<p> Over the past fifty years, cheating among high school students increased substantially and affected the morale of students (Simha, Armstrong, &amp; Albert, 2012). According to a nationally representative survey of 36,000 U.S. adolescents, some 60% of high school students confessed to cheating on a test during the previous school year, and that the behavior among these students had spiked over the past 50 years (Murdock, Beauchamp, &amp; Hinton, 2008). Armenian high school students agree that cheating is morally wrong; however, their actions do not reflect this belief (Bowers, 1964; McCabe &amp; Trevino, 1996; Semerci, 2006). The study aims to address gaps in the literature by using Kohlberg&rsquo;s (1958) theory of moral development (as cited in Hannah, Lester, &amp; Lester, 2005) to examine how academic dishonesty, such as cheating, is associated with the moral development level of Armenian private high school students in Southern California, and the extent to which, if at all, this relationship is moderated by the degree of students&rsquo; performance orientation. No prior research is known to have been done with this specific cultural group in a high school setting.</p><p>

<p> The issue of guns and gun control is very complex especially since the passage of Campus Carry Law in the state of Texas. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore how decision-making administrators at four nonresidential community colleges in South Texas implemented Campus Carry Law. This study further seeks to examine how 10 decision making college administrators at four nonresidential community colleges in South Texas found a balance between following the state law, respecting individual rights, and at the same time maintaining a safe and secure campus community. Using qualitative research methods, the collections of data was conducted through an in-depth, unstructured interview. Analysis of the data presented three super ordinate themes supported by eight subthemes. </p><p> The study, ultimately, concluded that participants found balance and made meaning of the law by being self-aware of the influential and conflicting inner perspectives. The study also found that one&rsquo;s positionality can bias one&rsquo;s epistemology and to remain neutral one must remain open minded. The study also found that participant&rsquo;s rationale to remain neutral helped make sense of the implications of the law and not have their personal feelings influence their decisions. Lastly, the study found that participant&rsquo;s knowledge, experiences, beliefs, and values as professionals constructed meaning to the challenges faced by the ambiguity of the law. While the findings of the study added to the literature on Campus Carry, Sensemaking, and Framing further qualitative studies are warranted. To gain an insight into the multifaceted perspectives of Campus Carry, sensemaking, and framing theory, the following recommendations for future studies include qualitative methods to inquire and uncover the perspectives of students, faculty, and staff regarding campus carry law; qualitative methods to inquire how institutional leaders make sense of reform demands and adapt them to their institutional environments, and qualitative research which will look at the mobilization of people into action through frame analysis.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to investigate if and to what extent Northeast PA middle school principals&rsquo; use of a Transformational Leadership (TL) style related to their teachers&rsquo; perceptions of self-efficacy. TL includes four specific leadership behaviors: intellectual stimulation, idealized influence, inspirational motivation, and individual consideration. The sample included 217 middle-grade teachers (4^th&ndash;8^th) from six middle schools in four school districts. Instruments included: the Multi-Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) on Transformational Leadership (TL) behaviors, and Bandura&rsquo;s Teacher Self-Efficacy Scales (TSES). Transformational leadership and teacher self-efficacy were the theories used to undergird the study. Results indicated that principals&rsquo; TL style did have a statistically significant relationship with teacher self-efficacy in regard to total score (<i>r_s</i> = .331, p &lt; .001), and a statistically significant relationship with each of the four components of transformational leadership: intellectual stimulation (<i>r_s</i> = .301, p &lt; .001); idealized influence (<i>r_s</i> = .273, p &lt; .001); inspirational motivation (<i> r_s</i> = .289, p &lt; .001); and individual consideration (<i>r_s</i> = .243, p &lt; .001). Results revealed that teacher perceptions of their principals&rsquo; TL were related to higher levels of teacher self-efficacy. These results offer new insight and add to the existing body of knowledge on how principals can build higher performing schools by transforming teacher self-efficacy through attitudes of empowerment, growth, and improvement. The results of this study have implications for school leaders of all levels, educational researchers, and teachers in regard to facilitating teacher self-efficacy development by engaging in transformational leadership behaviors.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in the percentage of suspensions and expulsions between African American males and the combination of males of other ethnicities based upon school district settings of city and county in K-12 public school divisions in Region II of Virginia. The researcher analyzed archival data from approximately 65,000 males in Grades 2&ndash;10 enrolled in Virginia&rsquo;s public schools in Region II. To analyze quantitative data, descriptive statistics, such as the mean and standard deviation scores, were used as well as frequency distributions and measures of central tendency. Two two-way analyses of variance were conducted to understand if there was an interaction between the two independent variables (student ethnicity and school district setting) and the dependent variables (number of suspensions and number of expulsions). The study results indicated that there were no recorded expulsions in the data file, as the values were all 0. There were suspensions, however, and the results indicated that there was a statistically significantly greater proportion of suspensions among African American males than the combination of males of other ethnicities. Additionally, there was insufficient evidence to determine if a difference exists between city and county schools in the percentage of suspensions, nor was there a significant ethnicity&ndash;division-type interaction. The findings from this study may have important implications for educators and local and state policymakers who may be considering ways to improve discipline practices in public schools.</p><p>

