Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

A Path To Academic Success: Learning Disabilities, Finding A Way, John S. Cooper

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will highlight the difficulties students with learning disabilities have in the post-secondary environment. Special interest is given to how colleges and universities help these students become successful and graduate from college. Two universities are examined, the University of the Ozarks and the University of Arkansas. Each school has its own programs that provide accommodations to students with learning disabilities. The thesis will follow a student from each university, as they attend classes and Social activities.

Bridging The Gap: An Exploratory Study On Classroom-Workplace Collaborations, Katelynn Dixon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

“Bridging the gap” between theory and practice has historically been challenging. There is a definite lag between textbook knowledge and “real-world” application. For decades colleges have been adopting different Executive-In-Residence (EIR) models to help with this concern. Various EIR models include bringing industry professionals into the classes as guest speakers, hosting a series of one-on-one meetings, and conducting seminars and workshops. There is little to no research on EIRs in the Hospitality and Tourism field. In today’s modern time, the hospitality industry is a forerunner in the service industry, thus making this research extremely beneficial to the body of knowledge …

An Evaluation Of Arkansas’ Developmental Coursework Policy At Postsecondary Institutions, Evan Thomas Rhinesmith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an evaluation of the impacts of assignment to and enrollment in postsecondary remedial coursework in the state of Arkansas. In this study, I evaluate the impacts of the policy on students’ academic achievement and attainment as measured by graduation rates and persistence. I include subgroup analyses of these outcomes to determine whether there are heterogeneous effects for students enrolling at two-year or four-year institutions, institutions with the highest remediation rates, and students of different races, genders, and baseline achievement. Like previous evaluations of remediation in other settings, the results here point to negative impacts of remediation on …

Characteristics And Behaviors Of School Board Members In "Grade A" Arkansas Public School Districts, Bridget Lynn Polk

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to describe characteristics and behaviors of school board members in Arkansas school districts where 50% or more of their campuses earned a letter grade of “A” on the 2014 Arkansas School Performance Report (Arkansas Department of Education [ADE], 2015). This purpose was achieved through analysis of artifacts from selected school districts including: achievement patterns; board minutes; and board member professional development records. A web-based survey of school board members was also utilized to gather demographic and background information. Finally, personal interviews were completed with a small group of board members to collect …

Examining The Phenomenon Of Dropping Out Of High School Through The Perspectives And Experiences Of The African American Male, John L. Colbert

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

We expect all students to achieve and succeed in school, yet current data shows that 23.6% of African American students in Arkansas drop out of school (Bailey & Dziko, 2008). The African American male high school dropouts are much higher than the number of male dropouts from other ethnic groups. As the researcher reviewed the current data about African American dropouts, it was the impetus behind this study. Although many have discussed and written about African American male dropouts in educational forums, essays, short stories, dissertations, and even movies, few have captured the experiences of the African American males in …

The Consequential Validity Of The M-Step And Third-Grade Retention, Michelle L. Sprouse

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

This paper applies Slomp, Corrigan, and Sugimoto’s (2014) consequential validity framework to the third-grade Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) in English language arts (ELA). Slomp et al.’s (2014) consequential validity framework provides for a holistic examination of the validity of the assessment and its consequences. Using this framework, this paper considers the construct of reading developed in the adopted standards, assessment design, sample assessment items, disaggregated performance data, and the assessment consequences. The number and magnitude of validity concerns raised in all aspects of the framework call into question the consequential validity of the assessment.

Educational Trajectories Of Latino English Language Learner Students In Dual-Language Programs, Kathryn Lindholm-Leary

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this research is to examine the language proficiency and reading achievement trajectories of 2201 fourth- through eighth-grade students who differed by English language proficiency and were enrolled in a dual language program. Results showed that: 1) students achieved average in Spanish reading achievement and at similar levels in English as their English mainstream ELL peers; 2) students in the four English language proficiency groups varied significantly in all outcome measures in English and Spanish (FEP>Advanced>Intermediate>Beginner) by upper, but not K/1 entry, grades; and 3) examining students’ trajectories shows the importance of Bilingual, not just …

Experiences Of North American Teachers Working Overseas Who Broke Their Contracts Within One Year, Stephanie L. Kattera

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain insight into the experiences of North American teachers working in international schools and why they chose to leave within the first year. The findings offer insights into the following questions; (1) How do these teachers experience relationships with leadership and students? (2) What role, if any, did their recruitment and induction have on these teachers’ decision to leave? (3) What role, if any, did the culture of the host country play in these teachers’ decision to leave? The struggles experienced from these conditions led teachers to abruptly leave their contracted international …

