Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Analysis Of The Impact Of Professional Learning Teams On Teaching Practices And Student Achievement In Biology Using Dufour’S Model, Rowena K. Dawkins

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This mixed-methods study addresses the perceived impact of working in Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) on teaching practices and student achievement in biology. The study replicates Roberts’s (2010) study. Success in biology is important to the nation because it aligns with national efforts to prepare students to compete in global markets. Educators use PLTs to support development of educators and address student educational needs. PLTs share basic functions. Basic functions were defined using DuFour’s (2004) three big ideas of PLCs: ensuring students learn at high levels, promoting a collaborative culture, and focusing on academic results. Biology teachers completed an anonymous online …

Impact Of Reflection: A Qualitative Study Measuring The Impact Reflection Has On Teacher Effectiveness, Samuel Jones

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This research study examined current reflective practices used by kindergarten through 12^th grade teachers in a single school district in North Carolina. The study sought to identify themes regarding the impact reflection has on teacher effectiveness, with effectiveness being measured by the five teaching standards of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. I identified participants as National Board certified teachers and Non-National Board certified teachers to study the similarities and differences in reflective practices between the two groups. A questionnaire, self-assessment, and interviews were utilized to collect participant data. This study’s data showed that teachers from both groups …

Collaborative Professional Learning In Early Literacy: The Impact On Teacher Knowledge, Actions, And Beliefs, Jaime Henderson Dawson

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Literacy is the foundation for individual success and economic independence. Early literacy development is an area of importance; thus, professional learning in early literacy is critical and significant. This study examined the impact of a collaborative professional learning model in early literacy on teacher knowledge, actions, and efficacy and how learning transfer resulted in changes to instructional practices. The study utilized an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. Data were collected from participants in a specific collaborative professional learning model, the Early Literacy Professional Development (ELPD) model. Quantitative data were collected through surveys to identify professional learning topics perceived as having …

Gateway Scholarships In Biological Sciences: Year 3 Annual Report, Vicki Stieha, Julia Oxford, Amy Ulappa, Brittnee Earl, Jennifer Forbey, Laura Bond, Kevin Feris, Jocelyn Cullers

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report summarizes grant activities, progress toward goals, and broader impacts of the Gateway Scholars Program in the Boise State Department of Biological Sciences during the 2019-20 academic year.

Hwalbay Ginya Misi', Elise-Alexandria Green

CGU Theses & Dissertations

My life experiences shape me as who I am as an educator. I walk with the knowledge of my ancestors and the protection of the creator. The path of which I walk is full of obstacles and challenges. I use my positionality to put myself in the shoes of my students. I am more than what I appear to be. I am a sister, daughter, student, and educator. In the Hualapai language, Hwalbay ginya misi’, translates to “Hualapai sister and daughter”. I use this title to reflect my identity and honor my culture. My ethnography describes my experience as a …

Incorporating Twitter In The Clinical Supervision Process: Perceptions Of Secondary School Level Supervisors, Paula Abiola Willis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Collaborative supervision and social media in education have been the focus of many studies, yet research on incorporating Twitter into clinical supervision is limited. Secondary school level supervisors need to learn and understand educational opportunities when using collaborative supervision incorporating online support. This study explored the perceptions of secondary school level supervisors on using Twitter to collaborate with teachers in the clinical supervision process. Siemen’s theory of connectivism and Cogan’s clinical supervision model framed the study. The research questions explored the perceptions of secondary school level supervisors regarding the use of Twitter for collaborating with teachers during the clinical supervision …

Student Satisfaction And Educational Experience With Collaborative Learning Teams, Jacquelyn Lee Jenkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe use of collaborative learning teams is successful at many traditional higher education institutions. However, the use of collaborative learning teams at 3 University X campuses was noted as a source of frustration for students and may affect student satisfaction. Lower satisfaction rates equate to lower rates of success, graduation, referrals, and retention. The purpose of this study was to explore student satisfaction with the use of collaborative learning teams and how learning teams affect students' educational experiences at University X. Vygotsky's social learning theory and Astin's theory of student involvement framed the study. The mixed-method design included a quantitative …

Insight On Planning And Assessing The Teaching-Learning Process, Khalid Aada

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

This article discusses the important relationship between two essential areas at Educational level: Planning and Assessment during the Teaching and the Learning process. The main purpose of this work is to present a pedagogical tool that could facilitate the organization and the establishment of a follow-up in an actual form, and thus contribute to the improvement of the study programs. Readers interested in this field of education will find in this article considerable ideas that would help them to understand the transcendence of a systematized planning and organized assessment under a complex process, to complement their didactic training and thus …

