Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Longitudinal Analysis For Ordinal Data Through Multilevel And Item Response Modeling: Applications To Child Observation Record (Cor), Zijia Li

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

The large proportion of children from low SES backgrounds and the increasing achievement gap between disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers are beckoning national attention to investment in early childhood education (Reid, Kagan, Hilton, & Potter, 2015). As evidenced in many research studies (e.g., Heckman & Masterov, 2007), early childhood experiences are critical to the development of children. High-quality early learning is necessary for children, especially disadvantaged children, to narrow the school readiness gap and to build a foundation for more advanced academic, social, and cognitive skills. Importantly, high quality assessment tools (i.e., reliability and validity evidence supporting the …

A Comprehensive Internationalization Analysis Of Marlboro College, Margaret Strassman

Capstone Collection

For institutions of higher education, addressing and assessing global competence has become a priority in recent years. Colleges and universities across the United States and around the world are increasingly preparing students to be responsible and effective global citizens by creating and implementing comprehensive internationalization plans. One popular framework has been created by the American Council on Education, whose target areas include articulated institutional commitment; administrative leadership, structure, and staffing; curriculum, co­ curriculum, and learning outcomes; faculty policies and practices; student mobility; and collaboration and partnerships (American Council on Education, 2012). Universities have used this framework to assess their campuses’ …

Taking Stock Of Cuny Esl: What A Survey Of Esl Faculty And Adminstrators Says About The Past, The Present, And The Future, Effie Paptzikou Cochran, Lubie Grujicic-Alatristie

Publications and Research

This report provides a summary of a survey of CUNY ESL faculty and administrators in an attempt to assess CUNY ESL programs’ achievements and to offer an insight into current challenges. In the new millennium, with educational, financial, political, and linguistic concerns on the rise, taking stock of where we are in English as a second language instruction in higher education and planning for the future are at once prudent and pressing.

Case Study: Moral And Ethical Decisions Some Students Make Pursuing Their Doctoral Degrees From Accredited For-Profit Universities, Anne Pinchera

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study is to identify issues some doctoral students face in obtaining their Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree from accredited for-profit colleges and universities. The three participants attended for-profit universities in the past five years and failed to obtain their doctoral degrees. Data collection is through an initial demographics survey, qualification survey, vignettes, and the interview itself. Data analysis from the Coding Manual for Qualitative Research by Johnny Saldana is used to analyze the data collected from problems doctoral students encounter in pursuit of their doctoral degree (Saldana, 2013). The theoretical foundations for this project come …

Examination Of An Independent School’S Site-Based Summer Program, Susan W. Keogh

All Theses And Dissertations

This study examined the summer program offered by a pre-kindergarten through grade twelve independent school. Three levels of theory, individual, group, and organizational, were utilized to analyze the experiences of students and instructors. The variety of opportunities and instructional design elements, the intentional alignment to the traditional school year, collegial discussions connecting summer learning and the school year, and evidence of the school’s mission were examined.

Findings revealed a wide-range of educational experiences and the benefits of continuous learning that are evident the following school year. Class designs incorporated instructional elements supported by individual learning theories. Academic standards and expectations …

Idealism, Pragmatism, And Student Motivation: Implementing Grading Systems, Practices, And Policies In Context, Kaleigh Mcroberts

Masters Theses

This thesis argues for the implementation of contextually-appropriate policies and practices that not only clarify the meaning of grades for teachers, parents, and students, but also give students more autonomy and improve their intrinsic motivation to learn. The literature about motivation reveals that the conventional wisdom—the use of contingent rewards—works when students are asked to complete simple, algorithmic tasks such as turning in assignments on time, but not when they're asked to complete complex, heuristic tasks such as those articulated by the Common Core State Standards. The literature about grading and grading systems reveals similarly misleading conventional wisdom: Educators often …

Student, Teacher, School, And District Determinants Of Elementary School Accountability Classification In The Detroit Metropolitan Region, Embekka Nakia Thompson

Wayne State University Dissertations

Legislators have implemented an accountability system in an effort to increase school quality for all students. Policymakers assume that rewards and sanctions, based on results from high-stakes testing, can improve student achievement. The accountability system does not consider environmental factors that impact student outcomes. This study examines student, teacher, school and district determinants and their impact on student achievement, school designation, and school ranking. Data was collected from 333 elementary (K-5) schools in 56 public school districts and 18 charter schools in three counties: Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne. Two research questions were developed for this study.The first research question examined …

An Investigation Of A Forest Field Trip For Elelmentary Students: What Strategies Were Used, And To What Extent Were These Strategies Effective In Supporting Student Learning?, Michelle M. Miller

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Many times when field experiences occur with elementary students there is no assessment of the programming, and therefore no data showing how the participants’ learning was impacted. This study focuses on the effectiveness of a forest field trip offered to 3^rd-5^th grade students at a public school in Gogebic County, Michigan.

