Organizations routinely try to find ways of optimizing performance, and one of these ways is through the use of digital sales playbooks. However, not enough is known regarding whether these playbooks impact organizational performance. Consequently, the purpose of this mixed methods research will be to examine whether salespersons perceive sales playbooks to influence sales performance in an organization. In order to better understand the impact of sales playbooks, a mixed-methods approach will be adopted. Quantitative data regarding sales performance will be collected through surveys and analyzed using SPSS. To provide context to the quantitative findings, qualitative data will be collected through interviews and analyzed. The combined findings will be used to address the research questions.

Previous research has been limited regarding the measurement of computational thinking, particularly as a learning progression in K-12. This study proposes to apply a multidimensional item response theory (IRT) model to a newly developed measure of computational thinking utilizing both selected response and open-ended polytomous items to establish the factorial structure of the construct, apply the recently introduced composite and structured constructs models, and to investigate the measurement invariance of the assessment between males and females using the means and covariance structures (MACS) approach.

The purpose of this study was to analyze and determine the predictive power of individual and a combination of different indicators that are used to determine college readiness. For this study a logistic regression analysis was conducted due to the dichotomous nature of the dependent variable. The dependent variable for the study was the earning of a post-secondary credential. The independent variables included high school diploma type, Advanced Placement course taken, Advanced Placement test performance, SAT performance, ACT performance, a multidimensional index made up of all the variables, and high school GPA. The study found that high school GPA had the strongest odds ratio, Exp(B), for the participants earning a post-secondary credential (Exp(B) = 6.597), followed by diploma type (Exp(B) = 6.316), taking an Advanced Placement course (Exp(B) = 4.368), earning at least one qualifying Advanced Placement test score (Exp(B) = 3.846), a multidimensional index (Exp(B) = 2.318), ACT score (Exp(B) = 1.161) and SAT score (Exp(B) = 1.003). Future analysis is needed by using live data of student's college performance, stratifying the data to account for differences in post-secondary performance by different racial and socio-economic groups, and studying the effects of the State of Texas' chosen college readiness variables.

Previous research has individually assessed parallel analysis and minimum average partial for factor retention in exploratory factor analysis using ordinal variables. The current study is a comprehensive simulation study including the manipulation of eight conditions (type of correlation matrix, sample size, number of variables per factor, number of factors, factor correlation, skewness, factor loadings, and number of response categories), and three types of retention methods (minimum average partial, parallel analysis, and empirical Kaiser criterion) resulting in a 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 3 × 4 × 5 design that totals to 5,760 condition combinations tested over 1,000 replications each. Results show that each retention method performed worse when utilizing polychoric correlation matrices. Moreover, minimum average partials are quite sensitive to factor loadings and overall perform poorly compared to parallel analysis and empirical Kaiser criterion. Empirical Kaiser criterion performed almost identical to parallel analysis in normally distributed data; however, performed much worse under highly skewed conditions. Based on these findings, it is recommended to use parallel analysis utilizing principal components analysis with a Pearson correlation matrix to determine the number of factors to retain when dealing with ordinal data.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Charles E. Heerman / This statewide study examined the relationship between building income level and performance level percentage distribution, using 502 schools that earned a 2005-06 Kansas Standard of Excellence (SOE) building-wide award for reading or math. It originated from the premise that excellence is excellence, no matter the setting or income level of a school. A new baseline of data began in 2005-06 due to changes in the Kansas assessments, including more grades being tested than in previous years. The much larger database more accurately reflected the achievement of low-income students in Kansas. Decades of literature were reviewed, addressing influences on the development of Kansas standards, assessments, and the SOE award; the lifelong significance of income levels and achievement; high achievement for low-income students; and the pursuit of excellence through equitable educational reform. For purposes of this study, SOE schools were sorted into six designated types of buildings based on percentages of students eligible for free and reduced lunches, assessed grade levels, and SOE subject award. Results were reported using aggregate building groups as the unit of analysis. A two-way, repeated-measures, mixed design ANOVA general linear model served as an appropriate method to examine means for significant differences. Low-income SOE schools were noticeably fewer than medium- or high-income schools, especially at the senior high level. Three types of buildings showed some significant mean differences, but generally income did not appear to be a major factor. High-income buildings appeared to have a slight advantage; in the Exemplary category, high-income buildings outperformed the others; in the lower performance categories, high-income buildings had significantly lower means. The mean differences for high-income middle school/junior high buildings showed mainly moderate to large differences; other significant differences were rated as small to moderate. SOE schools of a given educational level and of varying income levels generally had similar performance scores in most of the performance level categories. Overall, major differences in performances were not evident among the different income levels of SOE buildings.

