Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

The Role Of Heads Of Departments In Enhancing The Quality Of Education In Secondary Schools In Tanzania, Perpetua J. Urio

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Heads of department are perceived as instructional leaders. This paper is based on a study that aimed to find out how heads of departments in Tanzanian secondary schools deal with their tasks in enhancing the quality of education, and the support accorded to them by the school administrative system in the performance of their duties. The study was conducted in Arusha and Coast regions, comprising a sample of 72 respondents from eight secondary schools. Data were collected through interviews, questionnaires and documentary review. Data collected were subjected to content analysis and numerical data were summarized into tables. Findings revealed that, …

Variation In Job Satisfaction Between Public And Private Secondary School Teachers In Tanzania: A Comparative Study At Kinondoni District, Faustine B. Masath

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

In improving the quality of education in secondary schools, teachers’ job satisfaction is vital and an inevitable component. In Tanzania, however, the level of job satisfaction of secondary school teachers is not clear; and so is how public and private secondary schools differ in their level of job satisfaction. This paper aims to compare the level of job satisfaction between public and private secondary school teachers. The paper is based on a descriptive cross-sectional survey research design, which employed a sample of 275 respondents from 10 selected secondary schools in Kinondoni district. Teacher Job Satisfaction Scale (TJSS) and documentary review …

Comparing Biology Grades Based On Instructional Delivery And Instructor At A Community College: Face-To-Face Course Versus Online Course., Amanda Rosenzweig

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Through distance learning, the community college system has been able to serve more students by providing educational opportunities to students who would otherwise be unable to attend college. The community college of focus in the study increased its online enrollments and online course offerings due to the growth of overall enrollment. The need and purpose of the study is to address if there is a difference in students’ grades between face-to-face and online biology related courses and if there are differences in grades between face-to-face and online biology courses taught by different instructors and the same instructor. The study also …

2012 Northwest Arkansas Report Card, Gary Ritter

Education Report Card

One of the best ways for the Northwest Arkansas community to push our education system forward is to examine the evidence and pay attention to the data. We can learn from both our past successes and challenges. So, we at the OEP are proud to release our 2012 Northwest Arkansas Report Card. We have expended the publication, at the urging of the Northwest Arkansas Council, to include data on resources for K-12 education as well as community profiles and Higher Education indicators. From kindergarten to high school graduation to the highest levels of education and participation in the workforce, we …

Exploring Supports Provided For Student Eportfolio Development In A Professional Development Context, Muireann Okeeffe

Articles

This small scale study aimed to explore and establish if support strategies implemented to enhance student ePortfolios were helpful to students and to identify useful ways of supporting ePortfolio development with future cohorts of students. This action research study was informed through focus group discussion and individual interviews with students.

The importance of reflection for the development professional practice and of creative abilities is discussed. The substantial benefits of creativity within education are investigated and characteristics of creativity that might be developed with students’ ePortfolios are revealed. Specifically this paper seeks to foster Crafts (2011) four characteristics of creativity, pluralities, …

An Analysis Of The Factors That Influence Global Mindedness In First-Year College Students, Kristie Broadbent Guffey

Dissertations

This non-experimental, quantitative descriptive study was designed to determine what factors influence a first-year college students’ global mindedness and if any of those factors were predictors of the five subscales of global mindedness. Surveys were used to measure students’ global mindedness and their type of personality (N=424). Demographic questions were administered that included gender, county population, Pell grant eligibility, and first generation college student. Results indicated that first-year college students at a four-year public Master’s Large institution were moderately global minded. To predict global mindedness and its subscales, a regression model was developed using the Myers Briggs scores for extravert, …

Key Factors And Stages Of Collaboration Within Community College/Automotive Industry Sector Partnerships, Annette Parker

Dissertations

As corporations compete they recognize the need to reengineer operations to reflect the impact of a globalized market and attract, retain, and grow the skill sets of employees as strategic assets. To meet the need for employee continuous learning, financial turbulence, and rapid technological advancements, corporations have accelerated the formation of collaborative partnerships with higher education. At the same time, higher education institutions have a growing number of working adult students in attendance and view collaboration with corporations as a means to increase enrollment and revenue streams. These factors have created an opportunity to explore the dynamics of key factors …

Using Dweck's Theory Of Motivation To Determine How A Student's View Of Intelligence Affects Their Overall Academic Achievement, Keely P'Pool

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study explored how student intelligence was directly linked to the goals and motivation held by students when engaged in academic settings. Students were administered a questionnaire developed by Dr. Carol Dweck in which they responded to statements in order to determine their individual theory of intelligence. Once this was accomplished, multiple student variables (including but not limited to first semester GPA, second semester GPA, ACT composite score, age, and college coursework) were compared to their view of intelligence to determine if any correlations existed.

