This study explores learners’ online peer review practices during a four-week second language writing project. The project was developed at the college level, in a multi-section upper-level Spanish writing course. Using theories relevant to second language acquisition and second language writing the goals of the study were multiple: (1) to identify the types of comments students used and explore peer review in terms of the givers’ and receivers’ roles, (2) to examine students’ attitudes and self-perceptions about peer review, and (3) to develop an understanding of how students’ attitudes and self-perceptions may influence their feedback-giving procedures. The three goals were addressed using different methods of inquiry, and the findings obtained in the first phase guided the analysis that took place during the second phase. In the quantitative phase, the analyses of data sources (e.g., feedback comments given and received and students’ written drafts) show that giving feedback is a better predictor of final performance than receiving feedback. This principle of learning by reviewing is most evident when students offer feedback that identifies problems, gives a justification, or explains positive elements in the peers’ text. The qualitative phase builds on the quantitative results: it zooms in to the role of the feedback giver to further explore participants’ attitudes and perceptions towards peer review. The analyses of data sources (e.g., pre-study questionnaire, participants’ interviews and peer review simulation activity, and the teacher-researcher reflective journal) show that students do self-position themselves into a specific feedback-giving role. Moreover, the study also confirms that students’ perceptions regarding their attitudes and the comments they give to peers accurately corroborate their actual peer review performance. By combining both methods of inquiry, quantitative and qualitative methods, this study further examines the specific procedures that two case study students follow when offering feedback to a peer. In particular, the procedures for offering problem identification, suggestion, and explanation of the praise comments are analyzed in detail. The results are further interpreted through the lenses of the feedback-giving roles assumed by each of the case study students. Based on the overall findings, the study suggests broadening the notion of feedback: from a unilateral perspective in which comments are addressed from feedback givers to receivers, to a multilateral perspective in which the comments offered are meant to benefit both feedback givers and feedback receivers. The study ends with pedagogical implications for second language learning, implications for the field of second language acquisition, and perspectives for future research.

As the use of technology for personal, professional, and learning purposes increases, more and more assessments are transitioning from a traditional paper-based testing format to a computer-based one. During this transition, some assessments are being offered in both paper and computer formats in order to accommodate examinees and testing center capabilities. Scores on the paper-based test are often intended to be directly comparable to the computer-based scores, but such claims of comparability are often unsupported by research specific to that assessment. Not only should the scores be examined for differences, but the thought processes used by raters while scoring those assessments should also be studied to better understand why raters might score response modes differently. Previous comparability literature can be informative, but more contemporary, test-specific research is needed in order to completely support the direct comparability of scores. The goal of this thesis was to form a more complete understanding of why analytic scores on a writing assessment might differ, if at all, between handwritten and typed responses. A representative sample of responses to the writing composition portion of a large-scale high school equivalency assessment were used. Six trained raters analytically scored approximately six-hundred examinee responses each. Half of those responses were typed, and the other half were the transcribed handwritten duplicates. Multiple methods were used to examine why differences between response modes might exist. A MANOVA framework was applied to examine score differences between response modes, and the systematic analyses of think-alouds and interviews were used to explore differences in rater cognition. The results of these analyses indicated that response mode was of no practical significance, meaning that domain scores were not notably dependent on whether or not a response was presented as typed or handwritten. Raters, on the other hand, had a more substantial effect on scores. Comments from the think-alouds and interviews suggest that, while the scores were not affected by response mode, raters tended to consider certain aspects of typed responses differently than handwritten responses. For example, raters treated typographical errors differently from other conventional errors when scoring typed responses, but not while scoring the handwritten duplicates. Raters also indicated that they preferred scoring typed responses over handwritten ones, but felt they could overcome their personal preferences to score both response modes similarly. Empirical investigations on the comparability of scores, combined with the analysis of raters’ thought processes, helped to provide a more evidence-based answer to the question of why scores might differ between response modes. Such information could be useful for test developers when making decisions regarding what mode options to offer and how to best train raters to score such assessments. The design of this study itself could be useful for testing organizations and future research endeavors, as it could be used as a guide for exploring score differences and the human-based reasons behind them.

The goal of this study was to understand how a secondary principal uses a distributed perspective of leadership to support informal teacher leaders (ITLs) to improve classroom technology integration. Using a phenomenological lens, I employed a multi-site case study to inform the research goals. A conceptual framework based on Bandura’s (1977) social learning theory and Wenger’s (1998) communities of practice theory was used to guide the study’s methods and data collection. Data were collected in three phases. At each site, the first phase consisted of a digital survey with only closed-ended questions that was administered to all classroom teachers. The survey was analyzed using social network analysis to identify the ITLs at each school. During the second phase, individual interviews with the ITLs and the principal as well as a follow-up focus group interview with ITLs at each school were conducted. During the final phase of data collection, I observed the ITLs at work to understand how they embodied informal teacher leadership. Analyses of diverse data revealed how a principal influences the nature of informal teacher leadership in a school. Findings revealed that principals establish cultural expectations using teacher voice in leadership decisions, modeling the effective use of education technology, providing in-school and out-of-school leadership opportunities for ITLs, and establishing expectations for all teachers to assume roles of instructional leadership. It was clear in this study that although principals are not directly connected to the informal leading and learning network that occurs in a school, they indirectly influence the informal network by establishing school-wide cultural expectations for informal teacher leadership and by personally interacting with the ITLs.

