Educational Psychology Commons^™

Patterns In Impact, Publication And Themes In International Blended Learning, Kristian Joy Spring

Theses and Dissertations

This research has found that the field of international blended learning (BL) is prepared for stronger communication and collaboration. Collaboration is currently limited, and regions vary greatly in terms of citations. However, BL is growing worldwide and each region has much to offer to the community. Greater collaboration among researchers and practitioners can be profitable regardless of location. In the first article the authors compared the top cited BL articles to understand which articles from each region are the most cited, how the regions compare in terms of citations and which journals publish these highly cited articles. The authors used …

Does Caep Have It Right? An Analysis Of The Impact Of The Diversity Of Field Placements On Elementary Candidates' Teacher Performance Assessments Completed During Student Teaching, Jason Aaron Popham

Theses and Dissertations

The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) has replaced its predecessors, the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) as the new sole accreditor for educator preparation in the United States. As the new accreditor, CAEP has established a new set of accreditation standards and cross-cutting themes by which it intends to measure educator preparation programs (EPPs) worthiness to received accredited status. These new standards and cross-cutting themes are untested and need to be researched in order to determine the degree to which they constitute valid and reliable measures …

Analysis Of Undergraduate Grade Trends At Brigham Young University Across A 20-Year Period, Kirsten Rose Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

Grades awarded to undergraduate students at Brigham Young University over a 20-year period were analyzed to determine to what extent the mean GPA may have increased. Study variables included enrolled freshman mean ACT, enrolled freshman mean AP credits, faculty research productivity, student evaluations of teaching (SET), and a university policy change regarding course withdrawal dates and calculating students' mean GPA. Other study variables included the overall grading philosophy of the college or school (normative, mastery, or other) and the course level (upper division, lower division). The study employed a regression model with splines for the residual, or yearly trend. Upper …

The Effectiveness Of Alternative Dissertation Models In Graduate Education, Rebecca Arlene Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

Historically, the doctoral dissertation has had two purposes: to train young scholars in proper research methodology, and to contribute original findings to research. However, some feel that the traditional dissertation format falls short of these goals for two reasons. First, the majority of dissertations never get published in academic journals, and dissertations are unlikely to get cited in academic articles. Second, many students in doctoral programs see little authenticity in traditional dissertations because the writing style and process differ from that of academic articles. In response to these concerns, many Instructional Technology programs have implemented alternative dissertation formats. This study …

Middle School Students' Perceptions Of Fairness And Trust In Assessment Scenarios, Corinne Elaine Jimenez

Theses and Dissertations

Fairness in assessment practices is an elusive concept which has been explored in some detail at the university level, but rarely with students in middle school. This study examines students’ perceptions of fairness on nine classroom assessment practices. It also studies if students’ perceptions of fairness, as well as student gender, could predict their levels of trust. Students were able to discern fair practices, as defined by alignment to best assessment practice literature, from unfair practices for most scenarios. They were more inclined to recognize interactional fairness deviations or promotions. The student’s ability to identify a fair or unfair situation …

Decision-Making Processes Of Judges In Family Court: An Investigation Of Salient Features Relating To Termination Of Parental Rights Hearings, Jennifer G. May

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study uses Corbin and Strauss’ approach to the Grounded Theory method of analysis to determine the salient features of decision-making in termination of parental rights (TPR) hearings. Specifically this study addresses: what information is used to make decisions in a TPR case; what training or systemic improvements are needed; the role of intuition, prior experience or other stores of knowledge; how judges prioritize sources of information; and how “best interest of the child” is interpreted by family court judges. A theory of judicial decision-making relating specifically to TPR hearings is proposed.

High School Teacher And Administrator Perceptions Of Student Health Promotion: An Exploratory Study, Sarah B. Conklin

Theses and Dissertations

The current study explored the high school health promotion environment with regards to physical activity, nutrition, and sedentary behaviors from the perspective of high school health and physical education teachers and administrators. Specifically, potential strategies for a prevention program to promote student physical activity participation and healthy eating, and decrease student sedentary time were explored.

Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with physical education teachers to explore potential strategies to promote student health behaviors. Next, interviews were conducted with high school administrators to determine the feasibility of recommended strategies. Teachers and administrators in the current study expressed a need for strategies …

A Case Study Examining Formative Assessment In A Postsecondary English Language Program, Divya Varier

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the formative assessment practices of three teachers in English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms using a sociocultural theoretical framework. The study was conducted in a postsecondary ESL setting at a large public university in the southeastern United States. Using an embedded mixed methods design, this study employed teacher interviews and classroom observations to address the overarching question: What individual and contextual factors are present in the formative assessment practices of participant ESL teachers? The study also explored the relationship between student metacognitive judgments of learning (JOL) and performance with the purpose of informing formative assessment practice. …

Resiliency Of Multiple-Placed Foster Youth Experiencing Emotional Competence: A Mixed-Methods Study, Audrey Murph-Brown

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to address the resilient processes of multiple placed foster youth to develop age-appropriate emotional competence. Adding texture to the study was the role played by race and culture. Inherent to the study were the voices of successful multiple-placed foster youth. The research attempted to respond to gaps in the literature regarding African American and Hispanic youth placed in foster placements that, if better understood, can positively impact the livelihoods of other multiple-placed foster youth. The minor participants, 10 to 17 years old, selected for this study were no longer wards of the state, having been …

Analyzing The Instructional Methodologies And Ideologies Underlying English As A Foreign Language Textbooks In China And Evaluating Their Alignment With Assessments And National Standards, Anneke Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

The current study is a collection of three publishable articles addressing a similar theme. Each article is an examination into the role textbooks play in Chinese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms and, specifically, a look at textbooks as an element in the classroom environment, their relationship to pressures from high-stakes exams, and an exploration into any paradigms about the nature of EFL learning they may be explicitly or implicitly promoting through their content and methodologies. The first article, a grounded theory look at underlying methodologies and ideologies in common Chinese textbooks, reveals that there may be competing paradigms …

Being Transformed By Being A Peer Mentor: An Examination Of High-Impact And Transformative Peer Mentor Experience, Bryce D. Bunting

Theses and Dissertations

This multi-article dissertation explores the potential for the undergraduate peer mentoring experience to contribute to transformative learning for those who serve in peer mentoring or peer leadership roles. While past research has established that peer mentors experience a variety of positive outcomes associated with their leadership experience, there are gaps in the literature with regard to how the peer mentor experience can be intentionally designed as a high-impact practice for student leaders. Through three qualitative studies, as well as a comprehensive literature review, this dissertation addresses this gap by exploring what peer mentors report learning through their mentoring experiences (Article …

Institutional Adoption Of Blended Learning In Higher Education, Wendy Woodfield Porter

Theses and Dissertations

Relatively little research on blended learning (BL) addresses institutional adoption in higher education. Graham, Woodfield, and Harrison (2012) proposed a framework for institutional BL adoption, identifying three stages: (a) awareness/exploration, (b) adoption/early implementation, and (c) mature implementation/growth. The framework also identified key strategy, structure, and support issues universities may address at each stage. In this series of articles, the authors applied that framework to institutions of higher education implementing BL. In the first article, the authors applied the framework to 11 Next Generation Learning Challenge (NGLC) grant recipients transitioning from Stage 1 to Stage 2 of BL adoption. The authors …

Holding Hands And Drying Tears: Effectiveness Of Student Employees In Promoting A Successful Lms Implementation, Cary Ann Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Two-thirds of higher education institutions are either currently involved in the process of or will soon begin to review their learning management system strategy (Green, 2012). Transitioning from one LMS to another is an endeavor that utilizes the entire institution and requires a great deal of strategic planning and cooperation. The literature described the involvement of instructional designers and technology support as key players in this transition process over a period of parallel time. When BYU transitioned from Blackboard to Learning Suite, a team of student employees managed the majority of the change. While there was very little time when …

School Climate And Risky Behaviors Among Rural Adolescents, Marissa Sherri Green

Theses and Dissertations

The present study sought to determine whether rural high school students' positive perceptions of their school climate could make it less likely that they would engage in or be exposed to risky behaviors, and if students' gender and grade moderated this association. School climate is a construct that consists of the following five major dimensions: Safety, Relationships, Teaching and Learning, the Instructional Environment, and the School Improvement Process, although this final dimension was not assessed in the current study (Thapa, Cohen, Guffey, and Higgins-D'Alessandro, 2013). The specific risky behaviors that were examined in this study were delinquent behaviors, victimization, substance …

Self-Reported Mastery: Moving On From Self-Reported Gains In Assessing Learning Outcomes, Michael S. Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

As the learning outcomes movement gains strength, the need to effectively measure learning outcomes becomes more important. This study looked at the effectiveness of self-reported mastery in measuring learning outcomes by examining the correlations between (a) self-reported mastery, (b) self-reported gains, and (c) objective measures of learning outcomes. The objective measures of learning outcomes were final exams for two classes, Calculus (consisting of two forms) and Statistics. The self-reported mastery and self-reported gains items were taken from the pilot student ratings form and the old student ratings form. A total of 848 undergraduate students completed the final exam and the …

