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ORIENTATION LEARNING NEEDS OF ADJUNCT CLINICAL FACULTY
Get PDFThe United States is in the midst of a nursing faculty shortage and schools of nursing are no exception. Adjunct clinical faculty can help meet the need for more faculty and alleviate the faculty gap in clinical education. While the use of adjunct clinical faculty is an option, it is not without its challenges. The purpose of this descriptive, non-experimental quantitative study was to examine the orientation learning needs of adjunct clinical faculty as they transition from expert clinicians to novice educators. Benner’s Novice to Expert Theory (1982) and Knowles’ Adult Learning Theory (1980) were the theoretical frameworks that were used to guide the research and discussion of the findings. Using the Needs Assessment Survey for Topic Inclusion in a Guide to Orientation along with gathering demographic information, 106 adjunct clinical faculty rated the level of importance of topics to be included in an orientation. Items of most important were identified from these three categories: Orientation of Clinical Component of Course, Orientation of Clinical Site, and Orientation of Nursing Course(s). Additionally, several items that participants felt were Very Important were either omitted or not sufficiently discussed in their orientation. The majority of participants identified that satisfaction from teaching was the primary reason why they assumed the new role as adjunct clinical faculty compared to all other reasons combined, although no significance differences in their learning needs emerged. Adjunct clinical faculty who had a formal orientation were also compared to those who did not have a formal orientation. Nurses who had a formal orientation rated the importance of the nursing course items, on average, significantly higher than those adjunct clinical faculty who did not have a formal orientation. The information obtained from this study adds to the body of literature for nursing practice and highlights additional areas for further research.Doctor of Education (EdD)Nursin
Four Fires
No full textFour Fires is a 90,000-word novel about coming of age in a military family. The story follows three generations of American veterans, capturing the nature of military tradition and our obsession with war. After Elijah Alcott’s father, an Army Ranger, falls from a helicopter in a fatal training accident in 1993, Elijah is sent to live with his paternal grandfather, Papa, in rural Washington. There he meets his cousins, Eric and John, and the girl next door, Simone. Together they navigate the pitfalls of love, friendship, loss, and things left unfinished, all under the specter of military heritage, of past wars, and of future wars that will tear them apart. Four Fires examines the full extent of war’s impact on its participants and observers, both before and after battle. But it goes beyond the retelling of wartime experience, seeking the root of war’s influence as its stories and myths pass from one generation to the next.Master of Fine Arts (MFA)Writing, Linguistics, and Creative Proces
AN INVESTIGATION OF THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE STUDENTS’ LONG TERM APPLICATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY SKILLS
No full textSchools today are commissioned to provide students with a solid foundation in global citizenship. Future leaders must be knowledgeable problem solvers who can apply those skills to better the world. An awareness of global issues along with a sense of urgency and strength to act are needed for the welfare of all. The achievement of these goals must promote active involvement both at the personal and community levels. This research study investigated the factors related to the long-term environmental literacy skills of students who attended a school with an international and global studies curriculum. Within that curriculum, focus was placed on the pressing environmental issues that challenge our world. Students were not taught using a curriculum-based program but rather were active participants and problem solvers within a school culture that stressed environmental responsibility. One goal of this work was to investigate whether this type of schooling environment contributed to the long-term environmental literacy skills related to a student’s knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.
