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- Title
- Academic achievement of black males in a rural middle school.
- Author
- Bozeman, Tonya Dukes
- Abstract/Description
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Educational statistics have consistently recorded low academic performance for Black male students, particularly those in high-poverty settings. Research studies have documented that very few Black male students can perform at the level of their counterparts from other racial categories. Circumstances such as poverty, deprivation, and lack of mentorship affect Black males' academic achievement and underachievement. The purpose of this qualitative interpretive study was to explore the lived...
Show moreEducational statistics have consistently recorded low academic performance for Black male students, particularly those in high-poverty settings. Research studies have documented that very few Black male students can perform at the level of their counterparts from other racial categories. Circumstances such as poverty, deprivation, and lack of mentorship affect Black males' academic achievement and underachievement. The purpose of this qualitative interpretive study was to explore the lived experiences of select Black male students who have been academically successful at a high-poverty rural middle school in the Southern United States. I used, per Bandura's (1977) social cognitive theory (SCT), the framework of the study, human learning and development occur through personal experiences and examination of the actions of others. I explored how behavioral, personal, and environmental factors interact to affect the selfefficacy of 12 Black male students in the school setting. Findings revealed participants perceived positive family support, positive friend or peer network, positive teacher influence, and positive self-image as supportive factors that contributed to their academic success. This study shifts the focus from Black male deficiencies to emphasizing their achievements and how internal factors such as self-perception, attitude, and self-confidence outweigh external factors such as low socioeconomic factors and lack of mentors that could reduce opportunities for success. Study participants' desires for academic achievement created a transformative bridge between their self-efficacious beliefs and their drive for education. Future research should continue to focus on understanding the contributing factors to young Black males' school success and giving them positive voices.
Show less - Identifier
- 1298604350, WFE0000790
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Air traffic control specialists' perceptions of simulation for developing job-related competencies.
- Author
- Harris, Colin Alwin
- Abstract/Description
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Inexperienced and poorly trained Air Traffic Control Specialists (ATCSs) contribute to aircraft accidents and other serious aviation mishaps, which negatively impact human safety, the environment, government and personal property, and the efficient and smooth operation of the National Airspace System (NAS). The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) can help remedy this problem by ensuring that ATCSs receive academic and simulator competency-based training. The purpose of this qualitative...
Show moreInexperienced and poorly trained Air Traffic Control Specialists (ATCSs) contribute to aircraft accidents and other serious aviation mishaps, which negatively impact human safety, the environment, government and personal property, and the efficient and smooth operation of the National Airspace System (NAS). The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) can help remedy this problem by ensuring that ATCSs receive academic and simulator competency-based training. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to understand how ATCSs at an air traffic facility in the southeastern region of the United States (U.S.) described their experiences with the ATCoach simulation training (ATCoach) in developing job-related competencies. I employed Bloom et al.'s (1956) taxonomy of the cognitive domain and its six classifications (knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation) to frame and align the study's research questions and interview questions to determine if five ATCSs perceived simulation as a valuable instructional method. Participants revealed that the ATCoach experiences is a valuable instructional method for enhancing ATC professionals' knowledge and skill levels by preparing them to transfer previous knowledge to practice in dayto-day ATC operations and improve their judgment, critical thinking, and decision-making skills--not their self-confidence. However, the simulator's physical fidelity limitations had an adverse influence on participants' learning experience. The findings, therefore, indicate ATC knowledge does not necessarily occur during the ATCoach but instead during previous classroom learning or experience. Future research should evaluate the entire ATC training program taking a learner from Certified Professional Controllers in Training (CPC-IT) status to Certified Professional Controllers (CPC).
Show less - Identifier
- 1298604671, WFE0000793
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Andragogy of workplace essential skills in a community college in south Florida.
- Author
- Smith, Nayrie Lashawn
- Abstract/Description
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Adult learners are returning to school to acquire and enhance workplace essential skills needed to meet changing job market expectations. Adequately preparing adult learners for the workforce necessitates understanding their views and experiences. The problem explored in this study was the lack of research regarding business school stakeholders' perceptions of the andragogy of workplace essential skills in a community college setting. The purpose of this qualitative instrumental case study...
Show moreAdult learners are returning to school to acquire and enhance workplace essential skills needed to meet changing job market expectations. Adequately preparing adult learners for the workforce necessitates understanding their views and experiences. The problem explored in this study was the lack of research regarding business school stakeholders' perceptions of the andragogy of workplace essential skills in a community college setting. The purpose of this qualitative instrumental case study was to explore the perceptions of business school stakeholders of the andragogy of workplace essential skills in a community college in South Florida. Participants were six adult students enrolled in business courses, three professors, and a business department chair. The five key assumptions (self-directedness, valuable past experiences, readiness and willingness to learn, problem-centered and practical interests to learning, and intrinsic motivation) and four principles (adult students' involvement in the learning process, integration of past experiences and new knowledge, relevance and impact of the adult learning experience, and incorporating problem-centered instruction) of Knowles's theory of andragogy guided the formulation of the research question. Although adult learners acquired and enhanced workplace essential skills within a positive learning environment incorporating andragogical strategies, adult learners desired enhanced workplace essential skills, such as technological, written, and oral communication, to adequately prepare for the workforce. Participants described andragogy strategies as an effective model of how they learn, supporting the key principles of Knowles's theory of andragogy. Suggestions for future research include exploring workplace essential skills related to other majors and disciplines and including a larger, diverse sample.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2021
- Identifier
- 1293883939, WFE0000766
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Basic psychological needs of emergent educational leaders relative to effective leadership practices.
