732 research outputs found
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An Analysis of the Impact of Emotional Literacy Instruction on At-Risk Students
No full textThis study examined the impact of social-emotional literacy instruction for at-risk adolescents ages 13 to 18 at the high school level. Of particular interest is the impact of social-emotional literacy instruction on at-risk youth Grades 9-12 in secondary high schools’ 8-week-long social-emotional literacy class through Project AWARE, particularly in the areas of suspension, expulsion, attendance, connectivity, attitude toward school, resiliency, and relational aggression rates; the data were analyzed using archival data and teacher interview. Project AWARE, the social-emotional literacy intervention examined in this study, educates and provides mentorship for at-risk students, while also providing a group educational component on relationships between students to help increase connection, decrease depression, and relational aggression for students. Project AWARE offers a working partnership between adults and students, and involves mentoring other students in the group. Two groups were considered in this study: 37 students in Project AWARE and 10 adults involved with or who had intimate knowledge of Project AWARE. All faculty described experiences with the program, and these experiences were analyzed using the NVIVO program for qualitative research. Student experiences were also noted in the archival data and analyzed for quantitative research. Three broad themes were identified: (a) factors that impact at-risk youth in an effort to understand how adverse childhood experiences serve to obstruct successful student outcomes and how the resilience and a culture of developmental assets can contribute to desirable outcomes for at risk students; (b) primary, secondary, and tertiary vi level support programs for at-risk youth that include character education, parent education, teacher training, and behavioral/counseling interventions in public schools as alternatives to traditional discipline and how these programs support or strengthen emotional literacy in students; and (c) social-emotional literacy training’s impact on student discipline, connection, and resilience. The findings suggest that programs that provide mentoring and include group educational components can have a positive impact on student awareness and attitude
The Examination of Grit in California Superintendents
No full textThe purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between grit and successful California superintendents. Grit is a topic in infancy, only being first introduced in 2007. While there has been much research on the superintendency, there has yet to be any research exploring grit and the superintendency. The population of this study consisted of California superintendents who met the following criteria: 1. California public school district superintendent, 2. located in California, 3. Have more than three consecutive years in their current position, 4. Superintendents must meet at least two of the following criteria: a) have membership in professional organizations, b) have presented on leadership at local or state conference c) have been recognized by professional organization or peers for their leadership. Subordinates must have been currently working for the superintendent and had worked for him or her for at least two years. In this mixed methods study, data was first collected electronically from superintendents using the Grit-S Survey. Subordinates of the superintendents who completed the Grit-S Survey were then asked to complete the same electronic survey, changing pronouns from “I” to “he/she” and using it to rate their superintendents’ level of grit. Interview questions further explored grit and how it contributes to the success of superintendents. Results of the study found that superintendents are very gritty and score high on each of the 8 attributes that measure grit. It was also found that subordinates rate their superintendents as gritty and rate them high on each of the 8 attributes that measure grit. The third finding showed that there was not a significant difference on how superintendents self-reported their level of grit and how subordinates perceived their superintendents’ level of grit. The last finding revealed the personal and leadership attributes that contribute to a superintendents’ grittiness were purposeful perseverance, others focused, having a goal or vision to work toward, life experiences in formative years, being competitive and having high expectations, a willingness to work hard, having an outlet outside of work to maintain balance, having a supportive network of colleagues, and acknowledging and celebrating small wins
A Delphi Study that Measures the Effects of Principal Tenure on School Culture at the High School Level
No full textThe purpose of this study was to (a) investigate expert high school principals’ perceptions regarding the minimum length of principal tenure necessary to develop a positive school culture (b) determine the impact the length of high school principal tenure has on high schools’ culture and (c) to develop recommendations regarding actions to be taken with respect to principal tenure. This particular study utilized a structural Delphi model in which expert high school principals give their expert opinion on how principal tenure affects school culture at high schools and provide suggestions for new principals and district cabinet members on how to build a sustainable, positive school culture. By the end of the study, building relationships and developing trust amongst all stakeholders were the two most critical aspects of a new principal’s job when they begin their leadership of a high school. Lastly, providing support and professional development opportunities while ensuring a principal’s tenure is at least five years at a high school are the most critical for a district to provide a new principal to ensure a positive school culture. The findings show that a high school principal should stay at a site for at least five years in order to develop a sustainable, positive school culture. During this time, the district should provide professional development and support so that the principal can focus on building relationships and open communication lines with all stakeholder groups to ensure a team effort is developed to create a positive school culture that supports student success. As for further research, it is recommended that there be a focus on the district’s perspective on the effects of principal tenure on a school’s culture, as well as, measure how important school culture is to the district. Another area of future research would be to get the stakeholders’ perspectives on the importance and effects of principal tenure on a school’s culture. Lastly, it would be interesting to include current site demographic data and site culture as an added factor as part of the existing study
