Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Preventing Students Who Are At Risk From Dropping Out Of School, Agustin Joseph Gonzalez

Senior Theses

Over the course I have spent at Dominican, I have experienced a shift in the way I think. The academic journey I have traveled has brought me a point of rediscovery of who I am. With my degree I will obtain in the near future, I plan on teaching at-risk students, regardless of their age or placement in school. This paper allows me to explore the overall theme of students whom are at risk of dropping out of school. Various topics throughout my paper are discussed: the correlation between poverty and the impact it has on students’ performance in school, …

Factors Predicting The Satisfaction Of 12th Grade Students In Christian Schools, Darren Mathews

College of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if any predictive effects existed between gender, religious affiliation (church of Christ versus non-church of Christ), academic achievement measured by GPA, longevity measured by years, and college readiness measured by ACT composite scores on academic, social, faculty, and spiritual satisfaction for 12th grade students in four private, Christian schools in Arkansas. This study determined the accuracy of predictor variables in explaining the criterion variables. It also provided an indicator of the percentage of variance on the criterion variables explained by predictor variables and showed how well they explained the varience. It was …

The Connection To Improved Student Performance For Teacher Experience And Advanced Degree Completion Above Bachelor’S Level, Jared Flay Terry

Dissertations

Educational leaders and experts claim that teachers are the number one classroom factor in the educational success of students (Marzano, 2007; Wong, 2009). This study determined there was not a significant correlation between the two teacher characteristics of advanced degree completion and years of experience. These are two of the more quantifiable and highly regarded teacher characteristics in the profession. The typical teacher salary is a major component of education that places high value on these two characteristics. There are many other policies and legislation, such as the No Child Left Behind Act, teacher tenure, hiring practices, and staff reduction …

Profiles Of Teachers In Selected Curriculum Areas: Further Analyses Of The Staff In Australia’S Schools 2013 Survey, Paul R. Weldon, Julie Mcmillan, Glenn Rowley, Phillip Mckenzie

School and system improvement

This report was commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Education (formerly the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations). It was designed to analyse the characteristics and profiles of the teachers teaching in selected learning (or curriculum) areas in primary and secondary schools. The intent was to use the data collected through the Staff in Australia’s Schools 2013 (SiAS) project to provide a more detailed analysis of the teachers concerned than was provided in the main survey report (McKenzie et al., 2014 ) . The SiAS project was designed to provide a detailed picture of the Australian teacher workforce, …

Online Instructor's Use Of Audio Feedback To Increase Social Presence And Student Satisfaction, Laura Portolese, Robert Trumpy

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of Education and Professional Studies

This study investigates the impact of written group feedback, versus audio feedback, based upon four student satisfaction measures in the online classroom environment. Undergraduate students in the control group were provided both individual written feedback and group written feedback, while undergraduate students in the experimental treatment group were provided both individual written feedback and audio group feedback. Using a one-tailed t-test, the four student satisfaction measures were analyzed and one was found to be significant for students’ perception that the instructor seemed genuinely concerned with whether students learned. The authors believe the study, when combined with their previous research, has …

Tracking In Middle School Mathematics, Alexis Geisler

Mathematics Graduate Theses

This paper is a review of research pertaining to the issue of tracking in middle and high school mathematics. More focus is given to middle school because this is usually where tracking begins in mathematics. It supports research on the rationale behind detracking our schools and moving towards heterogeneous classrooms. Research behind the psychological effects of tracking is also provided, along with how tracking can segregate our school systems. There is a variety of research on the effect of tracking in mathematics. One of the most prevalent issues is how tracking is detrimental to the low tracked students. It not …

Planning Professional Learning, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

With backward planning, schools can ensure that they choose professional development activities aligned with their most important goals.

