A descriptive study of elementary alternative schools for at-risk students in Texas

Freeman, Diana K Texas A&M University - Commerce 2002 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of elementary alternative schools for at risk students in Texas, to describe the characteristics of those elementary alternative schools, and to create a classification system for elementary alternative schools. The study also investigated more specifically the response of the largest urban school districts within Texas to the extremely disruptive behavior of young children. The existence of elementary alternative schools for at risk students was not widely known even among others within the educational community. A descriptive approach (Mason & Bramble, 1997) was used. Descriptive researcher provides a description of “situations, events, or phenomena” (Mason & Bramble, 1997, p.37). Within the descriptive approach, a cluster evaluation was used to identify and describe the elementary alternative schools, to distinguish the characteristics of these schools, and to identify lessons learned in one site that could benefit those in another site. The researcher experienced difficulty in locating the elementary alternative schools in Texas. Multiple phone calls to regional service centers, school districts, and campuses were made. Nine qualifying schools were found; seven administrators participated in the interview. The researcher developed a list of the characteristics of those seven schools and a classification system applicable to elementary alternative schools. Few elementary alternative schools for at risk students appeared to exist in Texas. Those that did shared a common characteristic: their mission was to influence the student and family to bring about an improvement in student behavior.

The professional self-esteem of teacher educators in Texas

Tinsley, Ron Texas A&M University - Commerce 2002 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

<italic>Purpose of the study.</italic> The purpose of this study was to gain insights into the professional image teacher educators have of themselves as well as the professional esteem they perceive from their academic colleagues in other departments. The literature suggested that teacher educators were held in low esteem since entering academe through the evolution from teacher institutes to schools, colleges, and departments of education. The literature further suggested that levels of esteem might be affected by the size, type, and accreditations of an institution. The study investigated the relationships among these independent variables and the measured levels of professional self-esteem of teacher educators in Texas. <italic>Procedure.</italic> The study surveyed the beliefs of teacher educators in Texas using an instrument developed by Richard J. Reynolds of Ohio State University in 1992. A total of 549 teacher educators from Texas' 68 college and university teacher preparation programs were identified and sent survey materials. A data set consisting of the responses from 239 returned survey instruments was statistically analyzed to determine any significant differences between levels of professional self-esteem and various factors, including Carnegie Classification of institution and NCATE accreditation status. <italic>Results.</italic> A significant difference was found between how teacher educators in Texas regard themselves professionally and how they feel they are perceived professionally by their academic colleagues in other departments. However, few significant differences were identified in professional self-esteem among teacher educators from different Carnegie Classifications of institutions or between teacher educators from NCATE accredited and non-NCATE accredited institutions. <italic>Conclusions.</italic> Teacher educators in Texas perceived that they were looked down upon as professionals in academe by their colleagues in other departments. The size and output of a teacher educator's institution does not have a significant effect on professional self-esteem. Holding NCATE accreditation appears to have a slightly negative effect on the professional self-esteem of teacher educators within an institution. Further study regarding these matters is called for.

Effects of staff development on instruction for limited English proficient students

Ulrich, Linda Susan Texas A&M University - Commerce 2002 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

The rapid increase in number of limited English proficient (LEP) students in Texas schools has created challenges for educators. The purpose of this study was to identify, through survey format, the effects on instruction of a year of sustained staff development, as reported by bilingual, English as a Second Language (ESL), and general education teachers. Six factors were identified through the literature as essential to the success of a LEP school program: (1) teacher characteristics, (2) LEP training, (3) ESL methodology, (4) LEP student characteristics, (5) school culture, and (6) parental involvement. This quantitative study surveyed a stratified random sample of 340 elementary, middle, and high school teachers in a large suburban school district in northeast Texas. A pretest-posttest control group design was used to determine strength of the six factors on the pretest, and after teachers attended the staff development, on the posttest. Scores of teachers who attended the staff development program were compared to teachers who did not attend. In spite of increased accountability for LEP students and rapidly growing numbers of LEP students in Texas ISD, teachers showed virtually no change in LEP instructional knowledge from 2000 to 2001. However, teachers who attended a sustained staff development program for LEP students, when compared to teachers who had not attended, showed statistically higher scores in the areas of LEP training, ESL teaching strategies, knowledge of LEP students, and parental involvement. Both teachers who attended and who did not attend staff development showed confidence in the area of school culture. Bilingual teachers showed more confidence than ESL teachers, and ESL teachers showed more confidence than general education teachers. As anticipated from the research, teachers who attended more than eight hours of staff development showed more gains in LEP training, parental involvement, and knowledge of LEP students. Unless they attended more than eight hours of LEP staff development, general education teachers reported feeling unprepared to teach LEP students. Comments on open-ended questions were included to offer qualitative insight into concerns teachers articulated about educating LEP students. In conclusion, this study suggested that a sustained staff development program improved LEP instructional knowledge of bilingual, ESL, and general education teachers. Recommendations were discussed for federal, state, and local educational agencies.

