Educational Leadership Commons^™

Exploring New Jersey Public And Public Charter School Nurses' Knowledge Levels And Perceptions Of Food Allergies In Schools: A Mixed Methods Study, Lorelei Lorissa Cheli-Voorhees

Theses and Dissertations

The number of children affected by food allergies in the United States is large and increasing. The potential for life-threatening food-induced allergic reactions presents significant risks for students and schools. In the state of New Jersey, nurses are responsible for managing the risks associated with food allergies in elementary and secondary schools. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore and understand the knowledge, perceptions, policies, and practices of New Jersey public school nurses towards food allergies in schools. The participants were certified school nurses who currently work in public and public charter elementary and secondary schools in …

Perspectives Of Arkansas Professional Educator Pathway (Arpep) Program Candidates And Site Facilitators, Mary Frances Lowrey

Student Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the perceptions of teacher candidates and site facilitators regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the ArPEP (formerly known as APPEL) teacher preparation program. The study also analyzed the rate for candidates who completed and passed the edTPA and also the rate for those taking and passing the Principles of Learning and Teaching Praxis (PLT). Although there are many alternate teacher preparation programs, ArPEP (APPEL) is the only program in Arkansas void of research noting the advantages or disadvantages of the program. The mixed-methods research consisted of questionnaires sent to all teacher candidates and site facilitators. Interviews were …

Implementing The Steam Concept Through Project-Based Learning At An Intermediate School: A Case Study, Grace Ann Petersen

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact the project-based learning model had on student learning and engagement by examining the perceptions of parents, teachers, school administration, and district patrons of the project-based learning methods implemented at an intermediate STEAM school. The findings should serve to improve the implementation of project-based learning in the public school setting. The mixed-methods case study approach was utilized to gather data on stakeholder perceptions of the project-based learning methods at the STEAM school. A survey instrument was distributed to parents, teachers, administrators and district patrons involved in the STEAM school to elicit …

Arkansas Secondary Administrators’ Perspectives Of Co-Teaching To Deliver Special Education Content: A Phenomenological Study, Anmity Gale Bruton

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research study was to explore the perspectives of Arkansas secondary school administrators regarding the use of co-teaching to deliver special education (SPED) content instruction. Individual interviews and a focus group discussion was used to collect data from nine Arkansas secondary administrators. The findings of this study suggest that Arkansas secondary administrators perceive co-teaching as a beneficial method to deliver SPED content instruction if the co-teaching pair has sufficient training and co-planning time. Additionally, these Arkansas administrators noted a variety of factors influencing the implementation of co-teaching, which include the following: budgets, teacher quality and …

Revisiting Ethnic Differences In In-Person Learning During 2021-2022, Alison Heape, Andrew Camp, Gema Zamarro

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

In the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools throughout the United States, forcing a shift to remote learning that lasted the rest of the academic year. In the fall of 2020, schools reopened using combinations of in-person, hybrid, and remote learning models with great geographic variability in access to in-person learning. A growing body of research shows important racial differences in the use of in-person learning during the 2020-2021 school year, with Black and Hispanic students returning to in-person learning at lower rates than white students (Camp and Zamarro, 2021; Kurmann and Lalé, 2022). This in-person learning gap …

2022-08-11 Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Faculty Senate meeting minutes from August 11, 2022.

Enhancing Graduate Student Onboarding To Strengthen Graduate Student Sense Of Belonging And Ease The Transition Into Graduate School, Shannon Patiño

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of this action research was to study graduate students' sense of belonging enrolled in programs within the School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES) at the University of San Diego (USD) and their transition experience. This study was guided by the question: How can I improve new student onboarding programming to increase graduate student sense of belonging during the early stages of our graduate students’ onboarding experience? How can I also create a resource to help ease the graduate student transition into graduate school?

Quantitative and qualitative data was collected through a survey and one-on-one interviews with graduate …

Use Of The Prepare Tool To Increase Completion Rates Of Advance Care Planning Documentation, Janella Thompson

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: One in three adults aged 55 and older admitted to the hospital lack advance care planning. Patients without advance care planning may not receive treatment that reflects their personal values, wishes, and preferences

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was in adults 65 years or older (P), how does the implementation of a patient-centered web-based advance planning tool kit (I) compared to the usual practice of addressing advance care planning (C), affect the completion rate of advance care planning documentation (O) within 10 weeks (T).