An Evaluation Of A Mediational Model Of Adolescent Global Life Satisfaction, Michael D. Lyons

Theses and Dissertations

This study extended previous research by simultaneously examining determinants and presumed psychosocial mechanisms related to the development of individual differences in adolescent life satisfaction, based on Evans‟ (1994) proposed model. Specifically, this study assessed the relations between personality (extraversion, neuroticism) and environmental experiences (stressful life events) on early adolescents‟ global life satisfaction as mediated by approach and avoidance coping behaviors using a sample of 529 students from one middle school in the south eastern United States. The results of this study found partial evidence to support Evans‟ model. Statistically significant relations were found for a number of individual pathways between …

Roles And Relationships In Learning And Teaching: A Case Study Of The Development And Worldwide Implementation Of A New Religious Curriculum, Melissa Noel Hawkley

Theses and Dissertations

This in-depth case study examines perceptions of teacher and learner roles and relationships that were the basis for common understanding in the creation and implementation of the new youth curriculum, Come, Follow Me: Learning Resources for Youth, for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The assumptions and beliefs of teachers and learners directly influence each other in their perception of their roles and thus, directly influence the type of teaching and learning they engage in. The curriculum was intentionally designed to help members of the Church teach and learn for conversion. Teachers who understand both their role and …

Investigating The One-On-One Master-Apprentice Relationship: A Case Study In Traditional Craft Apprenticeship, Isaac W. Calvert

Theses and Dissertations

Governments around the world are calling for a revival of apprenticeship on a large scale, emphasizing the value of the one-on-one, human interaction between master and apprentice and the teaching involved in that interaction. Although a broader historical view of apprenticeship shares these ideas, certain prominent threads within recent educational research have done a great deal to deemphasize them. Some go so far as to overlook the master-apprentice relationship altogether, assert that masters simply do not exist, and claim that apprenticeship learning happens without any teaching at all. In response to these claims, the researcher took part in an autoethnographic …

Becoming An Altruistic Learner, Aaron W. Snyder

Theses and Dissertations

This master’s thesis is a qualitative research project that explored the transformation of multiple individuals who initially learned for self-interested purposes, but later had a shift in their desire to learn so as to benefit others. The author collected rich narratives that described this phenomenon and provided insight into the following question: what is the experience of a learner who transitions from learning out of self-interest to learning out of altruistic purposes? The author found the following five major themes across six participants as they transitioned to more altruistic learning: humility, self-efficacy, resources, success and agency. These themes give insight …

Pre -Service School Psychologists' Racial And Weight-Related Biases And The Relationship That Taking Diversity Courses Has On These Biases, Shaerica Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

Past research has shown that racial and weight-related biases are present in school settings and can have a negative impact on students. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of racial and weight-related biases upon judgments that school psychology graduate students make about Black and overweight students who were having problems in school. The problematic behaviors exhibited by the student in the case study were based on symptoms often seen in children with Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). We also examined the extent to which implicit and/or explicit attitudes moderated the degree of school psychology graduate students' attributions of …

Exploring The Retention Of Credit-Hour Value In Terms Of Workload For University Core Courses Taught In A Time-Compressed Format, Lyndell E. Lutes

Theses and Dissertations

This study compared the workload and value of work done outside of class reported by 3512 undergraduate students at Brigham Young University completing 16-week semester and 8-week term University Core (General Education and Religion) classes. Based on the results of this analysis, significant differences in workloads were found when comparing them by occasion (semester versus term). Significant differences were also found in workload and value of homework based on the autonomy of the instructors. On average, the workload difference by occasion equates to approximately 54 minutes more per week in a 3-credit semester course when compared to a term course. …

The Complex Nature Of Learning Failure: A Student Perspective, Keith R. Proctor

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore how college students reflectively describe their learning failure experiences, along with the major themes of those experiences. Through a series of in-depth interviews, four narrative cases written from the perspective of two college students were developed. These four cases were then carefully analyzed and cross-examined to generate a deeper understanding of college student learning failures. This study explored approximately 78 themes related to these four cases, which led to the development of six key components of college student learning failure experiences: Recognizing Learning Failures, Evaluating Learning Failures, Attributions for Learning Failures, Self-Discovery …