- Author
- Guy, Theresa Marie
- Abstract/Description
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The high turnover and retirement rates of K-12 educational leaders posed a need for providing quality pipelines for preparing emergent educational leaders. Quality educational pipelines should develop effective and stable educational leaders to meet the projected needs for supplying the K-12 educational workforce. The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative correlational study was to identify the relationships among perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness as described in self...
Show moreThe high turnover and retirement rates of K-12 educational leaders posed a need for providing quality pipelines for preparing emergent educational leaders. Quality educational pipelines should develop effective and stable educational leaders to meet the projected needs for supplying the K-12 educational workforce. The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative correlational study was to identify the relationships among perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness as described in self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985) and the five effective leadership practices of Modeling the Way, Inspiring a Shared Vision, Challenging the Process, Enabling Others to Act, and Encouraging the Heart (Kouzes & Posner, 2017a) perceived by emergent educational leaders within the United States' southeastern region. The Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction in General Scale (Deci & Ryan, 2000; Gagné, 2003) and the Leadership Practices Inventory®-Self (LPI®-Self; Kouzes & Posner, 2017a) were used to collect participant data from students enrolled in graduate educational leadership degree programs (N = 64) at four universities. The nonexperimental quantitative correlational research design allowed for analyzing the data using a Pearson product-moment correlation procedure. Five significant results were revealed. All three basic psychological needs significantly influenced Enabling Others to Act, and the basic psychological needs of autonomy and competence significantly influenced Challenging the Process. All three basic psychological needs were present in the sample of emergent educational leaders. The emergent educational leaders appeared to require skill development and training in the leadership practices of Modeling the Way, Inspiring a Shared Vision, and Encouraging the Heart to ensure educational leadership effectiveness.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2020, 2020
- Identifier
- 1233323356, WFE0000751
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Decontextualized skill-cueing: teaching the overarm throw to music with counts.
- Author
- Atwood, Kym Yvonne
- Abstract/Description
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The overarm throw is a difficult multi-limb task because the overarm throw requires synchronized dexterity of the entire body. Research has determined that the inability to throw hinders children's participation in physical activities. The dynamic systems theory, which describes the interactions and processes that manipulate development, framed this quantitative study to investigate the effects of overarm throw instruction without a ball accompanied by verbal, directional cueing set to music...
Show moreThe overarm throw is a difficult multi-limb task because the overarm throw requires synchronized dexterity of the entire body. Research has determined that the inability to throw hinders children's participation in physical activities. The dynamic systems theory, which describes the interactions and processes that manipulate development, framed this quantitative study to investigate the effects of overarm throw instruction without a ball accompanied by verbal, directional cueing set to music with counts (decontextualized skill-cueing). A repeatedmeasures analysis of variance analyzed the process scores of the overarm throw for accuracy across three periods for 78 girls and boys in kindergarten and first and second grades. Data analysis found the main effect comparing the genders was significant, indicating a difference in the process scores between genders across the three periods. Descriptive statistics indicated the means for both sets of participants gradually increased after the pretest through the posttest and the retention test with the highest mean at retention test; yet, the means for the female participants were not as high on any test as were the means for the male participants. Further, the main effect between the control and treatment groups was also significant. Both groups' process scores increased over time from pretest to posttest; however, the control group's scores decreased during the retention test, as evidenced by the means and standard deviations. The study upholds the dynamic systems theory constructs that posit the body's multiple physiological components combine to create over-time skill variability in the body relative to the task, individual, and environment.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2021
- Identifier
- 1298724934, WFE0000797
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Effects of positive behavior intervention and support levels on office discipline referrals.
- Author
- Franks, Lori Jones
- Abstract/Description
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This quantitative ex post facto study investigated the relationship between the number of Office Discipline Referrals (ODRs) that result in out-of-school suspensions and levels of positive behavior intervention and support (PBIS) in elementary, middle, and high schools in three school districts in the Southeastern United States. Many public schools decrease disruptive classroom behaviors that negatively affect the learning environment by implementing evidence-based practices like the PBIS...