Results showed that there was no significant difference between students who viewed intelligence as malleable …

An Evaluation Of Physician-To-Patient Communication Training In Medical Schools Across The United States: A Status Report On The Nation’S Efforts To Promote Health Literacy By Adding Health Literacy Courses To Medical School Curriculum, Andrea P. Frazier

Dissertations

This research study employed a mixed method sequential approach and investigated the number of Schools of Medicine within the United States that offer health literacy as a component of their curriculum and a course of study within the academic setting. Data were gathered from medical school surveys and personal interviews. Curriculum content, learning objective, subject matter sequence, assessment, course schedule, and other relevant elements were evaluated as comparison components of the data collected from these two methods. This study focused solely on 71 of the 154 Schools of Medicine in the United States, inclusive of 126 of those awarding a …

Best Practice In Early Reading Intervention: Implementing A Reading Intervention Program To Reach Below Level Readers, Bridgett Niedringhaus

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a reading intervention program used with second and third grade students identified as not meeting grade level expectancy. Studies have indicated students who are not reading at grade level by the end of the third grade have an increasingly difficult time achieving at the rate of their same-age peers. In this mixed-methods case study, the researcher analyzed end of the year report card data for 30 students who received reading intervention using the Rigby Intervention By Design Program, conducted a Content Knowledge Survey with teachers, and performed Literacy Walkthroughs …

Effects Of Tracking Students In A Secondary Mathematics Classroom, Nicole Seyfried

Mathematics Graduate Theses

This paper evaluates current research on the effect of grouping students of comparable abilities, a process known as tracking, in a secondary mathematics classroom. The research explores questions regarding the advantages and the disadvantages of tracking students by ability; the manner in which tracking affects the achievement of students in homogeneous and heterogeneous settings, and the ways tracking affects the achievement gap. In addition, this paper answers the question of how tracking affects students’ self- concept and self-esteem. Lastly, it examines changes in teacher attitude with respect to each track level and the impact of ability grouping on classroom structure …

Identifying Causes Of Student End Of Year Transfers As Experienced At Private All-Male Military Boarding Schools: A Multiple Case Study, Frank Martin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined and helped identify causes for end-of-year transfers from private all-male military boarding schools to a non-military school. The purposes of this study were twofold. The first purpose was to identify the reasons why parents chose to transfer their sons from the all-male military private boarding school of their choice to another school from the 2009-2010 school year to the 2010-2011 school year. A secondary purpose was to identify any commonalities amongst the military schools involved in the study regarding why students returned to either their previous school or chose another school, whether public or private. The researcher …

2012 University Experience Survey National Report, Ali Radloff, Hamish Coates, Rebecca Taylor, Richard James, Kerri-Lee Krause

Higher education research

How students experience university plays a major role in their academic, personal and professional success. Over the last decade Australian universities and governments have placed considerable emphasis on key facets of the student experience ecology such as skills development, student engagement, quality teaching, student support, and learning resources. This report discusses a 2012 project that furnished a new national architecture for collecting feedback on understanding the improving the student experience. The University Experience Survey (UES) has been developed by the Australian Government to provide a new national platform for measuring the quality of teaching and learning in Australian higher education. …

Effective Computer Programming Instruction For Pre-University Albanian Students, Robert Mccloud, Ardiana Sula

School of Computer Science & Engineering Faculty Publications

The relationship between pre-university students and technology is frequently overrated. While we receive glowing reports about how young people are knowledgeable about computers, the truth is that their knowledge is typically about computer content and the manipulation of applications. Young students too often treat the actual programming and understanding of computers as a sort of magical mystery.

In this paper we look at a new Albanian initiative to identify and nurture the most talented of our pre-university students. In particular we look at contributions to the goal of making Albanians the most talented programmers in this area of Europe.

