Educational Leadership Commons^™

Diverse Perspectives On The Living-Learning Community Experience At A Large Public University, Amy Griffin Lorenz

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to investigate the specific experiences and program characteristics that students, faculty, and staff experience in the living-learning communities. This paper summarizes the findings of a program evaluation inclusive of a survey and interview protocol on the student, faculty, and staff experiences in living-learning communities (LLCs) at a large, public university in the southeast. The study employed a mixed methods design including a student survey and faculty/staff interviews. Data shows LLC students value the living-learning community experience and have positive experiences with the LLC academic and social climate and believe their peers support the diverse …

Filling The Middle Skills Gap: Increasing Silver-Level Career Readiness Certificate Attainment In Mississippi, Steven Wayne Pickering

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of Smart Start Career Pathway as a method of supporting student success on the ACT WorkKeys assessment. Since the 1970s, the skills gap has been a national concern as workforce demand has outpaced supply. As a means of connecting individuals to the workforce, Mississippi adopted ACT WorkKeys and the National Career Ready Certificate (NCRC). As a result, programs such as Smart Start have been developed and deployed to support success in achievement in ACT WorkKeys and NCRC.

This causal comparative study was conducted utilizing a convenience sample of 1,001 participants …

School Climate For Lgbtq Youth: Principals’ Perceptions And Experiences, Jessica L. George

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study explored the practices that can mitigate a hostile school climate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth and the barriers that negatively affect implementation of those practices. LGBTQ youth are at higher risk for bullying, harassment, and other characteristics of a harsh learning environment, which can result in negative outcomes, both short- and long-term. Principals of West Virginia public high schools were surveyed to collect data on the frequency at which LGBTQ-supportive practices are implemented in their schools and the barriers, if any, they faced. A total of n = 29 (x̄ = 27.6%) participants completed …

Faculty And Administrator’S Perspective On Degree Completion Initiatives In The Commonwealth Of Kentucky, Jennifer Hammonds

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this research is to better understand the factors in students’ lives that determine why they fail to earn a degree and how institutions retain or recruit back stopouts for completion of certificates and degrees. Degree completion is a national, state, and institutional priority as all groups are falling short on meeting degree attainment goals. Currently, there is an abundance of literature on why students stopout. The literature does not directly propose strategies that would increase degree completion or determine the necessary faculty and staff training needed to implement those strategies. This research helps fill the gap in …

First-Year Seminar Delivery Method Effect On Student Success At An Appalachian Open-Enrollment Institution, Anthony Michael Underwood

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

First-year seminars (FYS) have been identified as one of the most effective high impact practices in supporting student success as measured in this study by GPA, semester-to-semester persistence, and second semester student course load. However, those students who would most need this support, students at public open-enrollment institutions in the Appalachian region, have often either not been required to participate or have not been given the chance to do so due to limits on academic program length or a perceived lack of resources at such institutions. This research measured the effectiveness of an FYS program in the above defined environment …

Perceptions Of Academic Benefits Of Work-Integrated Learning Among West Virginia Community And Technical College Students, Laura Leslie Mccullough

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Global research notes the academic benefits of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) to be higher academic achievement and faster degree completion rates. Past studies have been chiefly conducted at baccalaureate degree granting institutions. The purpose of this descriptive, nonexperimental, post-facto study is to determine whether the West Virginia WIL programs delivered through community and technical colleges yield the same academic benefits that have been reported in the extant research concerning baccalaureate schools. The population of this study was to be 572 business and information technology majors at ten West Virginia community and technical colleges. Student-level data by classification of instructional programs (CIP) …

A Review Of Truancy Programs At The Elementary Level In West Virginia: Perceptions Of Attendance Directors On The Effectiveness Of Strategies To Improve Student Attendance, Shellie Belcher Simpson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the sustainability of truancy programs used in all 55 counties of West Virginia since 2014. The study compared attendance rates at the elementary school level over the last five years and applied survey and interview data to determine whether changes to programs promoted changes to attendance rates. While there are numerous studies that review and discuss truancy programs, there were no studies found that measure the programs and perceptions in elementary programs in all 55 counties of West Virginia. In this study data were collected from the West Virginia Department of Education …

Teacher Unrest In West Virginia, 2018-2019, Lindsey D. Reed

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In 2018, the United States saw an influx of teacher strikes which were largely propagated by red-state legislation. Then and now, teachers are trying to gain a voice in educational legislation despite corporate and political strongholds on legislators. As a last measure to gain access to the policymaking process, teachers strike. When teachers strike, it becomes a social issue which puts pressure on families, the economy, and legislation. The purpose of this non-experimental, descriptive study was to examine the perceptions of teachers who participated in the 2018 and 2019 West Virginia teachers’ strikes as they relate to their interactions with …

