Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Improving Relationships – Hidden Gems Adventure Guides, Naomi Brower, Shannon Cromwell, Elizabeth Davis

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

The USU Hidden Gems Adventure Guides are free online resources for families and couples. They offer one-hour activities that promote social-emotional learning. Online surveys showed improvements in family and couple outcomes in several important aspects, such as spending time together and communication skills.

Assessing The Impact Of The Snap-Ed Social Marketing Campaign, Brittney Johnson, Lacee Jimenez, Lea Palmer, Heidi Leblanc

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

The Create Better Health (CBH) social marketing team shares practical nutrition tips, budget-friendly recipes, and resources to reinforce direct education class messages through social media platforms. An evaluation project aimed to refine Utah SNAP-Ed’s social marketing strategy. Methods included a literature review, a needs assessment survey, a strategy update, and an evaluation survey. Results showed increased engagement and motivation for healthier choices. The public value lies in reducing disparities and enhancing statewide health outcomes.

A Strategic Insight Into The Market For Carbon Management Capacity, Mahelet G. Fikru, Ting Shen, Jennifer Brodmann, Hongyan Ma

Economics Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study presents the market for carbon management capacity via carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies, identifying demand and supply forces, as well as clarifying the potential impact of market and non-market-based shocks on technology developers versus adopters. The paper addresses a prevailing gap in market analysis, introducing a microeconomic framework and unique dataset to identify key players, market forces, and policy incentives shaping the carbon capture, utilization, and storage landscape. The analysis equips industry stakeholders, policymakers, and investors with valuable insights regarding (1) leaders in the design, development, and manufacture of carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies (supply), (2) …

21st Century Community Learning Centers: Program Evaluation Evidence From Texas, Rosilyn Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Texas afterschool programs strive to enhance academic performance and meet students' needs, yet gaps in program quality persist. This study evaluated 21st Century Community Learning Centers’ performance in reading, math, GPA, attendance, in-school suspension, and engagement, both within these categories and against program goals and demographics. Theoretical frameworks used in this study include the logic model, social justice theory, and cultural relevance theory. This quantitative study utilized a nonexperimental and secondary data research design which utilized five statistical tests: the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation, One-Way repeated ANOVA, Spearman Correlation, the Independent Samples t-Test, and the Mann-Whitney U Test. Results showed that …

At-Risk And Online: Parent Perceptions Of At-Risk Learner's Supports In A Fully Online School, Dennis Beck

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

At-risk students face a variety of challenges that encompass cultural, social and environmental contexts and identities. Full time virtual schools offer help for at-risk students through the provision of a personalized learning option where students can catch up with past work or complete school work in a non-traditional environment. The purpose of this study was to understand parent perceptions of at-risk learner’s affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement supports in a fully online school. Although research exists on at-risk learners in blended environments, this topic has not yet been fully explored for fully online schools. We need a much fuller understanding …

The Impact Of Restorative Practice Implementation On Culturally Responsive Teaching And Student Behavior, Patrice Mccoy

Dissertations

American public schools uphold the policies, standards, and disciplinary practices that guide the belief systems of how students view fairness and deal with conflict. As teachers invest in student knowledge and seek to guide students in the right direction, the challenge is learning the appropriate methods of dealing with student behavior. Behavior management practices have evolved just as many student challenges and needs have changed. With these changes evolves the need to better understand students and families. Teachers gaining cultural responsiveness to student behavior challenges is a relatively new ideology to ensure students feel understood and more engaged in the …

Leading Schools In The Midst Of Covid-19: Experiences Of Basic School Leaders Of The Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem District Of The Central Region Of Ghana, Corinne Brion Ph. D.