The …

South Mississippi High School Seniors’ Perceptions Of Civic Duties And Responsibilities, Chelsea L. Lewis

Honors Theses

Former United States Representative Lee Hamilton once explained what it takes to be a citizen of the United Stated. He stated, “Citizenship requires both knowledge about government and the ability to be involved in governance. It means knowing how to identify and inform oneself about issues, explore and evaluate possible solutions, and then act to resolve problems. It demands that you know how to interact respectfully with others. And it asks that you accept responsibility for meeting your community’s and the nation’s challenges.” (Hamilton, 1) This quote comes from a well-known civics program used in American high schools today called …

Making Room For Formative Assessment Processes: A Multiple Case Study, Rob Mcentarffer

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This qualitative instrumental multiple case study (Stake, 2005) explored how teachers made room for formative assessment processes in their classrooms, and how thinking about assessment changed during those formative assessment experiences. Data were gathered from six teachers over three months and included teacher interviews, student interviews, participant-observation notes, videos of classroom experiences, and classroom artifacts. These data were analyzed using a category construction method (Merriam, 2009) that involved open coding, axial coding, and finally a cross-case analysis that grouped axial codes according to themes relating to the two research questions. Four case studies describe the process of co-created work with …

Teacher Training For "Response To Intervention" At A Midwest University, Ladonna Jean Barnett

Dissertations

The compelling force behind education is improving teacher quality. This research study was designed to find out how improving teacher quality in terms of RTI knowledge occurred at differing levels of instruction and how faculty perceived the changing role of general education teachers and administrators with regard to RTI. Participants in the study included 13 faculty instructors and 196 of their students. Instructors had experience ranging from three to 14 years and experience in public school settings varied from eight to 17 years teaching K-12 and from four to 20 years as administrators. The instrumentation and data collection consisted of …

A Multi-Institutional Project To Develop Discipline-Specific Data Literacy Instruction For Graduate Students, Sarah Wright, Michael Fosmire, Jon Jeffryes, Marianne Stowell Bracke, Brian Westra

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

What data stewardship skills are needed by future scientists to fulfill their professional responsibilities and take advantage of opportunities in e-science? How can academic librarians contribute their expertise in information organization, dissemination and preservation to better serve modern science? With support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), four research libraries have formed a partnership to address these questions. The aims of the partnership are to identify the data stewardship skills, including data management and curation, needed by graduate students at the research discipline level, to identify trends that extend across the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) …

Women's Pathways To The University Presidency: A Qualitative Inquiry Into University Women Leaders' Career Paths And Presidential Aspirations, Celeste Andria Wheat

Dissertations

Although from 2006 to 2011 the percentage of women college and university presidents increased from 23% to 26%, the critical problem remains that women continue to be disproportionately under-represented at the highest levels of university leadership, especially the presidency. Also problematical to women’s advancement, women are less likely to hold the key-line administrative positions (e.g., academic dean, vice president, chief academic officer/provost) that serve as pathways to the presidency.

In response to the dearth of empirical data on the career paths of university women leaders, the purpose of this research, grounded in a postmodern feminist theoretical framework, was to qualitatively …

Analysis Of The Effectiveness Of A Preseason Strength And Conditioning Program For Collegiate Men's And Women's Lacrosse, Aaron Michael Randolph

Dissertations

Lacrosse participation in recent years has experienced tremendous growth. Though lacrosse has been documented as the oldest team sport in North America, lack of research exists regarding appropriate strength and conditioning systems for the sport. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of two lacrosse-specific preseason strength and conditioning programs offered to NCAA DII men's and women's lacrosse players. This synthesizes literature covering lacrosse's past; lacrosse's current status; differences in play between men's and women's lacrosse; physiological profiles of male and female lacrosse athletes; injury prevalence in both genders; and the various strength training and conditioning …

A Phenomenological Study Of Experienced Teacher Perceptions Regarding Cooperative Learning Training And Cooperative Learning Implementation In The Classroom, Susan Robinson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative phenomenological study sought to explore the perceptions of experienced teachers regarding cooperative learning training and its implementation in the classroom. Twelve total participants, nine teachers and three administrators, volunteered for this six-week study at a private, K3 - 12 school in Broward County, Florida. The study's purpose was guided by the following questions: (1) What do experienced teachers perceive about cooperative learning training as it relates to their classroom teaching? (2) What do experienced teachers perceive regarding cooperative learning use as it relates to their classroom teaching? (3) What are the impacts of cooperative learning training and implementation …

An Exploration Of African American Male Community College Students' Experiences Concerning Their Successful Postsecondary Enrollment, Robin Dabney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite increased numbers of African American male students in higher education, their academic achievement levels continue to be at disproportionate numbers compared to other ethnic groups and genders (U.S. Census Bureau, 2005). The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore lived experiences of African American male community college students concerning factors hindering their academic progress and to understand perceptions of factors that influence their academic achievement in higher education. The current study identifies pertinent factors that will assist African American males to become successful in their postsecondary experiences. Findings from this study provide insights into predictors that may lead …

A Phenomenology Of Academic Support In Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Homes Of At-Risk Students, David Barber

