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Easter 4 Series C 2019
No full textThis PDF comments on the Propers for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Series C and offers ideas for proclamation and preaching
Tribal Colleges: Influences on Native American Students Completing STEM Degrees
Get PDFThis qualitative case study explored the experiences of 13 Native American higher education students attending a Tribal College and University (TCU) and pursuing a degree in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The case study also investigated a focus group of TCU faculty members who taught STEM courses. The case study also contains an observation of 13 Native American students during a bridge program activity at a TCU, used as a recruitment tool and preparation strategy for potential STEM students. The research was intended to explore the influence and strategies currently employed by TCUs to help Native American students successfully complete degrees in STEM-related subjects and what further approaches might be useful in the future to increase the numbers of Native American STEM professionals. Participant stories divulged positive and negative aspects of the TCUs the students attended and divulged their opinions on how the services at their TCUs could be improved. Data were collected by transcribing the audiorecordings of the interviews and focus group discussion and analyzing the information through coding into themes and patterns. The themes included family and friendly atmosphere, financial support, low cost, accessibility, helpfulness, culture, accountability, academic support, research, time management, nontraditional students (i.e., older than the usual college age), recruitment, and retention. This qualitative case study has found that successful Native American STEM graduates are failing at their Boards, thus preventing them from employment and becoming successful STEM professionals
Teacher Perceptions of How Attire Affects Student Behavior and Academic Performance: A Case Study
Get PDFThis qualitative single case study sought to examine middle school teachers’ perceptions about how their attire impacts student behavior and academic performance. The study took place in a school district located in Texas, with the target population being middle school teachers at a Title I school. Twelve certified teachers with varying degrees of experience and expertise within a particular content area contributed to this study. After using a semistructured interview process as well as teacher observations, data were coded and analyzed with the aim of allowing general themes to emerge. The results of this study align with the conceptual framework of Bandura’s social learning theory, which speculates that people learn from one another, through observation, imitation, and modeling. In addition, the results point to issues that administrators and school board members should consider in order to ensure a higher rate of success among teachers in the classroom. This study may also be used as a resource to assist new teachers coming into the profession; it provides them with tools for making appropriate decisions when it comes to their attire. For that matter, the study provides recommendations about what constitutes “appropriate” professional attire in the first place. In summary, this qualitative case study revealed that most teachers believe their attire can affect students’ academic performance as well as their behavior
Parental Involvement Matters: The Teachers’ Perspective
Get PDFThe impact of parental involvement in education, as well as parents’ relationships with educators, has been of great interest to researchers in education. Researchers have recorded numerous benefits of the influence of parental involvement in the quality of education and the academic achievement of students. Directed by Epstein’s framework of involvement, the purpose of this qualitative explanatory case study was to understand the teachers’ perspectives on parental involvement and how these relate to parental involvement in an inner-city school in a large public-school district in North Carolina that has low parental involvement. The data collection methods include interviews, follow-up interviews, and documents. Purposeful sampling was used to identify a total of 10 participants who are teachers with at least five years of teaching experience. The acquired data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed for various themes. The data analysis uncovered seven themes that reflected the teachers’ perspective of parental involvement. Findings from this research are essential in understanding teachers’ views associated with parental involvement in schools in the context of North Carolina. The research also revealed the essential roles played by teachers in the lives of children. The facilitating factors recommended by teachers would help to draft strategies for implementation and integration in the school improvement plans in the existing educational system. Results from this study present a model/policy implication that other schools struggling with lack of parental involvement can implement
Student Connectedness and Academic Achievement: A Quantitative Study of Career and Technical Education Students
Get PDFThe focus of this correlational study in an Alaskan career and technical (CTE) school environment was to explore the research question that guided this study: In a large urban school district of Alaska, with a diverse student population, what is the relationship between the CTE student connectedness level and academic achievement levels? Participants included 132 high school students, Grades 10 through 12. Additional research questions were developed to examine the strength of the relationship between student connectedness and academic achievement by gender and ethnicity. Data were collected using an online survey with a combination of demographic questions and Goodenow’s (1993b) Psychological Sense of School Membership Scale (PSSM). Students self-reported their GPA. The findings of the Pearson correlations indicated a significant linear correlation between student connectedness and GPA for the overall sample, for males, and for females. The findings of the Pearson correlation between student connectedness and GPA were statistically significant for the Caucasian, African American, and multiracial samples. The findings of the Pearson correlation were not statistically significant for the Mexican/Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Native Alaskan samples, suggesting that a correlation did not exist between student connectedness and GPA among these ethnicities. Implications for practice include increasing students’ opportunities to actively engage in setting goals, making decisions, and participating in the governance of the school’s disciplinary structure. Implications for policy include developing policies for connecting disconnected students to school by facilitating professional development and better access to CTE schools and programs
Dispositions of Online Instructors: A Case Study
No full textThe intent of this research study was to gather the perspectives and experiences of faculty as they transition from teaching onground to teaching online. The findings of this study are significant socially and educationally because a majority of administrators at higher education institutions have instituted online programs as a means to grow enrollment in their long-term strategic plans. As a result, many onground faculty are being asked to teach in an unfamiliar environment. The research in this study addressed how faculty who teach online adapt to the technology in the online environment, how administrators can better support the faculty who teach in online programs by stating the mission and vision of online programs, recommendations of evaluation in online programs, and suggestions for professional development of faculty that is specific to the online environment. The methodology of the research was a case study with a sample size of ten faculty and two administrators. The findings of the study revealed concerns from faculty regarding building relationships and social presence with students in the online environment through the use of multiple means, including web conferencing. The findings also indicated the need for faculty to have a sense of connection to the online environment in order to avoid the feeling of isolation and lack of collaboration
A Phenomenological Study of Cyberbullying Through the Experiences of Educational Administrators
No full textThe purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of administrators within school settings who have dealt with cyberbullying incidents to better understand the cyberbullying experience from an administrator perspective, gain insight into the procedures used during cyberbullying incidents, and attain data on administrative understanding of technological devices used during cyberbullying incidents with the hopes of decreasing suicide and suicidal ideation rates among adolescents. Using phenomenological methods, the study was conducted with 10 administrators located in the Northeast region of the U.S. Data collection for this study featured semistructured interviews with all participants. The five themes associated with this inquiry were identified as: cyberbullying negatively affects school learning environments, a generational gap causes lack of understanding towards technology, current cyberbullying policies can be improved through increasing awareness, procedures and policies used during cyberbullying incidents are consistent and parallel within New York State, and education is the best strategy moving forward in reducing cyberbullying within schools. This research can assist educational practitioners, scholars, administrators, and policy makers with increasing the understanding of how cyberbullying is currently affecting school environments and how to improve cyberbullying policies within school settings. The investigation into the lived experiences of administrators within school settings who have dealt with cyberbullying incidents will help add important information on this topic to the existing body of research revolved around cyberbullying. The information attained will help assist districts in strengthening efforts to prevent and intervene during incidents of cyberbullying