Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Effects Of The A+ Schools Program On Attendance, Dropout Rate, And Student Achievement, Jeffrey L. Hyatt

Dissertations

In this study, the results of Missouri Assessment Program student achievement and average daily attendance of schools designated A+ Schools by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MDESE) were examined to determine if student achievement and average daily attendance results are higher in eligible A+ Schools. Student Missouri Assessment Program achievement results, dropout rates, and average daily attendance percentages were obtained from randomly selected school district populations. This information was compared to a second subject group of the same population for schools not designated A+ Schools by MDESE. The reporting period data was compiled from the 2007-08 school …

Manipulatives In Mathematics Instruction, Jessica Strom

Mathematics Graduate Theses

This paper is a review of research pertaining to the use of manipulatives in middle and secondary school mathematics instruction. It covers the research on the rationale for using manipulatives, the psychology behind learning with manipulatives, the common mistakes when teaching with manipulatives, and the suggested process to follow when using manipulatives in the classroom. There is a large amount of research and information on manipulatives in the classroom. One of the most prevalent topics addresses that the concrete characteristics of manipulatives allow students to progress through a natural learning process on their way to an abstract understanding of mathematical …

2008-2009 Profile, Morehead State University. Institutional Research & Analysis.

Office of Institutional Research & Analysis Publication Archive

2008-2009 issue of Profile Magazine.

Literacy And Numeracy Diagnostic Tools : An Evaluation, Margaret Forster

Monitoring Learning

Within the context of a national drive to improve literacy and numeracy learning, the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) is looking at the possibility of developing a set of literacy and numeracy diagnostic tools for use in Australian schools. This scoping study—a relatively small scale piece of work designed as a first step from which DEEWR might move forward—is not a direct study of ‘what works to improve literacy and numeracy’. Its focus is on the identification and evaluation of the print and on-line literacy and numeracy diagnostic tools used currently in Australian schools. Particular attention is …

Matching Time Of Day And Preference For Adolescent Achievement, Leisha Moree Parker

Dissertations

Research shows that adolescents enter a circadian-phase delay as they approach and enter high school. On or about age 14, teens become less of a morning learner due to biological factors. Researchers have determined consequences to the adolescent's circadian shift as related to learning; therefore, morning time may have a negative influence on the cognitive functioning of teens resulting in lower test scores. This study was an attempt to determine if time of day, gender, and learning preference using the Morningness/Eveningness Scale for Children (MESC) as proposed by Carskadon, Vieira, and Acebo (1993) would result in a statistical difference in …

The Effects Of Reading Apprenticeship On Junior College Students' Metacognitive Awareness And Comprehension Of Academic Texts, Patti Rasberry Smith

Dissertations

This descriptive quantitative research study explored if a focus on Reading Apprenticeship strategies and routines in a college level composition class would affect students' metacognitive awareness and comprehension of academic text. Participants included 141 students from one junior college in a southeastern state. The 141 participants were enrolled by choice in six sections of composition taught by three instructors who had all received extensive training in implementing the Reading Apprenticeship framework in their classes. The participants were administered the Revised-Curriculum Embedded Reading Assessment (CERA) twice (pre and post intervention) during the fall semester of the 2008-2009 school year. Participants read …

Professional Development On A Wing And A Prayer, Meg Mcgranaghan, Linda Wapelhorst

SIDLIT Conference Proceedings

Butler Community College's Instructional Technology Department provides training to faculty five different ways. Incorporating the ANGEL Learning Management System we offer creative, inexpensive, 24/7 training. The session will explore these methods and participants will be encouraged to brainstorm about addition options. Come and share your ideas on how you currently support faculty and your thoughts about future ventures.

The Power Of Procrastination: Blending Technology, The Creative Arts And Learning, Michael Thompson, Krista Carter

SIDLIT Conference Proceedings

Blended learning should be key to the 21st century classroom. When done well, it can improve student engagement, learning and success. For Colby Community College, latecomers to e-Learning, the “traditional vs. online” debate wasn’t an either or proposition; the best teaching involved both. Blending emerging technologies with the creative arts helped our faculty create a rich learning environment that combines the best features of traditional face-to-face and online teaching. Once technology was seen as a normal part of the learning process, ed-tech buzzwords lost relevance, students were simply learning. The session will discuss the pedagogical benefits and practical advantages of …

Choosing An E-Portfolio Tool, Benito A. Berardo, Nellie Modaress

SIDLIT Conference Proceedings

The presenters weigh the strengths and weaknesses of multiple e-portfolio applications to assist educators in choosing the proper system for their institution. E-Portfolios discussed include Chalk and Wire, FolioTek, Epsilen, Passport, and Sharepoint.

