6834 research outputs found
Sort by
Turning the page setting the stage : school culture's profound impact on school turnaround initiatives.
No full textWhat is the impact of school culture on the success of turnaround initiatives in low-performing schools? Utilizing Edgar Schein's organizational culture theory and Quinn & Cameron’s competing values framework (CVF), this study explores how the alignment or misalignment of values, beliefs, and assumptions among teachers and principals influences the type of organizational culture and school improvement efforts. By gathering insights from elementary school leaders and educators, this research aims to inform district policy and implementation strategies, enhancing the effectiveness of school turnaround. Through a comprehensive school culture analysis, the findings provide valuable insights for refining leadership strategies, tailoring interventions to unique cultural contexts, fostering collaboration among stakeholders, and replicating successful cultural shifts. This research emphasizes the necessity of understanding cultural dynamics within educational environments to tackle the ongoing challenges low-performing schools face effectively. The results emphasize the role of culture in educational reform, offering practical recommendations for policymakers and educators
Emotional disturbance in schools : a qualitative case study exploring best practices for serving students with severe social and emotional needs.
No full textStudents attending school today can have a wide variety of needs in the classroom, both academically and behaviorally. One student group often regarded as challenging to support is students who have an emotional disturbance (ED; see discussion in Algozzine, 2017). Students with an ED usually require a different level of support to be successful at school and in life due to a disability that impacts their ability to manage their emotions and behavior (Reddy et al., 2009). Research also shows that students with an ED can exhibit dangerous behaviors and fail to succeed in their transition to adulthood (Cullinan et al., 2023; Lambert et al., 2021). While some research exists around supporting students with an ED, there is an opportunity for more research on the experiences of the educators who serve these children. This qualitative single case study collected the voices of 54 educators in a Texas public school district who work with students with an ED to identify the most and least effective educator approaches that help students have more positive behaviors and success in school. In addition, I used the broaden and build theory of positive emotions to determine a connection between intentional exposure to positive emotions and the benefits it can provide to students with an ED (Fredrickson, 2013). Findings from this research show specific approaches that teachers indicate are most successful for students with an ED, including building strong relationships, calm and consistent environments, clear expectations, use of positive reinforcements, and offering student choice. The findings also show that harsh communication, lack of an established relationship, focusing on punitive responses to behaviors, and unrealistic expectations are the least effective approaches when working with students with an ED. Additionally, teacher feedback on the broaden and build theory of positive emotions supports the idea that when students experience specific positive emotions, it can result in additional positive behaviors moving forward. I also provide recommendations and implications for future practice following a review and analysis of the findings
Staff and parent perceptions of whole child development practices, programs, and policies : a quantitative study.
No full textThis quantitative dissertation study explores staff and parent perceptions of Whole Child Development (WCD) practices in one of Texas’s largest school districts. Grounded in the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model, the research examines how schools coordinate health, safety, engagement, and academic challenge strategies. Survey responses (N = 71) from four elementary campuses revealed varied levels of WCD implementation, with strong practices in peer relationships and social-emotional learning, but gaps in adult mentoring, digital safety, and substance abuse education. Correlation analyses showed significant interconnections among WCD domains, affirming the importance of cohesive implementation. Independent samples t-tests identified significant perceptual differences between staff and parents, highlighting the need for improved communication and family engagement. Findings suggest that effective WCD practices are integrated, equity-driven, and reliant on strong school-community partnerships. This study provides actionable insights for strengthening WCD strategies and contributes to the growing body of research on holistic student support
The gift that keeps on giving? : an experimental investigation into the relationship between experienced and extended grace.