Show moreThis quantitative ex post facto study investigated the relationship between the number of Office Discipline Referrals (ODRs) that result in out-of-school suspensions and levels of positive behavior intervention and support (PBIS) in elementary, middle, and high schools in three school districts in the Southeastern United States. Many public schools decrease disruptive classroom behaviors that negatively affect the learning environment by implementing evidence-based practices like the PBIS framework that uses six attributes--a multi-tiered approach, reinforcement, data, systems, outcomes, and environment--that addresses the daily systems, data, and practices that affect student outcomes. Also, schools are utilizing internal PBIS coaches to assist in building and sustaining the PBIS framework. The PBIS framework served as a conceptual lens for this study. The U.S. Department of Education Civil Rights Data Collection website served as a data source on office referrals that resulted in an out-of-school suspension. From the website, the researcher collected archival data recorded on a convenience sample (N=285) from elementary, middle, and high schools during the summer 2019 semester. The researcher used Kruskal-Wallis H testing to compare mean differences between the three groups. The results did not find that levels of PBIS support affect ODRs. The conclusions drawn from this study infer that the outcome value of the PBIS framework--a reduction in office referrals--needs to be revisited. Furthermore, the study showed a need to examine PBIS implementation science and close the research-to-practice gap. The study has implications for researchers, educators, and educational policymakers.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2020, 2020
- Identifier
- 1233296570, WFE0000748
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Elementary teachers' experiences with social studies professional development in Alabama.
- Author
- Landry, Nicole Andress
- Abstract/Description
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Limited professional training regarding elementary social studies content and pedagogy contributes to the reduction of elementary social studies instruction. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore how the experiences of elementary educators during the 2018 Alabama Bicentennial Summer Institutes held in Mobile, Alabama, have contributed to their professional development in social studies instruction. This study sought to understand how the experience of a social...
Show moreLimited professional training regarding elementary social studies content and pedagogy contributes to the reduction of elementary social studies instruction. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore how the experiences of elementary educators during the 2018 Alabama Bicentennial Summer Institutes held in Mobile, Alabama, have contributed to their professional development in social studies instruction. This study sought to understand how the experience of a social studies professional development for elementary teachers contributed to instructional methods, instructional planning decisions, collaboration, and the use of primary sources. Transformative learning theory (TLT) provided the theoretical perspective for understanding how changes in adult learners may occur in a professional development setting such as the 2018 Alabama Bicentennial Summer Institute. Learning in TLT transpires during critical reflection and rational discourse resulting in changes in the frame of reference (Mezirow, 1996, 1997). Principles of phenomenology guided me to realize interrelated themes. I purposefully selected six participants to represent the experiences of Grades 3-5 teachers from multiple districts and systems. The process included professional development, analysis of lesson plans, purposeful selection of participants, observations, interviews, data triangulation, and intense interaction. Data collection and analysis for emergent themes occurred cyclically during the 2018 Alabama Bicentennial Summer Institute activities, classroom observations, lesson plan analysis, and semi-structured interviews. Emerging themes suggested a transformative influence of the 2018 Alabama Bicentennial Summer Institute experience on the participants' classroom instruction, instructional planning, and use of primary sources.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2021
- Identifier
- 1293882707, WFE0000765
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Evaluating critical initiatives related to climate at a high-poverty middle school.
- Author
- Taylor, Douglas Anthony
- Abstract/Description
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McMillan Public Schools (MPS) is a public school system in the southeastern part of the United States that serves approximately 28,000 students. Gregory Middle School (GMS) is one of 52 schools within MPS that serves 985 students. I used MPS and GMS as pseudonyms to anonymize the school system and school. In July 2019, I was appointed as the principal of GMS, and I quickly implemented critical initiatives related to the climate. School climate is defined as the prevailing atmosphere within...
Show moreMcMillan Public Schools (MPS) is a public school system in the southeastern part of the United States that serves approximately 28,000 students. Gregory Middle School (GMS) is one of 52 schools within MPS that serves 985 students. I used MPS and GMS as pseudonyms to anonymize the school system and school. In July 2019, I was appointed as the principal of GMS, and I quickly implemented critical initiatives related to the climate. School climate is defined as the prevailing atmosphere within the school, which encompasses physical, academic, and social dimensions (McGiboney, 2016). Based on data from the 2018-2019 school term, it was clear that the school's climate required immediate attention. All available data sources were reviewed, including student discipline reports (MPS, 2020a), stakeholder surveys (Cognia, 2019), and the school report card (State Department of Education, 2019). Each area of concern contributed to a negative school climate and created an environment that was not conducive for teaching and learning. The leadership team implemented critical initiatives in the areas of (a) human resources, (b) student discipline, (c) student safety, (d) school operations, and (e) school facilities. This program evaluation identified (a) the strengths, (b) the weaknesses, (c) the opportunities, and (d) the threats (SWOT) of the critical initiatives implemented at GMS related to the school's climate during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school terms. After conducting a literature review, I adopted the learning organization evaluation (LOE) conceptual framework paired with SWOT analysis, which provided a formal structure for conducting my program evaluation. The LOE is composed of four major steps, including (a) focusing the evaluative inquiry, (b) carrying out the inquiry, (c) implementing inquiry activities, and (d) applying learning (Preskill & Torres, 1999). Collaborative learning and evaluative inquiry guide the LOE conceptual framework. The LOE model facilitates success for organizations that wish to study internal processes or procedures. The LOE model is a systematic series of steps that should be followed when conducting a program evaluation (Preskill & Torres, 1999). I paired the LOE with a convergent parallel design (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2018). Next, I invited the current faculty and staff employed during the 2019-2020 school term to participate in the program evaluation. A coinvestigator conducted the qualitative focus group interviews on two separate occasions. The coinvestigator ensured employee anonymity. Twenty-one faculty and staff members participated in the focus group interviews. I utilized deductive content analysis to analyze the focus group interviews. Additionally, I distributed the quantitative research instruments via Qualtrics, and I received 31 responses. The small sample size was a limitation. As a result, inferential statistics were not possible. Because qualitative and quantitative research represent data differently, I developed joint display matrices to merge the information from both data sources. To sufficiently answer the evaluation questions, I created four main categories based on the (a) strengths, (b) weaknesses, (c) opportunities, and (d) threats of the critical initiatives related to the change in the school's climate. Based on each main category, I created categories in alignment with the definition of school climate. Despite the recent improvement in the climate of the school, it remains an area of concern. While I noted improvement in many areas, the results revealed a need for further intervention in some areas. To further school improvement efforts, I developed a continuous improvement plan (CIP) based on the results of the SWOT analysis. The CIP will include critical initiatives for each area in order to facilitate success. I will communicate the results to the faculty and staff of GMS and school system administrators in a series of future round table discussions and professional development sessions.
