The persistence of second-year college students is gaining attention nationally. Vast resources have been dedicated to the retention of first-year students only to lose them at some point during the second year. Much of the research about the second-year experience is qualitative and focused on institutional inputs. This study examined pre-entry…

The qualitative phenomenological study explored the perceptions of educators and parents of African-American (K-12) school-age children on how the children were using technology. The study was conducted in the Memphis City Public School System (MCS) and was limited to three schools in a school district. Common themes emerged from the analysis of…

The purpose of the current study was to help understand scholarly activity better among counseling psychology doctoral students. Two new variables were added to the previously created predictor model of scholarly activity: advisory working alliance and research competence. Three path analytic models were designed in the current study: (1) a…

From Facebook to Twitter, ordinary citizens' use of social media to discuss, organize, and participate in the political process continues to grow in popularity (Davis, 2005; Rainie, 2005; Kohut, Keeter, Doherty, & Dimock, 2008). Researchers interested in this area have explored the demographics, patterns of behavior and motives of participants in…

This dissertation reflects the outcomes of a small school district that is successfully incorporating 21st century skills with the demands set forth by our current educational policy, No Child Left Behind. Considerations regarding globalization, future work force and work skills, definition of 21st century skills, supporting 21st century skills in…

The purpose of this study was to examine the roles and related leadership competencies traditional superintendents and nontraditional superintendents identified as significant in their work as superintendents. Moreover, this study explored key experiences from traditional superintendents and nontraditional superintendents and described how each…

This purpose of this research study was to investigate the role of effective principals and how that role relates to the improvement of adolescent reading skills. This research study identified three strategies that were utilized by principals in an effort to develop effective reading skills in adolescent students which are: (1) effective program…

This study is a qualitative investigation of the role that social networks play in the adjustment and academic success of international students. With large numbers of international students enrolled on US campuses, it is important for practitioners to prepare, understand and address their dynamic needs. Based on social network, social capital and…

This dissertation investigates clitic doubling of both dative and accusative objects in adult and child language. It reports on three experimental studies designed to discover the specific distributional properties of this phenomenon, with particular attention to the effect of "rheme" and "kontrast," two distinct concepts often collapsed as…

In this study the role of self-theories of intelligence and self-efficacy on adaptive help-seeking behavior was examined. One-hundred, first-year college students were asked to complete a highly difficult vocabulary task that would ensure universal failure. Performance attributions were assessed in order to determine the students' view of…

This causal-comparative, mixed-methods study examined the role of prior experience in the mentoring needs of first-year teachers from alternative certification programs in three Tennessee counties. Teachers examined were: teachers from traditional teacher education programs, teachers with no prior teacher education experience, teachers with prior…

Ensuring the success of P-12 public education is a moral imperative. Failure to produce students that are able to compete globally has serious implications to the success of America's economy. In addition, failing to address the academic needs of all students accelerates the achievement gap and leaves out groups of children that need help the…

The educational plight of Latino students in the U.S. is an increasing concern given the low achievement and attainment status of this population. Although many risk factors associated with underachievement are difficult to alter, parent educational involvement has been shown to positively impact learning outcomes. In this study, parental home-…

Considerable research exists on the importance of self-determination in the transition of students with disabilities from high school. Much of this research has focused on conditions in the family that may nurture and support the development of self-determined motivation. These conditions, as described by Self-Determination Theory, include support…

Language comprehension is a complex process in which multiple, including semantic and syntactic, representations of the material are constructed as the input unfolds. Sometimes more than one way to interpret a sentence or sequence of sentences is possible and reliable sources of information may mislead us into developing an ultimately incorrect…