The importance of the study is grounded in the need to increase the success rates at community colleges, which is critical for meeting national goals for college attainment and promoting upward social mobility. The majority of community college students arrive unprepared for college-level math and are placed into developmental math. A drive to increase math performance has focused on course redesigns incorporating adaptive learning technologies. While adept at adapting subject matter to students' individual needs, there remains the need to understand the role of student metacognition in the learning process. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between specific learner attributes and academic success in developmental math for students who are acquiring their skills through an adaptive learning technology environment. The Motivated Strategies of Learning Questionnaire, GRIT, and Mental Toughness Questionnaires were used to uncover relationships and differences between measured traits, student success, and demographic items such as age, gender, race, amount of time spent in paid work, and previous credits. Survey results were analyzed using a correlation research design and demonstrated significant relationships between time and gender, topics mastered and race, time and Motivated Strategies for Learning, time and self-regulation, and grade and emotional control. The study makes recommendations about how to best develop and leverage adaptive learning technologies in the future.

Le ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS) publie tous les ans des indicateurs (MELS, 2007) qui traitent de plusieurs aspects du système scolaire québécois. Quoique le MELS insiste sur l’obligation pour les écoles primaires et secondaires d’obtenir des résultats probants en termes d’« efficacité », les indicateurs utilisés pour apprécier la performance des écoles ne sont pas nécessairement conçus à cette fin. Une étude du MELS rapporte que les élèves de 5e secondaire éprouvent de la difficulté à obtenir de bons résultats à deux critères de correction (syntaxe et ponctuation, orthographe), parmi les six de l’épreuve unique de français écrit (MELS, 2008). Ce fait nous amène à nous intéresser à l’étude de la modélisation des liens entre des facteurs associés à l’environnement scolaire et les résultats des élèves de la région métropolitaine de Montréal, en ce qui a trait à ces deux critères pour les cohortes des années 2006, 2007 et 2008. Nous procédons d’abord à des analyses descriptives des variables pour chacune des trois populations. Nous poursuivons l’analyse en effectuant plusieurs modélisations multiniveaux multivariées des deux critères en fonction de variables indépendantes, caractéristiques de l’élève et de l’école. Les résultats de la présente recherche indiquent une relative stabilité dans la performance des élèves pour les trois années, avec une légère amélioration de la performance pour la cohorte de 2007, et qui se maintient pour la cohorte de 2008. Les élèves du secteur privé obtiennent de meilleurs résultats que ceux du public. Le résultat des filles est supérieur à celui des garçons et les élèves de langue maternelle française obtiennent de meilleurs résultats que ceux de langues maternelles différentes du français. Il importe cependant d’apporter quelques nuances dans l’interprétation de ces résultats. En outre, la part de variance dans la performance des élèves attribuable à l’élève est de l’ordre de 75,0 % et de l’ordre de 25,0 % à l’école. On note un effet différentiel des facteurs d’élève et d’école selon le critère considéré. Les variables caractéristiques de l’élève comptent pour 13,9 % de la variance totale de la performance des élèves en syntaxe et ponctuation et pour 9,8 % en orthographe. Les variables caractéristiques de l’école comptent pour 3,7 % de la variance totale de la performance des élèves en syntaxe et ponctuation et pour 6,4 % en orthographe. Certains facteurs d’école, comme la taille, la mixité ne semblent pas présenter un lien significatif avec la performance des élèves. / The ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS) of Quebec publishes every year educational indicators which describe many aspects of the school system. Although the MELS insists for elementary and high schools to have good results in terms of the effectiveness of their performance, the indicators that are used presently by the school’s system are not designed to appreciate their performance. A research by the MELS shows that secondary five high school students have some difficulty with two criteria (syntax and punctuation, spelling) out of the six for the French language examination (MELS, 2008). The actual research focuses on the modeling of links between school environment and student performances in the Montreal area over a period of three years. By using data from the MELS for years 2006, 2007 and 2008, this study investigates the relations between variables characteristics of student and school with the student performances. The analysis used descriptive statistics of the variables for each of the three years. We complete the analysis by doing some multilevel multivariate analysis. The results of this study indicated that there is a relative stability in student performances over the three years with a slight improvement in 2007 which continue in 2008. Students from the private sector performed better than those of the public sector. The girls continuously have better results than the boys over the three years period. Students with French as their mother’s tongue do have better results than those with mother’s tongue different than French. Nevertheless, some nuances are necessary for better understanding the interpretation of the results. Moreover, the part of variation in student performances is responsible for about 75,0 % to student level and for about 25,0 % to school level. We note some differential effects of student and school factors on the criteria considered. The student variables are responsible for about 13,9 % of the total variance in syntax and punctuation and for about 9,8 % in spelling. School variables are responsible for 3,7 % for the total variance in student performance for syntax and punctuation and for about 6,4 % for spelling. Some school factors, like the size of the school, the mix sex school do not seem to have any significant link with students’ performances.