Waste Management in California Jails and Prisons
No full textThe focus of this mixed-methods study was to identify waste reduction strategies that reduced the impact of California jails and prisons on the environment through waste diversion and reduction. This study also sought to identify barriers that hindered jail and prison personnel from developing such strategies, and pursued recommendations on how those barriers could be overcome. This study provides examples of organizations currently reducing waste through strategic initiatives and highlighted areas where jails and prisons could begin or further improve waste diversion practices. The study utilized archival data, a web-based survey, and interviews for data collection and analysis. The findings concluded, California state-operated prisons and sheriff-operated county jails are using two primary strategies to divert waste from landfills. The number one strategy is recycling. The second strategy is waste prevention and material reuse. The barriers identified by California state-operated prisons and sheriff operated county jails included finding vendors to collect certain materials as well as finding vendors to travel to remote locations. Other barriers included a lack of personnel and in some instances a lack of knowledge. Sheriff-operated jails and state-operated prisons in California identified waste management program support from leadership as a primary method to eliminate or reduce barriers to implementing a waste reduction program
Tactile Learning: Touch and Touch Self-Efficacy in College Dance Instruction
No full textPurpose: The purpose of this study was to (a) identify the level of touch self-efficacy (TSE) of college-level dance faculty as measured by the Touch Self-Efficacy (TSE) Scale, (b) explore the factors that influence the use of touch in dance instruction, and (c) describe the perceived benefits as reported by college-level dance faculty.
Methodology: In this mixed-methods approach, a sequential explanatory design was conducted in 2 separate phases of research. The first phase provided an opportunity to quantitatively investigate the levels of TSE in college-level dance faculty. The second phase qualitatively explored the factors influencing the use of touch in dance instruction.
Findings: College dance faculty members reported (a) student permission, (b) students’ receptiveness to tactile feedback, (c) responding to students’ needs, (d) pedagogical beliefs, (e) instinct, (f) familiarity with students, (g) failure of other teaching approaches, (h) courses taught, (i) intent, and (j) necessity due to the nature of dance as factors influencing their use of touch in instruction. College dance faculty members reported that touch (a) supports individual and group learning, (b) promotes successful epiphanies and transformations, (c) creates a positive learning environment, and (d) provides effective communication.
Conclusions: None of the variables, including age, gender, primary area of instruction, and previous formal training in the use of touch, had a significant effect on the TSE score. The study demonstrated the extensive use of touch in dance instruction and dance educators’ elevated TSE scores in comparison to previous studies.
Recommendations: Recommendations to advance this understanding include (a) study of TSE levels in other fields, (b) replication of the present study but with attention to the perceived benefits of touch as reported by college-level dance students, (c) replication of the present study with a target population of dance educators not teaching at the college level, (d) comparison of dance educators’ methods and touch techniques within different dance genres, (e) study of the role of self-touch as a pedagogical practice in dance instruction, (f) exploration of practices and best practices for securing permission to touch in dance instruction, and (g) further research to explore the academic practice of touch between students in dance instruction
Catalyzing Change: Identifying Action to Accelerate Collective Impact Progress in San Bernardino County
No full textThe purpose of this study was to identify the most important actions for the implementation of the San Bernardino County Vison using a Collective Impact approach. Collective Impact is a structured approach to problem solving that includes the five core conditions of, common agenda, continuous improvement, shared measurement system, mutually reinforcing activities, and backbone functions. The Delphi technique was used to gather data, perceptions, and opinions from 16 cross-sector leaders identified as experts responsible for the implementation of the San Bernardino County Vision. Survey participants were identified as experts based upon their responsibility as cross-sector leaders engaged in the San Bernardino County Vision project. Based upon the data collected, the researcher was able to gain a depth of understanding and insight. A total of three rounds of questions were presented to the expert panel group. Given the gap in research on the topic of Collective Impact, the feedback between rounds also widened the knowledge of the experts and stimulated new ideas. The study produced descriptive data that demonstrated convergence of opinion regarding action. The study confirms there are high level influential champions focused on the initiative who are sharing and communicating to draw in more partners. Recommendations for action moving forward are specific to communication, increased cross-sector alignment of goals, addressing the geographic size of the county, and deepening the scope of participation in the vision to all levels of leadership. These recommendations will ensure clarity on how the work supports and includes all organizations and citizens in the region
A Delphi Study of an Effective State Assessment Method for Continuation High Schools
No full textSince the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, there has been an urgency in the overall academic accountability for all students nationwide. Since then the state leadership and experts in the state of California have made it a priority to educate and hold schools and students accountable through standards based instruction and assessments. To date this has not been the case for continuation high schools in the state of California.
