Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Enhancing The National Assessment System To Improve Learning Outcomes In Bhutan: Case Study 2020-2021, Anu Radha Sharma, Anannya Chakraborty, Arjun Kumar Gurung

Assessment and Reporting

To measure the efficacy of school sector interventions, Bhutan Council for School Examinations and Assessment (BCSEA) partnered with Australian Council for Educational Research (India) to strengthen its National Education Assessment (NEA) for obtaining evidence on learning, monitoring the progress of learning outcomes, understanding associations between context and achievement, and differences in achievement between groups. Eventually, the assessment reform will support measuring learning at the key stages of grades 3, 6, and 9. This case study report presents an overview of this project.

Improving Learning: Reconsidering Student Assessment Globally, Amit Kaushik

Assessment and Reporting

Learning assessment plays a critical role in helping to improve learning under different conditions and in varying situations, as an integral part not just of the teaching–learning process, but also of the larger policy environment. While the objective of each type of assessment may differ, its fundamental purpose remains that of helping to determine progress made by each learner in their individual learning path so as to be able to guide and support further development (Masters 2013). Most importantly, utilizing the data emerging from an assessment is critical to its success. The effort of undertaking an assessment is lost when …

Is What Works Working? Thinking Evaluatively About The What Works Clearinghouse, Andrew A. Nelson

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Since the mid-twentieth century, the U.S. Department of Education has drafted and enacted policies to bridge the research-practice gap—that is, the gap between “what works” according to educational research and what is actually practiced by teachers and their administrators (e.g., Dirkx, 2006; Joyce & Cartwright, 2019; Tseng, 2012). One of the latest manifestations of this “what works” political legacy is the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), which took shape as part of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) in 2002. The WWC’s mission is to be a “central and trusted source of scientific evidence for what works in education” (WWC, 2020d, …

Important Attributes Of A Behaviorally-Based Coaching Culture, Sarah M. Eustice

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Professional coaching is still considered an emerging field. Over the past 30 years, professional coaches and researchers have worked to further this profession by developing coaching competencies, exploring the nuances between various coaching modalities, and developing models to explain the role of coaching in organizations. There remains, however, a dearth of literature on coaching culture, including limited agreement on what it is and how it should look in an organization.

This study aims to establish agreement by investigating the confluence of coaching culture definitions and models present in industry and scholarly literature, and garnering input from a sample of professionals …

Teacher Perceptions Of School Climate: A New Instrument And Validity Study, Rui Jin

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

The United States government has growingly emphasized school climate, as it has been involved as an accountability indicator in the Every Student Succeeds Act. However, there remains considerable debate on both conceptualizing and measuring school climate. Moreover, teachers, a critical informant of school climate, have been ignored because most previous studies have paid attention to the students.

To better inform the research and practice related to the teacher perceptions of school climate and its measurement, this dissertation first identified the related instruments in the literature. The results showed only one survey measured three domains of school climate (academic climate, community, …

Exploring The Impact Of Pre-College Stem Exposure On First-Year Engineering Student Self-Efficacy, Micaha Dean Hughes

Theses and Dissertations--Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) outreach programs for high school students have become more widely available during the last decade in an effort to drive more graduates into the ever-growing STEM field in the United States. This study utilizes the Longitudinal Assessment of Engineering Self-Efficacy (LAESE) survey to investigate a possible relationship between specific pre-college STEM outreach programs and noncognitive predictors of success in first-year undergraduate engineering students. Students in their first semester of a first-year engineering program at a large, public research university completed the LAESE survey and were asked to identify their participation in one of three …

Edd Graduate Perspectives: Uplifting Our Own Voices, Staci B. Martin, Kara Gournaris, Zafreen Jaffery, Lisa Janie Hatfield, Su-Jin Sue Jung, Li Xiang, Ingrid Anderson, Micki M. Caskey

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this essay is to share the voices of EdD graduates who are often underrepresented or missing in the literature. To begin, we invited EdD graduates to co-author this article about the connection among their EdD program experiences and interactions and their activism. We included our definition of activism and posed three open-ended questions. Six program graduates and one professor agreed to organize the graduates’ responses by the question topics and salient themes. We asked about our experiences in the EdD program and how these influence—positively and negatively—what we are doing now (post-program). We found (a) relationships with …

Enhancing Peer Feedback Strategies To Improve Team Effectiveness, Amber Kemppainen