<p> This exploratory mixed method convergent parallel study examined Connecticut Educational leadership preparation programs for the existence of mental health content to learn the extent to which pre-service school leaders are prepared for addressing student mental health. Interviews were conducted with school mental health experts and Connecticut school principals to learn what leadership competencies they believe are needed for pre-service school leaders to address the mental health conditions of students. Responses yielded 11 suggested leadership competency content categories which served as the basis of two researcher-developed surveys completed by Connecticut program course professors and pre-service school leader students rating the extent to which mental health content was included in course work and field experience. Program course syllabi were examined for mental health content. Findings from the three data sources suggest there is a dearth of mental health content in curricula, and insufficient attention to clinical internship experiences. Connecticut Educational leadership preparation programs could do better in preparing pre-service school leaders for addressing the mental health needs of students.</p><p>

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Boston University

<p> The goal of this study is to contribute to understandings of parent-school relationships involving parents of students with autism by exploring notions of belonging with a small group of parents. The purpose of the study is to describe the experiences of middle school parents of children with autism. From these descriptions, I examined how parents of students with autism might contribute to understandings of belonging in school-family partnerships and enable schools and families to collaborate more effectively. This study addresses an apparent gap in understandings of belonging of parents of children with autism in their relationships with their child's school. As parents are asked to make connections with their children's school in parent-school partnerships, understandings of those connections are vital to generating and sustaining meaningful and effective relationships between parents and schools. This study uses thick descriptive methods (Geetz, 1973) to examine the phenomenon of belonging in parent-school partnerships among a small group of parents of middle school children with autism. The experiences of the parents in this study suggest that parents of middle school students with autism seek a sense of belonging in their relationships with those they work with regarding their children's schooling. This study also suggests that a sense of belonging may be an essential element of effective parent-school partnerships.</p>

<p> The problem that undergirds this study is the communication and understanding gap that exists between parents of Long Term English Language Learners (LTELL) and educational institutions. The purpose of this qualitative study was to uncover what Latino parents of LTELLs understood about their children&rsquo;s language development as well as their academic standing. Using focus groups and interviews, the study examined how five parents of LTELL students communicated with their children&rsquo;s schools and what understanding they held about the educational programs and policies in the district. The study included gathering parents&rsquo; ideas for how to improve the current system of communication between parents of LTELLs and the schools. </p><p> By exploring parents perceptions, through counter-story telling, of what was communicated to them about their children&rsquo;s linguistic progress and academic placement, they made sense of current practices and determined future expectations between them and the school. Additionally, the study helped parents understand the academic trajectory and linguistic development of their children and the impact they can create by having their voices heard. </p><p> The analysis revealed four overarching themes. First, parents moved to the U.S. because they <i>desired for a better future</i> for their children. Second, the notion of <i>education versus la educaci&oacute;n </i> was explored, where parents expressed cultural and linguistic teaching expectations at home and at school. Third was the theme of <i>self-blame, </i> where parents tended to blame themselves, rather than the system, for their children&rsquo;s lack of language proficiency. Finally, parents highlighted <i>communication,</i> which they described as the core cultural and linguistic barrier at home and school. </p><p> Although the parents of LTELLs may unintentionally experience being uniformed and overlooked, they are highly concerned about their children&rsquo;s English language proficiency and academic placement. Their collective voices expressed the hope for a good education leading to a successful future.</p>