Teacher Perceptions Of The Benefits Of Teacher Collaboration And An Analysis Of Indicators Of Potential Teacher Attrition, Thomas Owen Moore

Theses and Dissertations

Teacher collaboration is being implemented in many schools for a number of reasons with various claimed benefits. Collaboration is being heralded by many as a fix for many of the problems affecting teachers. This study shows that teachers believe that collaboration improves their ability to teach subject content, improves teaching methods, improves teacher's ability to manage students, and provides benefits to teachers in general. The majority of participants in this survey, whether currently participating in collaboration or not, indicated that they agree that collaboration provides these benefits. This study also examines four potential indicators of teacher attrition: administrative support, teacher …

An Investigation Of Middle School Student Interest, Perception, And Attitude Toward Technology And Engineering, Kari Marie Cook

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate middle school student perception and attitude toward technology and engineering and to better understand how the gender of the teacher, gender of the student, and information provided in technology classes affected their perception and attitude. To accomplish this, the Technology Attitude Scale, and the Pupil's Attitudes Toward Technology—United States assessment instruments were used to form the basis of a new survey instrument focused on technology and engineering perception, use, and interest. The new survey instrument is called the Technology and Engineering Attitude Scale (TEAS) survey. Multiple 7th grade technology engineering classes from …

Scoping Study To Investigate Online Learning Environments To Facilitate Evidence Sharing By Literacy And Numeracy Practitioners (Lnet Project), Michele Lonsdale, Alana Deery, Gerry K. White, Carol Skyring

Digital learning research

The purpose of the scoping study was to identify effective online interfaces or learning environments that provide education stakeholders with opportunities to share examples of good practice, ideas and quality resources. A review of the literature was undertaken and consultations carried out with a wide range of education stakeholders via focus groups, telephone interviews, videoconference and online survey. Those consulted included ICT experts, representatives of professional education associations, teachers, and personnel from state and territory Independent, Catholic and government jurisdictions. The main obstacles to usage continue to be lack of time and lack of confidence among teachers. School leadership that …

Scientific Literacy In Central Appalachia Through Contextually Relevant Experiences: The “Reading The River” Project, April D. Haight, Wilson J. Gonzalez-Espada

Faculty Research at Morehead State University

Despite the best intentions of the United States educational system, implementing science reform efforts equitably and consistently throughout the nation is still a long-term goal. The light of scientific literacy has yet to shine brightly in many rural, isolated and economically depressed regions. Using Appalachia as a case in point, this paper provides a synopsis of the challenges of quality rural science education in the United States and the hope of new contextual and culturally relevant pedagogies aimed at engaging science students in inquiry research using their environmental surroundings as cognitive scaffoldings. The program Reading the River is showcased as …

A Review Of Irish Projects On The Sustainability Of Recognition Of Prior Learning Initiatives, Katherine Collins

Conference Papers

One increasingly popular area of research in the workplace is the concept of the recognition of prior learning (RPL). RPL can be defined as the recognition of learning that has taken place, but has not necessarily been assessed or measured and which may have been acquired through formal, non-formal and informal routes. In this paper I will attempt to use the European concept of Valorisation as a means to examine four RPL projects that were undertaken in Ireland in recent years between higher education institutes and workforce sectors. This analysis was done by way of desk research and interviews with …

Creating A Math Wall In An Elementary School, Lindsey Moorhouse

All Graduate Projects

Creating a Math Data Wall in an elementary school is a way to track students' progress in mathematics, guide instruction and provide strategic interventions to students who are at risk. A Math Data Wall is a visual representation of the students' progress across grade levels. Assessments have been used in schools for many years. Assessments are used to provide a variety of information to the teacher, school and district. Using assessments in the classroom is a necessary step to track students' progress and guide teacher instruction. A Math Data Wall will give teachers a visual representation of their students' progress …

Massachusetts Adult Basic Education And Esol Distance Learning Programs: How To Assess Student Readiness For Distance Learning?, Berna Kahraman, Amelia Mallona, Donna H. Friedman, Sarah Kuck Jalbert

Center for Social Policy Publications

This report presents the findings from the pilot screening process prepared by the Center for Social Policy (CSP) and implemented during December 2008-March 2009 by the adult basic education (ABE) online learning programs in MA which are funded by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE). The purposes of the pilot process were:

• To determine the effectiveness of screening tools in assessing participant characteristics, such as the skills, demographics, and life circumstances that are associated with success in online learning;
• To identify supports and interventions which students need in order to persist and succeed in online learning.

