The literature says little about this approach for community college students; therefore, this dissertation contributes to the knowledge base for educational programs. A first-year program at a large, diverse community college using multiple interventions assisted in determining the validity of the theory. The interventions built into the first-year program included learning communities, a student success course (SSC), proactive advising, and experiential learning. The …

Career Preparation For Interdisciplinary Science Phd Students: A Case Study, Sabrina Gordon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This case study intended to collect and analyze responses from stakeholders of the UCF Modeling and Simulation graduate program regarding the ways in which interdisciplinary (IDS) science PhD students could be prepared for diverse career paths. A mixed methodology study was executed and quantitative survey (N=96) and qualitative interview (N=10) data were collected to address three research questions. Overall, stakeholders for this case study were found to represent the three main career paths of academia, government, and industry. Survey data were utilized to gauge the level of importance that survey participants perceived for various survey scales and items. The scales …

Elementary School Tvaas Composites: A Comparison Between Title I Elementary Schools And Non-Title I Elementary Schools In Tennessee, Anthony W. Padelski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of Title I is to provide extra instructional services and activities that support students identified as failing or most at risk of failing the state’s challenging performance standards in mathematics, reading, and writing. Low-income schools or Title I schools are the primary target of Title I funds. A school is eligible for Title I status when 40% of the school’s students are from low income families; these students are identified by their eligibility to receive free and reduced priced meals.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a significant difference in elementary schools’ TVAAS …

The Influence Of Student, Neighborhood, And School Factors On College Readiness : An Examination Of Factors Combined As A Result Of Implementing A Race- And Socioeconomically-Based Student Assignment Plan., Gregory Paul Herberger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2006, Meredith v. Jefferson County Board of Education determined race-based student assignment plans violated the 14th Amendment. Through the assistance of Orfield and Frankenberg (2011), Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) reconfigured the district’s race-based student assignment and implemented a race- and socioeconomic-based student assignment plan. The purpose of this study was to examine students’ backgrounds and school composition factors within a race- and socioeconomic-based assignment plan to determine the extent the factors are related to college readiness. Based on data obtained from 3,018 Grade 11 students, hierarchical linear multiple regression was used to examine the utility of student background, …

Ireach Blended Learning Model And Reading Lexile Growth Of Freshmen In Maryville City Schools, Whitney Ann Schmidt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Maryville City School system has implemented the first year of the iReach blended learning model for which all students in the school district have access to either a laptop or an iPad to support their learning every day. The availability of research on the impact of iReach is limited because the blended learning instructional model is relatively new and has not yet been subjected to numerous research studies. The purpose of this ex post facto quasi-experimental quantitative study was to compare student reading Lexile growth data collected through the use of the Reading Comprehension Assessment before and after iReach …

High School Teachers’ Perceived Self-Efficacy In Teaching Literacy Across The Curriculum In Tennessee First Core Region 1 High Schools, Ashley N. Keys

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

At the high school level teachers are often departmentalized by their content area and do not teach subjects outside of their specialties. Common Core State Standards (CCSS) introduced literacy standards across the curriculum requiring reading and writing instruction in all courses. The adoption not only affected traditional literacy teachers but also science, math, social studies, and career and technical education teachers who may have had little or no training or experience in teaching literacy to adolescents. These teachers, because of little training or experience in teaching literacy, may feel unprepared for the CCSS literacy shifts or inadequate in delivering literacy …

Student Achievement In Response To Intervention Groups, Allison L. Gardenhour

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify components of Response to Intervention (RTI) groups associated with increased student growth on progress monitoring tests. The relationship between student growth scores and fidelity of implementation scores, types of groups, types of interventionists, group setting, group time, and various demographic groups were examined. Seven hundred fifteen students enrolled in reading and math groups in an RTI program at 8 schools in an Upper East Tennessee school system participated in this study. Ten research questions and null hypotheses were analyzed using Pearson correlations, independent t tests, and one-way Analyses of Variance. Results indicated …

Measuring The Achievement Gap: A New Lens For Economic Disadvantage, Suzanne C. Bryant