As dificuldades encontradas no processo de ensino-aprendizagem de disciplinas ligadas aos conteúdos de estudos quantitativos e suas tecnologias nos cursos de graduação em Administração, caso da simulação aplicada à Administração (HWARNG, 2001; JAIN, 2014), sugerem a busca por iniciativas capazes de proporcionar um ambiente de aprendizagem que integre teoria e prática empresarial conforme propõem as Diretrizes Curriculares do curso de Administração. Esta pesquisa tem por objetivo identificar os aspectos fundamentais para viabilizar o desenvolvimento do processo de ensino-aprendizagem de simulação aplicada à Administração, fundamentado na aprendizagem baseada em problemas (PBL - Problem-Based Learning), analisando as habilidades necessárias aos estudantes e professores para funcionamento do processo; o desenvolvimento e uso de problemas para contribuição à aprendizagem; os procedimentos relativos ao trabalho em grupo; e, o processo de avaliação. O estudo fundamenta-se no referencial teórico de ensino-aprendizagem em Administração envolvendo desde as abordagens pedagógicas até os métodos de ensino-aprendizagem, incluindo o PBL, onde destaca-se a sua utilização em Administração e o ponto central que são os problemas que viabilizam a aprendizagem, culminando na estruturação do seu processo de utilização. Os elementos que fundamentam a simulação são discutidos, enfatizando a aplicação da simulação no campo empresarial, habilidades gerenciais necessárias à modelagem e o ensino de simulação. O método de pesquisa classificado em estudo de caso com abordagem qualitativa envolveu a análise descritiva da aplicação do PBL por uma docente com apoio de um monitor em 4 turmas, perfazendo o total de 170 estudantes, na disciplina de simulação aplicada à Administração de um curso de graduação em Administração, em que foram utilizadas múltiplas técnicas de coleta de dados: observações, questionários, documentos e entrevistas. Considerando a estruturação do PBL em uma descrição das etapas de implementação do mesmo em sala de aula, foi realizada uma análise descritiva dos estudantes, através de um levantamento de seu perfil, desempenho e frequência nas disciplinas, e avaliação que esses estudantes realizaram do PBL apontando vantagens e desvantagens. A maioria dos estudantes (70%) apresentou melhoria de desempenho na disciplina e avaliou positivamente o PBL. Foram analisados 4 grupos de estudantes que obtiveram melhores e piores desempenhos na disciplina e que avaliaram mais positivamente e negativamente o PBL, verificando que não existe relação entre desempenho e satisfação com o PBL, mas existe um determinado perfil de estudante que prefere o método. Foi realizada uma avaliação da aplicação do PBL sob o ponto de vista da professora e do monitor. Por fim, foi concebida uma proposta de adoção do PBL em disciplinas ligadas aos conteúdos de estudos quantitativos e suas tecnologias em cursos de Administração, de modo a privilegiar a construção da autonomia do estudante para aprender a aprender, por meio da transformação do papel do professor, avaliação mais abrangente, uma maneira colaborativa de trabalhar em grupo e entre grupos, utilização da tecnologia como ferramenta de apoio e funcionamento do PBL com o uso de problemas. Conclui-se que o PBL pode melhorar o nível de desempenho, a participação e a satisfação dos estudantes, mas pode ser discriminante. Este estudo reforça o entendimento de que o PBL pode ser aplicado em uma disciplina de uma área de ensino problemática no curso de Administração, contribuindo para enfatizar a necessidade de mudança na educação gerencial, vislumbrando a oportunidade de ampliação da utilização do PBL na área de Administração e o desafio de desenvolver uma cultura em relação à aprendizagem. / The difficulties found in the teaching-learning process of disciplines related to the content of quantitative studies and their technologies in Administration undergraduate courses, in the case of simulation applied to Administration (HWARNG, 2001; JAIN, 2014), suggest the search for initiatives able to provide a learning environment which integrates theory and business practice as the Curriculum Guidelines of the Administration course propose. This research aims to identify the key aspects to enable the development of teaching-learning simulation process applied to Administration, based on Problem-Based Learning (PBL), analyzing the required abilities from students and professors for the process operation and the procedures related to group work and the evaluation process. The study is based on the teaching-learning theoretical framework in Administration, involving from pedagogical approaches to the teaching-learning methods, including PBL, where its use stands out in Administration and the central point, which are the problems that enable learning, culminating in the structuring of its usage process. The elements which underlie the simulation are discussed, emphasizing the application of simulation in the business field, the management skills necessary for its modeling and the teaching of simulation. The research method ranked as case study with qualitative approach involved the descriptive analysis of the application of PBL by a teacher with the monitor support in 4 classes, totaling 170 students, in the simulation discipline of an Administration undergraduate courses, where was used multiple data collection techniques: observations, questionnaires, documents and interviews. Considering the PBL structuring in one of the descriptions of its implementation phases in class with students, a descriptive analysis was done, through a students\' profile survey, their performance and frequency in the disciplines, and the evaluation which those students realized of PBL, pointing out advantages and disadvantages. The majority of students (70%) presented performance improvement in the discipline and evaluated PBL positively. Four groups of students were analyzed who obtained the best and worst performances in the discipline and that evaluated PBL more positively and negatively, verifying that there is no relation between performance and satisfaction with PBL, but there is a particular student profile that prefers the method. An evaluation of the application of PBL was carried out from the professor\'s and monitor\'s point of view. Finally, a proposal for the adoption of PBL was conceived in disciplines related to the contents of quantitative studies in Administration courses, in order to favor the construction of student autonomy to learn how to learn, through the professor\'s role transformation, broader evaluation methods, a more collaborative way of working in group and between groups, the use of technology as a support tool and PBL operation with the use of problems. It is concluded that PBL can improve students\' performance level, as well as their participation and satisfaction, but it might be discriminant. This study reinforces the understanding that PBL can be applied in a problematic teaching area in the Administration course, contributing to emphasize the necessity of changes in management education, glimpsing the opportunity expansion of PBL use in the Administration area and the challenge of developing a culture towards learning

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2009. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-06, Section: A, page: . Adviser: Donald G. Hackmann. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 159-164) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.