Promoting Regional Education Services Integration: Apec University Associations Cross-Border Education Cooperation Workshop: Discussion Paper, Sarah Richardson, Ali Radloff

Higher education research

This discussion paper was prepared to inform the APEC workshop on Promoting Regional Education Services Integration: APEC University Associations Cross-Border Education Cooperation held in Kuala Lumpur from 20–22 May 2014. The workshop brings together university associations to support, pursue and work towards the achievement of the priorities outlined by APEC Economic Leaders. This includes the recognition of best practice in cross-border education (CBE), the identification of existing barriers to CBE, and an examination of ways to progress the priority areas identified. The paper highlights the key considerations for APEC economies in strengthening collaboration around CBE in the university sector and …

The Danielson Evaluation System In Two Mid- South High Schools: A Case Study, Laura R. Strickland

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to answer the question: How do pilot users of the Danielson Evaluation System perceive this model in two mid-south high schools? The study describes the perceptions of teachers and administrators who implemented the Danielson Teacher Evaluation Model. The primary focus was on teachers and administrators experience with the pilot of the new Arkansas Teacher Excellence Support System. In an effort to meet requirements under the ESEA flexibility waiver Arkansas developed a comprehensive evaluation model to meet state and federal accountability standards. Arkansas Department of Education developed a pilot school program in which they were …

Effects Of Project-Based Learning Professional Development On 21st-Century Skills, Debra Sue Atwell

College of Education Dissertations

This research project was designed to add to the limited available research concerning effects of project-based learning professional development on 21st-century skills within rural Arkansas settings. The researcher sought to determine if high school teachers, trained in project-based learning in the NTN model, perceived they taught and assessed their students’ 21st-century skills differently than high school teachers not trained in project-based learning under the NTN model.

This casual comparative study was conducted in 20 school districts in Arkansas with a total student population of approximately 11,646 from 6th grade to 12th grade. The 21st-Century Teaching and Learning Survey was used …

Teaching The Universal Language Of Creativity: A Guide To Training., Carlie R. Arnone

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Teaching the Universal Language of Creativity: A Guide to Training.

The purpose of education in any regard is to provide knowledge and information, to teach something. Parents, educators, and professionals alike are experiencing some difficulty in education, in that they are not being properly taught how to nurture some particular needs of individuals with developmental disabilities, specifically on how to use creativity to do so. Educators, parents, and professionals in the field need to start advocating for a balance between strict regulations and creativity. In the recent years, there has been quite the push for creativity and innovation in businesses, …

Teaching Information Synthesis, Anne R. Diekama, Kacy Lundstrom, Connie Woxland

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Competency-Based Education In Public High Schools, Angus M. Cantwell

Senior Honors Projects

Recent government-backed programs such as Race to the Top and No Child Left Behind have increased competition in schools in an effort to improve student and teacher performance. However, these programs have not had as drastic an impact as many had hoped, and the United States continues to toil in the middle of the pack educationally when compared with the rest of the world.

As many students have continued to struggle in school, many different ideas have been introduced into different levels of the education system in an attempt to raise scores and boost performance. One such idea is competency-based …

Assessment: Getting To The Essence, Geoff N. Masters

Assessment and Reporting

The author argues that assessment in education has become over-conceptualised and overcomplicated, and assessment concepts and terminology introduced over the past half century sometimes now function as impediments to clear thinking and good practice. The one fundamental purpose of assessment in education, he says, is to establish and understand where learners are in an aspect of their learning at the time of assessment. When this is recognised, many supposedly important distinctions become less significant. Currently, however, such distinctions tend to result in fragmentation of the field, with proponents championing one assessment purpose or method while denigrating others. He explains why …

Applying Public Relations Theory To Assess Service-Learning Relationships, Karen Strand

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In Service-Learning (S-L) partnerships, universities and community organizations exchange resources and influence. Community engagement scholars Cruz and Giles proposed that relationships within S-L partnerships serve as units of analysis for the study of community outcomes of engagement. Yet, the scholarship of engagement lacks a suitable instrument to assess such relationships. This study brings together two lines of scholarship-relationship studies within community engagement and cocreational studies within public relations-to address the problem of assessing the community outcomes of S-L relationships, and it applies Cruz and Giles' ideas about using relationship analysis to assess community outcomes when it considers the perspectives of …

Persistence Among African-American Males In The Honors College, Johnell Roxann Anderson Goins

Dissertations

Retaining African American students, specifically African American males, is an issue that plagues the American higher education system. Research shows that African American male students are the lowest represented group in the gifted studies programs (Ford, 2010). Lockie and Burke (1999); Chen and DeJardins (2010) and Bell (2010a) found that barriers to African American male retention in higher education include but are not limited to the following: financial assistance, the battle of the two-self concept, lack of mentoring/advising, low expectations from faculty, and alienation. In an effort to remove these barriers, institutions have implemented retention strategies such as more faculty …

