Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Australian General Practice Training Program: National Report On The 2018 National Registrar Survey, Rebecca Taylor, Leyna Clarke, Daniel Edwards

Higher education research

The Australian General Practice Training National Registrar Survey (AGPT NRS) is an annual, national survey of GP registrars currently training in the AGPT program. It collects information via an online questionnaire about registrar satisfaction, experience and future career plans. It also collects information about registrars’ demographics and training contexts and other aspects of their training experience. This survey was previously known as the AGPT Registrar Satisfaction Survey (AGPT RSS). From July 31 to September 7 2018, the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) administered the AGPT NRS to registrars enrolled in active training on the AGPT program across 11 training …

Voluntary Professional Development In Thailand: Teachers’ Motivation, Professional Life Phase, And Contingencies Of Self-Worth, Pongwat Fongkanta

Dissertations

To address the increasing focus on teacher proficiency, professional development opportunities for teachers are routinely provided in Thailand. The focus of this work is on professional development at the individual level and addresses teachers’ motivation for self-improvement and their own worth. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to first validate the relative importance of teachers’ motivation for participating in voluntary professional development and contingencies of self-worth. Secondly, the study sought to determine the relationship of the indicators that contribute to teacher participation with contingencies of self-worth. Lastly, this study examined in what way professional life phase may be related …

Risky Business: Pilot Of The Social Norms Program For Secondary Schools, Katherine Dix, Toby Carslake

Wellbeing

Intent on contributing to drug and alcohol education in secondary schools, Life Education set out in 2017 to explore the viability of using a social norms approach that confronted young people's misconceptions about risk-taking behaviours amongst their peers. A literature review (Ahmed, Mitchell & Trevitt, 2018) provided strong foundations for developing and piloting Australia's first social norms-based drug and alcohol program for secondary school students. Norms are considered to have a behavioural dimension – how the majority of people in a group behave – as well as an attitudinal dimension – how this majority believes they and others should behave. …

Principal Leaders And College And Career Readiness Programs, Inna Goretaya Polishchuk

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the intersection of high school principals and college and career readiness initiatives in five high school contexts. Because school principals are responsible for setting the vision in a school, college and career readiness initiatives have the potential to overlap significantly with the principal’s direction of the school. Moreover, studies indicate college and career readiness programs might rely on the active support of the school administrator if they are to succeed. What the school leader cares about tends to be what staff focus on; therefore, this study examines how three factors influence the effectiveness of a college and …

Implication Of Item And Test Differential Functioning In Criterion-Referenced Tests, Xiaojie Hu

Dissertations

In a compensatory criterion referenced test (CRT) it is common that the test developer maximizes the test information at or near the cut score location. This is believed to produce the highest classification accuracy. However, a recent study showed that the optimal location to maximize test information for highest classification accuracy (CA) and consistency (CC) also depends on factors such as test length, cut score location, the examinee ability distribution, and the test model applied for latent trait estimation (Wyse & Babcock, 2016). Moreover, when unintentional secondary dimensions are also measured (nuisance dimension caused by test construction, test standardization, or …

Career And Technical Education On Mathematics And Reading Achievement For Students In North Central Arkansas, Kimberley Sartain

College of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative research study was to determine the effects of gender and Career and Technical Education (CTE) participation level on the mathematics and reading achievement as measured by the ACT Aspire for 10th-grade students and ACT subtest assessments for 11th-grade students in 2 5-A high schools in North Central Arkansas. While researching the effects of gender and CTE participation level, this scholar found no statistically significant difference between gender and CTE participation level on student achievement. This researcher explored the literature relating to the mathematic and reading achievement of males and females as well as whether they …

Exploration Of Post-Secondary Preparation In Urban, Suburban, And Rural High Schools In The State Of Missouri, Rashida J. Mckinley

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze how high schools in the state of Missouri’s rural, suburban, and urban areas were preparing students for post-secondary education and career readiness. The researcher analyzed the state of Missouri secondary data gathered from the 2013 through 2017 school years, in urban, suburban, and rural high schools. The researcher also surveyed school guidance counselors and administrators. The data represented consisted of ACT Composite Scores, Annual Performance Reports, Post-Secondary Placements, Career and Technical Education Placements, Dropout Rates, and Graduation Rates. This examination utilized a mixed method study to gain an understanding of each school’s …

An Ethnographic Study On The Relationship Between Andragogy And Perceived Ability Of Hybrid And Virtual Employees To Live Corporate Values, Laura Van Iseghem