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This dissertation is focused on improving the teaming experience of students by evaluating the effectiveness of current peer evaluation instructional techniques and evaluation methods in producing meaningful ratings of individual and team member performance and constructive feedback. There exists a need for revision to the current peer evaluation methods as many students are unable or unwilling to provide meaningful feedback or assessment of their own or teammate’s contributions on assignments. A series of four studies were used to develop a Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) instructional intervention, a codebook to evaluate the qualitative feedback provided in peer evaluation comments, and a …

Use Of Critical Thinking Strategies By Nurse Educators, Josephine Tundun Akintonde

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractNew graduate nurses often lack the clinical decision-making skills that are essential for developing clinical competency. Critical thinking abilities are essential for nursing excellence and professional competency. However, little is known about nurse educators' techniques and teaching practices for developing students’ critical thinking. The purpose of this phenomenological study, guided by constructivist learning theory, was to understand the lived experiences of nurse educators who used critical thinking teaching strategies in a baccalaureate nursing program to develop critical thinking skills in nursing students. Thirteen nurse educators from baccalaureate nursing programs were interviewed using open-ended questions. Interviews were transcribed and manually coded. …

A Case Study Investigating Therapy Methods Used By Speech Language Pathologists Working With Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Julia Byers Van Volkenburg

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study was an in-depth examination of the experiences of five speech language pathologists (SLPs) working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) during language therapy sessions. This case study aimed to better understand the various therapy techniques being used by the SLPs through interviews and a reflective journal kept by the researcher. It also sought to examine the ways those therapy techniques may have included creative dramatics. Through thematic analysis, major and minor themes emerged from the interviews. The main theme of the study was the importance of individualizing therapy for students with ASD. Individualizing therapy was supported by …

Teacher Perceptions Of Using Standards-Based Rubrics For Monitoring Student Growth In Teacher Evaluation, Jennette Susan Winters

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, national and state legislative mandates have forced school districts to include student growth measures in teacher evaluation systems. However, statistical models for monitoring student growth on standardized tests have not been found to foster teachers’ reflective practice or pedagogical content knowledge and goal-based models have been found to lack adequate structure for supporting implementation. This basic qualitative inquiry explored how teachers perceive using standards-based rubrics to monitor student growth for teacher evaluation influences their reflective practice and pedagogical content knowledge in mathematics. Nine teachers who have used standards-based rubrics to monitor student growth were recruited through …

After The Protests: A Campus Racial Climate Case Study Of The Perception And Curricular Responses For Institutional Reforms, Following The Black Students’ Demands For Interventions At The University Of Missouri-Columbia, Bruce E. Mitchell Ii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This qualitative method single case study explores the phenomenon of a racially tense campus climate at the University of Missouri Columbia, a Predominantly White Midwestern Institution. At the forefront of the media regarding student and athlete protests, leading to the resignation of senior level administrators, African American students put forth eight demands to their administrators. Included, was the creation and implementation of a required racial awareness and inclusion curriculum. The study explores the perceptions of the institutional response to an exceptional campus racial climate issue and the process of formulating and participating in a diversity training course and a semester …

Global Education: The Caribbean Realm, Carson Moore

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This paper will explore the educational systems of four countries in the Caribbean region, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Jamaica, referenced as the focus countries. This will also compare these educational systems to the education system of the United States. In addition, this paper will also show a pilot research study conducted to evaluate how Americans view these four countries in the Caribbean realm and what they know about education in other countries as a whole, showing that Americans know very little about education in other parts of the world, and no even less about countries in the Caribbean …

Differences In Education In Urban And Rural Areas, Jacob Shreve

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This research project examines the educational differences and disparities of urban and rural schools in Ohio. The focus school districts are Switzerland of Ohio Local and Akron Public Schools. Demographic information from each of the focus school districts is examined and compared to the outcomes of the schools to determine if factors such as poverty inhibit student learning. Data and statistics, published research, and personal experience will be used to make connections between the school districts, their students, their environment, and their learning. Differences in educational quality, opportunities, and funding will also be discussed.

Building Institutional Support For Undocumented And Daca-Eligible College Students In Michigan, John A. Vasquez, Alejandra Acosta, Rosario Torres, Melissa Hernandez

Journal of College Access

In 2017, the state of Michigan operated, and continues to operate, in an unstipulated policy environment related to undocumented students. There is no higher education commission or policy coordinating body in Michigan nor has the state legislature passed any legislation related to undocumented students or students who are DACA-eligible. Under this unstipulated policy environment, postsecondary institutions have the discretion to establish their own admissions policies and practices, including tuition and financial aid guidelines for undocumented students. Some institutions have stated their public support of these students through what they identify as inclusive and supportive institutional practices via their websites. However, …