Le ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS) publie tous les ans des indicateurs (MELS, 2007) qui traitent de plusieurs aspects du système scolaire québécois. Quoique le MELS insiste sur l’obligation pour les écoles primaires et secondaires d’obtenir des résultats probants en termes d’« efficacité », les indicateurs utilisés pour apprécier la performance des écoles ne sont pas nécessairement conçus à cette fin. Une étude du MELS rapporte que les élèves de 5e secondaire éprouvent de la difficulté à obtenir de bons résultats à deux critères de correction (syntaxe et ponctuation, orthographe), parmi les six de l’épreuve unique de français écrit (MELS, 2008). Ce fait nous amène à nous intéresser à l’étude de la modélisation des liens entre des facteurs associés à l’environnement scolaire et les résultats des élèves de la région métropolitaine de Montréal, en ce qui a trait à ces deux critères pour les cohortes des années 2006, 2007 et 2008. Nous procédons d’abord à des analyses descriptives des variables pour chacune des trois populations. Nous poursuivons l’analyse en effectuant plusieurs modélisations multiniveaux multivariées des deux critères en fonction de variables indépendantes, caractéristiques de l’élève et de l’école. Les résultats de la présente recherche indiquent une relative stabilité dans la performance des élèves pour les trois années, avec une légère amélioration de la performance pour la cohorte de 2007, et qui se maintient pour la cohorte de 2008. Les élèves du secteur privé obtiennent de meilleurs résultats que ceux du public. Le résultat des filles est supérieur à celui des garçons et les élèves de langue maternelle française obtiennent de meilleurs résultats que ceux de langues maternelles différentes du français. Il importe cependant d’apporter quelques nuances dans l’interprétation de ces résultats. En outre, la part de variance dans la performance des élèves attribuable à l’élève est de l’ordre de 75,0 % et de l’ordre de 25,0 % à l’école. On note un effet différentiel des facteurs d’élève et d’école selon le critère considéré. Les variables caractéristiques de l’élève comptent pour 13,9 % de la variance totale de la performance des élèves en syntaxe et ponctuation et pour 9,8 % en orthographe. Les variables caractéristiques de l’école comptent pour 3,7 % de la variance totale de la performance des élèves en syntaxe et ponctuation et pour 6,4 % en orthographe. Certains facteurs d’école, comme la taille, la mixité ne semblent pas présenter un lien significatif avec la performance des élèves. / The ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS) of Quebec publishes every year educational indicators which describe many aspects of the school system. Although the MELS insists for elementary and high schools to have good results in terms of the effectiveness of their performance, the indicators that are used presently by the school’s system are not designed to appreciate their performance. A research by the MELS shows that secondary five high school students have some difficulty with two criteria (syntax and punctuation, spelling) out of the six for the French language examination (MELS, 2008). The actual research focuses on the modeling of links between school environment and student performances in the Montreal area over a period of three years. By using data from the MELS for years 2006, 2007 and 2008, this study investigates the relations between variables characteristics of student and school with the student performances. The analysis used descriptive statistics of the variables for each of the three years. We complete the analysis by doing some multilevel multivariate analysis. The results of this study indicated that there is a relative stability in student performances over the three years with a slight improvement in 2007 which continue in 2008. Students from the private sector performed better than those of the public sector. The girls continuously have better results than the boys over the three years period. Students with French as their mother’s tongue do have better results than those with mother’s tongue different than French. Nevertheless, some nuances are necessary for better understanding the interpretation of the results. Moreover, the part of variation in student performances is responsible for about 75,0 % to student level and for about 25,0 % to school level. We note some differential effects of student and school factors on the criteria considered. The student variables are responsible for about 13,9 % of the total variance in syntax and punctuation and for about 9,8 % in spelling. School variables are responsible for 3,7 % for the total variance in student performance for syntax and punctuation and for about 6,4 % for spelling. Some school factors, like the size of the school, the mix sex school do not seem to have any significant link with students’ performances.

