Educational Sociology Commons^™

Year-Round School Calendars Versus Traditional School Calendars: Parents' And Teachers' Opinions., Jennifer Y. Rule

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference of opinions of teachers and parents of students who attend year-round calendar schools from those of teachers and parents of students who attend traditional calendar schools. A random sampling was taken from teachers and parents from schools in both Blount and Sevier Counties. The surveys were given to teachers who worked in a traditional school setting, teachers who worked in the year-round school setting, parents who had children attending a traditional school, and parents who had children attending a year-round school. A 3-point scale was used on …

Teachers' And Students' Perceptions About The Roles Of School Resource Officers In Maintaining School Safety., Sarah Rippetoe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to the National Association of School Resource Officers (2009), every state in the nation employs school resource officers. The trend, which began in 1991, was initially funded by federal monies. Since that time, school resource officers have remained in schools, gaining popularity as a proactive strategy in fighting against school violence. The purpose of the study was to examine students' and teachers' perceptions regarding school resource officers' performance related to the 3 dimensions of their responsibilities: maintaining a safe environment, enforcing the law, and teaching. Data were gathered from 104 teachers and 272 students from a middle school and …

Class And Categories: What Role Does Socioeconomic Status Play In Children's Lexical And Conceptual Development?, Jennifer Bloomquist

Africana Studies Faculty Publications

At one time, academic inquiries into the relationship between socioeconomic class and language acquisition were commonplace, but the past 20 years have seen a decrease in work that focuses on the intersection between class and early language learning. Recently, however, against the backdrop of the No Child Left Behind legislation in the United States (which has been criticized as a culturally biased education policy that, through highstakes testing and broad-based, uniform curricula, discounts the value of non-standard home language varieties largely spoken by working-class children), there has been renewed interest in the relationship between class, language use, and the assessment …

Death Comes Alive; Technology And The Re‐Conception Of Death, Karen Cerulo, Janet M. Ruane

Department of Sociology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Browse through your local bookstore, or glance at a nearby movie marquee. Skim the pages of your nightly newspaper or the listings in your television guide. American culture's current focus poses a surprise. The popular eye is centered on a topic more taboo than the steamiest sexual encounter, more solemn than the deepest economic depression, and more universal than the common cold. The current decade reveals a remarkable up- surge in our collective attention toward death. Indeed in the 1990s, Americans have become nearly obsessed with a world that lurks beyond life as we know it.

Inside Unlv, Diane Russell, Shane Bevell, Cate Weeks, Mamie Peers

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Improving Teacher Morale With Team Building., Nanci Autumne Edmonds

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to build a conceptual framework to explain the influence of team building among elementary school teachers to improve teacher morale. This framework is intended as the foundation for a team building model to provide principals and teachers with a guide for implementing sound team-building activities into inservice training and throughout the school year. What are the best practices for implementing team building and how can these practices encourage teachers to have a more positive outlook on their profession? The variables include school environment, school climate, different principals, principal changes, years of teaching experience, teaching …

A Case Study Of Community College Students' Perceptions Regarding Faculty's Practice Of Online Course Delivery: Virginia Community College., Loretta Roberts Beavers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This case study focused on students who had matriculated in online courses in the Business Management Program. The setting for the study was a Virginia community college. The purpose of this study was to examine the social, faculty and administrative, and technology influences on students' perceptions of online learning. Students' conveyed experiences and perceptions of the tools and practices faculty used to implement online learning were coded and categorized to generate grounded theory that may be used to govern distance learning implementation.

Data were collected through document reviews, semi-structured interviews, and field studies. The interview participants were selected from the …

Perceptions Of Educators' Use Of English As A Second Language Strategies And Research-Based Practices With English Language Learners In Northeast Tennessee., Marisol Hernandez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to investigate the level of use of English as a second or subsequent language strategies and research-based practices in the instruction of ELL students in Northeast Tennessee. The researcher sought to ascertain the perceptions of educators in Northeast Tennessee about teaching practices and beliefs in regard to the instruction of ELL students and to determine to what level these educators include ESL strategies and ESL research-based practices when teaching ELL students.