How Orientation Programs At West Virginia Community Colleges Affect Mid-Level Administrators' Perceptions Of Adjunct Faculty Quality, Gina M. Taylor

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the relationship between the presence of orientation programs for adjunct faculty at West Virginia community and technical colleges and mid-level administrators’ perceptions of adjunct faculty quality. Using data obtained through an Internet-based questionnaire administered to 91 mid-level administrators at West Virginia community and technical colleges, the study resulted in several notable findings, many of which reinforced similar findings uncovered in the review of the literature. Most researchers agree that the results of high-quality orientation programs can be a tremendous asset to adjunct faculty, leading to an adjunct group that knows what …

Examination Of Student Learning Outcomes During A Musculoskeletal Spine Assessment Course: Hybrid Blended Model Versus Traditional Classroom Delivery In A Doctor Of Physical Therapy Program, David J. Denton

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study explored content delivery comparisons concerning a hybrid blended model versus a traditional lecture model in a Doctor of Physical Therapy Program. There is a gap in the physical therapy literature describing the intricacies of distance, online, and hybrid models used in doctoral education. Thirty students were randomly selected out of a hat to be placed into one of two groups with an n=15. The course chosen in the study was a clinical decision-making segment based on assessment and examination of level of the spine. Group 1 was instructed only using traditional methods of live in person lecture and …

School Administrator Perceptions And Actions Toward Reducing Mental Health Factors To Learning, Andrew Charles Teti

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Approximately one in five children have a mental health need that impacts their academic functioning (World Health Organization, 2004). This study investigated what actions school administrators who oversee kindergarten through eighth grade, and how their perceptions of mental health have impacted those decisions. Both a survey and an interview were conducted with current school administrators in three counties in Western Pennsylvania. Findings suggested that administrators take mental health factors to learning very seriously and place a significant amount of pressure on themselves to address this barrier. Additionally, school administrators utilize a team approach to focus on mental health in the …

Self-Contained And Departmental Educational Delivery Systems: A Case Study Of Differences In Student Achievement And Behavior, Robert Eugene Smith Iii

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study investigated the differences in achievement and behavior for fifth-grade students taught using a self-contained instructional model compared to students taught using a departmentalized model. Differences based on selected demographic/attribute variables were also investigated. Teacher perceptions regarding the differences in the two organizational models were also examined. Data were collected from the West Virginia Department of Education’s end of the year student academic achievement assessment (The West Virginia General Summative Assessment), the West Virginia Department of Education’s online information system (WVEIS), and teacher surveys. Data suggest differences in the two instructional models along with significant differences in male and …

The Perceptions And Effects Of Schools' Names On Black Professional Educators And Their Students, Gregg Suzanne Ferguson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

It is obvious that there is a variety of perspectives that the educational environment needs to sensitively reflect to serve a diverse society equitably. In Southern communities, in particular, distortions of heritage are conflated with local governance that control public money, public memory, public value, public health, and public landscape, including the public school environment and marginalizes further historically marginalized groups. This qualitative study was grounded in critical race and cultural geography theories that examined dominant paradigms in the educational environment which shape identity. This dissertation explored the effect(s) of race and racism in the educational environment from the perspective …

An Analysis Of The Research Methods Used In Select Peer-Reviewed Law Enforcement Journals, 2010 To 2014, David L. Lemmon Ii

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study provided a descriptive analysis of five peer-reviewed journals related to various law enforcement topics within a five-year period, 2010- 2014. It determined the type of research methodology that was applied and specified the authors’ characteristics of sex and role/function for all research related articles selected from the five peer-reviewed journals published during this time period. The five journals used in this study were International Journal of Police Science and Management, The Official Journal of the Society for Police Criminal Psychology, Police Practice and Research, Policing and Society, and Police Quarterly. This descriptive study provides practitioners, academicians, and other …

Effects Of Professional Learning Communities On Instructional Revisions In Secondary Mathematics Classrooms, John Kenneth Bond

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This non-experimental, descriptive study examined the effect(s), if any, that professional learning communities have had on the professional practices of secondary (grades 9-12) mathematics teachers in Boone, Clay, Putnam, and Kanawha counties in West Virginia. Also investigated were the potential differences in instructional-practice change(s) based on selected demographic variables: sex, degree level, the grade level taught, the total years of teaching experience, the total number of years in their current position, the specific math subject taught, the total number of years of PLC participation, and the composition (e.g., departmental, cross-curricular, or both) of participants’ PLC. Data were collected from a …