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

This qualitative study uses a phenomenological approach to understand the experiences of thirteen Ghanaian head-teachers in suburban and rural areas of the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem district during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings revealed that these leaders faced numerous challenges related to pivoting to remote learning for the first time combined with the lack of access to technology. Other challenges pertained to the absence of infrastructure and resources such as books. Despite these challenges, these Ghanaian head-teachers were able to adapt to the crisis and alter their leadership style to educate the children they served. Currently, there is a limited …

Factors Contributing To Chronic Student Absenteeism In Low Socioeconomic Urban Elementary Schools: An Analysis Of Multiple Stakeholders’ Perspectives, Kellen D. Conaway

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine factors contributing to chronic student absenteeism in two lower socioeconomic urban elementary schools. This qualitative study was guided by two research questions: 1) What are stakeholders’ perspectives on chronic absenteeism at Mission and Lincoln Elementaries? and 2) What changes to practice or policy could improve attendance at Mission and Lincoln Elementaries? Research question one was answered via data collected from interviews with purposefully selected parents, teachers, administrators, social workers, and nurses. Analysis of interview data led to the identification of three themes which reflect stakeholders’ perspectives on chronic absenteeism at Mission and …

Assessing The Short-Term Outcomes Of Erase And Replace: A Series Of Health & Wellness Activities, Gabriela Murza, Christina Pay, Eva Timothy, Melanie Dabb, Cris Meier

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Utah State University Extension faculty addressed Utah's high rate of poor mental health with activities that improved participants’ connections, confidence, and abilities. These efforts positively impacted adults' mental health and quality of life and offered an additional resource to address self-care needs while encouraging connection and skill-building.

Exploring Audience Perceptions Of Elementary School Dance Curriculum: Utilizing Informance To Investigate Beliefs Regarding The Presentation Of Student Learning In Dance, Michaela Summers

Master's Theses

The goal of this thesis was to gain insight into the perceptions and expectations of audiences in relation to elementary school dance education curriculum and its representation through showcases or displays, particularly within the context of viewing an informance. The researcher developed three research questions to guide the study:

Q1 What are audience perceptions of elementary school dance education pedagogy and curriculum?

Q2 What methods do audiences expect to be implemented in an elementary school dance performance?

Q3 Can utilizing informances affect audience perceptions of elementary school dance education, thus changing their expectations for dance performance methods?

Thirty-eight audience members …

Exploring The Experience Of Mba Alumni: Year-1 Post-Graduation Insights, Steven Livingston

University Honors Program Senior Projects

Many students apply to an average of two to eight 2-8 graduate schools and consider various factors that guide their decision-making when selecting a particular graduate program. This paper delves into general factors that students would consider while assessing universities such as cost of attendance, career outcomes, and income. We created a new survey for Northeastern Illinois University’s Master of Business Administration program by using past survey instruments as a guide but included important factors that prospective students might consider. Additionally, we plan to issue an exit survey to collect data based on student responses using Qualtrics. Questions will focus …

Teaching Learning Newsletter Vol 4 Issue 2, Sastra Deemed To Be University

TLC Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of In-Service Training On Employees: A Research In A Bank, Ali S. Cetinkaya

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

In this study, the importance of in-service training and its impact on increasing skills, knowledge, attitudes, and overall productivity in the banking sector were investigated. Surveyed valid data were obtained from 101 employees working in the branches of a private bank operating in Konya in Turkiye. The findings revealed that in-service training is essential to ensure compliance with technological developments and legal regulations and to increase customer satisfaction in a competitive market. The research revealed the necessity of continuous employee development in order to meet evolving customer demands and make effective use of new technologies. In the study, the benefits …

Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia (Piefa) Storm And Flood Industry Recovery Program: Evaluation Report, Tamara Van Der Zant, Katherine Dix

Program monitoring and evaluation

Despite the growing diversity of careers in Primary Industries, young peoples’ pursuit of agricultural careers is often hampered by outdated perceptions of the sector and its opportunities. As Primary Industries adapt to the threat of natural disasters by turning to scientific and technological solutions, a diverse, highly skilled workforce will be required. In the wake of the devastating impacts of storm and floods in early 2021 across New South Wales, the Storm and Flood Industry Recovery Program (SFIRP): Creating resilience through empowering school curriculums about primary industries careers project was developed. To aid the long-term recovery and resilience of the …