The role of educators is continually changing. As accountability for performance on standardized tests increases there is less time for instruction in the sciences, particularly environmental sciences in the elementary years. A model that combines knowledge building, active participation, and problem solving in developing a school culture of respect and responsibility for the environment may be the most promising and realistic. This research examined the environmental literacy levels of middle school students who participated in a school with an embedded environmental education focus at the elementary school level (Group One) and middle school students who had not participated in a school with an embedded environmental focus at the elementary school level (Group Two). A MANOVA was conducted with a final data set of 218 students. The composite dependent variate was not significantly affected by group (Wilks’ λ = .955, F (4, 213) = 2.529, p = .042, partial eta squared = .045, small). Despite the non-significant MANOVA F, the researcher proceeded with analysis of the F ratios for the ANOVAs. In this case, the possibility of committing a Type 2 error lead to the researcher’s decision to cautiously continue analysis. Univariate ANOVAs were conducted on each dependent measure to determine whether significant differences existed between the groups. The more stringent p value of .025 was utilized in the analysis. Ecological knowledge was significantly affected by group (Group One and Group Two), F (1, 216 = 9.538, p = .002, partial eta squared = .042). Lengths of time in the program and away from the program were also investigated as variables related to environmental literacy scores. Regression results were not significant F (2,101) = 1.0, p = .372, R2 Doctor of Education (EdD)Education & Educational Psycholog
Terramancer
No full textTerramancer is a 90,000 word young-adult fantasy novel set in the Kingdom of Kalencord on the island continent of Minterra. Sixteen year-old Taryn Lux witnesses the king of Kalencord perform a highly illegal ritual and undergo an inhuman transformation that violates the royal family’s indefinite ban on magic. She, and her reluctant companion Avery, escape from the capital and the king’s minions and journey across Minterra, leaving her father and brother behind. Guided by a mysterious and powerful magical tome, Taryn sets out to find six companion tomes which, when wielded, hold enough magical energy to sever the king’s ties to his own magic. On her quest, Taryn discovers her natural affinity for magic and the well-kept secretes hidden in her family tree as she redefines what it means for a young woman to be a hero.Master of Fine Arts (MFA)Writing, Linguistics, and Creative Proces
THE EFFECT OF REFLECTIVE PRACTICE ON HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE STUDENTS’ CRITICAL AND REFLECTIVE THINKING
No full textThis study investigates the impact of a reflection treatment program on the critical thinking skills and reflection level of high school science students. Although research indicates there is a connection between reflection and critical thinking, there is limited empirical research related to this topic in high school science classrooms. Therefore, this study will attempt to determine whether a reflection implementation not only improves selected domains of critical thinking, but also impacts the level of reflective thinking in high school science students.
The research took place in a small, suburban high school in the northeast from January to May of the year 2013. A sample of convenience comprised of high school students, 9th through 12th grade was used. The study was quasi-experimental in nature, with a pretest/posttest comparison group design using intact classrooms of students. Administration of two instruments measuring the characteristics of dispositions associated with critical thinking and the level of reflective thinking were used. The scores of those students who received the reflection treatment were compared to the scores of those students in the traditional science classroom who did not receive the treatment to determine the impact of this method of delivering instruction. In the multivariate analysis of variance, data revealed that there was a statistically significant difference, (p = .020) between the means of the treatment and comparison groups as measured by the Reflective Thinking Questionnaire (RTQ). The reflective practice treatment group scored significantly higher for the sub-scale of Reflection (p = .007) than the comparison group. In the hierarchal multiple regression analysis, the variable of Reflection, as measured by the RTQ, significantly predicted mean scores of Mental Focus (p = .022) and Cognitive Integrity (p = .048) as measured by the California Measure of Mental Motivation (CM3). Findings suggest that students who engage in reflective practice in science class will have significantly higher levels of reflection, as measured by the RTQ, than students who do not. In addition, students’ levels of reflective thinking predict their critical thinking dispositions of Mental Focus and Cognitive Integrity.Doctor of Education (EdD)Education & Educational Psycholog
AN INVESTIGATION OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ AND TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND UNDERACHIEVEMENT
No full textThis study investigated high school students’ and teachers’ perceptions of academic self-perception, environmental perceptions, goal valuation, and motivation/self-regulation as factors affecting students’ academic achievement. A two-way MANOVA was conducted to determine if high school students’ gender and academic programs, Non-Honors/Non-Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors/Advanced Placement (AP), differed in their perceptions of academic self-perception, attitudes towards teachers and classes, attitudes towards school, goal valuation, and motivation/self-regulation using the School Attitude Assessment Survey-Revised. Students in the Honors/AP program had higher levels of academic self-perception and motivation/self-regulation than Non-Honors/Non-AP students’ results. Females had higher levels of motivation/self-regulation than males while males possessed greater attitudes towards school results. A stepwise multilinear regression was conducted to determine if gender, academic self-perception, attitudes towards teachers and classes, attitudes towards school, and motivation/self-regulation were predictors of students’ academic achievement as indicated by their self-reported grade point average (GPA). High school students’ academic self-perception and motivation/self-regulation were significant predictors of their academic achievement results. A one-way MANOVA was conducted using data from the Student Achievement Inventory: Teacher Form to determine if high school teachers’ perceptions of their students’ levels of academic self-efficacy, goal valuation, environmental perceptions, and motivation/self-regulation as factors affecting their academic achievement varied according to teacher experience. No statistical differences existed between the teachers’ level experience, as determined by their years spent teaching, and their perceptions of their students’ levels of academic self-efficacy, goal valuation, environmental perceptions, and motivation/self-regulation as factors affecting academic achievement.