Dissertations

As several businesses and organizations push to be profitable and successful, many lack efforts in enforcing and maintaining an effective vision and mission as part of the business strategy. This qualitative, ethnographic study aimed to identify the relationship, if any, between andragogy, an adult learning theory, and the perceived ability of the study company’s hybrid and virtual employees to live the seven corporate core values (trust, humility, embracing change, passion, positive attitude, teamwork and honesty and integrity) based on Knowles’ (1973, 1995) six assumptions of the characteristics of the adult learner and the eight process elements (theoretical framework) by which …

A Case Study Of The Implementation Of Co-Teaching In A Steam Elementary Magnet School In A Midwestern State, Ashley Lane Copley

Dissertations

Although research is limited on the effectiveness of co-teaching as a service delivery model for students with disabilities, through observation, many educators have reported positive outcomes with co-teaching (Beninghof, 2011). This case study was designed to examine the implementation of co-teaching in an elementary magnet school in a Midwestern school district driven by science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) and with a strong emphasis on personalized learning. General education teachers, special education teachers, and administrators were interviewed three times during the initial implementation school year. In addition, journaling was documented by three of the participants, and co-teaching fidelity checks …

A Low-Intensity, Hybrid Design Between A "Traditional" And A "Course-Based" Research Experience Yields Positive Outcomes For Science Undergraduate Freshmen And Shows Potential For Large-Scale Application, Thushani Rodrigo-Peiris, Lin Xiang, Vincent M. Cassone

Biology Faculty Publications

Based on positive student outcomes, providing research experiences from early undergraduate years is recommended for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. To this end, we designed a novel research experience called the “STEMCats Research Experience” (SRE) for a cohort of 119 second-semester freshmen with diverse college preparatory levels, demographics, and academic majors. The SRE targeted student outcomes of enhancing retention in STEM majors, STEM competency development, and STEM academic performance. It was designed as a hybrid of features from apprenticeship-based traditional undergraduate research experience and course-based undergraduate research experience designs, considering five factors: 1) an authentic research experience, 2) …

Data Mining Approach To The Identification Of At-Risk Students, Li Chin Ho, Kyong Jin Shim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In recent years, the use of digital tools and technologies in educational institutions are continuing to generate large amounts of digital traces of student learning behavior. This study presents a proof-of-concept analytics system that can detect at-risk students along their learning journey. Educators can benefit from the early detection of at-risk students by understanding factors which may lead to failure or drop-out. Further, educators can devise appropriate intervention measures before the students drop out of the course. Our system was built using SAS ® Enterprise Miner (EM) and SAS ® JMP Pro.

Assessing Content Mastery: Using Quasi-Experimental Research To Study The Effect That Standards-Based Progress Reporting To Parents May Have On Student Achievement In Science At One Georgia Middle School, Matthew Scott Odell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

With the establishment of standards-based testing as the key assessment of student knowledge gains and with the increased accountability first brought by No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and now with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the role of the teacher and the methods of assessment have continued to change. To reach the national goals established by NCLB and the state guidelines established to allow the states to guide education in the ESSA, the testing of students’ previous knowledge and the identification of their strengths has become important to show teachers how to meet their students’ needs. More empirical research …

Same But Different: Characters With Developmental Disabilities In Current Juvenile Literature, Tina Taylor, Kellie Egan, Kimberly T. Moss, Hannah P. Grow, Sharon Black, Mary Anne Prater

Faculty Publications

As many children first encounter individuals with developmental disabilities (DD) through characters in children’s literature, these individuals must be depicted authentically. Using descriptive analyses, we evaluated 38 books written for children and adolescents (11 picture books, 17 chapter books) for their portrayals of characters with developmental disabilities, comparing the portrayals against those published in three previous studies. All books considered were eligible for the 2018 Dolly Gray Children’s Literature Award. Data were analyzed regarding personal portrayal, social interactions, and exemplary practices. Results indicated that most characters portrayed have ASD (80%) and the majority are male (65%). Generally, characters with DD …

Limited By Design: Expanding The Boundaries Of Schooling Policies From Demanded Passivity To Transformative Practice, Natalia T. Carvalho-Pinto

Masters Theses

Schooling is often imagined as the great equalizer and the primary venue towards personal and collective liberation. However, hegemonic ideals and practices have limited the ability for educators to craft and utilize policy in a way that best benefits their students. In this thesis, I utilize the state of Michigan’s Common Core curriculum to examine the limits beyond policy and practice. Specifically, I argue that the demands for student passivity and institutional measurable as signs of success, prohibit student growth. Throughout the document, I describe hope in the ability to instill a variety of transformative educational theories and practices that …

The Development Of A Situational Judgment Test To Assess Collegiate Judgment: A Pilot Study, Jared Stevens

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

Traditionally, colleges and universities have focused primarily on cognitive predictors (e.g., ACT/SAT scores, high school GPA), and have struggled to find an accurate and objective way of measuring non-cognitive skills, often resorting to personality measures or interviews, or deciding not to measure them at all. Recently, there has been a push for alternative forms of student selection that result in less adverse impact and do not ignore important skills and traits that are necessary to be successful in college (Peeters & Lievens, 2005; Atkinson, 2001).