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference between a student’s reading/language arts TCAP scale score and his or her lunch status for students in grades three, four, & five within two school systems in Tennessee. The population consisted of 2,442 students who were in grades three, four, and five during the 2014-2015 school year in a city school system in east Tennessee and a county school system in middle Tennessee. The Kruskal-Wallis H, a non-parametric test, was used to identify statistically significant differences in the medians of the reading/language arts TCAP scores across the …

Structural-Symbolic Translation Fluency: Reliability, Validity, And Usability, Matt C. Hoskins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Standardized formative mathematics assessments typically fail to capture the depth of current standards and curricula. Consequently, these assessments demonstrate limited utility for informing the instructional implementation choices of teachers. This problem is particularly salient as it relates to the mathematical problem solving process. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate the psychometric characteristics of Structural-Symbolic Translation Fluency, a curriculum-based measure (CBM) of mathematical problem solving. The development of the assessment was based on previous research describing the cognitive process of translation (Mayer, 2002) as well as mathematical concept development at the quantitative, structural, and symbolic levels (Dehaene, …

Teacher And Student Perceptions On High School Science Flipped Classrooms: Educational Breakthrough Or Media Hype?, Rebecca C. Hunley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For years educators have struggled to ensure students meet the rigors of state mandated tests. Challenges that often impede student success are student absences, school closings due to weather, and remediation for students who need additional help while advanced students can move ahead. Many educators, especially secondary math and science teachers, have responded to these issues by implementing a teaching strategy called the flipped classroom where students view lectures, power points, or podcasts outside of school and class time shifts to allow opportunities for collaborative learning.

The purpose of this research was to evaluate teacher and student perceptions of high …

A Systematic Review Of Studies Using Gettier-Type Thought Experiments, Maximilian Popiel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Experimental epistemologists have recently begun using Gettier-type thought experiments to test various philosophic theories. Generally speaking, these thought experiments present a justified, true belief which intuitively does not seem like knowledge. Despite the studies using this same general definition, they have exercised a myriad of different particular Gettier cases and experimental methods. Some results have been conflicting, or otherwise counter-intuitive, and interpretations of their findings have been divergent. The present study was a systematic review of these experiments, with a focus on experimental methods. Studies were compared on readability and factors effecting participant fatigue and comprehension. The results suggest that …

Actors And Their Roles In European Education Policy: A Mixed Methods Approach To Understanding The Bologna Process, Cheryl Leontyne Wink

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research project focused on the causes of implementation of the Bologna Process and its impact across Europe. It traced the history of the Bologna Process and introduced the paradox of policymaking in Bologna's continued implementation. The latter part of the introduction presents a summary of policy coordination and the epistemic community and the notion of soft law and the open method of coordination (OMC) in European policymaking. Possible causes for changes in implementation of Bologna are investigated, as are the origins of the Bologna Process and its goals. The argument of Bologna as OMC is presented and reflects on …

Middle School Noncognitive Development In A Sample Of Hispanic/Latino Youth, Jill E. Mcvey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the development of noncognitive skills in a sample of 4,769 Hispanic/Latino students as they went through middle school and the first year of high school using ACT Engage 6-9, an assessment designed to predict student outcomes by measuring students' behaviors and psychosocial attributes. The scales of Academic Discipline, Relationships with School Personnel, and Thinking before Acting were examined longitudinally through HLM analysis. The factors of gender and several indices of academic achievement were used to predict differences in students' starting scores and growth over time.

All factors related to academic achievement were significantly related to differences in …

A Reliability Generalization Study Of The Brief Symptom Inventory-18, Dareen Taha Alzahrani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reliability generalization (RG) is a meta-analytic method that aims to assess the variability of test score reliability across studies and identify the sources of this variability. In this study, a reliability generalization analysis was performed on studies of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) to examine the variability in Cronbach's alpha reliability estimates reported in the literature. This inventory was chosen because of its extensive use in counseling and medical settings and documented reliability and validity. The database that was consulted to collect articles was PsycInfo. The reported Cronbach's alphas were obtained to assess whether defined moderator variables affected reliability estimates. …