Show less - Identifier
- 1298604390, WFE0000791
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Examining eighth-grade students' career decision-making: self-determination theory and cognitive information processing.
- Author
- Morris, Rosemarie Herbert
- Abstract/Description
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Dramatic fluctuations in employment trends pose a problem for young adolescents embarking on the career decision-making process. Paired with inadequate career-guidance resources, this creates a serious societal problem. This study empirically examined relationships among eighth-grade students' perceptions of relatedness, autonomy, and competence (Deci & Ryan, 1985) relative to students' career decision-making readiness (Peterson et al., 1991). Eighth-grade students (n = 108) in the...
Show moreDramatic fluctuations in employment trends pose a problem for young adolescents embarking on the career decision-making process. Paired with inadequate career-guidance resources, this creates a serious societal problem. This study empirically examined relationships among eighth-grade students' perceptions of relatedness, autonomy, and competence (Deci & Ryan, 1985) relative to students' career decision-making readiness (Peterson et al., 1991). Eighth-grade students (n = 108) in the southeastern United States completed the Basic Psychological Needs Scale and the Career Thoughts Inventory. Correlational analyses reveal statistically significant relationships between students' perceptions of autonomy and student perceptions of decision-making confusion (r = -0.42, p = 0.00), external conflict (r = -0.43, p = 0.00), and commitment anxiety (r = -0.21, p = 0.03). Student perceptions of competence show significant relationships with student perceptions of decision-making confusion and external conflict. Perceptions of competence are associated with commitment anxiety (r = -0.18, p = 0.07), decision-making confusion (r = -0.36, p = 0.00), and external conflict (r = -0.38, p = 0.00). Satisfaction of relatedness needs are associated with external conflict (r = -0.36, p = 0.00), decision-making confusion (r = -0.34, p = 0.00), and commitment anxiety (r = -0.07, p = 0.49). The results provide valuable insights for parents, educators, and education policy directors. Development of a career-readiness curriculum designed to meet the basic psychological needs of young adolescents may prove effective in overcoming career decision-making confusion, alleviating commitment anxiety, and reducing external conflicts. Development and pilot testing of such a curriculum remain for future researchers.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2020, 2020
- Identifier
- 1233442052, WFE0000752
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Exploring brand reputation in sustainable undergraduate enrollment at a public American university.
- Author
- Aboagye, Bright Da-Costa
- Abstract/Description
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The decrease in the college-going population, along with the deregulation of the higher education sector has contributed to the consistent decline in undergraduate enrollment in several American universities and colleges, including the research site for this study. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSC Research Center, 2019) reported that the total enrollment of college students in the United States has decreased for 8 successive years (2011-2019), resulting in the closure...
Show moreThe decrease in the college-going population, along with the deregulation of the higher education sector has contributed to the consistent decline in undergraduate enrollment in several American universities and colleges, including the research site for this study. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSC Research Center, 2019) reported that the total enrollment of college students in the United States has decreased for 8 successive years (2011-2019), resulting in the closure or merger of some higher educational institutions. Scholars and strategic management professionals have proposed the use of strategic resources to help institutions achieve sustainable enrollment growth. Using a qualitative case study approach and the resourcebased view theory (RBV) as a theoretical framework, the study explored how select administrative stakeholders in a public university leverage brand reputation as a strategic resource for achieving sustainable undergraduate enrollment growth in the Southeastern United States. The RBV comprises four constructs (valuable, rare, inimitable, organize) that describe resources essential to distinguish an institution's brand. Eight participants were purposefully selected and interviewed. Findings from the study revealed that the administrative stakeholders employed several brand strategies including creating consistent brand messages, exploiting visual identity, highlighting high-impact practices, and leveraging the university's historic and geographic location to ensure sustainable enrollment. This study can inform higher educational leaders on how to strategically re-align their brand reputation management strategies to achieve long-term enrollment sustainability. Since this study's findings may be more relevant to public sector institutions, future studies can explore the same phenomenon among proprietary and faithbased institutions.