Participants in the study consisted of regular classroom teachers, English as a second language teachers, and principals from districts identified as ELL low …

Mapping School Segregation: Using Gis To Explore Racial Segregation Between Schools And Their Corresponding Attendance Areas, Deenesh Sohoni, Salvatore Saporito

Arts & Sciences Articles

We examine whether student enrollment in nonneighborhood schools changes levels of racial segregation in public schools across urban school districts by comparing the racial composition of schools and their corresponding attendance area. This comparison was made possible by using geographic information systems (GIS) to link maps of elementary, middle, and high school attendance boundaries with 2000 census data, the Common Core of Data, and the Private School Survey for the 22 largest school districts. Results show that public schools would be less racially segregated if all children living in a school district attended their local, neighborhood schools. Similarly, findings reveal …

Low School Engagement And Sexual Behaviors Among African American Youth: Examining The Influences Of Gender, Peer Norms, And Gang Involvement, Dexter R. Voisin

Faculty Scholarship

This research examined whether negative peer influences (i.e., norms favoring risky sex and drug use and gang involvement) mediated the relationship between school engagement (i.e., grade point averages [GPAs] obtained from school records and student-teacher connectedness) and sexual behaviors (i.e., sexual début, sex without condoms, group sex, and sex while using drugs) among African American high school adolescents, and whether these relationships varied by gender. Five hundred sixty-three high school adolescents (ages 13 to 19) completed self-administered questionnaires that assessed school engagement markers, peer influences, sexual début, and risky sex. Major findings for boys indicate that GPA was negatively associated …

Trayectorias De Abogados Profesionales Y Académicos: El Caso De Una Universidad Pública Mexicana Y Su Entorno, Esperanza Viloria-Hernández, Jesús F. Galaz-Fontes

Jesús Francisco Galaz Fontes

El presente reporte es parte de un trabajo mayor de investigación realizado en una universidad pública estatal mexicana y cuyo objetivo era caracterizar la cultura académica en diferentes campos profesionales. Se presentan aquí los resultados asociados a la trayectoria profesional y académica en el área disciplinaria del Derecho. La información pertinente se obtuvo mediante entrevistas semiestructuradas que bordaron diversos procesos informados por los entrevistados sobre su trayectoria laboral. De las entrevistas realizadas se infieren tres periodos para los abogados profesionales, cinco para los abogados profesionales-académicos y tres para los abogados académico-profesionales. En dichos periodos se destacan procesos relacionados con la …

La Profesión Académica En México: Un Oficio En Proceso De Reconfiguración, Jesús F. Galaz-Fontes, Manuel Gil-Antón

Jesús Francisco Galaz Fontes

Este trabajo forma parte de la investigación internacional que estudia la reconfiguración de la profesión académica en más de 20 países, The changing academic profesión (CAP). Explora las formas específicas en las que este proceso de transformación del oficio académico ha ocurrido en México. La comparación entre los rasgos de esta actividad profesional –centrada en la academia en las instituciones de educación superior, al inicio de los años 90 del siglo XX y con las características que ahora presenta– arroja luz, preguntas y conjeturas ante un cambio notable, así como líneas de continuidad que es preciso reconocer y explicar. La …

A Comparative Study Of High School Academic Paths, Grade Point Averages, And Act Composite Scores As Predictors Of Success At Walters State Community College., Jill C. Reuschel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With an overwhelming number of students attempting to enter college after high school, the competitive nature of college admissions continues to grow. Colleges and universities are attempting to find the appropriate means to adequately predict collegiate success. Common methods of this prediction have come from a variety of sources most of which are the use of high school performance and standardized college admissions testing. Walters State Community College was chosen for this study because of its open door admission policy that allows for variability in high school academic paths as well as grade point averages and ACT scores students earned …

A Study Of Student Perceptions Regarding Attendance In A Rural East Tennessee High School., Selina Michelle Blevins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the perceptions of high school students' reasons for truancy.

Findings of the study revealed the perceptions of 916 high school students enrolled in an East Tennessee high school.

The review of literature concerning attendance revealed absenteeism as a problem that either directly or indirectly affects all educational stakeholders. Data gathered from the student surveys indicated students are absent from school for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, peer pressure, poor relationships with teachers and administrators, a disconnectedness from their schools, not being interested in the curriculum, bullying, and low …

An Evaluation Of Novice Teachers' Perceptions Of The Mentoring Experience In Knox County Schools., Lakisha L. Waters

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher retention is a growing problem in the 21^st century. Many veterans teachers are reaching retirement age and there are increasing numbers of new teachers entering school systems.

School administrators across the state of Tennessee realize that there is a significant number of beginning teachers who are leaving the teaching profession within the first 3 to 5 years of their teaching careers. Beginning teachers are being surveyed to determine why many leave the profession. After gathering input from beginning teachers across Tennessee, school officials began to develop teacher mentoring programs designed to retain beginning teachers.