At the …

The Dynamics Of Human Capital And The World Of Work: Towards A Common Market In Contemporary Tertiary Education, Aidan Kenny

Articles

The drive for the so-called ‘knowledge society’, and the expected competitive advantage envisioned, has led to ‘power elites’ and vested interests applying pressure on nation states to develop and implement policies that push the balance of national education systems towards the economic imperative and away from the social good. This social inquiry will describe items, strategies and objectives relating to the pursuit of the current higher education change policy agendas, as expressed in key Irish policy documents. The inquiry concentrates on the new ‘world of work’ and the dynamic association with ‘human capital’ in particular the relationship between macro change …

Faculty Achievements, 2008-2009, Otterbein University

Faculty Achievement Reports

No abstract provided.

The Development And Application Of A Checklist For Evaluating E-Learning In Organizations, Anne-Marie Guidy-Oulai

Dissertations

In the last two decades, organizations have increasingly used computer-based instruction as a method to deliver training to employees and instruction to students. The e-learning market reached $50 billion in 2005 and is expected to double by 2010. A number of different evaluation models can and have been used to measure effectiveness and worth of programs. However, the literature indicates the evaluation of e-learning may need to develop new models for evaluation.

The purpose of this study is to develop a framework to enhance the process of elearning evaluation in organizations. The E-Learning Evaluation Checklist (ELEC)— which was developed and …

Characteristics Of Alternative Public High Schools: A National Study Using The 2003-04 Schools And Staffing Survey, Lisa Ryan

Dissertations

Decreasing the high school dropout rate in the United States is gaining a great deal of national attention. One of the key strategies that has been identified to decrease dropout rate is to offer at-risk students alternatives to traditional school. This study contributed to our knowledge about alternative high schools for at-risk students by using data from the large-scale, nationally representative 2003-04 Schools and Staffing Public School Survey. Using an effective schools conceptual framework, the author used logistic regression analyses to compare the characteristics of regular and alternative public high schools. An overall model was created that could predict two …

A Comparative Study Of High School Academic Paths, Grade Point Averages, And Act Composite Scores As Predictors Of Success At Walters State Community College., Jill C. Reuschel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With an overwhelming number of students attempting to enter college after high school, the competitive nature of college admissions continues to grow. Colleges and universities are attempting to find the appropriate means to adequately predict collegiate success. Common methods of this prediction have come from a variety of sources most of which are the use of high school performance and standardized college admissions testing. Walters State Community College was chosen for this study because of its open door admission policy that allows for variability in high school academic paths as well as grade point averages and ACT scores students earned …

A Quantitative Study Of School Characteristics That Impact Student Achievement On State Assessments And Those Assessments' Associations To Act Scores In Tennessee., Phillip L. Swanson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a significant relationship exists between particular home, student, and school characteristics and ACT scores and the relationship these characteristics subsequently have with the TVAAS grades assigned to each high school's ACT scores. These home, student, and school variables were socioeconomic status, percentage of minority, graduation rate, per-pupil expenditure, Gateway English II scores, and Gateway Algebra I scores. By looking at these variables and the influence they hold on the education of students, I sought to ascertain the fairness that is present when schools and districts are given grades through the TVAAS …

University Of Kentucky Adult Learning Focused Institution (Alfi) Task Force: Findings And Recommendations, Randolph Hollingsworth

Undergraduate Education White Papers

This report to Provost Kumble Subbaswamy details the wide-ranging work over two years of the UK Adult Learning Focused Institution (ALFI) Task Force. The findings in sum assert that the undergraduate population at the University is primarily of a traditional age and that little explicit attention is given to adult learners in UK's stated policies or procedures. The recommendations are that by becoming more "adult friendly" the University could also provide more flexibility and promise for success to all its students.

