Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Appalink, Appalachian Studies Association

Appalink

Appalink is the bi-annual newsletter for the Appalachian Studies Association.

Minority Librarians In Higher Education: A Critical Race Theory Analysis, Kelli Johnson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The library profession as a whole is predominantly white with a large discrepancy between the percentage of minorities in the United States in general and the percentage of professional librarians who are minorities. Despite past recruitment efforts, there remains a dearth of minority librarians in higher education and the reasons for this remain unclear. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate minority librarian experiences in higher education and their perceptions of supports and barriers encountered in becoming and being professional librarians. Five themes emerged from the data. The first theme pertained to the spirit of service and activism …

A Correlational Study Of Self-Regulation And Fine Arts In Education, Rachel D. Hendricks

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Self-regulation positively relates to student behavior and achievement, and fine arts participation has demonstrated similar improvements in behavior and achievement. It was hypothesized that participation in school-based fine arts would positively correlate with self-regulation, and the intensity of students’ fine arts participation would also correlate with self-regulation. Students aged 15 to 19 were administered a self-regulation questionnaire. Responses from students currently participating in fine arts were compared to students with no fine arts participation to find if a relationship exists between fine arts and self-regulation. This study found no significant relationship between fine arts participation and self-regulation, and no significant …

A Study Of The Fepac Accredited Graduate Forensic Science Programs' Curricula, Catherine Genice Rushton

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The National Institute of Justice (1999) and the National Academy of Sciences (2009) recommended that forensic science training shift from on-the-job training to formal education. However, the reports cited inconsistencies in the curricula of the forensic science degree programs as an impediment to this. The Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC) Standards were created to address this issue; however, no studies have been conducted to determine how the accreditation standards have been implemented by the FEPAC accredited graduate programs. This study evaluated the self-study responses (n=11) and website information (n=17) specific to FEPAC’s Graduate Curriculum Standards to determine how …

Recruitment, Retention And Socialization Of Underrepresented Minority Populations To West Virginia Higher Education Administrative Positions, Dedriell Dewin Taylor

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study contributed to the body of knowledge dealing with recruitment, retention and socialization of underrepresented (UREP) minority populations for academic leadership positions in West Virginia higher education. The purpose of the study was to examine both the institutional and personal factors that are most effective in attracting members of UREP minority groups to administrative leadership positions at institutions of higher education, specifically higher education institutions in West Virginia. The study was conducted using a mixed method research approach consisting of a non-experimental research design in the quantitative phase of the study and individual interviews in the qualitative phase.

Age Of Kindergarten Entry And Rate Of Specific Learning Disabilities, Elizabeth A. Crum

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Kindergarten age eligibility requirements vary from state to state; however, school districts typically admit children into kindergarten in the fall following a student’s fifth birthday. Research on the outcomes of five-year-old children and children whose entry was delayed until age six is contradictory. The current study was conducted to add to the existing literature to assist families and policy makers with decision making regarding appropriate kindergarten entry age. The sample included 541 second through seventh grade students from a small rural school district. Actual and predicted counts of students who were later found eligible for specific learning disabilities were examined …

Using Reading Cbm To Predict Performance On Smarter Balanced Assessment, Jonathan Wesley Shank

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study examined the relationship between AIMSweb oral reading fluency (R-CBM) and reading comprehension (MAZE) curriculum-based measures and performance on the English language arts/literacy (ELA/L) component of the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) using a sample of students in third through fifth grade (N = 499). Pearson correlations between R-CBM, MAZE, and SBA were moderate to high, with R-CBM generally demonstrating the strongest relationships with coefficients ranging from .73 to .75. Results from hierarchical multiple regression models indicated that R-CBM provided strong predictive validity for SBA performance among third grade students (63.4% variance explained, p<.001), while the addition of MAZE to the equation was negligible (1.4% additional variance explained, p<.001). Similar findings resulted from the fourth and fifth grade multiple regression models. The predictive value of R-CBM and MAZE each decreased as grade level increased. Results support continued use of CBM to predict success on the Smarter Balanced Assessment, although CBM using cloze passages explained little variance in high-stakes test scores beyond that of oral reading fluency alone.

0832: Victor Billie Bodo Collection, 2007-2014, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Mr. Victor Billie Bodo (1928-2014) was a native of West Virginia and a graduate of Marshall University. He served as an adjunct professor in the Psychology Department and Political Science Department at Marshall University. Mr. Bodo was directly involved with The Atlantis Program, a cooperative enterprise between the U.S. Department of Education and the European Commission, from 2007 through 2009.

The bulk of the collection contains material related to the Atlantis Program. A grant-funded program, the Atlantis Program was "…designed to better prepare psychology majors for the competencies required by the modern global job market and to promote and enhance …