The purpose of this …

A Quantitative Study Of School Characteristics That Impact Student Achievement On State Assessments And Those Assessments' Associations To Act Scores In Tennessee., Phillip L. Swanson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a significant relationship exists between particular home, student, and school characteristics and ACT scores and the relationship these characteristics subsequently have with the TVAAS grades assigned to each high school's ACT scores. These home, student, and school variables were socioeconomic status, percentage of minority, graduation rate, per-pupil expenditure, Gateway English II scores, and Gateway Algebra I scores. By looking at these variables and the influence they hold on the education of students, I sought to ascertain the fairness that is present when schools and districts are given grades through the TVAAS …

A Study To Explore The Strategy Of Field-Based Teacher Preparation: Professional Development Schools., Connie Wright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of my study was to determine if there are any differences in performance measures of student teachers with varying levels of participation in professional development schools. The population in my study was the 2002 through the spring of 2006 kindergarten through 6th-grade student teachers from a small, private postsecondary institution. A requirement of the teacher education program was to complete sequential, field-based experiences in kindergarten through 6th-grade schools culminating in student teaching. My study included kindergarten through 6thgrade student teachers who had experienced a number of semesters in a Professional Development School (PDS) classified into 4 levels: (a) …

A Study Of The Impact Of Socioeconomic Status On Student Achievement In A Rural East Tennessee School System., Eydie J. Pettigrew

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of socioeconomic status on academic achievement as measured by the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program Achievement Test and the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program Writing Assessment. The population consisted of 8th grade students enrolled in 4 elementary schools in a rural school system in Tennessee. Data were analyzed for the population of the 2006-2007 academic school year. A 2-way analysis of variance model was used to compare the means among the schools, the means between economically disadvantaged students and those who were not economically disadvantaged, and whether there was a significant school …

An Analysis Of Data Collected From The 2007-2008 Tennessee State Report Card And The Variables Related To Science Test Results., Julia Lorie Lamons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) Achievement reading scores, school district per-pupil expenditures, school size, percentage of students qualifying for free and reduced-priced meals, and attendance were related to science TCAP test scores from the 2007-2008 school year. The data were gathered from an analysis of mean standardized test scores in reading and science of 8^th graders in 67 school systems comprising 181 schools located throughout Tennessee. One hundred eighty-one schools configured grades 6 through 8 were used in this study. Only 177 schools had reported attendance available on the Tennessee …

Parental Involvement Typologies In Rural Community Schools: A Qualitative Investigation., Amy Hurst Case

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There are a number of pressing issues facing today's educational society. Among the most controversial is the research and information surrounding the perceived positive or negative effects of parental involvement and barriers that restrict parental involvement. The purpose of this study was to examine 6 parental involvement typologies and their use and existence in 3 East Tennessee elementary schools. The Epstein (1987) typologies were used to classify parent involvement modalities. Parents who had a child enrolled in the 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade during the 2007-2008 school year were interviewed. The interviews followed an open-ended interview guide and the research …

Student Perceptions And Expectations Of Library Services Quality And User Satisfaction At Walters State Community College., Jamie Posey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore students' perceptions of library services offered at Walters State Community College. This research involved LibQUAL+^™, a nationally known academic library assessment instrument that measures three dimensions on a scale of approximately 22 aspects of service, divided into 6 groups (Heath, Kyrillidou, & Askew, 2004, p.264). These 3 dimensions are the following: Affect of Service (AS), Information Control (IC), and Library as a Place (LP). Responses of 666 students at Walters State Community College, Morristown, Tennessee, indicated the students' perceptions of acceptable minimum level of service, perceived levels of service, and …

What Should We Be Doing To Reduce Or End Campus Violence?, Jason A. Laker

Faculty Publications

Over the last several years, there have been a number of high-profile incidents of violence on college and university campuses. These have precipitated discussions and new initiatives on campuses and within our professional organizations intended to prevent and respond to violence.