Understanding A Vicious Cycle: Do Out-Of-School Suspensions Impact Student Test Scores?, Kaitlin P. Anderson, Gary W. Ritter, Gema Zamarro

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

A vast body of research has proven the correlation between exclusionary discipline (out-of-school suspensions and expulsions) and student outcomes such as lower test scores, dropout, grade retention, and involvement in the juvenile justice system, but there is no consensus on the causal impacts of exclusionary discipline. This study uses six years of de-identified demographic, achievement, and disciplinary data from all K-12 public schools in Arkansas to estimate the causal relationship. We conduct dynamic panel data models incorporating student fixed effects using Anderson-Hsiao (1981) estimation. We find, counter-intuitively, a null to positive impact of out-of-school suspensions on test scores. Therefore, while …

Infographic: Offensive Behaviour Against School Leaders, Jo Earp

Teacher infographics

The 2016 Australian Principal Health & Wellbeing Survey includes prevalence rates of offensive behaviour against school leaders, compared to the general population. Our latest infographic explores some of the results.

Knowledge To Action: A Communication And Framing Issue, Norman Eng

Publications and Research

Translating knowledge into action requires that education scholars step beyond their traditional role as researchers and engage the public more deliberately. At the same time, their impartiality must be rigorously maintained. One solution is to focus their engagement on educating, discussing, and sharing—rather than persuading or advocating. Communication studies suggests that framing research in ways that resonate with people’s core values may help the public see complex issues more constructively. It may even stimulate political will. In this paper, I explore four ways to frame education issues, based on widely held American values like achievement, progress, and pragmatism. I also …

Dynamic School Psychology: Perceptions Between School Psychologists, Teachers, And Administrators On School Psychology And Paradigm Shift Theory, Homero Flores

Education Dissertations

The purpose of this research paper is to gain current perceptions of school psychology services and paradigm shift theory in school psychology by school psychologists, teachers and administrators within public school systems. The paper will focus on the history of school psychology, federal legislation, and IDEA. Surveys were collected from school psychologists, teachers and administrators regarding perceptions of school psychology and paradigm shift theory in school psychology services. Although the results were non-significant, results of the surveys indicate similar results to previous perceptual surveys. While teachers and administrators would like more services in general from school psychologists, school psychologists remained …

How Well Are We Learning From Naplan?, Geoff N. Masters Ao

Teacher columnist – Geoff Masters

Some Australian schools and school systems have seen greater improvements in NAPLAN results than others. How well do we understand where improvements are occurring and why? Professor Geoff Masters AO discusses.

A Progressive Approach To The Education Of Teachers: Some Principles From Bank Street College Of Education, Nancy Nager, Edna Shapiro

Occasional Paper Series

In this paper we present Bank Street’s approach as represented in a set of five inter-related principles. We begin by briefly describing the origins and rationale of teacher education at Bank Street. From this description we generate principles that emerge from Bank Street’s history and practice, linking each principle to classroom images of teaching and learning. Enactment of these principles can and must vary in response to changing circumstances, needs, and mandates. In our view, this necessary variation highlights the guiding function of an explicit set of principles to govern and ensure the consonance, validity, and legitimacy of new practices.

Teaching, Learning, And Assessment: Insights Into Students’ Motivation To Learn, Simon R. Walters, Pedro Silva, Jennifer Nikolai

The Qualitative Report

This study draws upon the perspectives of sport and recreation undergraduate students in New Zealand who were involved in the design of their own assessments, and discusses the implication of the teaching and learning environment on this process. In a previous study, student criticism had emerged of current teaching strategies and assessment methods at their institution. The purpose of this current study was to directly address some of these concerns and for lecturers and students to work collaboratively to develop a more learner-centred teaching and learning environment. Students from a second-year sociology of sport paper were invited to design their …

Perspectives Of Saudi Special Education Teachers Towards Secondary And Post-Secondary Transition Services For Youth With Multiple Disabilities, Nabil Almalki

International Journal for Research in Education

Abstract:

The purpose of the study was to examine the secondary and post-secondary transition services for youth with Multiple Disabilities (MD) and know how these transition services were provided for this population in order to help them live independently throughout their lifespans. The researcher implemented the quantitative design, and the participants of the study comprised of 106 special education teachers of students with MD. The results showed that all domains of this study indicated agreement to somewhat agree in providing transition services for youth with MD, which meant that the total mean for all domains were from 3.40 to …

Pre-Service Teachers’ Perception Of Their Educational Preparation, Ahmed Khalid, Samir J. Dukmak, Fawzi - Fayez Ishtaiwa Dweikat