Show less - Identifier
- 1294314098, WFE0000771
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Exploring elementary teachers' efficacy experiences with using a reading workshop instructional method.
- Author
- Rio, Hayley Harrison
- Abstract/Description
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Many teachers encounter low efficacy resulting in difficulty providing effective instruction, low levels of job satisfaction, and a greater chance of depression (Bandura, 1993; Cansoy & Parlar, 2018; Chung & Chen, 2018). The purpose of this qualitative interpretive phenomenological study was to explore the efficacy experiences of elementary reading teachers who use a reading workshop instructional method at selected schools in the Southeast of the United States. Five elementary reading...
Show moreMany teachers encounter low efficacy resulting in difficulty providing effective instruction, low levels of job satisfaction, and a greater chance of depression (Bandura, 1993; Cansoy & Parlar, 2018; Chung & Chen, 2018). The purpose of this qualitative interpretive phenomenological study was to explore the efficacy experiences of elementary reading teachers who use a reading workshop instructional method at selected schools in the Southeast of the United States. Five elementary reading teachers from three different schools shared their experiences through semistructured one-on-one interviews and a focus group session. The interview questions targeted the constructs of Bandura's (1993, 1997) self-efficacy theory, which was developed to explain human behavior. The interview questions explored mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion experiences, and elementary reading teachers' physiological and affective states while using a reading workshop instructional method. Themes of professional growth, student growth and motivation, mentors, collaboration, feedback, and enjoyment and fulfillment emerged. The study concludes that (a) teachers are willing to work hard and persevere with challenging instructional methods if they perceive them to be beneficial, (b) efficacy for teaching reading through a reading workshop instructional approach grows over time, (c) teachers push themselves to continue to learn when their administrators respect them as professionals, (d) teachers can gain vicarious experiences through conversation, and (e) teachers' attitudes and feelings may transfer to their students. Future research could explore teachers' efficacy experiences in other content areas such as math and science in secondary schools, and investigate the intersection of instructional methods and teacher efficacy.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2021
- Identifier
- 1298723737, WFE0000796
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Increasing reading motivation among fourth-grade students in Title I elementary schools.
- Author
- Blake-Griffin, Crystal Dawn
- Abstract/Description
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Children's motivation to read decreases as they advance in grade level to upper elementary school. Only 35% of America's fourth-grade students achieved reading proficiency. There is a need for increased reading motivation; teachers can influence students' motivation to read with certain instructional practices. This qualitative interpretive case study explored how teachers increased students' reading motivation by implementing specific instructional strategies based on the constructs of the...
Show moreChildren's motivation to read decreases as they advance in grade level to upper elementary school. Only 35% of America's fourth-grade students achieved reading proficiency. There is a need for increased reading motivation; teachers can influence students' motivation to read with certain instructional practices. This qualitative interpretive case study explored how teachers increased students' reading motivation by implementing specific instructional strategies based on the constructs of the self-determination theory (SDT): autonomy, competence, and relatedness. According to Deci and Ryan (1985b), satisfying these three SDT constructs fulfills the basic psychological needs of students and determine their behavior as well as their motivation to complete tasks such as reading. The researcher conducted this qualitative interpretive case study in three Title I schools in one school district in the Southeastern United States. Participants were three fourth-grade teachers selected for exemplary implementation of motivational, instructional practices while maintaining achievement standards. The researcher collected qualitative data using two interviews with each teacher and two observations of instructional practices in each classroom. The researcher found that the a-priori strategies that addressed autonomy were choice, authentic tasks, and providing a rationale. Strategies that addressed relatedness were collaborative learning and relationships, and those that addressed competence were positive feedback, providing appropriate challenges with scaffolds, and time for self-selected reading. The emergent strategies were technology and reading, which addressed all three constructs. The researcher believes additional studies are necessary to learn more about how technology can address students' needs for relatedness, autonomy, and competence to motivate students to read.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2020, 2020
- Identifier
- 1233323326, WFE0000750
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Machine learning guided by linguistic and behavioral knowledge.
- Author
- Rahgooy, Taher
- Abstract/Description
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The recent success of AI has been primarily driven by the extraordinary progress in the field of machine learning. The ultimate goal of machine learning is to develop algorithms capable of making accurate predictions in an explainable way by learning efficiently from a small amount of training data. Despite an exceptionally fast-paced growth, machine learning has been exceedingly successful in achieving accurate predictions, at the cost of sacrificing most of, if not all, explainability and...