This study also sought to identify the students’ and teachers’ perceptions of factors impacting high school students’ underachievement and to determine possible solutions to support students’ their achievement. A general qualitative study consisting of high school teachers and their students was conducted using High School Students’ Views on Doing Well in School and High School Teachers’ Views on Doing Well in School surveys to determine causes of and solutions to underachievement. An interpretational analysis of the data revealed the emergence of environmental factors affecting student achievement, motivation, student attendance, students’ behaviors and skills, and support services and strategies as core categories affecting high school students’ academic achievement.Doctor of Education (EdD)Education & Educational Psycholog
EFFECT OF STYLE TRAINING ON FUTURE PROBLEM SOLVING PERFORMANCE
No full textThe participants were grade 9-12 students (n = 75) from one suburban high school who were part of the Future Problem Solving Program International (FPSPI). The research involved both quasi-experimental and correlational components. First, an ANCOVA was used to compare the mean scores of the Qualifying Problem (QP) for both the treatment and comparison groups with the independent variable being type of program with two levels: participation in problem solving styles training along with FPSPI (treatment) or FPSPI curriculum only (comparison), and the dependent variable being QP scores. After controlling for pretest scores, the treatment group outperformed the comparison group (p = .008). In addition, eight out of nine of the teams (89%) in the treatment group qualified for the state competition, while four out of twelve (33%) of the comparison groups qualified. Second, a hierarchical multiple linear regression procedure was used to determine to what extent and in what manner creative achievement predicted performance in writing a creative problem-solving scenario after accounting for participation in training about problem solving styles. Within the regression model, program type was a significant predictor (p = .001), explaining 38.3% of the variance in QP scores, while creativity of participants TTCT-Verbal, Fluency (p = .313), TTCT- Verbal, Flexibility (p = .633), and TTCT-Verbal, Originality (p = .518) were not significant predictors of QP scores. Third, qualitative data were coded based on themes to determine perceptions of the creative problem-solving process of students who learned about their problem-solving styles and those who did not. Participants in the treatment group made more statements than the members of the comparison group related to an understanding of self and others while participants from the comparison group made more statements than those in the treatment group about the technical aspects of FPSPI.Doctor of Education (EdD)Education & Educational Psycholog
THE EFFECTS OF GENDER AND TYPE OF INQUIRY CURRICULUM ON SIXTH GRADE STUDENTS’ SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS AND EPISTEMOLOGICAL BELIEFS IN SCIENCE
No full textThe purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of gender and type of inquiry curriculum (open or structured) on science process skills and epistemological beliefs in science of sixth grade students. The current study took place in an urban northeastern middle school. The researcher utilized a sample of convenience comprised of 303 sixth grade students taught by four science teachers on separate teams. The study employed mixed methods with a quasi-experimental design, pretest-posttest comparison group with 17 intact classrooms of students. Students’ science process skills and epistemological beliefs in science (source, certainty, development, and justification) were measured before and after the intervention, which exposed different groups of students to different types of inquiry (structured or open). Differences between comparison and treatment groups and between male and female students were analyzed after the intervention, on science process skills, using a two-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and, on epistemological beliefs in science, using a two-way multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). Responses from two focus groups of open inquiry students were cycle coded and examined for themes and patterns.