Understanding The Impact Of An Act Intervention Course Through The Perspectives Of Previous Students, April Clement

Online Theses and Dissertations

College admission exams have long been the determining factor in students' college acceptance as well as being used as a predictor of success in college. States across America also used college admission exams as a way to measure a school's success in multiple dimensions. This study examined the effect of placing participants in an ACT intervention course that provides them with instruction and material to help them in areas they were struggling in on the ACT. This study focused on an ACT test that participants took before taking the intervention course and a test after taking the course. Along with …

Introductory Mathematics And Stem Persistence: Examining The Differences Between Online And In-Person Performance At A Hbcu, Wendy Dixie

Online Theses and Dissertations

The United States is losing its position as an innovative global leader because of a shortage of skilled workers in STEM. This decline is due in part to the US producing a lower number of graduates from STEM related fields. One reason for the shortage is that US students are selecting or graduating with STEM majors at a lower rate than those of competing countries. As a result of these shortages, the US has undertaken several initiatives to increase public awareness of and training in STEM that will ultimately produce STEM degrees.

The purpose of this research was to examine …

Examining Formative Critique In The High School Visual Arts Classroom, Peter C. Edwards

Online Theses and Dissertations

Formative assessment techniques are integral to high school visual arts teachers’ curricula, but are not clearly delineated by state and national organizations. Additionally, formative assessment in the high school visual arts classroom, defined in this study as formative critique, had not been examined as extensively, and most research investigated either high school core content practices or critique procedures in higher education settings. This qualitative phenomenological study sought to understand commonalities in the implementation of formative critique by high school visual arts teachers in central Kentucky. In this study, six veteran high school visual arts teachers were interviewed, using open-ended questions …

Perceptions Of Education Attainment In Rural And Appalachian Schools, Michael Estep

Online Theses and Dissertations

Today, education methods and strategies are ever changing. Educators and administrators of public schools are looking for the best methods and strategies. Appalachia is a region that is known by outsiders for its backwardness, violence, poverty, and hopelessness (Amerikaner, 2016). Counselors are the front-line workers and educators when discussing a student’s family, community, future, and plans. The plan for this study was to dive into the perceptions of counselors and what they see is a determining factor of a student’s choice of college or career technical education pathways. Testing data gives us only part of the information needed, but the …

Comparing Success Rates Of Online Courses To Traditional Courses In A Small Rural Community College, David Lee Frazier

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine how academic performance of the online learning mode compares with the traditional face-to-face mode in rural community colleges. As online learning has become a popular instructional offering among many rural community college students seeking to advance their opportunities, so has the level of scrutiny. The perception of online courses is to be of lesser academic rigor and quality than their face-to-face counterparts. In this study I will (1) examine the demand for online courses in rural community colleges, (2) explore how state governments are linking community college funding to course success rates, …

Perceptions Of The Impact Of Project-Based Learning Within An Urban Alternative Education Center, William Trent Hamlin

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the qualitative study was to examine the perceptions of success regarding project-based learning implementation into classes in an urban Alternative Education Center. Specifically, how do current teachers describe project-based learning instruction within their classrooms at an urban alternative education center? My perspective was influenced by my own wondering if project-based learning was the best model of instruction for alternative school students. The decision to pursue this topic is based upon my experience working in alternative education and witnessing concerted efforts to implement PBL into my daily practices. I chose a grade 7-12 alternative education center located in …

First Year Perceptions: How Does Starfish Retention Solutions™ Help With Student Engagement?, Flora B. Jackson

Online Theses and Dissertations

This research investigation examined the legitimacy of Starfish Retention Solutions™ interactive early warning system impact on first year student’s academic engagement. The goal of the study was to diagnose first year student’s perceptual opinion of the early warning systems capacity to motivate students to seek academic resources and evaluate their level of educational satisfaction.

State legislators have been habitually cutting appropriation funding from the state budget in protest to the escalating college drop–out rates and declining graduation rates. The action of public officials has lead colleges and university administers to compensate for education costs by increasing college tuition. In response, …

Strengthening Student Engagement Through Positive Teacher-Student Relationships, Kimberly H. Snodgrass

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between teacher-student relationships and student engagement. Specifically, this study was designed to answer the following questions (a) Is there a correlation between student engagement and teacher-student relationships? and (b) Is there a correlation between student engagement and a safe classroom environment (location of teacher-student relationship development)?