Associations Between Occupational Therapy Students’ Approaches To Studying And Their Academic Grade Results: A Cross-Sectional And Cross-Cultural Study, Tore Bonsaksen, Ted Brown, Hua B. Lim, Kenneth Fong, Milada C. Småstuen

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Students’ approaches to studying are generally viewed as essential for their learning outcomes and are often described as being either deep, strategic or surface. However, research on associations between study approaches and academic outcomes among occupational therapy students are rare, as are studies that include cross-cultural comparisons. The objective of this study was to assess the degree to which the deep, strategic, and surface approaches to studying were associated with occupational therapy students’ grade point average, in the total sample and when stratified by country, while controlling for age, gender and time spent on independent study. Seven hundred and twelve …

Teaching Diversity For Adaptation And Change: A Case Study, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Preparing teachers and leaders to become culturally competent has become a global concern and a priority. To date, there has been little research con- ducted among school leaders regarding how new diversity knowledge is transferred to schools. Therefore, the purpose of the present qualitative study is to explore the extent to which future educational leaders enrolled in a graduate course regarding diversity are able to transfer the newly acquired knowledge to their professional lives and to understand what hinders and enhances their transfer of knowledge. Using the multidimen- sional model of learning transfer as a theoretical framework and analyz- ing …

Low-Fee Private Schools: Case Studies From Ghana, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

This article focuses on Christian low-fee private schools (LFPSs) in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. This qualitative study uses a case study approach to longitudinally examine who these schools serve, why parents chose them, and what challenges the schools face. Findings reveal that parents choose Christian LFPSs for religious reasons and the quality of the education these schools provide. Other reasons include proximity, teacher and administrator quality, small class sizes, and extracurricular offerings. Challenges for these schools were financial and related to retaining teachers. This research is significant because Christian LFPSs have a role to play in helping Ghana’s …

Learning Transfer: The Missing Linkage To Effective Professional Development, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Professional development is an important element in improving teachers and leaders’ skills and abilities that will impact student academic achievement (Koonce, Pijanowski, Bengston & Lasater, 2019; Reeves, 2010). Too often, budgets are spent on professional development that yield little results (Speck & Knipe, 2005). Each district has its own focus for professional development depending on the needs of the school communities, the latest standardized test results, and the most recent policies. Despite the millions of dollars spent on professional development nationally, student learning outcomes continue to be stagnate or dwindle, discipline issues continue to skyrocket, and teacher moral plummets. This …

An Exploration Of Evolving Faculty Instructional Beliefs And Practices Viewed Through The Lens Of Transformative Learning, Joseph Huston

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of this study was to explore the phenomenon of transformative learning within the context of instructional beliefs and practices among collegiate math and science faculty. Participants included nine full-time instructional faculty teaching within a biological science, mathematics, or physical science department at a public, two-year degree-granting state college. The study employed a qualitative research methodology, engaging participants in semi-structured interviews through a descriptive phenomenological design. Qualitative coding and thematic analysis were conducted, consistent with Colaizzi's (1978) Method for phenomenological research. Data analysis resulted in the emergence of four themes related to transformative learning experiences and four themes related …

Culturally Responsive Leadership: Beliefs, Espoused Practices And Supports In High Performing Urban Schools, Jessica Schofield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The racial academic achievement gap, identified as the underachievement of racially, culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse (RCELD) students and documented by research, is visible in all education organizations (Griner & Stewart, 2013; National Center for Education Statistics, 2019; O'Connor, Hill, & Robinson, 2009). Since the United States Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, repudiating the concept of separate but equal, laws concerning the need for equal education access have been enacted and educational policies have been created and implemented, but this achievement gap continues to exist (Williams, 2011). Culturally responsive leadership and culturally relevant …

An Analysis Of Teacher Decision-Making In Grading 10th Grade Student Writing In English Language Arts, Guy Swenson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This qualitative study was conducted to investigate teacher decision-making while grading samples of 10th grade student writing in English language arts. Extensive research spanning 100 years has shown that inter-rater agreement of student work is weak at best (Ashbaugh, 1921; Brimi, 2011; Starch & Elliot, 1912). A cognitive laboratory interview method was chosen to focus on real-time teacher decision-making due to a discrepancy between teacher beliefs and teacher practices (Phipps & Borg, 2009). Qualitative data were gathered from 21 cognitive laboratory interviews in which the participants graded two samples of student writing while verbalizing their thoughts. The grading data revealed …

