The United States is experiencing a shortage of registered nurses, and institutions of higher education are unable to graduate enough prepared nurses to reduce this employment shortage. A significant relationship between personality traits and academic performance has been found; however, how personality traits combine with students' self-efficacy of job performance and stress susceptibility to impact nursing students' academic performance has yet to be demonstrated. This study, grounded in the five-factor model (FFM) of personality traits, self-efficacy, and stress theories, sought to determine whether self-assessments of the NEO-Five Factor Inventory, the Nursing Practice Self-Efficacy survey, and the Susceptibility Under Stress Survey would predict academic performance, as measured by grade point average (GPA). The sample consisted of 197 nursing students attending 2-year nurse education programs at 3 community colleges in the northeastern United States. This correlational, quantitative study examined the relationship among the personality traits of the FFM, self-efficacy of job performance, stress susceptibility, and the GPAs of nursing students. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the strength of the relationship among the variables. Self-efficacy and conscientiousness were significant predictors of GPA. Given that nurse education programs are a rigorous field of study with high attrition rates, the implications for social change include the addition of specific types of support for nursing students to facilitate their progress and success in a competitive degree program that will benefit them and address the nursing shortage, which ultimately benefits hospitals and patients.

Low graduation rates are a significant issue for colleges. The majority of higher education institutions in the United States offer learning communities (LCs), which have been found to be effective for improving course success and persisting to the next semester. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding the effectiveness of LCs with different types of populations and different types of LCs. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to identify the most effective types of LCs. Research questions addressed the effects of different types of LCs on different student success outcomes for community colleges. The study was based on Tinto's interactionist model of student departure and Astin's model of student involvement. Studies examining the relationship between student success and participation in college LCs provided the data for the meta-analysis. A random effects model was used to generate the average effect size for 39 studies and 50 individual effect sizes. The results showed that LCs are most effective with community college students when they include additional support strategies, counseling is available to students, one of the linked courses is an academic skills course, at least one of the linked course is developmental, and the focus is on increasing course success or student engagement. The implications for positive social change suggest that LC programs implement two linked courses, include an academic skills course, focus on developmental courses, and provide access to a counselor and additional student support strategies. In addition, LC programs are most effective when the goals of the program are student engagement and course success.

Community college graduation rates are low, and community colleges have been tasked with producing more graduates to meet workforce needs. Research has determined that engaged students remain at their institutions and complete their degrees. Service learning has been identified as a high-impact practice that engages students with their learning and builds connections between students and campus personnel. The majority of service-learning research, having been conducted with 4-year colleges and universities, may have limited applicability to the community college population. This qualitative descriptive case study describes how institutionalized service learning on 1 community college campus is structured, supported, and operated. The study used the framework of student success, service learning, and institutionalization to determine how the college provided resources and opportunities for service learning. Participants for the study were selected using mixed purposeful sampling to identify individuals recently involved with service learning at the college; data came from document reviews, campus and Internet observations, college staff interviews, and student group online discussions. Data were collected and analyzed using a spiraling technique. Findings indicated that the college's curricular and cocurricular service-learning activities were integrated throughout the campus in many departments and with different groups. While the service-learning coordinators made distinctions between curricular and cocurricular service learning, student participants did not make such distinctions. Students in this study were engaged with their service learning. These findings have applicability for all community college educators, demonstrating that institutionalized community college service learning might lead to greater retention through graduation.

Research on the Learning College indicates that everyone in the college must support learning. There have not been previous studies that centered on whether or not support staff, a major constituency group in community colleges, participates in supporting learning. This adapted phenomenological study examined staff in a Learning College to determine their understanding and application of the Learning College concept. Three research questions addressed how these employees understand the concept, perceive their roles, and apply Learning College principles. The study was conducted in a theoretical framework combining Learning College, change, and organizational culture theories. Data were collected from a purposive sample of full time employees classified by the human resources department as support staff using pre-screening questionnaires and in-depth interviews that were then coded and analyzed using a typological methodology. Themes identified emphasized learning, the availability of lifelong learning, and the importance of every employee. Support staff actions reflected some principles of Learning College theory, and though respondents understood their role in student success, they did not see this role as supporting learning. The study showed that staff do not fully understand the Learning College concept and believe that staff development would be useful in helping them support learning. With professional development, staff may gain greater understanding about supporting learning. The findings have the potential for impacting social change by: (a) helping support staff feel more valued, and, therefore, likely to perform more effectively; and (b) increasing staff understanding of student learning may give greater meaning to their work. Recommendations encourage college leaders to tap into the support staff as a resource.

