Many factors influence the response rate of a survey or questionnaire. The BYU alumni questionnaire was initially a lengthy survey with over 200 questions. After a short version of the questionnaire was created and administered, response rates appear to have increased substantially. Male respondents appear particularly more inclined to respond to the shortened version compared to the long version. The questionnaire is examined through various statistical analyses and compared between the short and long versions. Results are presented in the context of existing research on response rates and response quality.

This paper sought to accomplish three goals. First, it provided a systematic, comparative review of several intelligent tutoring systems (ITS). Second, it summarized problems and solutions presented and solved by developers of ITS by consolidating the knowledge of the field into a single review. Third, it provided a unified language from which ITS can be reviewed and understood in the same context. The findings of this review centered on the 5-Component Framework. The first component, the domain model, showed that most ITS are focused on science, technology, and mathematics. Within these fields, ITS generally have mastery learning as the desired level of understanding. The second component, the tutor model, showed that constructivism is the theoretical strategy that informs most ITS. The tutoring tactics employed in the ITS stem from this paradigm. The third component, the student model, describes the several ways ITS infer what a student knows. It described the variety of data that is collected by an ITS and how it is used to build the student model. The fourth component, the interface, revealed that most ITS are now web-based, but vary in their capacity to interact with students. It also showed that user experience is underreported and ought to be included more in the research. Finally, the fifth component, learning gains, demonstrated that ITS are capable of producing learning gains equivalent to a human tutor. However, reporting learning gains does not seem to be a focus of the literature.

This mixed-methods study explores childhood trauma with a primary focus on the beliefs and attitudes of elementary school administrators in their ability to offer trauma-informed leadership and assist their teachers in trauma-informed care (TIC) and education. Participants at various stages of their careers were recruited from elementary schools across 10 U.S. states (N = 240). Employing an explanatory sequential mixed method design, Phase I assessed school administrators’ attitudes using the attitudes related to trauma-informed care scale (ARTIC-45) (see Appendix A). Phase II employed semi-structured interviews to collect qualitative data to explain further and clarify the quantitative results. Findings suggest that elementary school administrators have positive attitudes related to trauma-informed care. Findings also suggest years of administrative experience shows a negative statistically significant relationship while the number of TIC training hours shows a positive statistically significant relationship to attitudes related to trauma-informed care. Analysis also suggests no statistically significant relationship between years of teaching experience and attitudes related to trauma-informed care. A closer examination of the ARTIC – 45 subscales indicate elementary school administrators have negative personal support attitudes toward TIC implementation and negative feelings about the systemwide support they receive from colleagues, supervisors, and administration to implement TIC.

The intent of this thesis is to explore the current views and opinions that elementary school teachers, particularly Kindergarten through third grade teachers, have on the topic of handwriting instruction in their classrooms. Apart from the teachers, the views and opinions of selected Kindergarten through third grade students are also taken into consideration. Due to the advancement of technology and its prevalence in modern day classrooms, many consider handwriting, particularly cursive, a dying art, with keyboarding taking its place. However, research has proven that handwriting provides students with developmental benefits and helps to refine certain motor skills that keyboarding does not. To better understand the views of both teachers and students alike, the research design consists of teacher surveys and student focus groups to provide a better scope of understanding as to how teachers and students view this change in writing. The data is presented in the form of graphs and charts, which are then examined in detail.

This study examines the potential correlation between standardized testing and teacher practice. Building upon the conceptual framework, are constructs of school climate and assessment to develop themes such as leadership role, teacher role, district role, and coach’s role as well as teacher practice, classroom assessment, standardized assessment, and the alignment of curriculum to standardized testing. In discovering the parallel between standardized testing and teacher practice, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected through research and observations, but more importantly through a survey and focus group. Over a two-semester period, it became evident that there was an eminent parallel between each the themes and constructs within the conceptual framework, ultimately answering the research question. Although the data fulfilled the research question of this study, future research would require a more in-depth, longitudinal study in order to suggest possible ideas for solutions.

This research study originated as a result of a paucity of information available regarding how secondary welding teachers in Mississippi perceive the value of professional development they have received within the previous two years. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of Mississippi’s secondary welding teachers regarding how professional development had affected their teaching methods and collaboration with peers. Also, this study sought to determine whether the teachers had positive motivation in attending professional development activities, and how motivated they were to pursue their own professional development, other than school-mandated activities. Finally, the study examined the barriers teachers perceived to hinder them from pursuing their own professional development. The findings in this study revealed that Mississippi’s secondary welding teachers had a positive perception regarding how current professional development had changed their teaching methodology, student expectation, content comprehension, and confidence in teaching. Furthermore, respondents indicated that they had experienced enhanced collaboration with other welding teachers within the state as a result of professional development sessions; however, data revealed that collaboration between their academic counterparts was nearly nonexistent. Financial incentives and improving their teaching skill were found to be positive motivators for teachers. Personal costs, distance traveled to professional development sessions, and perceived value of professional development were determined to be barriers to attending professional development opportunities. It was recommended that future studies should include determining if welding teachers with welding certifications outperform teachers who do not have welding certifications, determine the consistency of laboratory equipment among school districts, whether the laboratory equipment in the local schools match those found in the actual employment environment, determine whether the teachers have the most up-to-date skills needed to match those skills found in industrial employment and investigate the perception of local businesses and industries about the quality of the student they have hired who graduated from Mississippi secondary welding programs. Lastly, it is recommended that administrators consider including academic teachers, career and technical teachers, and industry representatives in professional development activities to increase collaboration between stakeholders.