Les jeux sérieux sont des jeux vidéo spécifiques adaptés à l’enseignement (Prensky, 2000 ; Johnson, 2005 ; Alvarez, 2007). Les dimensions ludiques, informationnelles et communicationnelles sont ainsi censées s’articuler aux dimensions pédagogiques, didactiques, et instrumentales pour en faire des instruments facilitant l’apprentissage (Ortega et Caron, 2011). Ainsi, leurs potentialités en font un nouveau marché en pleine expansion (Yasmine, 2012). Étant donné que la formation continue du personnel des entreprises est une question qui revêt de plus en plus d’importance, celles-ci doivent trouver un compromis entre la formation de leur personnel et la productivité, afin de rester compétitives. Plusieurs entreprises se tournent ainsi naturellement vers les jeux sérieux. Depuis plus de quinze ans, Hydro-Québec organise annuellement des formations en présentiel d’initiation au code de sécurité des travaux et aux risques d’électrocution au personnel des entreprises contractuelles intervenant sur son installation électrique. Hydro-Québec veut s’inscrire dans cette mouvance, en choisissant d’intégrer une formation mixte constituée d’une journée en présentiel et d’un jeu sérieux présentant un meilleur coût d’opportunité par rapport à la formation présentielle de trois jours pour son personnel. L’objectif de la recherche consiste à produire une analyse comparative des deux modalités de formation, en se basant sur une recension de la littérature. Ce cadre d’analyse inclut notamment des éléments en lien avec l’apprentissage, la pédagogie, la motivation et le développement des compétences. L'étude est menée selon une approche quantitative, et repose sur un protocole quasi expérimental visant à comparer deux groupes : un groupe témoin et un groupe expérimental d’échantillons respectifs de 74 et 89 participants, choisis par convenance et issus d’une même population. Les résultats obtenus ont fait état d’une meilleure performance et d’un niveau plus élevé de motivation des participants à la formation mixte que ceux à la formation présentielle. Les résultats confirment également les affirmations théoriques de la corrélation positive de la motivation et de la performance des participants (Vallerand et al. 1989). Un modèle prédictif de la performance des participants met également en lumière le niveau modeste du pouvoir explicatif des connaissances antérieures, de la motivation des participants et du type de formation. Compte tenu du fait que l’étude veut apporter une réponse fondée sur une base scientifique aux gestionnaires du programme de formation, la recommandation de l’exploitation de l’application interactive pour la formation des intervenants dans les installations d’HQ trouve sa justification au regard des résultats ainsi obtenus. / Serious games are specific video games adapted to teaching (Prensky, 2000; Johnson, 2005; Alvarez, 2007). The playful, informational and communicative dimensions articulated with pedagogical, didactic and instrumental dimensions in order to forge instruments sustaining learning (Ortega and Caron, 2011). Thus, the potentialities create a new market in full expansion (Yasmine, 2012). As continuing education of personnel in various professional environments is a question of greater importance, we must find a compromise between the training of staff members and productivity to stay competitive. Many companies use Serious games for training staff. Fifteen years ago, Hydro-Québec began organizing yearly introductory training courses on the work safety code and the risks of electrocution for staff of contracted companies working on its electrical installations. Hydro-Québec wants to integrate a mixed training consisting of day classes and independent practice using Serious game with a better opportunity cost compared to the three-day classroom training for its staff. The aim of this study is to compare two training modalities, based on a literature review. The analysis includes the elements related to learning, pedagogy, motivation and skills development. The study used a quantitative approach and based on a quasi-experimental protocol comparing two groups: a control group and an experimental group of samples of 74 and 89 participants respectively, chosen for convenience and from the same population. Data analyses demonstrated better performance with higher motivation for participants of the mixed training than those who participated in the classroom training. The results also confirm the theoretical assertions of the participant’s motivation and performance (Vallerand & al. 1989). A regression model indicated that participant’s performance depended upon their knowledge base, motivation and the type of training at a modest level. Considering the fact, that the study would like to provide a scientific foundation for training program managers, it would be advantageous to utilize the interactive application for the training of intermediary staff operating within Hydro-Quebec installations, according to the results thus obtained.

No description available.