Growing evidence suggests Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs) may be one way to achieve this goal. …

Investigation Of The Relationship Between Orientation And Persistence, Kellie A. Ziemak

All Theses And Dissertations

This study sought to understand persistence from a student’s perspective. In the past, student success courses were able to provide students with the opportunity to learn the college-readiness skills essential to student persistence. Developmental education reform in Florida has restructured course requirements, and students can now decide if they want to enroll in a student success course. This leaves colleges exploring alternatives to assist students in gaining the skills they need to be successful in college. This study used Tinto’s student integration theory as a conceptual framework to determine if students thought orientation helped them integrate both socially and academically …

A Case Study Of A Technical College's Faculty Perceptions Regarding The Value Of Professional Development Activities, Kermelle D. Hensley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to investigate technical college faculty members' perceptions of the professional development. Most of the literature was focused on four-year higher educational institutions. For the purposes of this qualitative case study, the researcher addressed the limited amount in the literature about professional development in two-year technical colleges. The researcher investigated faculty perceptions concerning the usefulness of professional development in a two-year higher education institution through survey research design with 8 participants. The main themes were 1) technical college faculty desired professional development; 2) technical college faculty needed for follow up from the professional …

Look Before You Jump, Kapil R. Tuli

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Coming to grips with the reality of eLearning. In boardrooms all over the world today a scenario is played out again and again: Chief Learning Officers (CLOs) enthusiastically pitch the strategy of eLearning while chief executives remain sceptical over the outcomes. For years, eLearning appeared to be the perfect answer for corporations that need to train their employees. And it certainly has its advantages.

Paying For Performance: Public School Property Taxes And Public-School District Performance In Missouri, Keenan Daniela Kinder

Dissertations

An increase in the property tax rate of a school district creates an increase in local revenues for the district (Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. [MODESE], 2017). The overarching question becomes: Do increases in the local tax levy compare to improved student performance? The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the difference between property tax rates of Missouri public school districts to student performance as viewed through the lens of benefit tax theory (Duff, 2004). Secondary data were obtained via the MODESE which included property tax rates and information from the Annual Performance Reports for public …

Scottish National Assessments: National Report For Academic Year 2017 To 2018, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Assessment and Reporting

This report has been developed to provide a summary of outcomes at a national level on the newly established system of national standardised assessments, which has since been termed ‘Scottish National Standardised Assessments’ (SNSA) in the 2017 to 2018 academic year, the first year of the programme. A central aim of SNSA is also to provide information on the outcomes of Scottish children and young people in literacy and numeracy over time. The assessments have been available for use in publicly funded schools in Scotland since August 2017. They are administered to children and young people in Primary 1, Primary …

A Growth Curve Analysis Of Mandatory Student Athletics Fees, Willis A. Jones, Michael J. Rudolph, Michael Brown

Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation Faculty Publications

This study used growth curve modeling to estimate the growth trajectory of mandatory student athletics fees at public NCAA Division I universities from 2004–2016. We specifically focused on three measures of athletics fees; total athletics fees, athletics fees per FTE, and athletics fees as a percentage of total student costs. We found that in general the growth trajectory of athletics fees was positive, but that the rate of growth has declined over the years. We also found that on average less than 5% of student costs are directly attributable to athletics fees and that the growth trajectory of athletics fees …

A Study Of Advancement: Female Superintendents Breaking The Glass Ceiling, Tiffany Caywood Brunner

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the career progression of female superintendents located in southwest Missouri. The inequitable balance of women represented at the highest levels of district leadership is a national, state, and local concern (American Association of School Superintendents [AASA], 2015). Women who do ascend to the superintendent's positions, despite the odds, are in the minority (Brunner & Grogan, 2007). A qualitative, narrative research lens was used in this study to capture individual career accounts and interpretations of career advancement of the female superintendent. Data collection centered on personal, one-on-one interviews with female superintendents located throughout …

Special Area Teachers’ Perceptions Of Performance Evaluation Feedback And Professional Development Provided, Christy Isaacs

All Theses And Dissertations

There is significant research showing that teachers are motivated to grow intrinsically through the feedback and professional development opportunities they receive from their principals following the evaluation cycle. The quality of this feedback greatly influences their willingness to continuously improve their practices. However, limited research exists on whether special area teachers receive meaningful feedback and professional development opportunities from their principals, who may lack specialized content knowledge, following their evaluations.