Teachers' Self-Efficacy In Mathematics And Teaching Mathematics, Instructional Practices, And The Mississippi Curriculum Test, Second Edition For Mathematics In Grades 3-5, Tracy Hardwell Yates

Dissertations

The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship among the mathematical self-efficacies, mathematical teaching self-efficacies, and instructional practices of elementary teachers. This study was also designed to determine how these variables influence an individual teacher’s QDI in relation to MCT2 math scores in grades 3-5. The study included 117 third, fourth, and fifth grade elementary teachers who taught mathematics during the 2012-2013 school year. These teachers completed the Mathematics Teaching and Mathematics Self-Efficacy (MTMSE) survey and the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scales (PALS) survey. A descriptive analysis was conducted on the data collected. The results of the …

Effectiveness Of Reading And Writing Across The Curriculum On Middle School Reading Comprehension And Preparation For Common Core State Standards, Paula J. Wuebbels

Dissertations

This research study was conducted to determine the impact of determine the perception of classroom teachers and building principals as to the effectiveness of required Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum in both core and non-core subject areas. Both core and non-core classes are presently required within the study school district to incorporate reading and writing strategies in their content areas. The researcher wanted to study the process to prepare administrators and teachers to work successfully with the advent of required common core standards for curriculum development. Strategies used in the study will help gather information to inform the preparation …

Teachers’ Knowledge Of Formative Assessment Initial Instrument Validation Study, Amanda L. Bremner

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Formative assessment research indicates that use of formative assessment positively impacts student achievement. Teachers ought to be provided professional development in formative assessment in order to make it an integral part of their classroom practice. Just as teachers need to assess student knowledge prior to instruction, teacher knowledge of formative assessment needs to be assessed in order to guide the professional development teachers receive. However, no instrument exists that assesses teacher knowledge of formative assessment. An instrument to assess teacher knowledge of formative assessment was created and piloted. The results of the pilot study indicated the instrument had modest reliability. …

Teacher Attitudes And Practices That Support Student Learning, Charles T. Sutton Mr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Generally in today’s classrooms educators have the responsibility to develop teaching practices that are best suited for a particular group of learners. Since the early days of 1-room schools, various teaching styles have been developed to accommodate a changing world. As the curriculum has broadened through the years, individual student needs have remained the focus as teachers have become more and more accountable for student learning.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate or identify how successful teachers manage their classrooms. It defines key student behavior issues that most teachers experience daily. The study further investigates the hypothesis …

Hand Function Evaluation For Dental Hygiene Students, Sara Taft

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dental hygiene students may struggle in dental hygiene curriculum in regards to hand function. Currently, this is not an aspect dental hygiene programs screen for or have protocol in place to help students. The research in the study examined if hand function could improve with hand function exercises and if exercises improved instrumentation scores. During a 6-week pilot study, an occupational therapist tested the hand function of a cohort of dental hygiene students. The results were recorded and the students began a 6-week hand function exercise regimen. After 6 weeks the same evaluations were preformed and the pre- and posttest …

Implementing The Common Core’S Promise Of Bringing Statistical Curricula Into Line With Recommendations Of Nctm, Maa, & Gaise, Beverly Wood, Carl Clark

Publications

We plan to make a case for the necessity of GAISE-aligned college courses in order to prepare future teachers to teach in Common Core K-12 classrooms. Beginning with an overview of the parallel evolutions of Cobb/MAA suggestions - GAISE recommendations for teaching and NCTM process standards - Common Core mathematical practices, we will emphasize that we should be modeling what researchers continually conclude are best practices for teaching/learning across the K-16 continuum. We will provide some examples to illustrate classroom tasks that satisfy both GAISE and Common Core and hope to generate some discussion of other activities already used by …

Elementary Teachers' Perceptions Of Response To Intervention And Teacher Support Team Effectiveness Within A Mississippi Gulf Coast School District, Shanta Dannette Rhodes