Staying Informed: Superintendents And Their Experience With Evidence-Based Research In The West Virginia Public School System, Gabriel Dwayne King

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to explore the sources used by West Virginia public school superintendents to stay informed; how useful they find evidence-based research; the perceptions they have regarding the overall usefulness/credibility of evidence-based research; the barriers that exist to the use of evidence-based research; and whether there are relationships between selected demographic variables and superintendents’ consumption of evidence-based research. Data were collected using a 10-question researcher adapted survey administered to 59 superintendents in West Virginia. This study continues the work of Treadway (2015) and Hoylman (2017) in the local public education arena. The most relied upon source …

Exploration Of Growth Mindset Application In Communication Sciences And Disorders, Kelly Jean Rutherford

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

As early as 1988, Carol Dweck began a line of research connecting motivation and intelligence that later became known as mindset theory (Dweck & Leggett, 1988). This study explored the feasibility of applying Dweck’s growth mindset model to challenges in the field of Communication Sciences and Disorder (CSD). Interviews were conducted with higher education administrators who are directly affected by requirements of program standards using a phenomenological design. Findings suggested that growth mindset beliefs and practices are used in many ways across faculty, curriculum, and student domains; however, participants identified growth mindset concepts of willingness to embrace change, learning from …

Student Attributes Related To Dual Enrollment Baccalaureate Degree Outcomes In A Rural State, Charles Scott Inghram

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A decrease in West Virginia in-state college-going and graduation rates and a need for additional postsecondary degrees in the workforce in the state by 2020 require the support and implementation of an evidence-based intervention to ameliorate the pressing issue. This study considers the outcomes in regard to persistence and completion of West Virginia students enrolled in public baccalaureate degree granting institutions in the state who entered as first-time, full-time freshmen during the 2010 academic year with dual enrollment credit. The population of the study was drawn from preexisting data provided by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. Propensity score …

Are Higher Education Institutions Addressing The Employment Needs Of Clinical Laboratories In Rural Areas?, Pamela Dawn Meadows

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Clinical laboratories across the nation are faced with a shortage of qualified Medical Laboratory Technicians (MLTs) and Medical Laboratory Scientists (MLSs). As the clinical laboratory workforce continues to shrink, it is essential that higher education institutions acknowledge the employment needs of rural laboratories to ensure quality health care in underserved areas. An aging workforce, program closures, and a general increase in demand for laboratory testing have compounded the workforce shortage for rural clinical laboratories, which often face unique challenges. The purpose of this research study was to examine the perceptions of rural clinical laboratory managers toward higher education’s response to …

Literacy Leaders : An Analysis Of West Virginia Secondary School Principals' Self-Reported Literacy Leaderships Perceptions And Practices, Stephanie Adria Burdette

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Sweeping changes, such as those ushered in as a component of contemporary school improvement initiatives, have created an educational culture in which all teachers are now considered to be literacy instructors with principals being placed in the role of instructional leader. Yet, review of research literature reveals a severe lack of funding and adequate professional development necessary to ensure that secondary school teachers and administrators have the training they need to provide such literacy services to students. The purpose of this research study was to examine the literacy perceptions and practices of West Virginia’s secondary school principals to ascertain the …

Principal Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Wvbe Policy 5800: Standards Of Professional Practice For West Virginia Superintendents, Principals And Teacher Leaders, Allen Ray Laugh Jr.

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Since the late 1980s, standards for students and teachers began to be the focus of education, creating demands and pressures on school leaders to become more than managers of a school. This change of focus expanded to include principals and required school leaders to possess instructional leadership qualities beyond managerial skills. In 2010, the West Virginia Board of Education enacted the Standards of Professional Practice for West Virginia Superintendents, Principals and Teacher Leaders (WVBE Policy 5800) to guide West Virginia educational leaders toward instructional leadership. The purpose of this study was to gain West Virginia principals’ perceptions at all grade …

Tailoring Higher Education Instruction For Students With Asd To Transition To Employment : Employer Perspectives, Hillary M. Adams

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study explores the need for tailored higher education curricula for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as they transition from college to employment. I t is estimated that 50,000 individuals diagnosed with ASD turn eighteen each year (Autism Speaks, 2012), and one in three of those individuals are entering higher education ( Roux , Shattuck, Rast, Rava, & Anderson, 2015) . Individuals with ASD face poor outcomes in the workforce; 75- 85% of adults with ASD do not have full -time employment (Scheiner, 2013). Lack of employment opportunities derive from impairments in social skills, be haviors, theory of mind, …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Selected Superintendent Attributes And Instructional Leadership Practices, Leatha G. Williams

