Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Leaping The Language Gap: Strategies For Preschool And Head Start Teachers, Carolyn D. Abel, Jannah Walters Nerren, Hope Elizabeth Wilson

Faculty Publications

Strategies that promote the development of language skills are recognized as important in early childhood education. For early childhood centers and care providers, there are also additional concerns that interventions which meet these developmental needs are both time and cost effective. This pilot study investigates the effect of indirect language stimulation (ILS) techniques on the receptive and expressive oral language of 4-year-olds, using techniques that can be easily taught to teachers and implemented in the classroom. Two preschool teachers in a southwest rural community in the United States were randomly assigned for instruction over a 6-month period on effective ways …

A Study Of The Level Of Integration Of Common Core State Standards In West Virginia Teacher Preparation Programs, Georgia Nicole Thornton

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study examined the level of integration of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) within the population of 164 teacher preparation faculty members in 18 initial teacher preparation programs in West Virginia. A three part researcher developed survey was mailed to each dean/director for distribution to the initial teacher professional education faculty. Deans/directors were also given the option of participating in a follow up interview and were asked a series of questions based on a researcher developed interview protocol.

In general, initial teacher professional education faculty members described their level of integration of CCSS as between some and significant integration. …

A Study Of Professional Learning Communities: Characteristics Of Implementation And Perceived Effectiveness In Improvement Schools In West Virginia, Kristy Ann East

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers’ perceptions of levels of implementation and levels of effectiveness in improving student learning of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in low-performing schools in West Virginia. This study also sought to determine differences in levels of implementation and effectiveness for five selected independent variables and examined the relationship between levels of implementation and levels of effectiveness. The study also sought to ascertain administrator and school improvement specialist perceptions of how PLCs affect their schools. Finally, this study described teachers’ suggestions to enhance their PLC experience and identified challenges that hindered the implementation of …

Teachers' Attitudes Toward Technology, Grace Stover

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' attitudes toward technology in their classrooms. This study focused on iPads, tablets, smartphone, and Apple TVs. The questions in the survey were designed to investigate teachers' comfort level with using this technology, and to determine teachers' attitudes toward the use of this technology in their classrooms. The majority of the educators reported that the technology was up to date. Next, fifty percent of the educators felt that they were not provided with adequate training prior to the implementation of the technology into the classrooms. Therefore, continuing to provide adequate training to …

Teacher Attitudes Of The Effectiveness Of Reading Comprehension Strategies And Interventions, Charles Hartley

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study surveyed the attitudes of secondary teachers in a semi-rural school district in West Virginia in an attempt to gain an understanding of how teachers in the district perceived the comprehension skills of their students and the effectiveness of reading comprehension strategies and interventions currently being employed by the district and by individual teachers. The researcher developed a survey that was distributed to all the secondary schools in the district. The survey consisted of Likert Scale questions and opened ended responses. The results of the survey indicated that the participants believe that overall the comprehension skills of students in …

The Impact Of Teacher Efficacy And Student Engagement On Eleventh-Grade South Carolina U.S. History And Constitution End-Of-Course State Exam Scores, Jacqueline L. Persinski

Education Dissertations and Projects

This research study analyzed the impact of teacher self-efficacy and student engagement on eleventh-grade South Carolina U.S. History and Constitution end-of-course state exam scores. Research questions centered on analyzing the relationships between the variables of teacher efficacy, student engagement, and student achievement as measured by the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale, Van Amburgh Active Learning Inventory Tool, South Carolina U.S. History and the Constitution end-of-course exam scores, and U.S. History teacher interviews. This study found a positive correlation between student engagement and student achievement and a significant relationship between teacher efficacy and student achievement. The relationship of teacher self-efficacy and …

School Administrators' And Teachers' Perceptions Of Single-Gender Classrooms In Coeducational Public Middle Schools Within South Carolina, Shemmicca M. Moore

Education Dissertations and Projects

The academic achievement gap between male and female students set in motion a flurry of initiatives to help address male underachievement. The amendments made to Title IX allowed single-gender education to become a viable option for addressing those gaps in achievement. After the adjustments made to Title IX, South Carolina led the nation in the implementation of single-gender classrooms. In fact, South Carolina was the only state to have an office dedicated to ensuring the successful implementation of single-gender programs. This quantitative study examined the perceptions of school administrators and teachers concerning the effectiveness of single-gender education. The study surveyed …