No full textDespite its prominence in a multitude of faith traditions, grace has received relatively little empirical investigation as a psychological construct. Early research suggests that experiencing grace is positively associated with a host of individual and relational well-being outcomes and may even be a target for interventions. However, existing conceptualizations and measurements are still being developed and refined. In this study, I presented an operational definition of grace that preserves common features of grace outlined in various theological frameworks and identified in qualitative content analyses from lay populations. Specifically, grace was operationalized as a prosocial action occurring between two people or actors that is unearned, intentional, surpasses the typical (norm-informed) course of fair exchange in a particular context, and is driven by self-transcendent (prosocial and/or spiritual) motives. Using this definition, I also suggested a new experimental approach for manipulating the salience of experienced grace from the supernatural (divine grace) and other people (interpersonal grace) as well as two new behavioral and decision-making measures for capturing extensions of grace so as to examine the impact of recalled grace experiences on upstream reciprocity. While no condition differences were observed in grace extensions, participants recalling a grace experience reported higher episodic gratitude compared to a control. Several additional associations between grace extensions and various individual differences were observed. Finally, this operational definition of grace was evaluated using the philosophical technique of conceptual analysis, which identified grace as possessing the necessary and sufficient criteria of prosociality, being unearned/undeserved, given intentionally, and surpassing the course of fair exchange as defined by relevant relational and contextual norms. As one of the first studies to measure the experience and extension of grace concurrently as well as evaluate the operational definition through conceptual analysis, this study provides both conceptual, theoretical, methodological, measurement, and practical suggestions for researchers seeking to refine the psychological understanding of grace and its potential for facilitating positive outcomes. Additional future directions and implications are discussed
The secret of collective creation : a director's approach to Mary Zimmerman's "The secret in the wings".
No full textThis thesis is a record of the production process and the directorial approach to Mary Zimmerman’s The Secret in the Wings produced at Baylor Theatre in February 2025. This thesis will examine the biography and other works of Mary Zimmerman as well as an in-depth look at her collective creation process. It will continue with an analysis of the play using feminist performance theory as discussed by theorists Judith Butler and Jill Dolan. Butler and Dolan’s works provide a framework to dissect the play to uncover the feminist aspect lying ever present within the text. Additionally, this thesis will examine the director’s concept, the design process, and the audition, rehearsal, and performance of The Secret in the Wings. Finally, the work will examine the audience’s reception of the play and provide critical feedback of the final performance
The invisible influence : a quantitative cross-sectional survey study examining well-being as a predictor of teacher retention intention post-hurricane.
No full textHurricanes disrupt teachers' lives, causing teacher attrition, burnout, and emotional exhaustion to heighten post-disaster. Hurricanes are realistic factors associated with teachers leaving the educational profession, and concern for teachers' well-being continues to increase after a disaster. As teacher retention continues to decline among school districts, researchers are preliminarily beginning to explore the root causes. This study examined teachers' well-being, prior adverse hurricane exposure, and the number of hurricanes experienced to predict teachers' retention intention post-hurricane. Using Seligman's (2011) PERMA well-being lens, this quantitative cross-sectional study used non-probabilistic convenience sampling to survey Little Cypress-Mauriceville teachers (N = 152) working during the 2023–2024 school year. Butler and Kern's (2016) PERMA-Profiler questionnaire measured teachers' positive emotions, engagement, relationship, meaning, accomplishment, and one question about happiness. Dodd et al.'s (2019) Hurricane Exposure, Adversity, and Recovery Tool (HEART) items measured teachers' hurricane adversity and exposure experiences. Questions about teachers' intent to continue teaching during the 2024–2025 school year measured teachers' percent likelihood of continuing to teach, including hurricane-specific scenarios. Teachers' overall PERMA scores (M = 7.95, SD = 1.07) showed a mean well-being score in the high-functioning range, with 92% reporting normal to very high-functioning well-being. Kendall tau-b, Mann-Whitney U, and multiple linear regression were used to answer the research questions. Kendall tau-b results showed teacher retention intentions are not correlated with their high or low well-being or exposure to hurricane-related experiences. The Mann-Whitney U test results show teachers with low or high HEART experiences do not have significantly different overall PERMA well-being scores. The results of multiple linear regression analysis (predictors: HEART scores, number of hurricanes experienced, and overall PERMA scores) explained only 2% of the variance between the predictors affecting teachers' intent to return if a hurricane caused them to relocate, leaving 98% explained by other factors. The implications of this study explained how further research is still needed to explore the impact of natural disasters on teacher well-being, expanding on emotional exhaustion, burnout, stress, and the well-being of other district personnel
Fueling academic achievement : investigating domain-specific motivation in K-12 learners through meta-analysis and multilevel modeling.