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this descriptive, quantitative, survey-based study was to examine the relationship between selected superintendent attributes and their overall instructional leadership practices score calculated from the participants’ responses on the Instructional Leadership Practices Survey. The study used t-Tests, Chi-Square and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to analyze the relationship between the dependent variable of superintendent leadership practices score and the predictive variables of superintendents’ length of tenure in their current district, superintendents’ total tenure as a superintendent, superintendents’ total experience in education, whether the superintendent was hired from within or from outside of the district, superintendents’ instructional leadership perceptions and …

Principal And Faculty Senate Chair Perceptions Of Faculty Senate Participation In Teacher Hiring In West Virginia Schools, Sarah Elizabeth Grose

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to assess principals’ and faculty senate chairs’ perceptions of the effectiveness of WV BOE Policy 5000: Procedures for Designated Hiring and Transfer of School Personnel, in improving teacher hiring practices in West Virginia schools. Policy 5000 was enacted on September 16, 2013; therefore, West Virginia’s schools were required by state policy to include a configuration of faculty senate committees in the hiring process, if the faculty senate voted to participate. A wide-scale effectiveness status check has not been conducted since that date. A mixed-methods study was designed to examine the perceptions of principals and …

Effectiveness Of Essentials For College Math As A High School Transitional Course, Jennifer S. Riggleman

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Statistics on the number of students who leave high school underprepared for postsecondary education, and have to take remedial coursework upon entrance to college vary, but, unfortunately, for at least the last 10 years, these statistics have remained high. This study examined the effectiveness of one transitional high school math curriculum called Essentials for College Math and its impact on 887 students in the state of North Carolina for the 2014-2015 academic year. The results of the study showed that there was a statistically significant improvement seen in pre- and post-test scores of students that completed the course. There was …

A Study Of The Wv Judges' Truancy Program Used In Eight Wv Counties From 2012-2015, Lori Gibson Comer

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the West Virginia Judges’ Truancy Program used in eight counties from 2012-2015. The study compared attendance rates, dropout rates and graduation rates prior to the implementation of the program and the three years of program implementation, as well as perceptions of those using the program. While much research can be found concerning the topic of truancy and some research on different types of truancy diversion programs, no research has been found on this particular program used in West Virginia. In this study data were collected from the West Virginia Department of Education …

The Role Of Evidence-Based Research In The Decision-Making Process As Perceived By Local Board Of Education Policymakers In West Virginia, Elizabeth Anne Hoylman

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This non-experimental, descriptive study explored the perceptions of PK-12 policymakers in West Virginia regarding the sources of information they use in the decision-making process; whether and how evidence-based research is relied upon; whether evidence-based research is considered credible and usable; and what barriers, facilitators, and demographic data may play roles in the decision-making process. Data were collected from a 15-question researcher-created survey administered to nearly 200 county board of education members. Results indicated that while policymakers think evidence-based research is important, they nonetheless use it less than other types of information. Consumers consider research reports too lengthy. Respondents indicated they …

Career Paths, Barriers, And Professional Experiences: A Comparison Study Of Physical Therapy Program Directors In The United States, Tamara Nancy Gravano

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The entry-level degree for physical therapists today is a professional doctoral degree. It is similar to a medical degree program where the expected outcome of its graduates is clinical practice, and there is no formal training in academic teaching or administration. The purpose of this study was to determine the leadership characteristics, styles, and behaviors of accredited Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program directors (PD) and to gain a better understanding of their preparation and path to program leadership. The survey instrument was sent electronically to all program directors of accredited DPT programs in the United States (N=233) and the …

Principal Perceptions Of Standards-Based Teacher Evaluation In West Virginia, Brent Douglas Griffith

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Standards-based teacher evaluations have become the norm in many states due to an increased focus on student achievement and teacher effectiveness. These evaluations have become integral to the improvement of classroom instruction efforts and the planning of specific professional development for teachers. West Virginia deployed a new standards-based teacher evaluation system in 2014, using the West Virginia Professional Teaching Standards as a basis for measuring teacher performance and growth in certain areas. The new evaluation system also included teacher self-reflection and goal-setting portions. The purpose of this study was to assess the perceptions of school principals as to the effectiveness …

Effectiveness Of An Online Ferpa Training Program, Sonja G. Cantrell

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This two-phase study focuses primarily on improving faculty and staff knowledge as it relates to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). Phase one of the study examined the current FERPA training practices at four year, public higher education institutions in West Virginia via an interview process, using a mixed quantitative and qualitative design. Phase two of the study determined the effectiveness of an online comprehensive FERPA training module as compared to an online simple notification of the FERPA regulation module, and whether either significantly increased the level of FERPA knowledge among faculty and staff at one …