A recent law in a New England state allowed public schools to operate with increased flexibility and autonomy through the authorization of the creation of Innovation Schools. This project study, a program evaluation using a convergent parallel mixed methods research design, allowed for a comprehensive evaluation of the first Innovation School…

Compliance with NCAA DI rules matters. The leaders of the NCAA, colleges and universities devise, negotiate and elect NCAA rules to address recurring problems. Despite these efforts, schools continue to violate NCAA rules. The objective intent of a rule is to affect a change in behavior; if behavior does not change, then the rule is ineffective.…

The Academy was an assessment enhancement program created by the HLC to help institutions strengthen and improve the assessment of student learning. Using a multiple case study approach, this study applies Argyis and Schon's (1976) Theory of Action to explore the espoused values and existence of Model I and II behavior characteristics. Argyis…

Nationally and in Indiana, the cultural mismatch can be seen in special education programs where minority students are overrepresented and most special educators are white (Arnold, 2003; Artiles et.al, 2005; Gaviria-Soto & Castro-Morera, 2005). Teachers in general and special education teachers in particular need to be culturally competent.…

The current study evaluated the efficacy of a training series designed to teach typical school-based behavior support professionals to build behavioral interventions from functional behavioral assessment (FBA) information. The study was conducted in three stages. First, a descriptive assessment examined the extent to which typical school team…

This study focuses on the experiences faculty had in the support provided to them in technology implementation and the role of faculty professional development to ensure its implementation. In today's world, higher education institutions are making a transition from a traditional way of teaching and learning to a blended approach where…

The period of transition from high school is challenging for most adolescents. There are a substantial number of life-changing decisions that transpire during this time. Choices must be made regarding career paths, continued education, future residence, and avenues for social activities and general integration in the community. Person-centered…

This dissertation proposal begins with a discussion about how the education of game programmers was not meeting the needs of the game industry. With this problem identified, this study proceeded to verify the existence of disparities of current game programming curricula. The findings from the literature review were able to: (a) justify the need…

In the hotel industry, social media marketing has become a new trend hoteliers are chasing and an increasing number of hotels are using social media to promote their business. However, the marketing effectiveness of social media is still a big challenge in both academic and business world. Since social media marketing is totally different from…

This study sought to evaluate the effect of participation in the Student-Guided Supports (SGS) curriculum on student behavior. The SGS curriculum was designed to teach students a set of simple behaviors to prompt and reinforce supportive teacher behavior. Student use of the SGS behaviors was hypothesized to initiate a constructive cycle of…

This dissertation study examines the effects of four teacher-led reading activities recommended by the reading teaching policy and student independent reading activity on the development of English language learners (ELL) reading proficiency at fourth grade in U.S. elementary schools. In this study, I first introduce the significance of studying…

Speech prosody is a multi-faceted dimension of speech which can be measured and analyzed in a variety of ways. In this study, the speech prosody of Mandarin L1 speakers, English L2 speakers, and English L1 speakers was assessed by trained raters who listened to sound clips of the speakers responding to a graph prompt and reading a short passage.…

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between career college students' perceptions of the online learning environment and their overall satisfaction with the learning experience. Additionally, student perceptions of the online learning environment were compared with those of their instructors, in order to determine…

This qualitative Case Study explored the integrative process of pre-service teachers' disposition development for cultural reciprocity and responsiveness. Over the course of ten months, pre-service teachers completed two Early Childhood Special Education practica in diverse urban communities. The pre-service teachers were placed in public…

The study aimed to explore how John A. Henschke's practice mirrors the andragogical theory espoused in his scholarship. This study offered interpretations held by three groups of individuals: colleagues, students, and John, utilizing 10 data sets. Data sets include: a) Focus group-current students, b) Modified Instructors Perspectives…