This study examined differences in achievement outcomes among undergraduate business students enrolled in an online and face-to-face upper division business management course. Proponents of online education support the argument that there are no differences in outcomes between students who take online courses, and much of the literature supports this position. The purpose of the current study was to ascertain whether that belief is supported at the university where the study was conducted using a specific course from the Business School. The course that served as the focus of this study is Finance 3000 (FIN 3000). It is a quantitative course, and one that is a prerequisite to other upper division courses in the core degree requirements. Failure to complete this course in the allotted three attempts results in students having to change their major out of the college. The two units of analysis for this particular study consisted of students who completed the Finance 3000 (FIN 3000) course via online delivery and the traditional face-to-face classroom setting on the university’s Main campus between fall 2012 and fall 2015. These students were all declared Business majors (specific major will vary) at the university’s Business School. A demographic profile of the students registered for these sections was constructed using data that are available through Self-Service Banner. The information gathered included: ethnicity (using categories defined by the university), major, academic classification (such as sophomore, junior or senior), and final grade earned in the course. The purpose behind this information is to determine whether there is any relationship between grades earned in this course and the grades earned in FIN 3000, as well as to make sure that the online and face-to-face students are comparable. Finally, a voluntary survey was administered to those students who completed the online version of FIN 3000 in fall 2015, in order to assess perceived levels of engagement. Results of this study revealed that, overall, students who enrolled in the online section of FIN 3000 performed worse than those in the face-to-face section. Further analysis indicated that while there were no significant differences in factors such as major and gender, seniors registered more frequently in the online section and had lower achievement results. The results of this study contradict the literature that suggests there are no differences in achievement outcomes. / Educational Leadership

This dissertation is an exploration of the construction of indicators that point toward positive peacebuilding in education. A conceptual framework that allows for such integration is that of basic psychological needs. When basic psychological needs are satisfied in a constructive manner, human beings are expected to experience optimal developmental outcomes, including greater potential for caring, pro-social behavior. The first section of the dissertation employs data on students' experiences in school from the 1997/98 Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey. Organizing the HBSC data according to a framework of basic psychological needs, this analysis examines the extent of need satisfaction in schools, cross-nationally, as well as the association of basic need fulfillment with outcomes such as school satisfaction, eudaimonic functioning, and bullying. The analysis suggests that changes in basic need satisfaction are associated with positive peacebuilding. The second section of the dissertation explores the construction of indicators for peacebuilding in a nonformal education project sponsored by Catholic Relief Services in Montenegro. Based upon qualitative fieldwork conducted in Montenegro in September of 2002, this section focuses on questions of the meaning of peacebuilding in that context and the use of a basic needs framework to interpret students' growth as “agents of peace.” The challenges of constructing indicators collaboratively with the staff of a development agency are also discussed. As a whole, this study raises critical questions about the nature and use of indicators and the challenge of “retrofitting” data onto a framework of basic psychological needs. The study suggests avenues for further research and implications for the construction of educational indicators based on a framework of psychological needs in both formal and nonformal learning environments. Such indicators could contribute to the goal of building a culture of peace, the author argues, by more clearly connecting students' experiences with the goals of nurturing optimally-functioning and non-violent human beings.

<p> An educated population is crucial not only to success in science and technology but the capacity to maintain our national security. Recent reports continue to show that teenagers in the U.S. slipped in the international rankings in mathematics, science, and reading. The major policies to address failing students came with the NCLB legislation of 2001. This brought about sweeping reforms to address Persistent Low Achieving (PLA) schools.</p><p> The legislation introduced accountability measures which necessitated strict control by state, increased sanctions and penalties on schools failing to reach required yearly progress. Principals, as instructional leaders, were now responsible for the success of each student and faced dismissal if state audit teams determined lack of capacity to lead the turnaround.</p><p> This qualitative study sought to investigate principals&rsquo; perceptions of their preparedness for leading change in PLA schools and identified implications for the local school district. Most of the literature focused on the importance of the principal and qualities required to take students from failure to success but there was little documented evidence of principals&rsquo; perceptions regarding their preparedness for this unique and challenging role.</p><p> Even though participants believed that they had the capacity to lead turnaround efforts the findings revealed that they were not prepared for the numerous challenges which they encountered. They were faced with a combination of negative climate and culture, having to analyze and interpret data and cope with demands and expectations of district officials.</p><p> The recommendations of the study identified differentiated assistance for disadvantaged students, improved principal preparation programs, and incentives for PLA principals to assure retention of capable and qualified principals. This study was limited because of the small sample size and possible biases of researcher and participants.</p>