Show moreThe recent success of AI has been primarily driven by the extraordinary progress in the field of machine learning. The ultimate goal of machine learning is to develop algorithms capable of making accurate predictions in an explainable way by learning efficiently from a small amount of training data. Despite an exceptionally fast-paced growth, machine learning has been exceedingly successful in achieving accurate predictions, at the cost of sacrificing most of, if not all, explainability and by relying on huge amount of training data. Recent work has, on the other hand, shown that domain knowledge, when properly incorporated in learning algorithms, can facilitate learning from small data sets and provide various forms of explainability. In this dissertation, I propose novel ways of incorporating linguistic and behavioral knowledge into machine learning models for achieving different goals such as improving prediction accuracy, using less data, increase explainability, and evaluating cognitive biases. We exemplify our novel approaches on some challenging tasks that require special treatment either due to lack of data and/or need for explainable predictions. We first consider extracting spatial relations from language, which is a complex task due to the ambiguity of spatial relations and scarcity of available training data. To this end, we use linguistic knowledge to define various constraints imposed on classifiers to infer the correct classifications holistically. Human choice prediction is the other domain that we consider because of the fundamental role it plays in the understanding of human behavior and in the design of intelligent systems. We propose novel methods to leverage procedural knowledge, in the form of psychological models of decision making, in combination with machine learning, to achieve better predictions, understand the underlying deliberation processes, and elicit user preferences. Finally, we extend our work to the domain of sequential decision making by designing agents that learn constraints from demonstrations and then use cognitive models as orchestrators to exploit these learned constraints for making choices between conflicting goals. We use various real world and synthetic data to evaluate our proposed methods throughout this dissertation. Our experimental results show the efficacy of our methods which significantly improves upon the state-of-the-art in all of the considered tasks.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2021
- Identifier
- 1298723050, WFE0000795
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Mathematics learning support center visits and college students' mathematics anxiety and self-efficacy.
- Author
- Johnson, Hannah Ada
- Abstract/Description
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College students' inability to complete necessary mathematics coursework due to elevated mathematics anxiety levels can hinder degree completion and affect graduation rates. Institutes of higher education should offer students enrolled in a developmental mathematics course opportunities outside of the classroom that potentially lower mathematics anxiety levels and increase self-efficacy levels. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the correlation between the...
Show moreCollege students' inability to complete necessary mathematics coursework due to elevated mathematics anxiety levels can hinder degree completion and affect graduation rates. Institutes of higher education should offer students enrolled in a developmental mathematics course opportunities outside of the classroom that potentially lower mathematics anxiety levels and increase self-efficacy levels. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the correlation between the frequency of visits to a mathematics learning support center and mathematics anxiety levels and self-efficacy among nontraditional developmental mathematics students at a 2-year college in Florida. The study applied Bandura's (1986) social cognitive theory that explains interactions that exist between behavior (mathematics anxiety), personal factors (self-efficacy), and environmental events (learning support centers) as the theoretical framework. I utilized convenience sampling to collect survey data from 16 participants. The data analysis revealed a statistically significant difference between preintervention and postintervention mathematics anxiety levels (p = 0.028) and self-efficacy levels (p = 0.0075). However, a statistically significant correlation did not exist between the frequency of visits to a mathematics learning support center and participant levels of mathematics anxiety (p = 0.241) and self-efficacy (p = 0.850). The study results have implications for current policies by examining the correlation between attendance at learning support centers and developmental mathematics students' mathematics anxiety and self-efficacy levels. Because the sample size was significantly reduced due to COVID-19 restrictions, I suggest future research with a larger sample size should be conducted.
Show less - Identifier
- 1294314080, WFE0000770
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- New Jersey PK-12 principals' sensemaking of their experiences with environmental sustainability efforts.
- Author
- Mendez, Cluny Christine
- Abstract/Description
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Environmental sustainability is a growing concern around the world and an issue in many organizations. In schools, many principals have implemented environmental sustainability programs for students. However, it is unclear if the principals have created successful environmental sustainability programs while managing their demands and responsibilities. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to explore how select PK-12 school principals from a New Jersey school district made...
Show moreEnvironmental sustainability is a growing concern around the world and an issue in many organizations. In schools, many principals have implemented environmental sustainability programs for students. However, it is unclear if the principals have created successful environmental sustainability programs while managing their demands and responsibilities. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to explore how select PK-12 school principals from a New Jersey school district made sense of their experiences with environmental sustainability efforts in their schools. The qualitative case study methodology enabled the researcher to develop a holistic portrayal of the bounded phenomenon of environmental sustainability efforts in education. The study had a theoretical framework of the sensemaking theory by Karl Weick. The sensemaking theory's seven constructs were the means of structuring the research questions: constructing identity, retrospective, enactment, social, ongoing, extracted cues, and plausibility. Semistructured interviews with five principals from the selected New Jersey PK-12 school district and document analysis were the data collection methods. Scholars and policymakers could use the study's findings to inform theory, policy, and practice. The study could contribute to the enlistment of people passionate about environmental sustainability, starting with small initiatives; spread environmental sustainability efforts through collaborative activities; and integrate ongoing environmental sustainability efforts in schools. Future researchers could look to gain the perspectives of other stakeholders, such as teachers and students, on this topic.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2020, 2020
- Identifier
- 1233864730, WFE0000754
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Nonnative accent bias in high school: an interpretative phenomenological analysis.
- Author
- Roberts, Sarah Kay
- Abstract/Description
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A problem exists in the inequitable opportunities experienced by nonnative accented students in terms of academics, belongingness, and self-efficacy because of accent bias in the United States high schools. The purpose of this qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis was to explore accent bias for nonnative-accented students in a high school located in the Southeastern United States. Social identity theory was used as a framework to organize and understand aspects of accent bias...