Repeated poor performance by students with special needs on the Indiana Statewide Test of Educational Progress (ISTEP) in an Indiana middle school supported the need for instructional changes. Following the implementation of a full inclusion program, a problem arose in that the program had not been evaluated and effectiveness was in question. This study, grounded in the constructivist and social reproduction theoretical frameworks, is important in explaining the effectiveness of a fully inclusive school. Whether placing middle school aged children with special needs in inclusive classrooms in the middle school setting is an effective practice is the research question guiding this work. A program evaluation was used to determine effectiveness by examining same student test score data in math and English from 2005 through 2007. The 2007 test scores reflected the first scores following a full year of inclusion. The test score data were compared using repeated-measures ANOVA to study overall performance from year to year. The findings of the project show that inclusion had a significant positive effect on ISTEP scores and is an effective method of instructing children with special needs in the least restrictive environment. The information gained from this work could be used to provide improved learning opportunities for middle school students with special needs in their current setting as well as influence their future learning opportunities through high school and beyond resulting in positive social change. Students with special needs may realize higher graduation rates and academic success while this work could be used to guide the implementation of an inclusion program by examining the methods explained in this paper.

Esta pesquisa discute a alteração do Ensino Fundamental, gratuito e obrigatório, de 8 para 9 anos. Verificando, quanto se houve modificações ou não do direito democrático frente ao par quantidade e qualidade no Ensino Fundamental de 9 Anos (EF9). Referencialmente, definimos qualidade e quantidade como componentes indissociáveis de uma Educação democrática. Vogamos nos marcos legais e políticos do primeiro estágio da educação escolar brasileira, verificando como estes conduziram a Educação nacional da instrução primária ao novo Ensino Fundamental de 9 (nove) Anos. Verificamos as possíveis modificações do direito democrático de um ensino de qualidade que vem (ou não) se expressando nos 5 Anos Iniciais do Ensino Fundamental (EF) na nova organização escolar dada pelas Leis Federais n°. 11.114/2005 e n° 11.274/2006, pois elas estabeleceram: a obrigatoriedade para o país da matrícula no EF a partir dos seis anos de idade redefinindo a Educação Infantil (EI) à faixa etária de 0 a 5 anos de idade; e a reorganização do EF, com a ampliação em 1 ano de sua duração, passando de 8 para 9 anos. Verificamos as alterações nas matrículas, suas quantidades e qualidades educacionais (do Brasil e do Município de São Paulo) e verificamos o cotidiano escolar de uma escola da rede municipal paulistana sempre analisando as quantidades e qualidades educacionais, isto é, modificações no direito democrático à Educação. E, finalmente, elaboramos algumas considerações políticas e pedagógicas, em uma reflexão cotidiana vivida por professor-pesquisador, do EF9 que num processo em que a política pública do Ensino Fundamental de 9 (nove) Anos não foi introduzida no sistema educacional sozinha e produziu ou acarretou ou elencou outras políticas públicas, concomitantemente conferiu à Educação brasileira um grande dinamismo e trouxe, aos sistemas educacionais, novas situações dado que a cada nova política introduzida se gerou novas demandas (quantidades) que não estavam diretamente direcionadas à melhoria da Educação e estas novas políticas foram geradoras de novas burocracias, novos obstáculos ao direito democrático de um ensino com novas quantidades e qualidades para EI e o EF, este que por muitas vezes para não ter rumo ou apenas perseguir padrões distantes ou artificiais em relações aos estudantes e aos cotidianos escolares. Portanto, podemos afirmar que o Ensino Fundamental de 9 (nove) Anos não tem sido uma política de ampliação das oportunidades educativas, uma ampliação que tenha significado além da entrada das crianças de 6 (seis) anos no Ensino Fundamental; e, também, não tem sido uma política educacional de orientações para novos arranjos qualitativos nas relações pedagógicas. / This thesis is about the change of Brazilian elementary education, free and compulsory, that went from 8 to 9 years. Verifying, as to whether or not there was a change in democratic law in relation to the quantity and quality of the dialectical pair in the new Brazilian Elementary Education called \" Ensino Fundamental de 9 (nove) Anos \" (EF9). We define quality and quantity as inseparable components of a democratic Education.. We have taken on the legal and political milestones of the first stage of Brazilian school education, verifying how they have led the National Education of primary education to the new Basic Education of 9 (nine) Years. We also investigate the possible changes in the democratic right to a quality education that comes (or is not) expressed in the initial 5 years of Elementary School (EF) in the new school organization given by Federal Laws no. 11.114/2005 and 11.274/2006, since they established: the obligation for the country of enrollment in EF from the six years of age to redefine Early Childhood Education (EI) to the age group from 0 to 5 years of age; And the reorganization of EF, with a 1-year extension of its duration, from 8 to 9 years. We verified the changes in the enrollments, their quantities and educational qualities (from Brazil and the Municipality of São Paulo), and during the research we followed the school daily life of a school in the city of São Paulo always analyzing the educational quantities and qualities, ie, changes in the law Education. And, finally, we elaborate some political and pedagogical considerations, in a daily reflection lived by professor-researcher of the EF9 that - in a process in which the public policy Ensino Fundamental de 9 (nove) Anos was not introduced in the educational system alone and produced Or entailed or imposed other public policies, concomitantly - gave Brazilian Education a great dynamism and brought new situations to educational systems, given that each new policy introduced generated new demands (quantities) that were not directly directed to the improvement of Education and These new policies have generated new bureaucracies, new obstacles to the democratic right to a teaching with new quantities and qualities for EI and EF, which for many times not to have or only to pursue distant or artificial patterns in student relations and Of the Brazilian school system. Thus, we can affirm that the 9-Year Primary School has not been a policy of expanding educational opportunities, an extension that has meant beyond the entry of children of 6 (six) years in Elementary School; And it has not been an educational policy of guidelines for qualitative changes in pedagogical relationships.