<p> The 1983 publication of <i>A Nation at Risk</i> gave birth to an effort to reform K-12 schools and increase student achievement all over the United States. More than 30 years later, the school reform efforts have grown into immense industries with marginal effect. Major legislation and programs have been launched throughout 3 decades, with <i>No Child Left Behind</i> legislation and <i>Common Core States Standards Initiative </i> being the latest and biggest endeavors, still with minimal outcomes. These efforts follow and run along with many years of structural changes such as Voucher, Small, Pilot, and Charter Schools. The problem of effectively transforming K-12 schools into places of high student achievement remains intractable.</p><p> The principal&rsquo;s role by its unique position in the educational delivery structure and its very nature is key, and may be the single most determining factor in the failure or success of a school. There are very few studies that focus on principal leadership and its effect on student achievement outcomes. All studies and most literature on principal leadership and effectiveness put most attention on traits and observable behaviors. However, it is important to look at the inner world of principals, for this influences, if not determines, the traits and behaviors they exhibit in their leadership. There are no known studies that have focused in on the inner states and experiences of effective school principals.</p><p> This phenomenological study represents a seminal effort to study the inner experiences of principals. The participant selection was done through criterion type purposive sampling to link this study to leadership effectiveness. Only principals who were able to transform their schools from failing into successful according to the objective California State Standards of Adequate Yearly Progress were included. This sampling method also enabled the study to look deeply into the inner phenomenological experience of these transformative principals.</p><p> The study findings yielded data compelling enough to propose a conclusion of effective school transformation and proposed a model to illustrate how the inner experiences of principals fit into effective school transformation. The study also presented its implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research.</p>

<p> This study examined the connection between perceptions of teacher self-efficacy, professional development, and leadership practices and attitudes as it relates to successful implementation of technology for student learning in K-12 schools. As external pressures exhort schools to transform the learning environment and to include more meaningful applications of technology in the learning experiences for all students, issues which create barriers to a successful implementation of new practices must be examined. </p><p> This study examined the responses of teachers, school and district administrators, and technology support personnel in a stratified random sample from 37 school districts in the state of Oregon to analyze the combined effects of teacher self-efficacy perceptions, leadership practices, and professional development as they relate to the implementation of classroom educational technology. </p><p> The study revealed perceptual differences between staff roles of what teachers know about technology and how they use technology. School contexts, such as percentages of disadvantaged or non-White students, and teacher factors, such as age and gender, affected participant perception of technology implementations and of professional development opportunities. </p><p> The researcher proposes a new framework for understanding school contexts and for planning successful technology implementations based upon a review of literature and original research.</p>

<p> As with traditional healthcare providers, emotional-social intelligence (ESI) plays a role in the holistic practitioner-client relationship. It is important to determine if students in holistic healthcare programs increase their ESI, and subsequently better serve their clients. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental study was to determine if online education can develop students&rsquo; ESI at levels similar to that of traditional programs. This study is based on the theory of ESI and transformative learning theory. The sample consisted of 95 students in an online program and 61 in a traditional program. Multiple linear regression, ANCOVA, and Pearson Correlation&rsquo;s were used to explore the relationships between the independent variables professional standing, program delivery method, program progress, and number of classes with elements consistent with transformative learning theory, and the dependent variable emotional-social intelligence, as measured by the EQ-i 2.0 survey. The results of the study revealed no significant differences in the development of ESI between online and traditional methodologies, except within the self-expression category, for which online was higher. The number of transformative classes taken had no effect on the dependent variable. The positive social change implications of this study include a better understanding of the development of ESI for holistic healthcare, which could lead to a greater potential for success, as well as being better able to contribute to the stability of their communities through meeting the needs of those seeking their services. In addition, determining the relationship between transformative theories of learning and ESI development may assist in creating courses better suited to increasing students&rsquo; ESI.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to understand teacher perceptions of learning community principles, practices, and processes at Highland High School, and to determine if teacher practices had changed due to the LC framework. The study also explored teacher perceptions towards creating a more engaging and effective LC that extends beyond current practices. This mixed-methods action research study blended quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis through a faculty survey, teacher interviews, and document collection at an Illinois high school. Study results conclude: (1) teachers perceived time, support, and vision as fundamental, (2) faculty worked together to teach, learn, and share, (3) faculty viewed the LC as a top-down initiative when driven by educational mandates and reforms, which restricts shared leadership, decision-making, and teacher autonomy, (4) student engaged learning is perceived as a focal point within the LC, (5) teachers perceived professional development opportunities as necessary, and (6) teachers perceived climate and culture as important in the LC. Most teachers felt the LC framework generally supported LC practices and principles that encouraged change and action, although some indicated a focus on mandates was problematic. Study implications suggest a LC framework may be more likely to improve teaching, learning, and professional practices when it contains time for faculty to work, a clearly defined vision, cross-curricular collaboration, tri-level engagement, and shared and distributed leadership practices that empower faculty to make decisions. </p>