Show moreA problem exists in the inequitable opportunities experienced by nonnative accented students in terms of academics, belongingness, and self-efficacy because of accent bias in the United States high schools. The purpose of this qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis was to explore accent bias for nonnative-accented students in a high school located in the Southeastern United States. Social identity theory was used as a framework to organize and understand aspects of accent bias for students. Six high school seniors who self-identified as speaking English with a Haitian Creole accent or a Spanish accent were chosen to participate in observations, individual interviews, and journal writing to explore accent bias experiences in this study. Based on its commitment to context and idiographic detail, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was chosen to be the methodological subtype to make sense of the participants' experiences. The first conclusion was that the participants subscribed to common accent myths which placed a disproportionate amount of responsibility and blame for poor communication on them. Another major conclusion from this study was that these nonnative-accented students perceived explicit forms of accent bias more easily than implicit forms and often denied the existence of both. Third, the participants responded to accent bias through silence. The three major findings that may relate to accent may be an observable characteristic that is to categorize individuals and compare social groups. This research study illuminates new and varied opportunities for future research on accent bias in educational contexts.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2020, 2020
- Identifier
- 1233323062, WFE0000749
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Predicting middle-achieving students' achievement in eighth-grade algebra 1.
- Author
- Jacobson, Jennifer Swann
- Abstract/Description
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Eighth-grade students who are placed into Algebra 1 but fail end-of-course exams may experience lowered grade point averages (GPAs) and loss of motivation for math or avoid taking advanced mathematics courses in high school. Middle-achieving students present challenges in terms of mathematics placement. Self-efficacy theory and locus of control theory suggest the noncognitive traits mathematics self-efficacy (MSE) and academic locus of control (ALOC) are associated with mathematics...
Show moreEighth-grade students who are placed into Algebra 1 but fail end-of-course exams may experience lowered grade point averages (GPAs) and loss of motivation for math or avoid taking advanced mathematics courses in high school. Middle-achieving students present challenges in terms of mathematics placement. Self-efficacy theory and locus of control theory suggest the noncognitive traits mathematics self-efficacy (MSE) and academic locus of control (ALOC) are associated with mathematics achievement and could predict achievement in eighth-grade algebra. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine whether MSE, ALOC, and prior-year State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) mathematics score predict achievement in eighth-grade algebra among middle-achieving students in South Texas more accurately than prior-year STAAR mathematics scores alone. The sample included 111 eighth-grade algebra students in a large suburban school district in South Texas, whose scores on the previous year's STAAR mathematics exam fell between the 25th and 75th percentiles. MSE predicted meeting grade-level standards (R 2 = .229), performance category (R 2 = .327), and percent score on the NEISD Algebra 1 Benchmark exam (R 2 = .317). ALOC was not associated with achievement on the NEISD Algebra 1 Benchmark exam. These results suggest that predictions of achievement in eighth-grade algebra for middle-achieving students were improved with the addition of measures of MSE, but not ALOC. Suggestions for future research include developing a mathematics locus of control instrument and broader studies exploring the relationship between MSE and achievement in eighth-grade Algebra 1.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2021, 2021
- Identifier
- 1293881341, WFE0000763
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Professional industry certifications as the guiding factor for cybersecurity course content delivery.
- Author
- Arenas, Victor Ramón
- Abstract/Description
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Cybersecurity faculty do not have the time to respond to the rapid and pervasive cybersecurity academic landscape. For faculty to respond to this challenge, they are expected to continuously adapt to remain competitive. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore the cybersecurity faculty's perceptions of their need to embark on an ongoing and sustained professional development to transfer commercial content in the form of professional certifications to the course...
Show moreCybersecurity faculty do not have the time to respond to the rapid and pervasive cybersecurity academic landscape. For faculty to respond to this challenge, they are expected to continuously adapt to remain competitive. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore the cybersecurity faculty's perceptions of their need to embark on an ongoing and sustained professional development to transfer commercial content in the form of professional certifications to the course content delivery at the Opportunity Learning Center (referred to hereafter as O.L.C.) in South Florida. This study's methods aligned with a qualitative descriptive phenomenological process supported by Carroll's (1963) degree of learning based on the concepts of opportunity to learn, quality of instruction, perseverance, and aptitude. The data I collected via interview described faculty's perceptions regarding these concepts to learn a pervasively changing subject. Five participants at O.L.C. perceived professional certifications as beneficial. Most professional certifications are valuable; besides, Florida's state's Department of Education encourages state colleges to include them. The data revealed that despite the likelihood of obtaining a certification, increases in faculty receiving high-level instruction, learning experience, and quality of teaching resources, faculty face a significant challenge in preparing and getting ready to obtain professional certifications. Despite the challenge, the study showed that faculty have no other option but to leverage various open educational resources to remain competitive. The study recommends expanding research to determine the correlation between the absence of professional development in the cybersecurity academic context and faculty's motivation to self-train to remain competitive.
Show less - Identifier
- 1294536245, WFE0000772
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The relationship between test-taker characteristics and initial teacher certification examination performance.