Evidence: The current evidence has demonstrated that advanced care …

Recruitment And Retention Of Male High School Peer Mentors: A Phenomenological Study, Elaine Ann King

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological qualitative study was to develop an understanding of the experiences of high school male mentors who participate in mentor activities for peers with disabilities. The study of high school male mentors was viewed from the theoretical viewpoint of George C. Humans’s (1958) social exchange theory, as it addressed the relationships of high school male mentors in terms of establishing, prolonging, and dissolving relationships as mentors for peers with disabilities. The study answered the following central research question: How do male high school mentors of students with disabilities describe their experiences? Criterion sampling was used …

A Phenomenological Study Examining The Experiences Of Public School Teachers Who Provide Support For Chronically Absent Students At The Elementary School Level, Robert Lenn Ralston

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of public schoolteachers who provided support for chronically absent students at the elementary school level. The theory guiding this study is Ryan and Deci's (1980) self-determination theory (SDT). The SDT explains extrinsic and intrinsic motivation sources and their roles in social development through three general constructs: competence, autonomy, and relatedness. A screening survey was used to identify 12 elementary teachers from different schools in the southeastern United States who have taught children who were chronically absent. Data was collected through individual interviews, four focus groups, and an e-mailed …

A Predictive Correlational Study Of Higher Education Leaders' Emotional Intelligence Based Upon Leadership Style And Gender, Tamara Vanessa Hill

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A predictive correlational study was done to ascertain predictive capabilities between a higher education leaders’ transformational leadership style and their emotional intelligence. The study also sought to identify any correlation to emotional intelligence or transformational leadership style based upon gender. Higher education is a dynamic and constantly evolving environment. To ensure success, leadership of these institutions must remain flexible and intuitive to the changing ecosystem. A multiple regression analysis was used in the predictive correlational research design to corroborate the impact of emotional intelligence and gender on the level of transformational leadership style. The study participants consisted of 190 higher …

Exploring Intersectionality In School Disciplinary Decisions: A Phenomenology Of The Experiences Of African American Female Administrators, Jennifer M. Anthony

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore how African American female school administrators experience and understand intersectionality regarding discipline outcomes. The theories used to guide this study are critical race theory, first introduced by Bell in 1977, and intersectionality theory coined by Crenshaw in 1989 as they seek to analyze how racism and the intersection of marginalized identities impact school discipline outcomes. The central question that guided this research is how do African American female school administrators experience and understand intersectionality and discipline outcomes? This study used purposeful and criterion sampling to acquire 10 African American female …

A Qualitative Phenomenological Study Of Educators' Experiences Of Well-Being At Independent Private Schools, Kristi Breault Combs

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to understand educators’ experiences of well-being at independent private schools. The theory guiding this study was Deci and Ryan’s theory on basic psychological needs. It identifies that the basic psychological needs of relatedness, competence, and autonomy are universal and underlay optimal well-being. I used a qualitative transcendental phenomenological approach to seek in-depth information from the participants about their lived experiences of well-being at independent private schools. The central research question was: How do independent private school educators describe their experiences concerning workplace well-being? Sub-questions addressed well-being related to basic psychological needs: …

Reflections On Inclusive Teaching, Michelle Pacansky-Brock

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

The COVID-era has left a lasting impression on each of us. How are college educators applying the full complexity of these experiences to their work to make teaching and learning in all modalities more welcoming, meaningful, and fulfilling for everyone? This reflection opens a conversation about inclusive teaching and invites you to be part of it.

Implementing Tactile Learning To Aid Students Understanding Of The Bohr Model, Christin B. Monroe, Andrew B. Stein, Cindy Tolman

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

It is essential for introductory level chemistry students to understand atomic models and how atoms interact to form chemical bonds. The tactile model in this article utilizes marbles to represent subatomic particles, a cup to represent the nucleus and wooden rings to simulate the electron orbitals. These inexpensive items can be combined to construct models in which students can build foundational knowledge of atomic structure and how subatomic particles interact. Students were asked to provide feedback comparing the use of this tactile model to atomic computer simulations, videos and their textbook regarding the method they felt was most useful to …

A Research Based Approach To Implementing And Sustaining School-Wide Or District Wide Restorative Practices, Brandon M. Lane