The study was guided by the following research questions:

• What strategies have been used to conduct forest-based environmental education programs in the Western Upper Peninsula?
• What has been the impact of the strategies on students’ environmental knowledge?
• In what ways if any, can the conduct of …

Building Communicative Competence: An Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of An Intensive Japanese-Language Program, Yukiko Konishi

Doctoral Dissertations

Even though language-program evaluations provide educators with various types of information on teaching practices and the programs in which they work, insufficient literature discusses issues related to language-program evaluation. This mixed-methods study examined the effectiveness of a Japanese-language program offered at a government-sponsored Institute located in northern California on language-program evaluation and developing communicative competence at postsecondary schools.

Data comprised two sets of surveys, six individual interviews, and one group interview. Survey respondents were 35 former students of the institute and 12 Japanese instructors who are currently teaching Japanese or have taught Japanese at the Institute. Of the 35 students, …

An Assessment Of Persistence For Domestic And International Western Kentucky University Edd Students, Christy L. Spurlock, Jia Pei

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

The purpose of the study was to identify the barriers and challenges to EdD completion. Respondents helped identify which retention resources or actions would be most effective in keeping them enrolled and on track to degree completion. The EdD program director, EdD faculty, and WKU will be able to use information from the study to develop retention resources, intervention strategies, and perhaps make even more sweeping changes to confront the obstacles to EdD persistence.

This study utilized qualitative design based on a partial case study with holistic, case-orientated design. Weiss (1998) asserted that, "Qualitative evaluation has a special advantage for …

Complexities Of Technology Integration In The Elementary Classroom Context: A Structural Equation Model Study, Heather M. Monroe-Ossi

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Effectively integrating technology into classroom instruction presents teachers with several dilemmas about their understanding of how students learn, their approach to designing learning activities, and their conceptualization of their role as teachers (Windschitl, 2002). Using the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model (Koehler & Mishra, 2005, 2009; Mishra & Koehler, 2006) as the conceptual model undergirding the research, this study was designed to build evidence towards establishing the validity and reliability of a measurement instrument employed to assess the technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge teachers utilize, as well as gain an understanding of how this knowledge is affected by teacher …

Examining Cognitive Presence And Assessment For Learning In An Asynchronous History Discussion, Gregory Sucre

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Online learning, which began in the area of tertiary and adult learning and professional development, has been spreading rapidly as an alternative way for students to pursue learning in the K-12 sector. While adult learners may be expected to be more experienced students and cope with the variations in the implementation of online learning, younger K-12 students need a more structured approach to organize their online learning experiences. Formative assessment has been promoted as a means of enhancing all learning, including online learning. This study explored the use of the formative assessment process in the design and facilitation of an …

Standardized Assessment Results As A Predictor Of Student Reading Success In New Brunswick, Canada, Gregory David Paterson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many Canadian school districts use standardized reading achievement data to support reading instruction. Over 30% of 9th-grade students in the Anglophone School District-South (ASD-S) have not met targets for the English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA), a graduation requirement in New Brunswick, Canada. This study compared archival reading scores of 6th-grade students from 2009-2012 with the same students' scores in 9th-grade from 2012-2015, to determine if 6th-grade scores were a predictor of 9th-grade results. Rendering the impact illiteracy plays on society, this study applied the theoretical framework of social theory from Bourdieu's (1977, 1984, 1986) view of social mobility and Turner's …

Promoting Diabetes Self-Managment Eduaction And Training In Out-Patient Clinics, Inemesit Godwin Udo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a long term metabolic disorder characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. T2DM is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease, blindness, kidney failure, lower-limb amputation, and other complications that are costly to patients and the U.S. health care system. Lack of knowledge and underdeveloped skills for self-management of diabetes continues to be the biggest problem for patients with T2DM. Using a team approach and Rosswurm and Larrabee's (1999) conceptual model as a framework, the purpose of this doctorate of nursing practice quality improvement project was to develop an …