Mexican Higher Education At A Crossroads: Topics For A New Agenda In Public Policies, Jesús F. Galaz-Fontes, Manuel Gil-Antón, Laura E. Padilla-González, Juan J. Sevilla-García, Jorge G. Martínez-Stack, José L. Arcos-Vega

Jesús Francisco Galaz Fontes

After a period of unregulated growth from the 1960s to the late 1980s, public Mexican higher education came to be perceived as a "disaster zone" by the federal government. Starting at that point, several public policies seeking to improve its quality, social pertinence, efficiency and equity have implemented. While impacting positively Mexican higher education in many respects, such policies have had unintended negative effects and, it is contended, they are currently having diminishing gains. This paper identifies six topics that the next generation of public policies should consider if public Mexican higher education is to evolve into a stage in …

Challenging Colorblind Education: A Descriptive Analysis Of Teacher Racial Attitudes, Melanie S. Hinojosa, Amanda Moras

Sociology Faculty Publications

Research suggests that many public school teachers are not prepared to deal with the growing number of diverse students in the schools. Questions are raised by researchers about the ability of the current teaching force to adequately meet the needs of the growing number of students of Color in the schools. Small-scale qualitative studies find that many White teachers feel unsure of their ability to teach students of Color, tend to hold stereotypical beliefs about urban students and/ or students of Color, and tend to use cultural deficiency models for explaining their academic performance. To date, no quantitative studies have …

Colorblind, Deaf And Dumb: Examining Race In A Contemporary American High School, Brendan Bedell

Dissertations

Despite rhetoric of a meritocratic education system, there is little doubt that race still plays a significant role in advantaging white students while disadvantaging black students in school. These advantages and disadvantages are subtly carried out. The root causes of racial disparities in schools are not easily identified and often considered taboo outside of the academy. There is little research that assesses the ways in which students understand the relationship between race and schooling when compared to professional educators. Therefore, the research question for this project was: What language and perspectives do school personnel use in discussing race and what …

School Lunch Programs And The American Diet: Exploring A Contested Food Terrain, Rebecca Som Castellano

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

This study examines the social actors and issues involved in constructing and contesting the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), in order to identify whose interests are involved in shaping an institution which transmits dietary habits and food knowledge to the nation’s children through the mid day meal.

For the historical analysis, I collected data from historical accounts of the NSLP, congressional hearings, laws, and newspaper articles. For the contemporary analysis, I interviewed 15 actors representing organizations key to federal NLSP policy making. To frame my analysis, I utilize a model of power, based on the work of Arts and Van …

'Are You Married, Sir?': Heteronormativity In British Schools & Its Impact Upon Queer Staff & Pupils - A Generational Prespective, Emily M. Gray Dr

Dr Emily M Gray

No abstract provided.

Sunday Friends: The Working Alternative To Charity, James D. Lee, Yoko Baba, Claudio V. Sanchez, Rebecca Wang, Chelsey White

James D. Lee

Sunday Friends is a non-profit organization in San José, California, that provides multiple activities for families who are in need of financial support. Given the particular location of the program, most families are Latino and bilingual. Participants and program volunteers form a community at an elementary school on a couple of scheduled Sundays each month. When family members participate in activities designed to educate, improve skills, and to give back to the larger community, they earn tickets that they can redeem for items that they need and want from the Sunday Friends store. Activities include healthy cooking projects, “Thank You …

2009- 2010 Unlv Mcnair Journal, Kathleen Bell, Danetta Bradley, Vacheral M. Carter, Nydia Diaz, Kathryn E. English, Sarah Harrison, Michelle Israel, Christina Macke, Erica Orozco, Pilar Palos, Sandra Ramos, Soraya A. Silverman, Susan Taylor, Sajar Camara, William Mccurdy, Yvonne C. Morris, Maxym V. Myroshnychenko, Ricardo Rios, Monique Sulls, Bremen Vance, Barbara Wallen

McNair Journal

Journal articles based on research conducted by undergraduate students in the McNair Scholars Program

Table of Contents

Biography of Dr. Ronald E. McNair

Statements:

Dr. Neal J. Smatresk, UNLV President

Dr. Juanita P. Fain, Vice President of Student Affairs

Dr. William W. Sullivan, Associate Vice President for Retention and Outreach

Mr. Keith Rogers, Deputy Executive Director of the Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach

McNair Scholars Institute Staff

Men And Literacy: A Study Of Attitude And Experiences Of Learning, Tanya Lalor, Adele Mckenna, Gerard Doyle, Aoife Fitzsimons

Reports

In recent years, significant resources have been invested in Ireland in researching men’s attitudes towards and involvement in learning, within formal, non-formal and informal learning settings. In conducting this research, NALA wished to identify literacy issues among men, specifically those in informal learning settings, and to assess the impact which these difficulties have on men’s participation in learning. This report details the findings from NALA’s study on men’s attitudes and experiences of literacy which was conducted between November 2008 and May 2009.