Iea International Computer And Information Literacy Study 2018. Technical Report, Julian Fraillon, Wolfram Schulz, John Ainley, Tim Friedman, Daniel Duckworth

ICT - Digital Literacy

The International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) studied the extent to which young people have developed computer and information literacy (CIL) to support their capacity to participate in the digital age. ICILS systematically investigated differences in CIL outcomes across the participating countries and looked at how these countries provide CIL-related education. The study also explored differences within and across countries with respect to the relationship between the outcomes of CIL education and student characteristics and school contexts. Chapter 1 of this report presents an overview of the International Computer and Information Literacy Study. Chapters 2 and 3 are concerned …

Doctoral Candidacy Examination Scores And Time To Degree Completion, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Steven Tolman, Katherine E. Fallon

Leadership, Technology & Human Development: Faculty Publications

Aim/Purpose

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between doctoral students’ candidacy examination scores and estimated time to degree completion, measured by dissertation progression.

Background

Time to degree completion in doctoral programs continues to be an issue and reasons for high attrition rates for doctoral students are broad and include varied core components of the academic pathway such as challenges with critical thinking during coursework, stress about passing comprehensive examinations, poor academic writing, and lack of knowledge around scholarly practitioner research.

Methodology

An ex post facto, correlational research design utilized quantitative data to determine …

Aware I Am Alone: Intersections Of Solitude And Mindfulness, Richard Cleveland

Leadership, Technology & Human Development: Faculty Publications

This paper explores the relationship between solitude and mindfulness. Parallels between the two constructs exist, allowing them to complement each other in furthering the well-being of individuals and communities. Three perspectives through which mindfulness may assist in forming foundational understandings of solitude are presented; these comprise Theoretical, Practice, and Research. The Theoretical lens provides introductory understandings of both solitude and mindfulness. On this basis, integral parallels between the two constructs are outlined. Next, Practice reviews solitude that is fostered through mindfulness practices. Further, additional models for recognizing solitude as a part of mindfulness are proposed. Finally, Research …

Instructional Leadership Practices And School Leaders' Self-Efficacy, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Carter Akins, Antonio P. Gutierrez De Blume, Richard E. Cleveland, Summer Pannell

Leadership, Technology & Human Development: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate instructional leadership practices and the degree to which these practices predict the leadership self-efficacy of school leaders while controlling for years of experience as a school leader. With educational reform focused on school accountability, principals must attend to tasks that lead to school improvement. Identifying such tasks as instructional leadership practices and gaining a more comprehensive understanding of instructional leadership practices through leadership self-efficacy may contribute to school improvement. The methodology utilized a survey and the participants were 100 principals and assistant principals of public schools in the southeastern United States, …

Fact Book, Academic Year 2019, Uno Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

Fact Book

The Fact Book presents important campus information in data tables and charts. Included are details regarding students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Generally, data are broken out by college, rank, level, gender, age and ethnicity for both spring and fall semesters, past to present. There are a few academic year tables that include information on tuition & fees, student credit hours by program, and degrees conferred. We wish to thank the many individuals and departments at the University for their contributions to the Fact Book.

Common Data Set 2019, Uno Office Of Instituional Effectiveness

Common Data Sets

Common Data Set (2019-2020) for the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Preparing New Jersey Community College Students For The Mathematics Placement Tests, Charles Edward Haas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although most new college students had to demonstrate algebraic and basic mathematics mastery to earn a high school diploma or the equivalent, the majority of incoming New Jersey community college students are not showing this knowledge on the mathematics placement tests, thus placing into developmental courses, which must be successfully completed before students can attempt any college-level mathematics courses. Guided by Knowles’ theory of andragogy and developmental mathematics as a core concept, the purpose of this study was to determine ways to help incoming New Jersey community college students prepare for the ACCUPLACER mathematics tests. The research questions addressed testing …

The Perceived Impact Of Curricular Maps On Student Retention At A Community College, Amy Ertwine

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem at a community college in a state in the Eastern region of the United States is the lack of evaluation of the effect of Guided Pathways implementation on student retention in the local setting. Retention efforts are a concern of administrators of community colleges across the United States. To help students succeed, faculty often give students a specified set of core courses and a specific or even prescribed pathway to complete general education requirements. The community college incorporated Guided Pathways into retention efforts in Fall 2015. Over the past 4 years, the college has undertaken more activities focusing …