Assessing Divergence And Convergence In The Design Process: Results From Two Experiments, Arlindo Silva, Tamas Makany, Matt Chiu

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

It is often assumed that the design process comprises divergent and convergent thinking cycles. Although many authors studied the design process in depth, a quantification of divergence and convergence is yet to be established. This paper attempts to quantify divergence and convergence in the design process for teams of design students. Student submissions from two independent design-related courses from two Universities are analysed for divergent and convergent thinking. Such an approach uses Natural Language Processing to harvest existing student submissions in written documents and converts them into a 'real-time' dashboard for feedback that can be used in multiple ways: searching …

Students' Perspectives On Co-Creation Opportunities Within Bachelor's, Master's, And Doctoral Level Education Preparation Programs, Oana M. Manta

Dissertations

This study examines Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral students’ experiences with co-creation activities in education programs. Responding to voiced student concerns, it seeks to uncover ways in which students wish to share ownership of the learning process. Additionally, this study aims to contribute students’ thoughts to the existing co-creation literature. Incorporating evidence from a survey and multiple participant interviews, this study demonstrates that students across all three levels of study wish to experience an increase in co-creation activities, but the type and extent vary by level of study. It argues for instructors and overseeing institutions to negotiate, not prescribe, certain aspects …

Exploring Students' Computer-Supported Collaborative Argumentation With Socio-Scientific Issues, Wenli Chen, Yiting Han, Jesmine Tan, Aileen Siew Cheng Chai, Qianru Lyu, Lyna

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Background: This study examined the effect of computer-supported collaborative argumentation (CSCA) on secondary school students' understanding of socio-scientific issues (SSI). Engaging students in collaborative argumentation is known to help with deepening their understanding of SSI. Methods: In this study, a mixed-method design is used to investigate 84 students' collaborative argumentation processes and outcomes. The statistical analysis, epistemic network analysis and qualitative uptake analysis results showed that CSCA was effective in supporting secondary school students' evidence-based argumentation skills on SSI. Findings and Conclusion: Several cases were presented to show how students engaged in CSCA to explore meaningful learning opportunities and how …

Leveraging Ai Tools In University Writing Instruction: Enhancing Student Success While Upholding Academic Integrity, Daisuke Akiba, Rebecca Garte

Publications and Research

The emergence of AI-powered Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini, presents both opportunities and challenges for higher education, particularly regarding academic integrity in writing instruction. This exploratory study examines a novel pedagogical approach that integrates LLMs as required feedback tools in a university-level psychology writing assignment. The exclusive online approach emphasizes improvement through revision, requiring students to obtain AI-generated feedback on ungraded initial drafts based on an instructor-provided rubric, with final assessment focused on the quality of subsequent revisions. Analysis of survey data from 39 undergraduate students, incorporating both quantitative measures and qualitative responses, revealed several …

K-3 Teachers’ Self-Efficacy For Teaching Reading And Its Relationship On K-3 Students Reading Achievement: A Mixed-Methods Study, Adrienne Dowden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Educators persistently grapple with heightened levels of accountability concerning their professional job performance, concomitant with the imperative to maintain commensurate standards in facilitating student achievement. Such circumstances engender heightened personal strain, potentially precipitating diminished self-esteem and consequently impeding the delivery of effective educational services to students, thereby compromising overall professional performance. Bandura (1997) delineated self-efficacy as the cognitive appraisal of one's capacity to orchestrate and execute specific tasks effectively. Moreover, he posited that individuals' anticipated outcomes are significantly influenced by their assessments of their competence to execute tasks in various contexts. Analogously, teachers' perceptions and attitudes regarding their students' overall …