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

I examined the home environment and the amount of academic support non-English speaking parents are able to provide for their English Language Learner (ELL) children in the United States school system. In particular, the focus is on the families of children who struggle academically in the state of Georgia, where non-English speaking children are mainstreamed into regular education classrooms with limited support. Although there has been a great deal of research on how ELLs learn and what type of program can be used to best facilitate mastery of academics as they are learning the English language, the focal point of …

A Study Of The Effects Of Charter Schools On Achievement, Attendance And Selected Mitigating Factors In A Midwestern State’S Small Urban School Districts, Frederick C. Clarke

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether students attending urban charter schools did better, or worse, than students attending traditional public schools, over a five-year time period, in a Midwestern state. Thirty-one urban school districts affiliated with a Midwestern Urban Education Association, and corresponding charter schools, located within these Midwestern school districts, were selected to participate in this study.

This study utilized a quasi-experimental research design and was supported by the earlier research of Dr. Gary Miron and Dr. Jerry Horn from Western Michigan University (Miron & Horn, 2000; Miron & Horn, 2002; Miron, 2005) and Dr. Scott …

Characteristics Of Public Alternative High Schools Specifically For Students Placed At-Risk: A National Study Using The 2003-04 And 2007-08 Schools And Staffing Survey, Masashi Izumi

Dissertations

In this study I investigated determinants of the average daily attendance (ADA) and graduation rate of public alternative high schools specifically for students placed at-risk by analyzing the nationally representative data from Schools and Staffing Surveys of 2003-04 and 2007-08. I built three models via successive block entry, predicting the ADA and graduation rate by (a) student demographics, (b) staffing characteristics, and (c) school processes. Through multiple regression analyses on ADA, I found (a) a positive relationship between career technical education and ADA; and (b) a negative relationship between teacher-student ratio and ADA. Through the set of multiple regression analyses …

Examining The Role Of Research Mentoring In Predicting Research Self-Efficacy Among Minority Professional Psychology Doctoral Students, Donald Edward Knight

Dissertations

The involvement of racial/ethnic minority doctoral students in the conduct of psychological research is of significance in meeting the mental health challenges of an increasingly diverse US population. However, scant empirical evidence exists regarding the mentored research experiences and resulting increases or decreases in confidence these students encounter in conducting research. The purpose of this study is to examine predictors [i.e., Research Mentoring Experiences (RME), perceptions of the Research Training Environment (RTE), and Interest in Research (IRQ)] of research self-efficacy among a sample of racial/ethnic minority PhD students in APA-accredited clinical and counseling psychology programs. The study is guided by …

Pre- And Post- Wage Differences Of Trade Adjustment Assistance Job Training Participants In Arkansas, Kimberley Hall Gordon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A number of costs are associated with the implementation of trade agreements not the least of which is the cost to the American workforce. The information age ushered in an era of globalization unlike anything the world economy had experienced before. As countries raced forward to dominate emerging markets and grow market share, millions of American workers were left in the wake. A remedy to the plight of the dislocated worker was found in trade adjustment assistance, specifically in job training benefits.

This study examined the wage differences experienced by Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) job training participants served through the …

What Is The Participant Learning Experience Like Using Youtube To Study A Foreign Language?, Yuan-Hsiang Lo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research is to explore and understand participants' experience using YouTube to learn a foreign language. YouTube and learning has become more and more popular in the recent years. The finding of this research will be adding more understanding to the emerging body of knowledge of YouTube phenomenon. In this research, there are three interviews and two questionnaires. The interviews are conducted to find in-depth responses from participants; the questionnaires are used to inquire demographic and basic information about the participants. There are twelve themes found in this research. These themes reflect on the perceived experience using YouTube to learn …

Tablets As Powerful Tools For University Research: Teaching The Relevant Skills, Robin Canuel, Chad Crichton, Maria Savova

Library Staff Publications and Research

The increasing popularity of tablet computers in recent years is beginning to transform the way that library users, and in particular postsecondary students and faculty, find and engage with digital content. In response to these changes, university librarians are tailoring information literacy instruction to highlight the advantages of these technologies to their constituencies and to ensure that their users understand the myriad issues involved in effectively leveraging these advantages to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their research. Chapter 6 of Library Technology Reports (vol. 48, no. 8) “Rethinking Reference and Instruction with Tablets” examines the creation of university library …

When Tests Fail: Why Our Public Education System Needs To Rethink High-Stakes Standardized Testing, Thomas J. Shields

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

While we were in Finland, we met with students, teachers, university faculty and other leaders, such as Pasi Sahlberg, author of "Finnish Lessons: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland." When we asked Sahlberg what was the most important change that the United States could make to improve its education system, he replied without hesitation: Eliminate high-stakes standardized testing.