The primary purpose of this qualitative study was to explore special area teachers’ perceptions of the feedback and professional development opportunities their principals provided following the evaluation cycle. Participants included …

The Effect Of Item Stem And Response Option Length On The Item Analysis Outcomes Of A Career And Technical Education Multiple Choice Assessment, Tina M. Koepf

Dissertations

Critical decisions in Career and Technical Education (CTE) can be based on assessment outcomes, requiring an essential focus on continuous improvement initiatives to provide increased multiple choice (MC) assessment validity. Previous research has determined that the presence of flawed test items negatively impacts student success; therefore, an MC taxonomy has been established and used in the assessment industry. While rigorous and successful Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs that enroll high-level academic students exist, many CTE programs enroll students with a wide spectrum of academic ability. Because many CTE students often have inferior reading skills, it is necessary to take …

Basic Academic Skills And Post-Secondary Technical Education, Janet Humphreys Latimer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there is a significant difference in WorkKeys score, skills score, theory score, and job placement rates as compared by credential and program of study at a technical college in Tennessee. The study used data retrieved from a WorkKeys database and SIMS (Student Information Management System) at a technical college. The population consisted of 445 students in seven programs from 2010-2016 who had participated in the WorkKeys online academic training modules.

The dependent variables for the study were WorkKeys score, skill score, and theory score. The independent variables were job placement …

Counter Narratives: A Phenomenological Study Of High Achieving African American Male High School Students., De'nay Lanise Speaks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examined the contributing factors to the success of high achieving African American male high school students who attend an all-male, predominantly Black, college-preparatory academy. The study took place in an urban, Midwestern school district and highlighted the lived experience and perspectives of students who have at least a 3.0 grade point average. Through the lens of Critical Race Theory, this study was an effort to bring attention to counter narratives to the otherwise deleterious image portrayed of African American males. The history and plight of the African American male is included to provide a comprehensive understanding of the …

Teacher Agency And The Implementation Of Restorative Justice, Jeffrey Hunt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the implementation of Restorative Justice in an urban central California high school through the lens of administrators, and teacher perceptions of agency, campus climate, and impact of the implementation. The participating school in this study defined their implementation of Restorative Justice as Restorative Practices. The Quality Implementation Framework (Durlak, Meyers, & Wandersman, 2012) guided the development of the literature review and created the framework for the study. This mixed-methods sequential explanatory study examined the relationship between teacher perceptions of agency, school climate, and the implementation of Restorative Practices. Teachers at …

Text Analytics Approach To Extract Course Improvement Suggestions From Students’ Feedback, Swapna Gottipati, Venky Shankararaman, Jeff Rongsheng Lin

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In academic institutions, it is normal practice that at the end of each term, students are required to complete a questionnaire that is designed to gather students’ perceptions of the instructor and their learning experience in the course. Students’ feedback includes numerical answers to Likert scale questions and textual comments to open-ended questions. Within the textual comments given by the students are embedded suggestions. A suggestion can be explicit or implicit. Any suggestion provides useful pointers on how the instructor can further enhance the student learning experience. However, it is tedious to manually go through all the qualitative comments and …

West Side Story: Success Within Special Education Through Arts Integration, Kelly Richardson

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Arts education programs can provide the necessary skills students need for future success, including communication skills and confidence. The Turnaround Arts program at Rosa Parks Elementary School has advanced overall student success, particularly benefiting students in Special Education. Both Special Education teachers and the Arts Specialist at Rosa Parks Elementary were interviewed and the Turnaround Arts Program was observed. Each teacher described their experiences within this program to be noteworthy and recognized the importance it has had on their students’ success in the classroom. Based on an analysis of the data and the relevant research literature, we used what we …

Young Women In Stem: An Analysis Of Outreach Programs For Middle School Girls, Rachel Lundeen

Honors Projects

Historically, and still presently, women face many obstacles when attempting to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Women have been systematically barred from entering STEM programs at universities and today face cultural obstacles, resulting in marginalization. Research points to adolescence as the age where this sense of marginalization begins to develop. As a result, many outreach programs for young women interested in STEM are targeted toward the middle school age group. This study adds to this research by examining two such outreach programs for young women in STEM to determine their effectiveness, including Camp GEMS at Ohio Northern …