Sexual Health Education In Kentucky's Public High Schools, Marjorie Stanek

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This dissertation seeks to enhance the understanding of sexual health education efforts, as they currently exist in Kentucky’s public high schools. It will include an examination of the factors that influence the provision of sexual health education in Kentucky schools, including relevant legislation, directives from the Kentucky Department of Education, and the presence of site-based councils within the Commonwealth. Additionally, the suggested curriculum elements from the Kentucky Department of Education’s Academic Standards, which were implemented during the 2019-2020 school year, will be compared to those established within the National Sexuality Education Standards (NSES), which serve as a gold standard …

Taking A Walk On The Wild Side: Case Studies Of Programs That Integrate K-12 Curricula With Adventure Sports And Outdoor Learning, Jonathan Trzepkowski

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In the United States there are a number of schools that utilize outdoor learning and adventure sports as part of their educational approach. The purpose of this case study was to analyze several programs that utilize adventure sports and outdoor learning in their curriculum and then present their distinguishing features in case study form. This case study selected 16 schools/programs that used adventure education or outdoor learning and created a profile for each one using a set of common guiding questions. This paper offers an interpretation of the findings that goes beyond the 16 profiles by synthesizing common components of …

Consensual Assessment In The New Domain Of E-Textiles: Comparing Insights From Expert, Quasi-Expert, And Novice Judges, Anthony Phonethibsavads, Maggie Dahn, Kylie Peppler, Deborah A. Fields, Yasmin B. Kafai

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Establishing what constitutes creativity in a domain is something for which we often look to experts—individuals versed in a domain’s history and able to identify timeworn ideas from fresh ones. Such valuations of creative merit are tied to a familiarity with past and present trends and, therefore, opinions of newcomers are often ignored. However, what about domains that build upon new, unexplored practices? This study examines the creativity ratings of judges with varying expertise in the emergent domain of electronic textiles (or e-textiles). E-textiles are fabrics that have programmable electronics such as sensors and actuators embedded in them toward a …

A Descriptive Multicultural Phenomenology For Culturally Responsive Leadership, Christopher J. Kazanjian, David Rutledge, Sandra M. Gandarilla

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

As public schools in the United States continue to diversify in culture, educational leaders committed to multicultural education seek qualitative research methodologies for understanding phenomena in order to build culturally responsive leadership initiatives and interventions. This paper argues that a phenomenological research methodology is appropriate and relevant to understand cultural phenomena in the 21st century school. To serve this, the authors elaborate on a descriptive multicultural phenomenological research methodology for educational leaders. A phenomenological framework positions educational leaders to understand the nature and essence of personal experience. This approach will help educational leaders better understand the experiences of the diverse …

How They See It: Employer Perceptions Of Online Versus Traditional Learning At The Graduate Level, Cessna Winslow, Logan Allen

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

This study is part of a larger dissertation study that explored perceptions of Public Relations (PR) among graduate higher education publics regarding distance learning as contrasted with face-to-face learning contexts. Today, online degrees are seen as inferior to traditional, face-to-face classroom degrees, and because one primary goal of obtaining a higher education degree is to receive gainful employment, this portion of the dissertation study assessed employer perceptions of online versus traditional education at the graduate level. Human resource administrators from educational establishments who had experience hiring people with graduate education degrees were interviewed. The findings of this study indicate that …

Voices On Data Literacy And Initial Teacher Education: Pre-Service Teachers’ Reflections And Recommendations, Shannon Kennedy-Clark, Vilma Galstaun, Peter Reimann, Taylor Martyn, Kiatin Williamson, Jessica Weight

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The purpose of study was gain insight into pre-service teachers’ experiences in using classroom data to make learning and teaching decisions. The qualitative study is based on the reflections and recommendations of three pre-service teachers’ that participated in a data-driven decision-making intervention whilst on an immersive 10-week professional learning experience. This study is underpinned by an action research framework. There are many understandings of action research, here the approach is understood to be a systematic investigation into one’s own practice with the aim of improving teaching and learning. From the thematic analysis of the reflections, several recommendations were put forward …

Implementing Active Learning Techniques In An Undergraduate Aviation Meteorology Course, Daniel J. Halperin, Robert W. Eicher, Thomas A. Guinn, Joseph R. Keebler, Kim O. Chambers

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

A course in Aviation Weather is an integral component of multiple degree programs at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Consequently, the course sustains large enrollments with several faculty teaching it. Efforts to promote a consistent experience for students resulted in primarily PowerPoint-based lectures. This paper describes a set of changes made to the course with the goal of improving students’ engagement, understanding, and retention of the course material that are consistent with effective teaching strategies based on prior research. Specifically, daily quizzes, Poll Everywhere questions, in-class activities, flipped classroom sessions, and assertion-evidence based lectures were introduced. These changes initially were implemented in …