In order to provide evidence of the worth of the Summer Institute of the National Writing Project, this study sought to determine whether participation in the professional development would increase feelings of teacher efficacy in writing. The Summer Institute professional development is consistent with recommendations of researchers in teacher efficacy and in professional development. Albert Bandura?s social cognitive theory provides a contextual framework for both teacher efficacy and the Summer Institute. The study compared the pre- and posttest scores on the Teacher Efficacy Scale for Writing and Writing Orientation Scale (Graham, S., Harris, K. R., Fink, B. & MacArthur, C., 2001) reported by 65 teachers participating in the Summer Institute. The study investigated relationships between beliefs about writing and feelings of efficacy. Dependent samples t-tests showed statistically significantly higher posttest scores for personal teaching efficacy t(63) = -5.96, SE = 7.34, p < .001 and for general teaching efficacy t(63) = -2.96, SE = .11, p = .004. Statistically significant higher posttest scores were found in natural learning in teaching writing, t(61) = -4.87, SE = .104, p < .001. No statistically significant differences were found for correctness in teaching writing and explicit instruction in teaching writing. Correlation analysis of posttest mean scores indicated statistically significant correlations between personal teaching efficacy and explicit instruction in writing (r = .419, p = .001) and between mean scores in general teaching efficacy and correctness in writing (r = -.317, p = .012). Results suggest that participation in the Summer Institute could enhance teacher efficacy in writing and increase student performance on writing assessments. The Institute?s focus on process writing seems to be effective in changing teachers? perspectives on writing instruction. Results support a recommendation that types of professional development in which teachers have participated should be used as a source of variance in research on teacher efficacy. Other suggestions include allowing more time to pass before administration of the posttest or a third administration of the instruments to subjects after returning to classrooms and implementing the ideas.

Effective professional development offers opportunities for teachers to reflect on their practices, modify and implement changes in the classroom, and eventually impact students? learning. However, professional development must be evaluated to determine whether the desired results are actually occurring in the classroom. The Program for Research and Evaluation for Public Schools, Inc. (PREPS) created a Biology I Workshop series to assist school districts in Mississippi in aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessment that will ultimately improve student achievement in the classroom and performance on the current high-stakes test. This study evaluated the PREPS Biology I Subject Area workshops by using Thomas Guskey?s evaluation model as a guide for the process. This study used a mixed-method design and collected data from three primary sources: the PREPS Final Evaluation Form completed at the conclusion of workshops, a questionnaire created by the researcher, and interviews with six-case study teacher participants selected from the results of the questionnaire. According to the ratings and comments written on the two instruments and supporting evidence from the case-study teachers, the participants of the Biology I workshop found the workshops to be effective for all five levels of Guskey?s evaluation model. The content was rated effective because the workshop materials were aligned to the curriculum frameworks and were focused on using student learning to improve student achievement. Working through the activities rather than simply being told about them and having a successful classroom biology teacher as a presenter were the factors that contributed to the increase in the participants? knowledge and skills. Organizational results indicate that the workshop was effective in that the goals of the workshop series aligned with the schools? mission and goals for student learning. Several issues, such as financial support, time for collaboration with peers, and reward opportunity for successful teachers, were rated low in school organizational structures. The results also indicate that the PREPS Biology I workshops had a positive impact on student achievement both in the classroom and on the Mississippi Biology I Subject Area Test for the schools that implemented the teaching units and strategies.

The purpose of the study was to determine if the use of communication technologies account for reported computer anxiety in a community college setting. Specifically, this study was designed to determine whether there was a difference in usage of communication technologies and levels of computer anxiety of faculty in relationship to their job responsibilities, gender, age, computer experience, and number of professional development activities. A descriptive research design was used in this study. Data analysis included the frequencies, means, standard deviations, t-test, crosstabs, chi-square, ANOVA, and ANCOVA. The results indicated that there was not a significant difference among faculty in relation to job responsibility, gender, age, computer experience, and professional development and their level of anxiety toward the use of communication technologies. The findings of this study led to the conclusions that job responsibility, gender, age, and computer experience were not a statistically significant predictor of computer anxiety. Also, professional development did not influence computer anxiety or the computer skills of the faculty. On the basis of this study, it is recommended that: (1) administrators seek input from faculty for professional development, and (2) due to emerging technologies, establish another survey for current computer skills that may cause computer anxiety.

The 12 Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) are funded by the National Science Foundation and are designed to promote creative ways of disseminating marine science research and its importance to the public. The focus of this study is the COSEE Central Gulf of Mexico program which encourages active partnerships between research scientists and teachers. In these collaborative partnerships, teachers and scientists work together to create educational products and disseminate best practices in ocean sciences education. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the lesson plans and curricula created through the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence: Central Gulf of Mexico program (COSEE:CGOM), which are the products of this collaboration, were being used effectively in the classroom. The study addressed issues such as teacher perceptions of collaboration with scientists,effectiveness of COSEE:CGOM curriculum implementation in producing more ocean literate students, and teachers’ varying views concerning how to successfully implement new COSEE:CGOM knowledge and concepts into their classrooms in order to improve student scientific understanding. In addition, the study examined frequency of use of COSEE:CGOM lesson plans and identified predictor variables that can produce a model for understanding factors hindering or enhancing lesson plan use. Further, participant perceptions of using peer-teaching as a method for disseminating COSEE:CGOM information in their districts were addressed.