The Kentucky Student Voice Survey (KSVS) survey utilizing a Likert-scale was given anonymously to the students of 804 classroom teachers in grades three through twelve in a school district in the state of Kentucky. Of the seven domains of the KSVS, the domains of …

Barriers To Access And Success For Rural Community College Students At Rural Community And Technical College: Understanding The Effect Of A Mandatory First-Year Experience Course On Retention And Persistence, Amanda Spencer-Barnes

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effect of a mandatory first-year experience course on retention and persistence. More specifically, this study examined the effect of a mandatory first-year experience course on in-semester retention and semester-to-semester persistence rates for rural community and technical college students at one rural community and technical college in Southeastern Kentucky. Existing data about in-semester retention and semester-to-semester retention rates was used for students who took a mandatory first-year experience course as well as for students who did not take the mandatory first-year experience course. The data was analyzed using an independent samples t-test for each group to do …

Gem Centre: Pathways To Impact, Australian Council For Educational Research

Global education monitoring

The Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Centre is a long-term, strategic partnership between the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). While supporting education monitoring initiatives around the world, the GEM Centre has a strategic focus on improving learning in the Indo-Pacific region and provides technical support to enable monitoring of progress towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 by 2030.

A Comprehensive Audit Of Professional Development For K-12 School Leaders In The Commonwealth Of Virginia, Melissa Davis Hill, Melisa J. Naumann, Timothy M. Tillman, Major R. Warner Jr.

Doctor of Education Capstones

The intent of this paper is to provide a mixed-methods audit of professional development provided to K-12 school leadership in Virginia's diverse landscape to include identification of providers, funding, effectiveness, and expectations.

In the Commonwealth of Virginia, geographical, political, and socio-economical differences across 132 school divisions cause variability in leaders' experiences with professional development. A mixed-methods approach was used, including a review of current literature, an online survey, virtual interviews, and virtual focus group discussions. This data collection results in a comprehensive audit of professional development provided to school leaders in Virginia's diverse landscape. The study defines effective professional development …

Starting Earnings Of Bachelor’S And Advanced Degree Graduates By Field Of Study: Using Multi-Level Modeling To Estimate The Effects And Early Labor Market Consequences Of Vertical And Horizontal Dimensions Of Higher Education, Qiao Liang

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to better understand early labor market outcomes of higher education and the importance of the vertical and horizontal dimensions of higher education. Using College Scorecard’s institution and field of study levels data and a multilevel modeling approach, it estimated and ranked typical starting earnings associated with a large spectrum of bachelor’s and advanced degree programs, and discussed patterns, variations, and irregularities observed in the ranked earnings. This study also calculated advanced degree effects on the typical starting earnings associated with bachelor’s and advanced degree programs, and set precedence to systematically compare the effects of major, department, …

The Influence Of Shifting Learning Environments On Teachers’ Data Use Practices, Stephanie M. Moore

Theses and Dissertations

In March of 2020, schools in the United States closed for in-person learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the school year began in the fall of 2020, many schools continued to operate virtually rather than in-person. In response, many teachers’ practices were revised. Although data use has been widely explored, teachers’ use of data in a virtual environment has received limited attention. This study contributes to the existing knowledge by exploring the influence of the shifting learning environments on the data use practices of teachers in four schools in one school district during the 2020 -2021 school year.

Teachers …

Informing Makerspace Outcomes Through A Linguistic Analysis Of Written And Video-Recorded Project Assessments, Kevin M. Oliver, Jennifer K. Houchins, Robert L. Moore, Chuang Wang

STEMPS Faculty Publications

A growing body of research focuses on what outcomes to assess in makerspaces, and appropriate formats for capturing those outcomes (e.g. reflections, surveys, and port-folios). Linguistic analysis as a data mining technique holds promise for revealing different dimensions of learning exhibited by students in makerspaces. In this study, student reflections on makerspace projects were gathered in 2 formats over 2 years: private written assessments captured in the 3D GameLab gamification platform, and semi-public video-recorded assessments posted in the more social FlipGrid platform. Transcripts of student assessments were analyzed using Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC) to generate 4 summary variables thought …

Towards The Development Of A Framework For The Inclusion Of Peer Assessment In Irish Medical Science Undergraduate Education, Mary Mcgrath

Doctoral

Assessment of learning is integral to all programmes in Higher Education (HE). While one purpose of assessment is to confirm achievement of standards, another is to support student learning. When educational programmes adopt an assessment strategy that is inclusive of ‘assessment for learning’ the role of assessment supporting learning can be expanded and sustained more effectively. Peer Assessment (PA) is an example of an assessment approach that can support and enrich student learning. The advantages and benefits of PA are strongly established in the published literature.

This research study aimed to investigate and develop a framework for the inclusion of …