Masters Projects

Restorative practices implementation fails for four reasons. First, districts omit or inadequately engage in a readiness to change assessment to initiate the process for RP implementation. Districts fail to identify if it is worth investing, they fail to analyze their school data in conjunction with identifying areas of school improvement to truly determine how RP can positively impact their school community. This is significant because it directly impacts districts ability to secure and sustain administrative support and teacher buy-in. Secondly, districts erroneously introduce RP as a classroom management system rather than a relational quality initiative (Vaandering, 2014; Short, Case and …

Retention Of Novice Teachers, Renna Varano

Masters Projects

The field of education is a constantly unsettled field with new pedagogical trends, new policies and immense attrition rates at every turn. Upon attempting to study the causes and effects of teacher attrition, it can be deduced that there is no one cause yet one major effect: student achievement. Schools that have lower rates of student achievement typically have difficulty maintaining a highly effective teaching staff. This issue affects any and all types of schools, some more than others. In order to guarantee students a right to an equitable education, school leaders must create supportive mentoring and induction programs for …

How Exemplary High School Principals Who Utilize Heart-Led Principles Achieve Extraordinary Results, Jeyan Danesh

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe how exemplary high school principals in Riverside and San Bernardino counties lead from the heart using Mark Crowley’s four principles (building a highly engaged team, connecting on a personal level, maximizing employee potential, and valuing and honoring achievements) to accomplish extraordinary results in their organizations. Methodology: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 8 high school principals to better understand how the use of heart-led principles can lead to extraordinary results on a high school campus. Interview data were collected, transcribed, and coded for themes, allowing the researcher to triangulate data and …

Promoting Trauma Informed Professional Learning And Practices For Staff And Student Success, Rachel E. Anderson

Masters Projects

Educating students is incredibly important life’s work. When done successfully, it requires teachers and staff members to not only find independently successful strategies for each student to learn academics at their own personal highest caliber, but it also requires us to form authentic and caring relationships with each and every student inside our building. Offering students an emotionally safe environment where they know they are valued and supported is oftentimes undervalued in this nation of high stakes testing as the determinant of sole success. However, in order to “get to” the academics, we need to begin by pouring into our …

Supporting Reverse Transfer Students: From Trauma To Transition And Triumph, Stephanie Burga

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

This study explores the reverse transfer student identity, a population or group that transfers from a four-year college or university to a two-year community college. The research utilizes a San Diego two-year community college as the sample institute to discover more about a sample of the reverse transfer student identity. The theoretical framework includes a combination of intersectional stigma and the ethic of care that is implemented throughout the transition process for the student. The purpose of this study is to seek and uncover patterns as to why students reverse transfer and what support looks like for them. How does …

Global Child And Family-Centered Care Fellowship, Education And Mentorship For Pediatric Healthcare Professionals: A Literature Review, Ashley Zheng, Bobbijo Pansier

Patient Experience Journal

Child- and family-centered care (FCC) is increasingly accepted and implemented to optimize the healthcare experience for patients, their families, and healthcare professionals. Standish Foundation for Children, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, has designed and piloted a fellowship to educate pediatric healthcare professionals in FCC & psychosocial care via an inquiry and mentorship model in Tbilisis, Georgia. This review aimed to evaluate and synthesize existing literature on psychosocial and FCC mentorship for pediatric healthcare professionals in four parts: ongoing need, effects on healthcare professionals, effects on children and their families and/or caregivers, and in cross-country healthcare settings. Reviewers searched open-source databases for articles …

Prologue: Faculty Of Color Expressions And Perspectives, Kathryn Engdahl

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

This special issue of the Journal of Advancing Education Practice featuring Faculty of Color Expressions and Perspectives creates a critical forum for truth-telling, education, and empowerment. It offers an invitation to deepen understanding of each other’s experience, and to integrate that deeper understanding in practice to enhance ongoing equity and inclusion work.

The Wicked Role Of The Medical Education Department, Mona Hmoud Alsheikh, Rania Zaini, Mohamed Elhassan Abdalla, Mohi Eldin Magzoub

Health Professions Education

Purpose: This paper aims to describe the role of the Medical Education unit/department (MED) from a world-wide perspective, how it qualifies as a wicked issue, and provide tips on how to tame it. Methods: The authors reviewed the regional and international literature to obtain a framework of functions and then used brainstorming and focus group discussions to define the scope of functions of the MED. Telephone interviews with present or previous chairs of medical education departments in the Kingdom and the region helped define the challenges that are faced. Results: The functions of the MED were found to fall under …

Leading The Social Development Of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Para-Educator Perspectives, Michelle Morehouse

Leadership Education Capstones

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore para-educator perspectives on implementing social development strategies for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In the academic setting, students with ASD, receiving services through an individualized education plan (IEP), have the option to receive para-educator support.