- Author
- Stevenson, Nathan James
- Abstract/Description
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Basic teacher certification examinations serve as the primary tool for assessing the academic readiness of candidates to enter teacher education programs in many parts of the United States. However, data indicate that teacher examinations disproportionately hinder diverse individuals. Current research has linked Florida's General Knowledge, Florida Teacher Certification Examination (FTCE) with the stagnation of qualified teacher education applicants but has failed to investigate the...
Show moreBasic teacher certification examinations serve as the primary tool for assessing the academic readiness of candidates to enter teacher education programs in many parts of the United States. However, data indicate that teacher examinations disproportionately hinder diverse individuals. Current research has linked Florida's General Knowledge, Florida Teacher Certification Examination (FTCE) with the stagnation of qualified teacher education applicants but has failed to investigate the examination specifically. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between test-taker characteristics and the number of attempts test-takers required to pass the General Knowledge FTCE at a Southeastern U.S. public university. Astin's (1993) input-environment-outcome (I-E-O) model guided the study by suggesting test-taker characteristics may be related to the test-taker outcome of passing the General Knowledge FTCE. I utilized Spearman's rank-order correlation and Pearson's chisquare test to analyze the relationship between academic and demographic characteristics of the sample (N = 623) and the number of General Knowledge FTCE attempts. The study did not find a statistically significant relationship or difference between grade point average (GPA), firsttime-in-college (FTIC) status, transfer status, or gender and the number of General Knowledge FTCE attempts. A small negative monotonic relationship between age and the number of General Knowledge FTCE attempts and a statistically significant difference between race and the number of test attempts were found. I discuss implications pertaining to the need for further research on the relationship between age and teacher certification examination success, alternative teacher certification assessments, and General Knowledge FTCE score reporting.
Show less - Identifier
- 1298717951, WFE0000794
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Responsive evaluation of a community college mathematics laboratory: a dissertation in practice.
- Author
- Hollinger, La Shannon Neru
- Abstract/Description
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This dissertation in practice (DIP), responsive evaluation (RE) explored relationships of the Faulkner Academic Math Excellence (FAME) Laboratory characteristics and specific perceptions of students enrolled in developmental mathematics education courses at a rural community college in Alabama's southeastern region. This program evaluation examined information surrounding the effectiveness of the FAME Lab program and service activities housed within a two-year community college. The study...
Show moreThis dissertation in practice (DIP), responsive evaluation (RE) explored relationships of the Faulkner Academic Math Excellence (FAME) Laboratory characteristics and specific perceptions of students enrolled in developmental mathematics education courses at a rural community college in Alabama's southeastern region. This program evaluation examined information surrounding the effectiveness of the FAME Lab program and service activities housed within a two-year community college. The study explored perceptions of students within a community college developmental mathematics education program relative to three areas of focus: (a) students' expressed access and use of the FAME Lab program services, (b) students' perceptions of the influence of the FAME Lab program services relative to academic performance levels, and (c) students' perceived value of the FAME Lab program relative to successes in developmental math courses. The researcher performed an extensive review of the literature and identified a critical problem of low numbers of students successfully completing developmental mathematics courses among colleges across the United States as a pervasive challenge, uniquely identified within community colleges and evidenced by 96% of colleges across the country requiring remediation courses, primarily in mathematics (Butrymowicz, 2017). The participants in the study were community college developmental education students and faculty of the community college. A potential limitation of this study includes researcher bias. The magnitude of the problem identified in the literature provided the impetus for the investigation and aligned with the nature of the meaning and purpose for using the DIP, explicitly recognizing an existing problem in practice and performing a study aligned with the need acknowledged by the problem in practice. The Faulkner Academic Math Excellence (FAME) Laboratory program exemplifies and aligns with the type of intervention programs reflective of the remediation programs that colleges across the United States are utilizing to curb or remedy the problem of low numbers of students successfully completing developmental mathematics courses. The researcher communicated with the Vice-President of Instruction and the Math Division Chair and received approval to conduct the DIP study. The researcher created a questionnaire for the student participants and conducted a RE of the FAME Lab program to respond to the problem defined for investigation. The current study provided a practitioner approach to examining the problem by incorporating the use of the RE model (Stake, 2014) to discern the problem within a focused setting, explicitly utilizing the FAME Lab program within a two-year college located in the southeastern region of the United States. The use of the RE protocol provided the researcher with strategies to inform results focused on three areas of consideration: (a) the examination of program activities rather than program goals or intents; (b) the acquisition of students' needs, reactions, and information rather than college leaders' intentions or purposes; and (c) the reporting of differing perspectives in determining the success and failure of the program. Based on the researcher's critical use of the RE protocol, a 12-step implementation plan for the FAME Lab program to assist students in attaining success within developmental mathematics was provided to college officials and are is provided for consideration by other developmental math programs at colleges across the United States. These 12 considerations, presented in Chapter 5, coupled with additional discussions of study results, add to the body of literature supporting students' preparation for entering college mathematics programs, a practitioner problem pervasive in colleges across the United States. The study will inform and advance the professional practice by informing the implementation of developmental mathematics education for students who do not complete developmental mathematics courses successfully.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2021
- Identifier
- 1293983842, WFE0000768
- Format
- Document (PDF)