The Learning Crisis: Three Years After Covid-19, Tomasz Gajderowicz, Maciej Jakubowski, Alec Kennedy, Christian Christrup Kjeldsen, Harry Anthony Patrinos, Rolf Strietholt

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread disruptions to education, with school closures affecting over one billion children. These closures, aimed at reducing virus transmission, resulted in significant learning losses, particularly in mathematics and science. Using data from TIMSS 2023, which assesses fourth and eighth-grade achievements across 71 education systems, this study analyzes the impact of school closure duration on learning outcomes. Mixed-effect models estimate deviations from pre-pandemic trends, adjusting for demographic factors. Results show a global average decline of 0.11 standard deviations (SD) in student achievement, with longer closures linked to more severe losses. The effects on low performers, girls, and …

Resilient Students: Traumatic Experiences, Aces, And Resources That Influence University Students’ Perceptions Of First-Year College Adjustment, Audrey W. Besch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The history of understanding the impacts of trauma on individuals has shifted from a narrow focus on physical injuries to a multidimensional understanding of how trauma influences the development of psychological and emotional interactions. This evolving understanding has informed the implementation of trauma-informed practices and interventions across various sectors. Tennessee institutions of higher education recognize the connection between trauma, student success, and systemic interventions. University students who have experienced Adverse Childhood Experiences have heightened vulnerability to stressful events as they transition from high school to college, increasing the likelihood of lower educational attainment, higher drop-out rates, and higher rates of …

A Qualitative Study Of Iranian Efl Teachers’ Perceptions Of A Digital Diversified Education, Seyed Mohammad Reza Marvasti Zadeh, Azizollah Dabaghi Varnosfadrani Advarnosfadrani, Mohammad Amiryousefi

The Qualitative Report

Because Iran is a country of learners of diverse languages, socio-economic classes, genders, and ages, digital diversified education seems appropriate to address needs in English language education. However, there is a notable gap in research on teachers’ perceptions about this type of education. To fill this gap, this study aimed to investigate the perspectives of Iranian teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) regarding a diverse digital education. Data were collected via an open-ended survey with 30 EFL teachers, both male and female, who were selected through convenience sampling. Analysis revealed several key themes, including the utilization of diverse …

Improving Environment Novelty Quantification For Effective Unsupervised Environment Design, Jayden Teoh, Wenjun Li, Pradeep Varakantham

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Unsupervised Environment Design (UED) formalizes the problem of autocurricula through interactive training between a teacher agent and a student agent. The teacher generates new training environments with high learning potential, curating an adaptive curriculum that strengthens the student’s ability to handle unseen scenarios. Existing UED methods mainly rely on regret, a metric that measures the difference between the agent’s optimal and actual performance, to guide curriculum design. Regret-driven methods generate curricula that progressively increase environment complexity for the student but overlook environment novelty–a critical element for enhancing an agent’s generalizability. Measuring environment novelty is especially challenging due to the underspecified …

Mathematics Education Reform Through Socio-Political Means: A Synthesis, Nadine Ferguson

University Honors Theses

Mathematics education urgently needs reform, as traditional approaches fail to meet the diverse needs of today's student populations. Conventional teaching methods, which often focus on rote memorization and procedural understanding, overlook mathematics being a human activity that is inherently interlinked with culture. This paper explores three key approaches to reforming mathematics education: differentiation, culturally responsive mathematics (CRM), and critical mathematics. Grounded in Rochelle Gutiérrez's definition of equity--which emphasizes nurturing students' mathematical identities and agency--this analysis evaluates how each approach addresses four critical goals: ensuring access for all students to complex mathematics, fostering student confidence, promoting collaboration, and making mathematics relevant …