Social development growth opportunities naturally occur throughout the school day, placing para-educators in situations where implementing social development support can enhance this growth. How do para-educators perceive this role as social development supporters? Do they feel equipped to implement social development support in the general education setting?

This study used a mixed methods design, through …

The High Cost Of Leaving: Veteran Teachers In Islamic Schools, Hanan Almasri

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

Utilizing a traditional qualitative approach, this study explored the experiences of veteran teachers in Islamic private schools and their retention decisions through the lens of the job embeddedness framework, which examines the attachment factors that keep people in their positions through three distinct dimensions (Links, Fit, and Sacrifice) The participants in this study include eight veteran teachers with five or more years’ experience teaching at the same school and two current principals. The study site is a private, well-established, K-12 Islamic school in North Texas. The participants engaged in semi-structured, in-depth interviews to share their motivations for remaining at their …

Perceptions Of Secondary Principals Regarding The Effectiveness Of The Program Of Alternative Certification For Educators (Pace) In South Carolina, William Whitfield

All Dissertations

In this dissertation, I report the findings of a mixed-methods study I conducted in the state of South Carolina with secondary principals (middle and high school). The purpose of this two-phase, sequential mixed methods study was to examine the perceptions of secondary principals regarding the effectiveness of the Program of Alternative Certification for Educators (PACE), South Carolina’s state supported alternative certification program. In the first phase, I used quantitative survey research to understand secondary principals’ perceptions of the PACE. In the second phase, I identified eight secondary school principals who had experience hiring PACE certitifed teachers and conducted semi-structured interviews …

Myside Bias Shifting In The Written Arguments Of First Year Composition Students, Lezlie Christensen-Branum

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation reports on research conducted to better understand how college student writers learned to work against their own biases as they researched and wrote arguments. I conducted a review of former studies to design a curriculum that would help students avoid bias and increase their ability to write arguments tailored to specific readers in ways that accomplish their goals. This review also informed the kinds of data to be collected and analyzed in order to accomplish the research goal, which was to understand whether and how each of seven students enrolled in a composition course reduced their biases. I …

The Covid-19 Pandemic's Influence On Rural Teacher Attrition In Northeast Alabama, Brian Thomas

College of Education

Teacher attrition is a growing problem across the United States and in Alabama. The influence of COVID-19 has complicated teacher attrition by influencing - being and decisions to remain or leave education. Increases in teacher attrition will increase teacher shortages, which impact rural schools dramatically. This study was conducted in rural nor employment decisions during COVID-19. This mixed-methods research used an explanatory, sequential design to explain the findings of teacher attrition data collected from 51 rural schools and 28 non-rural schools with a case study of current and former teachers. Twenty educators participated in interviews to expound on the results …

“This Is Anonymous, Right?” A Qualitative Study Of Why Higher Education Students Cheat, Anne Marie Rogers

All Dissertations

Academic dishonesty occurs in higher education. Students who choose to cheat will find a way no matter the assessment type, learning environment modality, and deterrents. Academic integrity in online assessments has been prevalent even before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, due to the recent increase in online learning modalities, cheating is at the top of faculty concerns, and many instructors believe that online assessments open the door for cheating.

I conducted a root causal analysis using an improvement science framework to identify why students cheat in higher education. This study identified two major themes of reasons students participate in academic dishonesty. …

Black Families Matter: Exploring The Sociocultural Impacts Of Race And Class On Parental Engagement, Keneisha Harrington

All Dissertations

Across diverse educational spaces, parental engagement is regarded as a critical factor in determining student academic achievement. However, dominant narratives of low-income African American parent (LIAAP) disengagement have been perpetuated in scholarship and practice, adding to the centuries of misuse and maltreatment Black families have experienced historically by way of educational institutions in the United States. Therefore, to counter these narratives and better understand parental engagement from the perspectives of LIAAP, in this three-article dissertation, I explored the impacts of race and social class on LIAAP engagement. Through a Critical Race Theory (CRT) lens and a phenomenological Community-Based Participatory …