A Comparison Between Propensity Score Matching, Weighting, And Stratification In Multiple Treatment Groups: A Simulation Study, Priyalatha Govindasamy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The application of propensity score techniques (matching, stratification, and weighting) with multiple treatment levels are similar to those used in binary groups. However, given that the application of propensity scores in multiple treatment groups is new, factors affecting the performance of matching, stratification, and weighting in multiple treatment groups are less explored. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the performance of different propensity score techniques with multiple treatment groups under various circumstances. Specifically, the study focused on examining how the three propensity score corrective techniques perform in estimating treatment effects under (1) overt and (2) hidden types of selection …

A Comparison Of Latent Class Analysis And The Mixture Rasch Model: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Of 8th Grade Mathematics Achievement In The Fourth International Mathematics And Science Study (Timss-2011), Turker Toker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study provides a comparison of the results of latent class analysis (LCA) and mixture Rasch model (MRM) analysis using data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study - 2011 (TIMSS-2011) with a focus on the 8th-grade mathematics section. The research study focuses on the comparison of LCA with Mplus version 7.31 and MRM with WinMira 2011 to determine if results obtained differ when the assumed psychometric model differs. Also, a log-linear analysis was conducted to understand the interactions between latent classes identified by LCA and MRM. The data set used in the study was from four diverse …

Cultural Sensitivity: Early Career Teacher Beliefs, Espoused Theories, Theories In Use, Michelle Steinberger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine early career teacher practice and beliefs about students of color in their classrooms and the relationship between those beliefs and their classroom practices. In this study, seven teachers in the initial five years of their teaching career were interviewed and observed inside of their classrooms using the Quality Responsive Classroom Observation Protocol. The interview questions were developed to look at the beliefs, teacher preparation, and culturally responsive pedagogy of early career teachers. Data was then analyzed using the five tenets of the Critical Race Theory: (1) Centrality of Race and Racism; (2) …

A Descriptive Study Of International Students’ Needs And Service Satisfaction At South Dakota State University, Xiaoyu Guo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The growing international educational marketplace attracts students from all over the world. These students not only bring economic benefits to the host countries, but bring their cultures and languages as well. However, international students face challenges and have needs and expectations when studying abroad. They often do not know how to find services or information they need across the university to adjust smoothly in this new environment. Meanwhile, the host universities may not fully address these international students’ special needs because they have limited useful information to understand these students. This researcher conducted a study seeking to identify international students’ …

A Priori Analysis Of Error And Bias In Value-Added Models, Matthew Lavery

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past 20 years, value-added models (VAMs) have become increasingly popular in educational assessment and accountability policies because of the sophisticated statistical controls these models use to purportedly isolate the effect of a single teacher on the learning gains of his or her students. The present research uses a Monte Carlo simulation study design in order to investigate whether VAMs are able to provide accurate estimates of teacher effectiveness when all assumptions are met and to determine how robust the models are to endogenous peer effects and nonrandom assignment of students to classroom. The researcher generates three years of …

A Comparative Analysis Of Data Collection Systems Used In Radiography Educational Programs And The Role Mobile Electronic Devices Play, Robin S. Garner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Each radiography program has a system to collect important data from didactic and clinical settings in order to accurately assess the progress and success of students, provide the needed student intervention, and provide accreditation agencies with appropriate documentation that demonstrates student success in reaching program learning outcomes. The purpose of this research study was to determine the method of data collection and documentation used by radiography programs to evaluate student progress and to examine if MEDs play a role in evaluating and documenting student skills at the point of care.

The majority of radiography programs in this study were using …

Student And Faculty Views Of Important Elements Of Teaching In Associate Level Allied Health Programs, Jennifer N. Burrell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teaching requires constant adapting, and need to continually reflect, and be ready to make changes when teaching elements may not prove effective. The purpose of this study was to examine faculty and student views of effective elements of teaching in an associate level allied health program. Surveys were collected from associate degree seeking allied health students and full-time faculty currently employed at a technical college in the northeastern region of the state of Georgia. The results showed a high confidence level with little to no difference in mean confidence levels between faculty and student responses on 15 Likert-scaled questions. Two …