A Program Evaluation Of The Impact Of A "Read To Learn" Model On Alternative High School Students' Lexile Levels And Reading Achievements, James D. Quinn

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study is a program evaluation of the effectiveness of a reading initiative in an alternative school utilizing the Stufflebeam CIPP evaluation model. In order to assess effectiveness, this evaluation explored the reading growth of high school students in an alternative school setting where the application being critiqued was a"read to learn" model.

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a "read to learn" model on students who were exposed to reading as the primary mode of learning in all content areas and who participated in daily silent reading with self-selected topics. Baseline data on LEXILE, …

How Do Ninth-Grade Students Make Meaning Of Their Transition Experienced During Their Freshman Year? An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Tashna C. Morris

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to better understand how students make meaning of their freshman transition year and to assist school personnel in the school to develop effective strategies to help students transition more successfully into the ninth grade. This study explored the self-efficacy theory as it relates to ninth-grade students’ transition experiences in their freshman year of high school and adapted an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis stance as the theoretical framework from which the issue of the ninth-grade transition was explored. Few studies have used a phenomenological approach to examine the freshman transition experience and even fewer studies have …

A Case Study On The Impacts Of Rigor, Relevance, And Relationships In A Freshman Academy For Secondary Classroom Students, Anna S. Moose

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study researched the impact a Freshman Academy approach has on rigor, relevance, and relationships in a secondary classroom setting. For the purpose of this paper, a Freshman Academy is one where ninth-grade students are grouped together in their core academic courses with a common group of teachers. Within these common academic courses, ideas and concepts are integrated in order to transition more effectively into the high school environment and provide students with a more cohesive academic experience. This paper further reflects the current, critical problems in existence in today’s high school setting that can potentially be addressed using the …

Whose Standards Are These? A Chronological Glossary Of Standards In P-12 Education, Richard E. Day

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The elementary and secondary education system was created in the early 1900s to serve a different time when people had different needs. Although the idea of human capital is as old as education itself, the concept of college readiness was hardly a concern when access to college was limited to a relatively few privileged individuals who had the wherewithal to attend. Illiteracy was seen as the state’s educational problem. There was no concern that high school graduation rates were too low at a time when very few jobs required knowledge workers.

Whose Standards Are These? A Chronological Glossary Of Standards In P-12 Education, Richard E. Day

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Whose Standards Are These? A Brief Historical Timeline of the Development of the Common Core State Standards with References to Next General Science Standards, and the C3 Framework for Social Studies.

Teaching China, Meghan Armstrong

Progressive Education in Context

Describes the teaching fellows program of China Institute's Teach China program.

When Good Ideas Flow Two Ways, Mary Ellen Kenny

Progressive Education in Context

Describes the collaboration between Bank Street College Graduate School of Education and the Bank Street School for Children.

From Idea To Practice: The Brain-Based Research Team, Alexis Wright

Progressive Education in Context

A cohort of teachers in the Bank Street School for Children spent a year in professional development around brain-based research and shared their knowledge with the rest of the teaching faculty with the plan to incorporate the research into practice.

An Evaluation Of Champs: A Classroom Management Program, Holly J. Minnear

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to examine the impact of Conversation, Help, Activity, Movement, Participation, Success (CHAMPS), a classroom management program in elementary schools in a district in North Carolina. The participants included principals and teachers who attended a 2-day training course and implemented the CHAMPS program at their schools.

The researcher used Stufflebeam’s Context, Input, Process, Product (CIPP) model to examine the impact of CHAMPS on classroom management practices and student behavior. Specifically, the researcher utilized the Process and Product components of the CIPP model. The Process Evaluation sought to answer the question, “To what extent was the CHAMPS program …

Program Evaluation Of Bridges To Success Program, Michael Cory

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the alternative education model, the Bridges to Success Program, and the program’s impact on teachers teaching within the program in a middle school in the Upstate of South Carolina. The Bridges to Success Program was initiated in September 2009 for at-risk students in eighth grade with a history of poor attendance, behavior issues, and low math and reading academic performance.