Quantitative measurements indicated that girls scored significantly higher on science process skills than boys, regardless of type of inquiry instruction. Neither gender nor type of inquiry instruction predicted students’ epistemological beliefs in science after accounting for students’ pretest scores. The dimension Development accounted for 10.6% of the variance in students’ science process skills.
Qualitative results indicated that students with sophisticated epistemological beliefs expressed engagement with the open-inquiry curriculum. Students in both the sophisticated and naïve beliefs groups identified challenges with the curriculum and improvement in learning as major themes. The types of challenges identified differed between the groups: sophisticated beliefs group students focused on their insecurity of not knowing how to complete the activities correctly, and naïve beliefs group students focused on the amount of work and how long it took them to complete it. The description of the improvement in learning was at a basic level for the naïve beliefs group and at a more complex level for the sophisticated beliefs group. Implications for researchers and educators are discussed.Doctor of Education (EdD)Education & Educational Psycholog
EDUCATORS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP STYLES AND THEIR PROBLEM SOLVING STYLES
Get PDFInstructional leadership is not well-defined in the literature. The term has been used to describe the principal’s role as an instructional leader. However, principals are not the only instructional leaders. Teachers are as well. In this study, data on leadership and problem solving style were collected one time from 378 educators in K-12 school settings in the northeast of the U.S. The purpose is to provide an empirical evidence of what describes instructional leadership.
The results of a 4x4x4 MANOVA indicated that there were significant differences between educators’ scores on the leadership subscales for the Orientation to Change (OC): Explorer-Developer (F(3, 290) = 8.236, p F(3, 290) = 4.597, p = .004, partial eta squared = .045) groups. The OC subgroups differed significantly in the areas of transformational leadership (F(3, 290) = 6.956, p F(3, 290) = 4.438, p = .005, partial eta squared = .044). The MP subgroups differed significantly in the areas of transformational leadership (F(3, 290) = 3.683, p = .012, partial eta squared = .037) and passive/avoidant leadership (F(3, 290) = 3.128, p = .026, partial eta squared = .031). There were no significant differences in mean scores of all types of leadership for the Ways of Deciding (WD) group. Furthermore, there were no significant interactions between VIEW groups. All VIEW groups scored the highest on transformational leadership and the lowest on passive/avoidant leadership.
Three stepwise multiple regression analyses were used to determine the extent that educators’ gender, years of teaching experience, highest degree earned, type of certificate, and scores on the problem solving styles predicted their perceptions of their leadership styles. Results indicated that the highest degree earned, educators’ preference for Orientation to Change: Explorer-Developer problem solving style, gender, and type of certificate were significant predictors of the variance in the mean scores of transformational leadership, R squared = .189, adjusted R squared = .179, F(4, 338) = 19.67, p R squared = .049, adjusted R squared = .046, F(1, 341) = 17.40, p
Data from three open-ended questions related to the participants’ perceptions of leadership and problem solving were coded and analyzed. Four common overarching themes emerged: (a) personal characteristics, (b) knowledge and experience, (c) interactions with others, and (d) setting directions. The quantitative findings were then triangulated with the qualitative results to describe constructs of instructional leadership.Doctor of Education (EdD)Education & Educational Psycholog
Teaching College Writing
No full text6 pgsTeaching writing at the university level in the 21st century is a challenge. Students are occupied with so many personal, social, and educational demands that the skill set required to become a competent
writer is low on their list of priorities, if it appears on their list at all. The prospect of learning how to write well has always been subject to the "duh" factor. Writing students usually reason as follows: "I know how to read, and I know how to talk, so, 'duh,' I know how to write." This is an interesting analysis, and it appears to have some valid elements of logic, but ultimately the logic is flawed. It is much the same as suggesting that because you can read a recipe in a cookbook you can competently prepare the dish, or that because you are capable of speaking you can deliver a rousing, persuasive speech. Learning to write well, even only passing well, is not as easy as being able to read or being able to speak