No full textThis dissertation is comprised of two articles that explore achievement motivation in K-12 learners through different lenses and methodologies. Achievement motivation, defined as the direction of individuals’ actions toward performance, is supported by extensive theoretical and empirical research. The first article examines achievement motivation among advanced learners, highlighting the relationship between motivation and achievement across various domains, contexts, and individual differences. The second article narrows to achievement motivation in the domain of science, using data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) to analyze the impact of student and teacher beliefs and behaviors on science achievement scores. Both articles employ the Situated Expectancy-Value Theory (SEVT) to frame the studies, focusing on constructs of expectancy and value. The intent of this dissertation is to underscore the importance of understanding motivational constructs and their interplay with personal and environmental factors to enhance or inhibit academic achievement. Implications of this research are directly applicable to educational practices and future studies aimed at fostering motivation in K-12 learners
Investigation of on-body signal transmission structures based on electronic textile technology.
No full textBody Area Networks (BAN) and Wireless Body Area Networks (WBAN) offer novel methods for signal transmission in and around the human body. These technologies allow for an increase in signal integrity, energy efficiency, and convenience. This document presents the investigation and development of on-body transmission structures using e-textile technologies for use in BAN and WBAN systems. Five key investigations are presented within this paper. First, the Human Body Channel (HBC) along various regions of the human body are analyzed. Second, a method for coupling HBC signals to the human body is developed and analyzed for durability. Thirdly, a spoof surface plasmon polariton (SSPP) transmission line is designed, fabricated, and analyzed for body area network design. Finaly, the SSPP designed is subjected to durability testing to determine design resistance to wear. The work presented in this document gives new insight and further informs the development of technologies within these fields of study
Program synthesis for distributed computing : translating sequential programs to distributed programs with automated test generation.
No full textWith the growing demand for large-scale data processing, distributed computing has become an essential paradigm, allowing complex tasks to be handled across multiple computational nodes. However, transitioning from sequential to distributed programming presents significant challenges, such as the requirement for specialized knowledge and the complexity of distributed environments. This study is centered around three main objectives to tackle this issue: automating the conversion of Python code into distributed PySpark code, enhancing translation accuracy by leveraging data-driven methods, and guaranteeing functional equivalence through verification.
First, this research automates the translation of sequential code into distributed formats by leveraging program synthesis techniques. Second, the integration of a fine-tuned BERT model enhances translation accuracy, particularly when predicting complex PySpark API calls and their combination. Finally, property-based testing, using the Hypothesis framework, ensures functional equivalence between the original Python code and its distributed PySpark counterpart. This dissertation demonstrates how effective these methods are in simplifying distributed programming while maintaining accuracy and performance when compared to their sequential counterparts. The contributions of this work make distributed computing more accessible and efficient, with future efforts aimed at expanding frameworks, optimizing performance, and scaling to larger datasets
CHOP the muscle : collateral damage of chemotherapy on pediatric skeletal muscle.
No full textPediatric non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients are often treated with CHOP, a multi-drug regimen consisting of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone. While effective, these therapies often cause off-target effects such as muscle atrophy. The acute effects of CHOP on skeletal muscle in pediatric patients remain unexplored. In this study, we examined these effects using a pediatric mouse model. Male and female mice received two cycles of CHOP or Vehicle starting at postnatal day 28. Each cycle involved a CHOP or PBS injections followed by four days of prednisone and a 5-day recovery. At day 48, muscle tissues were collected. Compared to controls, CHOP-treated mice exhibited significantly reduced body and muscle mass. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed smaller muscle fiber CSA, particularly in fast-twitch fibers, and a notable decrease in Pax7+ satellite cells. These results suggest CHOP acutely impairs muscle development and stem cell abundance, raising concerns about potential long-term consequences in pediatric cancer survivors