The evaluation model used was the Logic Model. The research questions set the framework for this study. Research questions focused on short-term outcomes that evaluated how teacher knowledge of …

A Program Evaluation On Implementing Investigations In Number, Data, And Space® In Three Elementary Schools, Alexandra Leigh Smith

Education Dissertations and Projects

This applied dissertation was designed to provide perceptual teacher data as well as summative testing data to educational leaders concerning the effects of implementing Investigations in Number, Data, and Space® (Investigations) in three Title I elementary school settings, two Title I schools, and one non-Title I school. Data collected during this dissertation will be of use to educational stakeholders in selecting mathematics programs for elementary age students.

The purpose of this applied dissertation was to assess the effects of the Investigations program utilizing Stufflebeam’s CIPP program evaluation model. End-of-grade math test data for third, fourth, and fifth grade from the …

The Impact Of Computer-Aided Instruction On Student Achievement, Ernest Tolbert Jr.

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to examine the impact of computer-aided instruction (CAI) on student achievement in a business education course and examine student perceptions of the CAI of use, Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operations (P.L.A.T.O.). Students not achieving to their highest potential was a problem. The study compared a classroom where only traditional instruction was used to a classroom where traditional instruction and supplemental CAI were used. The results of the study were based on two sets of tests for one unit of study within the course and an evaluation survey of P.L.A.T.O.

The study was to include 56 …

Teacher Capacity And Attitude Toward Data: An Examination Of The Association Between Teacher Beliefs And Student Performance On The Measures Of Academic Progress Assessment, Elizabeth C. Mitcham

Education Dissertations and Projects

Since the onset of No Child Left Behind legislation and federal funding for schools tied to summative assessment performance, educational leaders have sought to identify factors that are most influential on student learning outcomes. Research continues to link the use of formative data practices and teacher efficacy to improved student performance. The intent of this study was to explore associations between teacher capacity and attitude and student performance. In this embedded mixed-methods study, qualitative data from focus groups comprised of survey participants were collected within a larger quantitative study that examined associations between teacher beliefs and student performance. The study …

A Study Of High School Students' Perceptions Of Mentoring Students With Disabilities, Ashley N. Davis

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed as a phenomenological qualitative study grounded in Contact Theory to investigate Early College high school students’ perceptions of a multi-year mentoring program. The Early College students were paired with elementary students with varying special needs in a self-contained classroom throughout 3 years in various settings, including community-based therapeutic horseback riding and a school-based sensory program. The study attempted to garner how the mentoring experience affected the Early College high school students personally, as well as their attitudes, feelings, and beliefs in relationship to their tolerance toward people with disabilities as reported by the participants through individual …

Program Evaluation On The Implementation Of A Middle School Concept In Private Christian Schools, James Chapman Hall

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of implementing a middle school concept in three private Christian schools using Daniel Stufflebeam’s CIPP model of program evaluation. The National Middle School Survey was used to measure faculty and administrative perceptions of both the value and actual implementation of middle school concepts that to this point have not been formally evaluated in each school. Additionally, student levels of cognitive and psychological engagement and global life satisfaction were measured using the Student Engagement Instrument and Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale.

The following evaluation questions were the focus of this study …

The Role Grade-Level Configuration Plays On Meeting Young Adolescents' Developmental Needs, Jessica W. Hall

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation is a mixed-methods research study on the role grade-level configuration plays on meeting the developmental needs of young adolescents. This study reviews the history of the middle school, explains the controversy over grade span configurations, and articulates the developmental needs of young adolescents and what schools should provide to ensure the success of their students.

Seven schools in northwest North Carolina were examined. Four of these schools serve students in a 6-8 setting and three serve students in a K-8 setting. In an attempt to ascertain what grade-level configuration best meets the developmental needs of young adolescents, surveys …

A Study Of The Social And Emotional Growth And Development Of Students With Disabilities In An Inclusive Setting In An Inner-City Middle School, Heather Rachelle Lemmons

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this retrospective, explanatory sequential mixed-methods study was to determine the impact of an inclusive educational setting on the behavioral, social, and emotional growth and development of students with various disabilities. Many aspects of a student’s educational experiences can be affected by a proper placement in an inclusive setting with non-disabled peers including discipline rates and referrals, need for behavioral goals and plans, and perceptions concerning personal social growth and development.