Giving Adult Learners A Voice After The Inquest: A Review Of A Mixed Method Approach To Educational Research, Ann Conway

Other resources

This paper highlights the necessary application of mixed methods in educational research within the field of adult learners and lifelong learning in higher education to provide adult learners with a “voice”. The paper will introduce the reader to educational research through focusing on mixed methods and the theoretical frameworks within. Critical hermeneutic epistemology or transformative research (as espoused by Freire and Habermas in critical realism cited in Morrow and Torres, (2002)), social constructivism within phenomenology (see Vygotsky’s (1934) and Bruner (1996) work cited in Carlile and Jordan, 2005: 21-22) and pragmatism within the critical realism school (The Chicago School of …

Block And Traditional School Schedules: Comparison Of Student Achievement By Msat Scores And High School Science Teachers' Views, Robert Decker Smith

Dissertations

This study attempts to compare schools that are using a traditional scheduling format to a block scheduling format. Both critics and proponents acknowledge that the block schedule can provide more benefits than just student achievement. This study also attempts to address the perceptions of current Mississippi high school science teachers about the advantages and disadvantages to the block schedule as compared to the traditional schedule.

This study utilized MSAT test scores from 69 (34 block and 35 traditional) public schools throughout the state of Mississippi. This data was used to test 10 hypotheses. Student achievement was measured using both the …

Understanding The Change Styles Of Teachers To Improve Student Achievement, Arlene May Green Bigby

Dissertations

The topic of this dissertation is the understanding of teacher change styles to improve student achievement. Teachers from public schools in a state located in the northern plains were surveyed regarding their Change Styles (preferred approaches to change) and flexibility scores. The results were statistically analyzed to determine if there were differences in change styles and flexibility scores when compared for level of certification, gender, length of teaching career, subject area taught, and size of school in which the educator was working. The results were also analyzed for any differences in the Change Styles and flexibility scores between teachers working …

An Assessment Of The Impact Of A Science Outreach Program, Science In Motion, On Student Achievement, Teacher Efficacy, And Teacher Perception, Phillip Allen Herring

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to analyze the science outreach program, Science In Motion (SIM), located in Mobile, Alabama. This research investigated what impact the SIM program has on student cognitive functioning and teacher efficacy and also investigated teacher perceptions and attitudes regarding the program.

To investigate student cognitive functioning, data were collected from the Mobile County Public School System based upon student performance on Criterion Referenced Tests (CRT's), consisting of the students' average score, percent of students passing the test (students scoring 60 percent or above), and the percent of students who were considered proficient, (students scoring 70 …

Drop Out Or Persist? The Influence Of Differentiated Instruction And Teacher Behavior On College Freshmen And Ged Students, Vera Strickland Robertson

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to provide information to school administrators about the impact differentiated instruction and teacher behavior have on students' decision to drop out of high school or persist. The ultimate goal of this study is to determine if a significant relationship exists between differentiated instruction, teacher behavior and dropout status.

The participants in this study included students enrolled in select colleges or GED programs. The ages of the participants were ages sixteen to twenty-one. The participants completed a questionnaire constructed by the researcher to gather data pertaining to participants' experiences with differentiated instruction and teacher behavior …

An Investigation Of A Methodology To Assess District Performance, Peter Simpson, Robert K. Gable, Stacey L. Kite

School Finance and Student Achievement

This study investigates a resource-based methodology to assess district performance as an indicator of student achievement on standardized assessments. The problem that this investigation addresses is that performance measurement and the associated decision-making is indeterminate. There is a lack of empirical research that relates decision-making about resource utilization to performance.

The study utilizes structuralism to assess the relationship between the independent variable of resource utilization and the dependent variable performance. Complex Adaptive System theory is used as a framework for Concept Mapping methodology. The study is grounded in theories from Complex Adaptive Systems and Microeconomics that state that performance is …

School Board Members’ Perception On Their Roles And Responsibilities In Developing Policy That Affects Student Achievement, James D. Hutsell

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine how school board members perceive their individual roles with regard to individual student achievement. The study participants were public schools that have completed the fourth cycle Missouri School Improvement Program in Missouri. With the accountability movement that is facing every public school system, the school board’s involvement must be accounted for in that process of increasing student achievement. The traditional school board has taken a lesser role in the student learning process and has spent the majority of its time on management of policy and facilities. A clear understanding of the board’s …