The purpose of this mixed methods Delphi study was to identify appropriate assessment methods for California continuation high schools, to rate the respective effectiveness of the identified methods, and to identify appropriate assessment tools that effectively measure academic achievement for each assessment method.
This study was centered on the research question “What are appropriate assessment methods that should be used in California continuation high schools to accurately assess student academic achievement and success according to experts in California continuation education?” This question was answered using a policy Delphi research method employing three rounds of questions with experts in continuation education.
In the first round experts identified best state assessment methods which were rated using a Likert scale in the second round. In the third and last round the same experts took the top six methods rated and answered open ended questions related to (facilitators, barriers, and implementation strategies).
Based on the findings of this study, the experts found consensus in that it would take a team of experts from the classrooms, school sites, and state leadership to effectively develop an appropriate assessment method. There was however a strong lack of confidence in state leadership (legislators, California Department of Education, and CBE), however among the experts there is a wide range of ideas related to indicators, or what the assessments should look like.
Recommendations made from this study were centered on gathering a team of experts from the Education Options Council and the California Continuation Education Association to design the assessment process. This team should have representation from teachers, and administrators, and the process should include the input of state leadership
Qualitative Study of the United States Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment
No full textSerious health care issues were discovered first at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2007 and later at U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs health care organizations in 2014 (Brady, 2012; Cohen, Griffin, & Bronstein, 2014; Wright, 2013). The continued success of the Wounded Warrior Program requires a system that will constantly assess and analyze health care quality from the patient’s experience. From a systems perspective, health care quality encompasses six dimensions, and the study involved examining the dimension and four core concepts of patient-centered care (Institute of Medicine, 2001; Lees, 2011; Wexler, 2002; World Health Organization, 2006). A qualitative, phenomenological research method was selected for this study. Purposeful sampling was used to identify 10 marine veterans from the targeted population of wounded warriors previously assigned to the Naval Medical Center San Diego Wounded Warrior Detachment. The researcher as the instrument used an interview protocol with standardized, open-ended questions aligned with the research question. The findings of the study were reported according to the research question, and the following themes were identified: professional hospital staff, structured military culture, organized communication processes, shared decision making, and systematic teamwork
A Delphi Study: Technology Leadership Network’s Perceptions of ISTE Essential Conditions for Technology Integration in Professional Learning Communities
No full textABSTRACT
A Delphi Study: Technology Leadership Network Perceptions of ISTE Essential Conditions for Technology Integration in Professional Learning Communities
Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify the essential conditions (ISTE) required for technology integration in Professional Learning Communities for building effective teams, promoting collaboration, and endorsing shared decision making processes as perceived by members of the joint Technology Leadership Network of the Riverside County Office of Education and San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, California.
Methodology: A structured Delphi Study using mixed methods was conducted to find the expert panel’s opinions, the members of the Technology Leadership Network in Riverside County Office of Education. Round 1 and Round 3 comprised scaled questions, producing quantitative data. Round 2 consisted of open ended questions, producing qualitative data.
Findings: Delphi expert panelists ranked shared vision, ongoing professional learning, empowered leaders, and student-centered learning as the top four ISTE essential conditions required for technology integration in PLCs. The Delphi expert panelists also identified the preconditions necessary for technology integration.
Conclusions: Based on the findings, a transformational plan and a change model were designed to effectively implement technology integration in Professional Learning Communities. The purpose of the plan and model was to provide step-by-step viii instructions for a transformational change plan for technology integration in Professional Learning Communities.
Recommendations: To prepare educators for 21st century PLCs, it is crucial to have technology integrated in professional developments. Technology integration is indispensable for PLCs to build effective teams and to have collaboration and effective decision making; however, it is not possible unless PLCs have a deliberate shared vision, embedded ongoing professional learning, empowered leaders at all levels, and data driven student centered learning. The prerequisites, if addressed properly, can provide the strong foundation required for technology integration in PLCs. Yet, the change needs to come within one’s self, and educators as lifelong learners are the right people to integrate this change
Transforming Student Retention in Higher Education Online Programs in California Community Colleges: A Delphi Study
No full textThe purpose of this study is to discover techniques to transform retention rates for students in online courses compared to face-to-face courses in the higher education programs at California Community Colleges using a Delphi method. This qualitative study used a modified three-round Delphi technique to understand the phenomenon of the consistently lower student retention rates in fully online programs in California Community Colleges, as differentiated to student retention rates in on-campus programs. Panelists suggested their expert opinion and reveal their concerns. The research made recommendations based upon the findings of this Delphi study. The results of this study were be made available to the academic community to establish best practices that may influence student retention in California Community Colleges