The Relationship Between The Apex Program For Instruction And High School Student Academic Success, David Gordon Krosner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An alternative high school campus in the State of Georgia introduced a new program to support academic growth and engagement among at-risk students. This program, the APEX program, merges technology with content to provide students with self-paced learning facilitated by teachers with the objective of improving test scores, course completion, and graduation. The purpose of this goals-based evaluation was to examine the relationship between APEX program usage and the academic success measures of EOCT scores, course credit accrual, and graduation; it was grounded in the behavior objectives approach. The study followed a cohort of students who were enrolled in Grade …

Rural High School Mathematics Instructional Practices And Students' Academic College Readiness, Luajean Erna Bryan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Rural high school graduates in the United States lag behind in college math preparedness, therefore prompting researchers to identify instructional practices that would advance student math performance. This quantitative research study investigated specific teacher practices and their correlation with student gains in college math preparedness on the American College Test (ACT). Data were collected using a teacher questionnaire to quantify the level of reform practices among a sample of six math teachers and used ACT pre and posttests to assess 312 11th grade students' gains in college math readiness in a public rural high school in Southeast Tennessee. Correlation analysis …

Use Of Youth Program Quality Assessment (Ypqa) As A Method Of Process Evaluation: Maximizing Limited Resources Of Nonprofit Organizations, Young Im

Master's Theses

Past literature shows the progression of different phases of evaluation practice in nonprofit organizations. Pressure of outcome or impact evaluation started the beginning of the 21st century. The attempt to manage the weight of conducting outcome evaluation has raised many complications, inhibiting the nonprofit organization’s ability to learn and understand the proper role of evaluation and what it can provide to assist in improving programs. It, therefore, has led to a gap in which nonprofits miss what happens during implementation, a crucial part of process evaluation. Among nonprofit organizations in the areas of youth development and after-school programs, various types …

A Phenomenological Study Examining The Experiences Of High School Graduates Who Participated In A Career And Technical Education Program Of Study, Camille Goins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs are designed to help prepare students to become effective workers by equipping them with college and career readiness skills needed for the 21st century workplace. Students who participate in a CTE Program of Study (POS) have the potential for greater success during and after high school because they have achieved academic success in meeting the college and career readiness targets that lead to success in post-secondary and career training. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of graduates from one high school in the southwest region of North Carolina who …

Peer Evaluation Of Team Member Effectiveness As A Formative Educational Intervention, Nathan Mentzer, Dawn Laux, Angelika Zissimopoulos, K. Andrew R. Richards

IMPACT Publications

Peer evaluation of team member effectiveness is often used to complement cooperative learning in the classroom, by holding students accountable for their team contributions. Drawing on the tenants of self-determination theory, this study investigated the impacts of formative peer evaluation in university level team-based design projects. The hypothesis was that the introduction of formative peer evaluation cycles would result in a more student-centered learning climate, increased competence, reduced doubt, and improved student learning. Two semesters were compared in this quasi-experimental study where results of peer evaluation became modifiers to students’ grades in the final project. In only one of the …

Using Running Records Data In Planning For Literacy Instruction, Tabitha A. Waltz

Graduate Research Papers

Running records are an assessment tool that allows teachers to monitor the sources of information readers are using. Many teachers have learned to take running records, but they may not be as comfortable analyzing the running records and using the results of the analysis to inform instruction. This graduate, final project presents a professional development program that will help teachers learn not only to take running records, but also to analyze and use the results in their instruction.

Mentoring Pre- And In-Service School Leaders Through A Combined Principal Mentoring Model: A Case Study Of The University Of Illinois At Chicago, Alicia Haller

Dissertations

Scholars have demonstrated that school leadership is second only to instruction in terms of school-level impact on student learning. Additionally, researchers and policy makers have argued that in order to ensure aspiring and novice principals develop the leadership and instructional competencies necessary to improve schools, they need to be provided with authentic learning experiences and supported by knowledgeable mentors. This case study explored a unique combined principal mentoring model, developed by the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) that spans from the pre-service phase into the early in-service phase. In order to provide a rich description of the model, the …

Characteristics Of Adult General Education Learners And Courses: A Correlational Study On The Elements Of Success, Daniel Jennings Stackhouse

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if a correlation exists among characteristics common to successful adult career and technical students in the traditional classroom setting, the online mode of instruction, and a hybrid of the traditional and distance mode of instructional delivery. A gap in the literature exists, resulting in a lack of knowledge specific to the reasons for success or failure of these adult career and technical students, specifically in relation to mode of instructional delivery: traditional classroom, online, or a hybrid of both.

This study is a quantitative correlation study of explanatory and predictive design using …