Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Special Education, Counseling and Student Affairs / Aaron H. Carlstrom / This study extends existing student ratings research by exploring how teaching methods, individually and collectively, influence a minimum standard of student achievement on learning objectives and how class size impacts this influence. Twenty teaching methods were used to predict substantial or exceptional progress on each of 12 learning objectives. Analyses were conducted in four class-size groups, Small (between 10-14 students), Medium (between 15-34 students), Large (between 35-49 students), and Very Large (50 or more students). Archival data were over 580,000 classes of instructors and students who responded to two instruments within the IDEA Student Rating of Instruction system: Instructors completed the Faculty Information Form, and students responded to the Student Ratings Diagnostic Form. Significant progress, for the purpose of this study, means students indicated they made either substantial or exceptional progress on learning objectives the instructor identified as relevant to the course. Therefore, student ratings of progress were dichotomized and binary logistic regression was conducted on the dummy variables. Descriptive statistics and point-biserial correlations were also conducted to test the hypotheses. Teaching methods that stimulated student interest were found to be among the strongest predictors of significant progress on the majority of learning objectives across all class sizes. For all class sizes, significant progress was correctly classified from a low of 76% of the time to a high of 90% of the time. The higher students rated the instructor in stimulating them to intellectual effort the more progress they reported on a majority of learning objectives across all class sizes. Higher instructor ratings on inspiring students to set and achieve challenging goals were also associated with significant student progress on learning objectives across all class sizes. Class size was not a major factor affecting the predictive strength of groups of teaching methods on student progress on learning objectives. However, it was a factor concerning the predictive strength of individual teaching methods. The larger the enrollment the greater was the predictive strength of key teaching methods. Implications of the study for faculty professional development and for future research are discussed.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Special Education, Counseling and Student Affairs / Doris W. Carroll / This study examined factors relates to student ratings of instruction and student levels of motivation. Data came from archival data of 386,195 classes of faculty and students who completed the Faculty Information Form (FIF), completed by the instructor, and the Student Ratings Diagnostic Form (SRDF) completed by the student from the Individual Development and Educational Assessment (IDEA) Center Student Ratings system. Descriptive statistics, correlation studies, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and pairwise comparisons were used to test the research hypotheses. Despite significant differences among student ratings of instruction and student motivation by course type, discipline, and student type, the amount of unknown variability in student ratings of instruction and student motivation is still very large. The findings from the study provide higher education institutions with information about differences between student ratings of instruction by institution type, course level, discipline, and course type as well as the impact of student motivation on student ratings of instruction.

Doctor of Education / Educational Leadership / Trudy A. Salsberry / Today’s teachers must not only be content experts, they must be reflective practitioners competent in both theory and complex learning processes. They must prove capable of constructing classrooms to meet the diverse needs of each child within a culture of global competition and high stakes testing. Beginning teachers are more effective when they enter classrooms with a strong identity and sense of self as teacher. Unfortunately, there is limited understanding of teacher candidate identity development and limited research on effective preparation strategies to strengthen the complex process. A two-staged instrumental-intrinsic case study was developed to collect and analyze candidate possible self-strategies. The investigation gave voice to an often-neglected source of insight, teacher candidates. The theory of possible selves, as proposed by Marcus and Nurius (1986), served as a framework for interviews conducted with thirteen candidates from a private institution in the Midwest. The researcher utilized results from previous applications of the theory to teacher education and extended findings by employing the strategy development process (Ibarra, 1999), an aspect previously unapplied to teacher preparation. Research findings provided insight into participants’ past memories and present motivations. While passive observation appeared to play a minor role in participant strategies, there was a heavy reliance upon future collegial support. Participants also valued intentional effective clinical mentors and suggested structured opportunities to promote dialogue and feedback. Results aligned with previous research that identified modeling of effective instructional strategies as essential to teacher educator quality. However, an additional attribute emerged, affective modeling. Participants attributed affective traits and actions of teacher educators to personal perceptions of collegiality and student-centered instruction. Findings support the utilitarian, investigative, and evaluative qualities of the theory of possible selves. The applied theoretical framework allowed for the assessment of participants’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions, aided in the identification of perceived preparation needs, and served as an appraisal of preparation program effectiveness. The collection and analysis of candidates’ hopes, fears, and process strategies served to inform teacher educator practice and increased understanding in regards to external and internal influences that shape professional identity development.

Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / Teresa N. Miller / The purpose of this study was to research, develop, and validate a handbook of effective strategies that Kansas school district leaders can use to increase their ability to maximize their school districts’ nontraditional funding. Kansas School District Leaders’ Handbook for Maximizing Nontraditional Donations and Grant Funding was developed using the research and development methodology as recommended by Gall, Borg, and Gall (2007) through a seven-step development cycle. The review of the literature, the needs assessment, and the proof of concept survey provided information for developing the outline and initial prototype for the final handbook. Non-educators in Kansas who had significant success in acquiring nontraditional funding and fostering entrepreneurial leadership throughout the state served as experts for the preliminary field test. Revisions were then made based on their feedback. The main field test was conducted with a representative group of Kansas superintendents, who were the potential users of the guide. These two groups of experts provided feedback by using a Likert scale and survey responses about the content and format of the handbook. Final revisions were based on the main field test evaluators’ feedback. The conclusions from the research project were: (1) there was a strong need for Kansas school district leaders to be educated regarding the proactive steps they can take in order to increase the possibilities for additional grant and donation funding for their school districts; (2) since Kansas’ state educational funding had been significantly reduced in Kansas during the years between 2008-2012, schools districts were forced to look at non-traditional options that could ease the strain on the districts’ general fund or provide additional resources for the schools during a downturn in the economy; (3) the development of a comprehensive handbook that blended theory, research, and practice for instructional leaders on how to conduct effective campaigns on acquiring additional revenue could be used to develop a mindset for Kansas school leaders to one that was focused more on the principles of entrepreneurial leadership.