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine elementary teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of Response to Intervention (RTI) and Teacher Support Team (TST) within a Mississippi Gulf Coast school district. RTI models have gained popularity within the national education system. Schools are encouraged to implement RTI in efforts to improve the learning and achievement of all students, while meeting the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEIA). With the change of educational policy, the role and function of teachers have changed. Understanding perceptions teachers might …

Relationship Between Leadership Styles Of High School Teachers, Principals, And Assistant Principals And Their Attitudes Toward School Wide Positive Behavior And Support Implementation, Geneva Cosweller Lampton-Holmes

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if seventh through twelfth grade educators’ attitudes towards School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) are affected based on their gender, years of experience, school discipline policy, leadership style, and knowledge of SWPBS.

Through an online survey, an analysis of the leadership style and knowledge of SWPBS of Mississippi teachers and administrators was conducted. Other variables included the school discipline policy and participants’ gender and years of experience. The study found that knowledge of SWPBS and school discipline policy had a significant impact on the educators’ attitudes towards SWPBS. Leadership style, gender, and years …

Assessing And Aligning Learning Outcomes From Mission To Individual Assignments, Andrew Vorder Bruegge, Juliette Shelley, Morenga Hunt

College of Visual and Performing Arts Faculty Publications

Explanation of the alignment of a degree program's curriculum with program goals and SLOs for assessment purposes.

The Academic Library And High-Impact Practices For Student Retention: Perspectives Of Library Deans, Adam L. Murray

Dissertations

Dramatic declines in state appropriations for postsecondary education, the rise of performance-based funding models, and limitations on tuition increases have resulted in a focus on student retention as a matter of importance to institutions of higher education. Concomitantly, academic libraries face changes in service models brought about by technology and the rising costs of providing access to an ever-expanding field of literature required by academic programs and faculty. The value proposition of the academic library is reduced in the face of budget interests that impact recruitment and retention. Many researchers and university leaders have called on academic libraries to develop …

Using Vles And Mobile Technology To Aid In The Provision Of An Upgraded Delivery Mechanism For The Basic Principles Of Quantity Surveying, Charles Anthony Mitchell

Conference papers

Building measurement has its roots on the construction site not in the classroom. As a result of this it is a subject which is better taught in a practical manner, rather like an apprenticeship. Many students entering the course, whether as standard entry or as mature students, will have had little or no exposure to building measurement as carried out by the quantity surveyor unless they have had some experience of working with a quantity surveyor. As a result students may find the initial learning process very intense. The maths used are relatively simplistic. Building measurement is about analysing the …

Not Designed With Us In Mind: Exploring The Experiences And Needs Of Adult Learners At A Public Research University, Stephanie N. Meyer

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Adult learners are a rapidly expanding student population, constituting more than 40 percent of college students today (Stokes, 2006). Research on adult learners has historically focused on their experiences within adult-centered institutions where they make up the majority student population. Although older students challenge the status quo of higher education, traditional institutions continue to dismiss their needs in the development of policies and practices. The structure of higher education is historically designed to serve youth and assumptions are often made about students that often overlook the needs, availability, and interests of adult learners. For many adult learners who prefer the …

Cognitive Differences Between High And Low Responders Of A Tier Ii Reading Intervention, Jillian Cohen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study evaluated a population of young students with potential reading disabilities who participated in a large western school district's Reading Skills Development project from October 2012 to May 2013. The following questions were addressed: Are there cognitive differences between students who respond well to an intense Tier II reading intervention and those who make little progress? If so, which cognitive skills best discriminate between high and low responders? De-identified data was collected from 171 struggling readers in 1st through 3rd grade who participated in the Reading Skills project. After controlling for English proficiency level, high and low responders were …

Effect Of An After-School Garden Club Program On Elementary Students, Maggie Caroline Mcgriff

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if three elementary school garden club programs influenced students' attitudes and behaviors regarding fruit and vegetable consumption. Both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis took place, in the form of pretest and posttest questionnaires as well as participant interviews. Overall, non-significant results were found in the quantitative portion of the study, which led the researcher to determine that the garden club program had no significant effect on the participants regarding perceptions of fruit and vegetable consumption. The overall non-significant differences found before and after the garden club intervention programs could lead …