Health care providers’ (N = 421) implicit perceptions of pregnant women based on age, race or ethnicity, marital status, and socioeconomic status are assessed through a true-experiment design. Ordinal and binary regression analyses revealed that respondents felt more pity for an unmarried than married pregnant woman and more anger toward an unemployed pregnant woman without health insurance compared to a pregnant woman who was employed with health insurance. Male, Asian, and Hispanic respondents were less likely to help the pregnant woman, Black and protestant respondents were more likely to express some degree of anger toward the pregnant woman, and male and protestant respondents assigned more responsibility to the woman for her pregnancy. Additionally, respondents’ open-ended suggestions varied based on the pregnant woman’s characteristics. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Despite conditions that would work against a small rural school in an impoverish area of rural Kentucky, Fairway Elementary School has managed to excel in its accountability measures. This study used a mixed-methods approach with data collected through interviews and MAP student growth scores in reading and mathematics. Five themes emerged from the qualitative data regarding school success: (1) a well-organized intervention system, (2) a focus on and overall enjoyment of the discipline of mathematics, (3) involvement of parents in school functions, (4) transparency of needs and organization of resources, and (5) an overall school culture that is competitive, impactful, and student-centered. Quantitative data revealed large improvements in student growth in reading and mathematics after the adoption of standard-aligned curricular programs in both subjects. Fairway Elementary continues to succeed in their efforts to improve not only student achievement, but the culture of their school within an impoverished community.

The prevalence of adults 65 years of age and older with significant pain is 25% to 50%, with many experiencing pain on a daily basis. The financial toll due to chronic pain is staggering; American's spend nearly $635 billion annually on health care. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to better understand the relationship between resilience, general health, and chronic pain in older adults. The quantitative question pertained to the relationship between resilience and both levels of chronic pain and general health in elderly chronic pain patients, and the qualitative question addressed participants' lived experiences of chronic pain. Resilience theory, which suggests that individual strengths enable people to rise above adversity, grounded the study. Participants were between ages 65 and 75 and were recruited from 3 pain centers and through the Survey Monkey participant pool; they included 55 older adults with chronic pain who responded to surveys (including Resilience scale, the Pain Impact Questionnaire-Revised (PIQ-R) Pain scale, and the Short Form 12 item (version 2) (SF-12v2) Health Survey, and 10 of them also participated in interviews. Regression analyses found no statistical relationships between resilience and either chronic pain or general health. Interview participants noted that to cope with pain they used personal strength, a positive outlook, religion, spirituality, pain management, physical activity, rest/sleep, managing their life, and religion and spirituality. Resilient behavior was inherent across various pain diagnoses, and participants appeared to place a great value in the social networks formed throughout life. These findings may help medical practitioners have a better understanding of the relationship between chronic pain and resilience in an aging, at-risk population.

Honors programs (HP) play an important role in defining the organizational culture of colleges and universities. In the college selected for this study, 30% of its honors students attrite to nonhonors programs, usually due to subpar grade point averages (GPAs). Using Sternberg's augmented theory of successful intelligence, a mixed-methods approach was employed to better understand how selection metrics related to HP student success. The ex post facto design included a 5-year (2009-2014) census sample of 375 HP students. Correlation and regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between college GPA and HP admissions metrics such as standardized test scores and measures of high school quality, schedule strength, rank, and GPA. The quantitative results indicated that only ACT test scores and high school GPA were weakly predictive of college GPA. The qualitative component focused on Sternberg's creative and practical intelligences to guide an exploration of HP admissions criteria with 2 admissions officers and 5 HP faculty members who were chosen for participation because of their direct involvement with selecting and teaching HP students. The qualitative results indicated the participants were interested in adding 3 components to the HP admissions criteria: art and music grades from high school, advanced epistemological thinking, and the ability to connect to faculty and resources. A white paper is included at the end of this study to help guide the process of revisiting admissions criteria to improve HP student completion. Positive social change is achieved, and both students and colleges benefit, when colleges more accurately enroll students into the academic programs they are most likely to complete.

