This phenomenological research study examines the lived experience of individual adult transformation in the context of travel. Adults throughout history have experienced profound personal and perception changes as a result of significant travel events. Transformative learning occurs through experience, crisis, and reflection, all of which are…

This dissertation is a grammatical description of several features of the morphology and phonology of the Mocho' language. Mocho' (Motozintleco) is a moribund Mayan language spoken in the Chiapas region of Mexico near the border of Guatemala. This dissertation, based on data collected during several field trips and supplemented with unpublished…

The purpose of this study was to research teacher and student perceptions of the impact of an advisory program at a large, suburban high school. The advisory program on which this study focused was created in August 2004. Kottler and Kottler (1998) note "it is through your relationships with students that you affect and influence them most…

This naturalistic inquiry explores the lived experience of five teachers through the first of a two-year professional development (PD) focused on environmental systems, outdoor education, pedagogical content knowledge, and building a community of practice. Qualitative data include participant interviews, participant journals, and researcher field…

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a predictive correlation between a specific sixth grade achievement test known as the Stanford Achievement Test 10 and the eighth grade college readiness assessment instrument known as the Explore Exam for a group of North Texas students. Following an assessment during sixth grade, via the…

The purpose of this research was to investigate if motor skills could be used as a differentiating feature between Asperger's Disorder (AD) and High Functioning (HFA) in children under the age of 9 years, 0 months, in order to provide additional information regarding the usefulness and validity of distinguishing these two disorders. There is…

This paper presents the results from a series of surveys distributed to school personnel from three different schools throughout the Positive Behavior Support (PBS) implementation process. The surveys used in this study were designed to measure the team members' acceptability of PBS, amount of support received, and satisfaction with training as…

The purpose of this study is to examine the coaching interactions of two literacy coaches and four classroom teachers in order to explore how these interactions serve to support teacher learning. The analysis of the study describes how the coaches support teacher reflection and teaching for processing strategies during guided reading lessons. The…

Recent research has indicated that when individuals recognize and gain understanding of their own problem-solving style preferences, personal learning and group performance can be enhanced (Treffinger, Selby, Isaksen, & Crumel, 2007, "An Introduction to Problem-Solving Style"). Further, adult learning theory suggests adults prefer a…

While many understand the need for improved pedagogy in advanced graduate school education regarding issues of race and racism, we also need to better understand what happens in classrooms when issues of racism are centered in the pedagogy. I employed qualitative methods to examine what happened when racism and antiracism were taken up as explicit…

The purpose of the current study is to examine the transition experiences of college students nearing graduation through the lens of occupational engagement. The construct of occupational engagement is defined as "...taking part in behaviors that contribute to the decision-maker's fund of information and experience of the larger world, not just…

A Nation at Risk, the National Center on Secondary Education and Transition, the United States Department of Education, and the Supreme Court have collectively created a venue for Special Education individuals to obtain successful living standards after secondary education experiences. The transition plan has been mandated by IDEA and whose way…

The purpose of this narrative inquiry research study was to explore how learning communities impact attitude changes of developmental college students. The qualitative research design enabled the researcher to determine attitudes, and changes in attitudes, via narratives shared by the participants about their personal experiences. The participants…

A large body of literature suggests the importance of examining certain high-risk behaviors, particularly aggression (overt/relational), as significant predictors of later outcomes as violence, substance abuse, and some forms of psychopathology. The literature also shows that agreement on these high-risk behaviors is inconsistent across raters.…

The purpose of the study was to determine if there was a correlation between principal leadership style and graduation rates of Latino and African American male students. The study also examined the principal leadership style to determine whether or not principal leadership style had an impact on the percentage of students graduating from high…