The Effect Of Formative Assessments On Language Performance, Brian W. Radford

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to improve the language learning outcomes at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. Young men and women between the ages of 19-24 are taught a foreign language in an accelerated environment. In an effort to improve learning outcomes, computer-based practice and teaching of language performance criteria were provided to missionaries in an effort to allow them to progress at their own pace outside of the classroom. The effect of computer-based practice and the teaching of language performance criteria were assessed in a 2x2 factorial design. The dependent variable was speaking proficiency in the Spanish language. This …

Designing And Evaluating A Russian Elicited Imitation Test To Be Used At The Missionary Training Center, Jacob R. Burdis

Theses and Dissertations

Elicited Imitation (EI) is an assessment approach that uses sentence imitation tasks to gauge the oral proficiency level of test takers. EI tests have been created for several of the world's languages, including English, Spanish, Japanese, French, and Mandarin. Little research has been conducted for using the EI approach with learners of Russian. This dissertation describes a multi-faceted study that was presented in two journal articles for the creation and analysis of a Russian EI test. The EI test was created for and tested with Russian-speaking missionaries and employees at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, UT. The first …

Understanding The Role Of Post-Secondary Coaches In High Schools: A Social Capital Analysis, Lynne Haeffele

Theses and Dissertations

The research problem for this study was to understand the role of a new category of institutional agents, post-secondary coaches in high schools, who facilitate students' college readiness. This comparative case study focused on two post-secondary coaches in two high schools participating with a university in a state-funded grant project to improve college readiness. Data collection included structured interviews with coaches, students, and other school and external personnel; written descriptions by coaches of how they do their jobs; observations with field notes taken while shadowing coaches; and relevant documents, websites and artifacts. Data analysis involved both open coding and the …

The Relationship Between Health-Related Fitness Knowledge, Perceived Competence, Self-Determination, And Physical Activity Behaviors Of High School Students, Elizabeth Bailey Haslem

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was (a) to test a hypothesized model of motivation grounded in the Self-Determination Theory within the context of conceptual physical education (CPE), and (b) to explore the strength and directionality of perceived competence for physical activity as a possible mediator for health-related fitness knowledge and actual physical activity behaviors. Participants were 280 high school students who were at the end of a CPE course. Participants completed the Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire–2, the Godin Leisure–Time Exercise Questionnaire, the Perceived Competence Scale, and a Health-Related Fitness Knowledge Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling analysis was used to explore …

The Effects Of Music On Physical Activity Rates Of Junior High Physical Education Students, Lindsey Kaye Benham

Theses and Dissertations

Music is used and can be found in everyday life and throughout society. With many studies pointing towards music being a motivating stimulus for exercise, it is plausible that music would positively affect the physical activity rates of junior high school students in physical education classes. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of popular music on physical activity rates, via pedometry, and enjoyment levels of junior high physical education students. There were 305 junior high physical education students that participated in the study with 151 being male and 154 being female. This was a quasi-experimental …

Pe Central: A Possible Online Professional Development Tool, Amber M. Hall

Theses and Dissertations

Bringing about positive teacher change in physical education is often a slow process not supported by traditional professional development practices. The purpose of this study was (a) to assess the usage and satisfaction with the online site PE Central and (b) to ascertain whether PE Central constitutes a valid source of professional development leading to changes in teaching practices and student learning outcomes. Participants (45 pre-service and 288 in-service teachers) completed an online survey assessing the effects of using PE Central on their perceptions of usage, satisfaction, professional development, teacher change, and student engagement. Results indicated no significant differences between …

Online Facilitators And Sense Of Community In K-12 Online Learning, Jeffery S. Drysdale

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the continued growth of K-12 online learning, there remains a need for additional research addressing roles of online facilitators and how they can improve the sense of community at K-12 online schools. The first article of this dissertation presents a case study illustrating how online facilitators can provide the same level of support for their students that on-site facilitators provide students in blended environments. Data was gathered from teachers at Mountain Heights Academy (MHA), a fully online high school. MHA implemented a "Shepherding Program" to provide student with online facilitators. Each teacher, or shepherd, was responsible for 20 to …

Relationships Between Motivation, Self-Efficacy, Mindsets, Attributions, And Learning Strategies: An Exploratory Study, Christopher Lackey

Theses and Dissertations

Motivation, self-efficacy, beliefs about intelligence, and attributions about academic performance all play important roles in student success. To determine the relationships between these factors and the influence of demographics upon them, an online quantitative survey was taken of college students measuring their self-perceptions of these factors. The survey was comprised of items from three existing surveys: the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), the Implicit Theories of Intelligence Scale, and the Revised Causal Dimension Scale. First- and second-year students, generally at the highest risk of attrition, were targeted in order to explore whether these factors could shed light on persistence. …