Mentoring is defined as a reciprocal relationship between a less experienced individual (protégé) and a more experienced individual (mentor) that has consistent, regular contact over a period of time and is intended to promote mutual growth, learning, and development within the career context (Haggard, Dougherty, Turban & Wilbanks, 2011; Kram, 1985; Ragins & Kram, 2007). Inherent in this definition of mentoring is that individuals learn, develop, and grow from their mentoring interactions. Despite this, limited research explores the learning that occurs from mentoring relationships. The purpose of this study is to examine what mentors learn from mentoring experiences and how these experiences relate to mentor outcomes. The outcomes include mentoring self-efficacy, mentor behavioral change intentions, and mentor learning. I draw on the relational mentoring perspective (Ragins, 2012) and social learning theory (Bandura, 1971, 1977) to ground my hypotheses. My hypothesized model addresses three broad research questions: 1) What do mentors learn from their experiences with their protégés? 2) How do mentoring experiences relate to learning? and 3) Under what conditions do mentoring experiences relate to learning? I conducted a mixed methods study in an academic setting. My population included professors in North American doctoral granting universities and the PhD students they mentored. After identifying interested professors (mentors), I asked mentors to send study information to their PhD students (protégés). Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected via electronic survey. Surveys were time-lagged with three waves over a four month period. I found that mentors gained mentoring-specific, occupational-specific, and relational knowledge from mentoring their protégés. Additionally, mentors identified specific changes they wished to make to their mentoring behavior from their experiences with their protégés. I found that protégé positive role behavior and mentor positive psychosocial behavior were directly and positively related to career mentoring self-efficacy. Mentor positive career behavior was positively related to behavioral change intentions and protégé positive role behavior was positively related to relationship quality. I found that relationship quality did not mediate the relationship between role behaviors and mentor learning outcomes. Finally, I did not find support for the moderating effects of internal attribution for relationship quality, growth mindset, and feedback seeking. This study makes four specific contributions to the management field. First, research in mentoring often confounds relationship quality with behavior (e.g., Eby, Butts, Lockwood, & Simon, 2004; Eby, Durley, Evans, & Ragins, 2008) and outcomes (e.g., Eby, Butts, Durley, & Ragins, 2010; Ragins, 2012). By studying role behaviors, relationship quality, and mentor learning outcomes as distinct constructs, I provide clarity and an avenue for future mentoring research. Second, this study contributes to the mentoring literature by demonstrating what and how mentors learn from mentoring experiences. A significant contribution of this study is the identification of three types of mentor learning and behavioral change intentions. Third, I examined the theoretical explanation for mentoring role behaviors and mentor learning outcomes. Whereas I found that relationship quality did not explain the relationship between role behaviors and mentor learning, leader-member exchange provides a promising avenue for future research. Finally, I introduced mentoring self-efficacy as an important outcome of positive mentoring relationships, with mentors experiencing increased self-efficacy through positive experiences with their protégés.

The objectives of this study were to: 1) create a measure of PBRN clinician member individual performance; 2) produce a rich description of PBRN directors' leadership behaviors and styles; and, 3) identify significant relationships between PBRN director leadership-PBRN clinician member performance. A sequential, exploratory mixed methods design was used to interview and survey PBRN directors and non-director participants. In Phase I, a semi-structured interview guide was used to identify PBRN director leadership behaviors, PBRN non-director performance behaviors and expectations, and decision making activities. A clinician member performance measure was created using a validated behavioral item extraction method. A thematic analysis was conducted on all other data. In Phase II, two quantitative surveys were administered to PBRN directors assessing demographics, membership activity, PBRN productivity, and clinician member performance. One survey was administered to PBRN clinician members assessing their demographics, activity level, and their perceptions of PBRN leadership behaviors. Clinician member performance within PBRNs is a multidimensional construct distinct from participation that is comprised of ownership and engagement aspects, although there is some evidence of a further division into leadership, awareness, follow-through, and communication factors. Collaborative leadership was reported as being distributed to all roles in the PBRN, but is primarily inculcated by a collaborative PBRN director. Time and funding were reported as important resources necessary for the completion of PBRN activities, and are increasingly becoming more limited in their availability. PBRNs engage in a variety of projects and other activities carried out and monitored through ongoing collaborative communication and consensus-based decision making efforts. Top-down decision making patterns by PBRNs have negative relationships with measures of productivity. Directive and participative leadership behaviors do not appear to have direct relationship with clinician member performance, but years of involvement in current PBRN does have a positive association. However, further investigation is necessary to replicate these findings in larger samples. Aiding busy clinicians with engagement through use of central staff may be beneficial. PBRN directors should focus on strengthening collaborative culture of their PBRN and minimizing barriers to effective communication and decision making.

In this study, I aimed to build on a line of research focused on using technology-based, self-management interventions for students experiencing behavioral difficulties in a classroom setting. I analyzed the effects of an iPad application (app) called SCORE IT (Bruhn, Goin, &Hasselbring, 2014) on the behavior of three 5th grade students with, or at risk of an emotional and behavioral disorder (EBD) who were exhibiting low rates of academic engagement in a general education environment. I also aspired to gain an in-depth understanding of a teacher’s perceptions of the feasibility and value of the intervention, SCORE IT. This study was conducted using an embedded, experimental mixed methods design. Quantitative data using direct observation of student behavior was graphed and analyzed to determine if a functional relation existed between SCORE IT and student behavior (academic engagement). Qualitative data, consisting of teacher interviews and electronic journal entries, were merged with quantitative data from the Intervention Rating Profile 15 (IRP-15) and analyzed to assess the extent to which the teacher perceived the intervention to be practical and valuable. Overall, the SCORE IT intervention resulted in significant improvements in academic engagement and teacher perceptions of the feasibility and worth of the intervention were reported as highly favorable. Study limitations and future directions for research are discussed.