International Journal for Research in Education

Abstract:

This study aimed at investigating pre-service teachers’ views of their educational preparation taking into consideration six study domains, namely: planning and preparation for instruction, classroom environment, professional responsibility, teaching skills, time allotted for learning different subjects, and time allotted for learning certain skills in the program. The differences among the six domains and pre-service teachers’ demographic information such as gender, pre-service teachers’ study majors, and the school level they were prepared to teach (Basic vs. Secondary) were investigated. Additionally, the study examined the extent to which the six study domains predicted the pre-service teachers’ teaching skills. Findings of …

Factors That Lead Handicapped People In Jordanian Rehabilitation And Correction Centers To Commit Their Criminal Behaviors As Perceived By Them In The Light Of Some Variables., Heyam Mosa Al-Taj

International Journal for Research in Education

ABSTACT:

The purpose of the study is to investigate the factors that lead handicapped people in Jordanian rehabilitation and correction centers to commit their criminal behaviors as perceived by them in light of some variables. The sample of the study consisted of (33) handicapped prisoners in Jordanian rehabilitation and correction centers. To achieve the aim of the study a scale was developed to measure those factors within (39) items, after checking validity and reliability. The findings of the study showed that the criminal behaviors of handicapped people are the ones committed on other people with a rate of (48.48%) followed …

Role Of Female Teachers In Formation Of Wrong Perceptions Within Female Students Of Intermediate Schools In Riyadh, Nora Abdullah Aljebreen

International Journal for Research in Education

Abstract:

The research purpose is to acknowledge the role of female teachers in forming wrong perception about conceptions of heredity in minds of female students of intermediate schools, in Riyadh. The Research sample formed of (69) female teachers within the Riyadh North Education Office in 1436-1437H "2015/2016". A questionnaire form was prepared to determine the wrong perceptions about conception of heredity in minds of science female teachers. It included (10) multiple choice questions, each with (4) choices, followed by (4) different explanations to chose from, after being reviewed by a group of arbitrators. The stability account was equal to (0.73) …

The Practicing Degree Of Leadership Skills By School Principals In The Green Line In Palestine In Light Of Learning Organization And Organizational Culture, Ali Mohammad Jubran

International Journal for Research in Education

Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to reveal the elementary teachers' practicing degree of leadership skills from the perspectives of teachers themselves within the green line in Palestine, in light of learning organization and organizational culture. To achieve this aim, the researchers prepared two instruments; the first is a questionnaire composed of (52) items to find out the practicing degree of leadership skills from the perspectives of teachers themselves. It consisted of four domains. The second is a questionnaire including (34) items to find out the learning organization and organizational culture’s degree of implementation from the perspectives of teachers. …

Brain Dominance And The Correlation With Learning Styles, Choosing Specialization And Academic Level Among University Students, Afaf Salim Al-Mohammadi

International Journal for Research in Education

Abstract:

The study aimed to explore the correlation between brain dominance and learning styles when choosing specialization and academic level of university students. the study sample consisted of (397) female students from King Saud University, (204) students from humanity colleges, while (193) represent the scientific colleges The results found that there were statistically significant differences in learning styles (tactile and individual) for left hemisphere, there were no differences in the type of the brain dominance attributed to the academic specialization variant. There were statistically significant differences in learning style (tactile style) for Humanity Colleges. There were no statistically significant differences …

Motivations And Constraints Of E-Learning From The Viewpoint Of Faculty Members Of The College Of Education, King Saud University, Abdulrahman A. Alothman, أحمد زيد آل مسعد

International Journal for Research in Education

Abstract:

This study aims to identify the motivations and obstacles to the use of E-Learning systems and techniques available at King Saud university, and they include: (the learning management system - the virtual classroom system – the technical support system – the techniques of smart classrooms), from the viewpoint of faculty members within the College of Education. The sample was selected randomly as the questionnaire was sent electronically to (430) of the faculty members, and (82) returned, (40) of them were from males and (41) were from females. The study used the descriptive analytical approach and the questionnaire as the …

The Degree Of Parental Awareness Of Their Children's Language-Building Readiness Strategies And The Degree Of Practicing Them And Its Relationship With So Variables, Sami Mohammad Hazaimeh

International Journal for Research in Education

Abstract:

This study aimed to detect the degree of awareness of parents in the United Arab Emirates of their children's language-building readiness strategies and the degree of practicing them from their perspectives and its relationship with the parents' educational qualification and economic situation. The researcher prepared a measure consisted of (51) items and distributed it to the study sample which consisted of (115) parents who were chosen by using simple random sampling technique and distributed according to the study’s variables. After the implementation of the study and the analysis of its data, the results showed that the degree of …