The setting for this research study was an inner-city middle school serving Grades 7 and 8 in western North Carolina. Eighth-grade middle school students identified as students …

The Impact Of Repeated Reading As An Intervention For Middle Grades Sixth- And Seventh-Grade Students On Reading Fluency, Christopher Dion Stocks

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the effects of repeated reading on readers identified as below grade in sixth and seventh grade. The study was set in a rural middle school located in the foothills of North Carolina.

Students selected for the study were identified utilizing Lexile levels to identify them as below grade level for sixth and seventh grade. Once students were identified, the teachers used Curriculum Based Measures (CBMs) to determine their current fluency levels. Oral reading fluency and MAZE CBMs were employed to measure speed, accuracy, rate, and comprehension. Classroom teachers also used a prosody …

A Case Study Of The Impact Of Reading Intervention In Early Elementary School Grade Levels, Bonnie S. Smith

Education Dissertations and Projects

This case study examined the impact of small class size using small group instruction with ability grouping for early literacy intervention. In this study, data were analyzed to determine the impact small class size, paired with small group instruction for intervention, had on students in terms of attaining grade-level proficiency standards. DIBELS data and facilitator interviews were analyzed from first and second grade intervention and traditional classes to determine the effectiveness of small class size and ability grouping for students to achieve grade-level proficiency in literacy. Results show that using direct instruction in small groups with Title I inclusion helped …

Technology Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Ninth-Grade Students After One Year Of One-To-One Initiative Implementation, Adrianne Nicole Mcgee

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to gather data regarding the self-efficacy beliefs of ninth graders after experiencing the one-to-one technology initiative for 1 school year. The goal was to obtain information based on the experiences of the students in order to enlighten leaders of other schools and districts when implementing their own technology initiatives. Students, teachers, and administrators were all surveyed regarding the initiative and perceived experience. A focus group of eight students was conducted in order to gather more data regarding the answers to the survey questions. After focus group data were interpreted, three student interviews were held to gather …

General Education Teacher Perceptions Of Self-Efficacy Regarding Teaching Students With Autism In Inclusion Settings, Jennifer H. Condrey

Education Dissertations and Projects

With an increase in the number of children being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder comes an increase in students with autism being integrated into regular education classrooms. While general education teachers strongly support inclusion, they do not feel prepared to implement inclusion practices in their classrooms. This dissertation was designed to gauge perceptions of self-efficacy among K-5 general education teachers in regards to teaching students with autism in inclusion settings. The researcher conducted digital surveys and personal interviews among K-5 regular education teachers who had inclusion experience with students with autism. Teacher perceptions were measured in the areas of preparedness, …

Using History-Based Trade Books As Catalysts For Historical Writing, Speaking, And Listening In Elementary Curricula, John Bickford, Dylan Dilley, Valerie Metz

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

State and national initiatives have aligned to compel change in elementary classroom curricula and instructional practice (Council of Chief State School Officers [CCSSO], 2012; National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers [NGA & CCSSO], 2010; Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers [PARCC], 2012). An increased focus on informational texts and content area literacy are two significant changes intended to both facilitate and integrate historical thinking and historical content. For a subject that has struggled to maintain relevancy in elementary curricula, the social studies has a new, stronger position (Center on …

Scrutinizing And Supplementing Children’S Trade Books About Child Labor, John Bickford, Cynthia Rich

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

State and national initiatives place an increased emphasis on both students’ exposure to diverse texts and teachers’ integration of English/language arts and history/social studies. The intent is for students to critically examine diverse accounts and perspectives of the same historical event or era. Critical examination can be accomplished through teachers’ purposeful juxtaposition of age-appropriate, engaging trade books and relevant informational texts, such as primary source materials. To guide interested elementary and middle level teachers, researchers can evaluate trade books for historical representation and suggest divergent or competing narratives that compel students to scrutinize diverse perspectives. Researchers can locate germane primary …