The relationship between the selection/appointment method of academic department chairs and corresponding faculty support in Oklahoma's regional universities

Jones, Wayne Durrell Texas A&M University - Commerce 2002 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

This study investigated the selection method of academic department chairs in the regional universities of Oklahoma. The study also investigated the perceptions and expectations of academic department faculty as a consequence of the method of selection of academic department chairs within the regional universities of Oklahoma. Additionally, the investigation addressed the differences in perception of responsibilities of department chairs by academic department faculty and by academic department chairs themselves. Faculty perceptions of the responsibilities and methods of the academic department chair in doctoral granting institutions have been extensively studied by scholars for many years. However, the relationships between faculty and department chairs within the smaller regional universities has been virtually ignored in higher education research. This study investigated the perceptions and expectations of regional university faculty and department chairs in order to provide a comparison between their attitudes and those of faculty and department chairs in doctoral granting universities. The research question and hypotheses were investigated using the IDEA Feedback for Department Chair instrument which was administered to 316 faculty and 40 department chairs within the eight regional (non-research) universities of Oklahoma. Of that number, 218 faculty and 29 department chairs responded to the survey representing a 70% return rate. The data was analyzed using a T-test, One-way ANOVA. Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA, and Tukey-HSD post-hoc test. All hypotheses were tested at the .05 level of significance. Based on the data obtained for this study, it was concluded that there was a significant difference in perception of academic department chair responsibilities dependent upon the method of initial selection or appointment of the department chair. Additionally, department faculty were more inclined to support the department chairs responsibilities, methods of achieving responsibilities, and personal characteristics if the faculty were considered when the department chair was selected or appointed.

The effects of a CD-ROM textbook on student achievement and cognition-level attainment of undergraduate biology students

Ludrick, Brad Burton Texas A&M University - Commerce 2002 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

<italic>Purpose of the study.</italic> This study was designed to measure the effects of CD-ROM textbook integration on student achievement and student cognition-level-attainment for undergraduate general biology students. Four sections of general biology were selected as the study group. Two sections served as the experimental group receiving CD-ROM textbook integration. The remaining two sections served as the control group, and were taught biological content utilizing a traditional textbook. <italic>Procedure.</italic> This study employed a pre-experimental research design, static group comparison (Ary, Jacobs, & Razavieh, 1996: 331), to determine if a CD-ROM textbook had significant effects on student cognition-level-attainment and content achievement of undergraduate biology students. The study was conducted during the 2001 spring semester at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. The duration of the treatment was approximately sixteen weeks. Four sections of general biology (<italic>N</italic> = 101) were selected as the study group. Two of the four sections of general biology (<italic>n</italic> = 48) were randomly selected by the researcher via coin toss to serve as the experimental group, Group A, and were taught biological content utilizing a CD-ROM Textbook. The remaining two sections of general biology (<italic>n</italic> = 53) served as the control group, Group B, and were taught biological content utilizing a traditional textbook. Various statistical tests were used in analysis of the data. The ten null hypotheses were tested at the .05 level of significance. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences program (SPSS), version 9.0 (SPSS, 1999), was used to process the data. <italic>Results.</italic> The results determined by this study were the overall effects of the CD-ROM textbook did not significantly differ from the effects of the traditional textbook on student content achievement and cognition-level-attainment. <italic>Conclusions.</italic> The utilization of CD-ROM textbook instruction is not superior at improving student achievement of biology content, as measured by overall student biology grades and <italic>NABT/NSTA High School Biology Examination</italic> scores, compared to traditional textbook instruction. In addition, CD-ROM textbook instruction is not superior at improving student mastery of biology content, as measured by the first three levels of Bloom's taxonomic scale, when compared to traditional textbook instruction. Furthermore, biology students participating in the CD-ROM textbook instruction, when compared to their traditional textbook counterparts, initially scored lower on unit examinations. However, these students scored higher on subsequent unit examinations, strongly indicating a temporal factor with student performance. This conclusion is supported by the findings of McLean et al. (1997). According to the findings of this study (1997), students participating in an electronic instructional medium exhibit an initial frustration level. Familiarization with the new technology over time parallels greatly reduced frustration levels.

Reading success of minority students as related to faculty diversity

Lambert-Guesnard, Lucy Ann Texas A&M University - Commerce 2002 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

The purpose of this study was to determine from identified Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) statistics whether the TAAS reading passing rates of Asian, Hispanic, and African American student groups increased as the percentage of corresponding minority faculty increases. Items for analysis consisted of TAAS reading scores for all 3–8 and 10th grade students in the state of Texas from the campuses and districts selected by stratified random sampling. The student groups addressed were Asian, African American, and Hispanic. Three research questions guided the study: What is the relationship between the percentage of African American faculty and the TAAS reading percentage passing rate for African American students? What is the relationship between the percentage of Hispanic faculty and the TAAS reading percentage passing rate for Hispanic students? What is the relationship between the percentage of Asian faculty and the TAAS reading percentage passing rate for Asian students?. A review of the literature provided the context for the study. Anthropological research relating to the culture of the student population was presented as a backdrop for values and needs. Research on climate, pedagogical ideologies, and the politics of hegemony were presented as they relate to the success of the classroom setting. The final section presents research in the areas of culturally responsive teaching and the instructional models that contribute to research-based success. The significance of this study lies in the exposure of the patterned success or failure of each of the identified minority student groupings in relation to the presence of corresponding minority faculty within a building. The solution design indicates recommendations for targeted recruitment of minority faculty or maintaining the status quo in hiring practices with regard to learning differences due to minority needs.