Harnessing The Power Of Ai-Instructor Collaborative Grading Approach: Topic-Based Effective Grading For Semi Open-Ended Multipart Questions, Phyo Yi Win Myint, Siaw Ling Lo, Yuhao Zhang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Semi open-ended multipart questions consist of multiple sub questions within a single question, requiring students to provide certain factual information while allowing them to express their opinion within a defined context. Human grading of such questions can be tedious, constrained by the marking scheme and susceptible to the subjective judgement of instructors. The emergence of large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT has significantly advanced the prospect of automatic grading in educational settings. This paper introduces a topic-based grading approach that harnesses LLM capabilities alongside a refined marking scheme to ensure fair and explainable assessment processes. The proposed approach involves …

Parental Involvement In Early Warning System Use In A Mid To Low-Poverty School, Carrie Mccain

All Dissertations

This study examines the effectiveness of an Early Warning System (EWS) originally designed for high-poverty schools and its potential impact on improving outcomes for students living in poverty but attending a mid to low-poverty school. The focus is on reducing the graduation rate disparity between economically disadvantaged students and their more affluent peers through intentional parental involvement. The research explores how structured communication between parents, teachers, and students, combined with tailored interventions in the EWS, can enhance student engagement and academic performance. Quantitative data, including attendance, behavior, and course performance, were analyzed before and after the intervention, while qualitative data …

Getting Out Of The Starting Blocks Well: Analyzing The Impact Of An At-Risk First-Year Mentoring Program At A Rural High School In The Southeastern United States Of America., Jeffrey Duncan

All Dissertations

As the US educational system recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, school districts around the country search for ways to help students who have struggled to have academic success. Navigating the transition from middle to high school is critical for reaching on-time graduation for at-risk first-year high school students. A critical step in graduating is ensuring students feel that school is where they belong. Building relationships with a trusted adult on campus through weekly mentoring sessions is a strategy that can impact student academic outcomes. This dissertation uses the methodology of education improvement science through a Plan Do Study Act cycle …

“Héroes De Verbalia”: Propuesta Didáctica Para Desarrollar La Competencia Comunicativa, Naiara Soares-Alonso, Mario Grande-De-Prado

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

SPANISH

“Héroes De Verbalia”: Propuesta Didáctica para desarrollar la competencia Comunicativa

Resumen

La propuesta didáctica “Héroes de Verbalia” se centra en el uso del juego como herramienta pedagógica para desarrollar la competencia comunicativa en alumnos de tercer ciclo de Educación Primaria. Basada en una revisión de la literatura, esta metodología busca motivar e involucrar activamente a los estudiantes en su propio aprendizaje. Se realizó una revisión de literatura en bases de datos como Dialnet y Google Académico. Se diseñó un juego de mesa educativo, utilizando herramientas como Canva y la inteligencia artificial Copilot para la creación de materiales. La propuesta …

Direct And Indirect Written Corrective Feedback: Lecturers’ Perspectives, Mohammed Luqman Shahab, Karwan Mustafa Saeed Dr.

The Qualitative Report

This study focuses on addressing the influence that written corrective feedback (WCF) has on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. Therefore, this research endeavored to give more clarity on the challenges ahead of EFL lecturers in providing WCF and explored the types of WCF (direct/indirect), as well as the lecturers’ opinions on the effectiveness of each type. For this reason, a qualitative inquiry was used to analyze EFL lecturers’ experiences with providing direct/indirect WCF. To this end, 7 Kurdish EFL lecturers from a public university in Kurdistan Region in Iraq (KRI) voluntarily participated in a semi-structured interview session to …

Parental Failure And The Double Standards Of Screen Time Discourse On Popular Parenting Blogs, Christian Casarez, Annaliese Grant

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Understanding screen time discourse is vital in grasping people’s relationship with media comprehensively. This research seeks to add to this body of knowledge by highlighting the double standards present within parenting blogs’ narratives on screen time. Utilizing a qualitative analysis conducted on a dataset of over 200 coded articles (n=220) from parenting blog giants such as Parents.com and SheKnows.com, I argue that popular parenting blogs simultaneously platform content that pushes parents to constantly manage and mitigate their children’s screen time use, while at the same time implicitly encouraging parents to utilize apps, audio, content, and devices to do so. In …