With the implementation of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB), all schools are held accountable for student achievement. One southern US Title I school failed to meet NCLB mandated math standards for several years and was placed on program improvement. The purpose of this study was to compare math achievement of 34 students in fifth grade using differentiated instruction via Math out of the Box (MOOTB) and math achievement of 34 students in fifth grade using traditional textbook instruction. A second purpose was to determine if there was a difference between student attitudes toward math relative to confidence, value, enjoyment, and motivation. The theoretical base for this study is rooted in the works of Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, Bruner's psychological theory, Piaget's concrete operational theory, and Tomlinson's differentiated instruction theory. In order to examine the differences in math achievement based on the two instructional approaches, a quasi-experimental nonequivalent (pretest-posttest) control group design was implemented with scores analyzed using the one-way analysis of covariance. The univariate analysis of variance was used to compare the differences between MOOTB and traditional fifth grade students' attitudes toward math relative to confidence, value, enjoyment, and motivation. The findings from the study showed improvements in both instructional groups on MAP posttest, but differences between the groups on math scores were not significant. The main effect for socioeconomic status was significant. A significant difference in students' attitudes toward math relative to enjoyment was noted. This study has the potential to provide school systems with alternative ways to increase student achievement which is an important implication for social change.

Several decades of research document a growing communication gap between older adults and younger generations, with retirees limiting the information they share with younger generations. This limitation is often due to older adults' low self-efficacy and technology as a communication distraction, a trend which has resulted in the loss of intellectual capital for younger generations. The purpose of the study was to understand and increase knowledge transfer between retirees and unrelated younger people in a rural Canadian community. Communication theory of identity and social cognitive theory provided the research frameworks. The research questions examined what knowledge retirees could pass down, retirees' reasons for sharing knowledge, and the community's influence on generational communication. A qualitative case study incorporated several data sources including in-depth semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups (N = 40), and an analysis of existing literature. Transcribed recordings and field note analysis using open coding and peer debrief review resulted in 5 emergent themes. Key findings indicated participants felt they had little or nothing to share despite a variety of life experiences, found communication success with nontechnology-based catalysts, and felt the community has closed social circles. Transferring identity during retirement was difficult for many participants, a finding which supported the resulting project: a retiree social transition workshop. These findings suggest that those approaching retirement may benefit from identity transition support from employment to retirement, resulting in increased well-being in retirement, increased self-efficacy and motivations, and improved knowledge transfer to younger generations.

Computer-based testing (CBT) in education is on the rise; however, researchers question the interchangeability of CBT and pencil-based testing (PBT). Educators and leaders need to consider test mode interchangeability and student assessment preference prior to adopting CBT in K-8 schools. Following the new literacies theory, this mixed methods study examined test mode preference, the effect on achievement, and factors that influenced student preferences. Research questions investigated participants' computer attitudes and use to determine test mode preference, the impact of test mode and test mode preference on achievement, and factors that influence testing preferences. This sequential explanatory within-group design included 2 online surveys and 2 reading tests in CBT and PBT formats. Paired-sample t tests were used to analyze reading test data preferred and nonpreferred test modes and across CBT and PBT test modes. Qualitative themes were generated and coded using an inductive approach, and patterns among data were analyzed. Findings revealed that all participants used technology regularly at home and at school, and most students preferred CBT over PBT. Quantitatively, there were no significant differences in reading achievement between students' preferred and nonpreferred test modes or between CBT and PBT test formats. Qualitative analysis indicated that students who chose PBT as their preferred test mode did so due to their familiarity with the format. Overall, results supported the idea that CBT and PBT were interchangeable. Implications for positive social change include increasing teachers' effective use of testing modes to improve student confidence, which may translate into improved student achievement.

According to the Office of Educational Research and Improvement: A Project of the Stanford Institute for Higher Education Research, graduation rates for Native Americans from both secondary and post secondary institutions are dismally low at 58% and 7%, respectively. Some research addresses cognitive preference and other ethnic identity, but research animating the cognitive preference---ethnic identity interplay for high school students is absent. These limitations in access to educational opportunities lead to abbreviated quality life experiences and a restriction in individual efficacy and collective agency. The following project assessed ethnic identity using Phinney's Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure and cognitive preference using Kolb's Learning Styles Inventory version 3.1. The research used both the aforementioned metrics to analyze cognitive preference and ethnic identity for 73 high school participants through the use of both categorical and continuous variables. Analytical procedures utilized descriptive statistics, chi-square analysis, bivariate correlation, and analysis of variance. This research confirmed that Anglos and Native Americans have statistically different cognitive preferences, and those preferences were correlated with their ethnic identity. It is recommended that education better meet the needs of the Native American student by emancipating them from an educational system founded and perpetuated on an orientation to the majority's cognitive preference by including multiple information acquisition and processing modalities. Including a range of cognitive preference pedagogies in the classroom will lead to a more equitable educational landscape where the Native American student has the opportunity to be a more successful student.