Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Dallas, 2007. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 261-268)

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (PH.D.) -- Syracuse University, 2006 / "Publication number AAT 3241865."

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Texas State University-San Marcos, 2006. / Vita. Appendices: leaves 150-166. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 167-175).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Duquesne University, 2008. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 102-107) and index.

<p> While research studies have revealed an association between students&rsquo; attitudes toward mathematics and achievement in mathematics, divergent results shift the research focus to the construct of attitudes and from a normative approach to a qualitative approach. This mixed-methods multiple-case phenomenological study captured the real-time classroom origins of eight attitude profiles through the use of the experiencing sampling method (ESM). A total of 75 students, representing one low-, one middle-, and one high-performing middle school in New Hampshire, participated in the ESM study and 11 students were interviewed. A total of 477 random classroom moments were captured and 3988 students&rsquo; statements were coded. Quantitative results revealed differences in the distributions of attitude profiles across performance levels and the proportion of students within certain attitude profiles. Results suggest that students&rsquo; attitudes change over time, and the distribution of the number of attitude changes does not differ across performance levels. Eight themes emerged from a holistic coding process, and a systematic coding process resulted in detailed descriptions of the eight attitude profiles. Students tended to exhibit positive self-perceptions as learners toward mathematics and their perceived competence was linked to the success they experienced. Test and quizzes dominated classroom activities among all four attitude profiles with a negative emotional dimension. The analysis revealed differences in classroom activities and their impacts on the various profiles, including the use of technology, real-world connections, quizzes and tests, homework, working problems, and students&rsquo; perceptions of their teachers, the enjoyment of mathematics, and the difficulty of the material.</p><p>

This descriptive and interpretive study explores the problem of school funding uncertainty in Massachusetts. Information from three main strands converges on the achievement status of today's Massachusetts students: the history of school funding since the earliest permanent English-speaking settlements, the municipal budget-making process in Massachusetts as it affects school funding, and the state budget-making process in regard to its effect on the funding of public K-12 education. Clearly the history of school funding mirrors social and economic issues in the 400-year period reviewed. Definition of social and economic needs of the citizenry has been a continuous political process. Who has had the power to define the needs has affected the funding of public schools. The municipal school funding process in Massachusetts is reviewed both as an annual procedural cycle and as a product of ongoing politically sensitive relationships at the local level. Its effect on the funding of public K-12 schools is influenced by the credibility and political effectiveness of the school district leadership. Funding of public schools by the state is also reviewed both as an annual procedural cycle and as a product of the political give and take that legislators rely upon to get their own agendas supported. Against this background of the past history and current process of allocating resources for public K-12 schools, student achievement scores are examined relative to money provided for schools. A statewide pattern showing money reflected in student achievement is found--both public money and personal money. This study concludes that in Massachusetts, while the uncertainty of school funding continues from year to year regardless of the 1993 Education Reform Act, a sufficient and stable flow of money to the schools is necessary to prepare students adequately for the future. Suggestions for further study and for local action are detailed.

In the decades following World War II American higher education enjoyed a period of unprecedented growth and development. By the 1970s, however, it was clear that the growth curve was flattening. The prospect of fiscal stringency sparked interest in formal planning, and campuses experimented with Program Planning Budgeting Systems (PPBS) and other "rational" planning approaches. As the 1980s unfolded, however, the sense that fiscal problems would persist deepened, and the emphasis shifted to effectiveness. "Strategic" approaches to planning--emphasizing adaptive change in response to environmental analysis--came into wide use. The comprehensiveness and complexity of strategic approaches introduced new challenges for which institutions were poorly prepared, and many had disappointing experiences. The literature offered only fragmented and often inconsistent advice for institutions contemplating strategic planning. The author reviewed the literature with an eye toward identifying "conditions" that support successful planning. Five such conditions were identified: (1) consensus for change; (2) focus on institutional needs; (3) good "fit" between planning and the campus culture; (4) effective faculty participation; and (5) effective leadership. It is argued that an institution which satisfies these conditions increases its chances of success; conversely, an institution which falls short in these areas diminishes its chances. This hypothesis was explored in a case study of planning efforts at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst between 1971 and 1992. The campus engaged in seventeen planning efforts, nine of which were judged to be "strategic." Of the nine, only two could be considered "successful," both quite modest in scope. An examination of the campus's status with respect to the five "conditions" suggested that they were useful in understanding the planning outcomes. The five conditions were then recast as a "diagnostic" tool, a set of questions to be answered before embarking on strategic planning. This tool should help the institution understand its "readiness" to undertake strategic planning; identify areas in which ameliorative action is needed; form a more realistic set of planning expectations. A number of directions for future research are suggested to both test the predictive power of the five conditions and to enhance the usefulness of the diagnostic tool.

The study examined the issues of access in public and private higher education institutions in Islamabad, Pakistan. The policies and institutions currently in place to deal with access related issues are not effective, therefore, not providing students with the support systems to help them succeed at the institutions of higher learning. The study analyzed student perspectives on access, examined access related systems in place at public and private institutions, and kind of students that have access to higher education. The study also analyzed the growth of higher education institutions and their impact on access related issues particularly in last eight years. Continuous planning, support and development needed to provide higher education is discussed. In addition, the research discussed opportunities and challenges experienced by students before entering college, processes involved entrance at college and after arriving at college. Moreover, similarities and dissimilarities between public and private institutions are also discussed. The study makes suggestions to improve access related systems to help students be successful and the need and ways how can they be further developed and strengthened is also discussed. The hope is that this research will contribute to well in-formed policy making that takes into account the complexities of the forces that shape higher education and the development of Pakistan.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 134-140). Also available in print.