Relationship Between Reflective Thinking And Teaching Performance Of Student Teachers Specialized In, Khalid Ahmad Buqhoos

International Journal for Research in Education

This study aimed at identifying the level of reflective thinking reached by student teachers majoring in mathematics and science who are enrolled in practice teaching. In addition, it aimed at determining the relationship between reflective thinking and each of: teaching performance, student’s GPA, university level and teaching competencies. The descriptive analytical approach was followed for achieving the aims of this study and answering its research questions. Two instruments were used for collecting the needed data. The Arabic translated version of Eysenk and Wilson’s test for reflective thinking after being validated for application on Bahraini students; and the Performance Assessment Instrument …

Necessary But Not Sufficient: The Continuing Inequality Between Men And Women In Educational Leadership, Findings From The Aasa Mid-Decade Survey, Kerry Robinson, Charol Shakeshaft, Margaret Grogan, Whitney Sherman Newcomb

Education Faculty Articles and Research

The gender of school leaders makes a difference in career paths, personal life, and characteristics of workplace. There is additional evidence that men and women are appointed or elected to lead different kinds of educational jurisdictions. Even if those differences did not exist, equitable access to leadership positions for people of different backgrounds would make this an important issue. This article reports gender-related findings from the American Association of School Administrators 2015 Mid-Decade Survey. Findings confirm many of the trends in research on the superintendency over the past 15 years. The profiles of women superintendents are becoming more like their …

Reading Workshop Conferences: Effect On First Grade Student Word Attack Skills, Samantha Everbeck

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

Reading workshop is a way to structure a literacy block during the school day that allows for differentiation and a high level of student engagement. During reading workshop, students read independently and with partners at their independent reading levels while the teacher confers with students and leads small groups. During conferences, the teacher differentiates instruction and tailors lessons to individual student needs.

The purpose of this study is to examine the result of individualized lessons on word attack strategies on first grade students’ reading ability. Word attack strategies, i.e. strategies for decoding unfamiliar words, are a crucial component of learning …

Understanding The Learning & Advocacy Needs Of A Twice-Exceptional Student Through A Strengths-Based Lens: A Case Study In California, Lisa Krausz

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

Twice-exceptional students possess both high ability and learning disabilities. Due to the complex interaction of their gifts and disabilities, these students present challenges to both educators and parents alike in identifying and understanding their learning and growth needs. Most educators adopt a deficit approach when working with these learners; new research, however, calls for multi-dimensional, strengths-based approaches in order to more effectively engage these students into positive school experiences and academic growth. Strength-based approaches draw upon an understanding of the student’s strengths, interests, and talents to entice them into both more rewarding and difficult work; it also calls for a …

An Evaluation Of The Relationships Between Collegiate Aviation Safety Management System Initiative, Self-Efficacy, Transformational Safety Leadership And Safety Behavior Mediated By Safety Motivation, Daniel Kwasi Adjekum

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

The study conceptualized Safety Management System (SMS) initiative, self-efficacy, and transformational safety leadership as constructs that relates to safety behavior (measured by safety compliance and safety participation) when mediated by safety motivation using a quantitative approach. Structural equation modeling techniques was used to derive a final measurement model that fit the empirical data and was used to test the study hypotheses. Utilizing a sample of 282 collegiate flight students and instructors from a large public university in the US, a 46-item survey was used to measure respondent’s perceptions on the study variables. The results indicate that perceptions of SMS policy …

2016 Arkansas Education Report Card, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary Ritter

Education Report Card

The Office for Education Policy is pleased to share the 2016 Arkansas Report Card highlighting the characteristics and educational performance of Arkansas students through the 2015-16 academic year.

State student assessment changed again for the 2015-16 school year, making it difficult to determine if our students are performing better than in prior years, but we look forward to a consistent assessment moving forward, which will allow us to more easily monitor student performance over time. There are several benefits to the new assessment system, including a measure of science performance at every grade level from 3-10, and a nationally comparable …

The Missouri Student Transfer Program, Howard E. Fields Iii

Dissertations

In 1993, the state of Missouri passed the Outstanding Schools Act. This law was created as a means to ensure that “all children will have quality educational opportunities, regardless of where in Missouri they live.” Section 167.131 of this law states that an unaccredited district must pay the tuition and transportation cost for students who attend an accredited school in the same or adjoining district. This portion of the law became known as the Student Transfer Program.

The Riverview Gardens School District (RGSD) was one of three unaccredited school districts in the state of Missouri in 2013. With close to …