<p> Using two case studies this dissertation project examined teacher perceptions of the six essential criteria required for an effective Professional Learning Community (PLC) model: shared vision and goals, collective responsibility, authentic assessment, self-directed reflection, stable setting, and strong school-level administrative support. Specifically, the following three questions were answered in these studies: </p><p> 1. How do teachers within the professional learning community perceive their community? 2. How effective do teachers perceive the professional learning community when all six of the Essential PLC Criteria are implemented? 3. Is there an increase in students passing their English-Language Arts and mathematics requirements? In graduating from high school ready for career or college? </p><p> Representative of two urban schools, these studies presented data from teacher surveys, observations, and interviews &ndash; as well as federal, state, and local education agency data &ndash; to explore how professional learning communities support student performance. The data showed increases in student achievement in English Language Arts and mathematics, and in graduation rates of high school students after the adoption of the Professional Leaning Community Model.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to analyze the stories shared by superintendents in a Midwestern state about how they approached the work of developing more equitable learning environments for Black students. The study examined the dispositions of the superintendents, the actions taken by the superintendents in each school district, and the influence of the district environment on the superintendents&rsquo; ability to carry out their work. A qualitative, multiple case study approach was used to conduct interviews and gather public documents and data from eight superintendents working in academically high performing, suburban school districts. The findings revealed that the eight superintendents possessed dispositions in alignment with the teachers and leaders identified in the research and literature on Culturally Relevant Practices. The superintendents&rsquo; actions focused on increased engagement with Black families, challenging the status quo in the educational system, and educating teachers, students and community members on Culturally Relevant Practices. The political climate of the district and issues of White Privilege factored the superintendents&rsquo; ability to carry out the work of creating equitable learning environments for Black students. Future studies should consider the examination of superintendent preparation programs as it relates to the development of culturally relevant dispositions and actions and the interactions between superintendents leading work around equity and their relationships with their school board and community members.</p>

The study explored the development of a valid assessment tool for job negotiation competencies using the Evidence Centered Design framework. It involved the creation of a competency model, evidence models, and task models that guided the development of a branching simulation tool to quickly diagnose college students' knowledge and skills in job negotiation. The online tool utilized three scenarios where students play the role of job seekers negotiating with their potential future employers. This study focused on two key behaviors in negotiation – making counteroffers and making reasonable concessions. A preliminary competency model was first developed based on a literature review of negotiation research. This model was then validated by a panel of experts. The experts also validated the evidence model (how to score performance on the simulation) and the task model (what tasks should be performed to elicit evidence of performance). These activities and the experts' feedback for improving the prototype simulation provided content validity for the tool. A total of 86 undergraduate and 51 graduate students participated in the study. The students completed an online tutorial, the scenarios in the simulation, a demographics survey, and two other survey instruments that provided alternative measures of negotiation abilities. Their performance on the assessment simulation was determined by their overall competency score and value of the negotiated outcome. Students were classified as experts or novices based on their negotiation experience and knowledge of negotiation strategies. Results from the study indicated that experts performed better than novices in terms of overall competency and negotiated outcome. The study also compared the outcomes of the assessment tool with outcomes from the alternative measures of negotiation ability (a survey on preference for competing, collaborating, compromising, and accommodating negotiation strategies and a survey to determine self-confidence in using distributive and integrative negotiation tactics). I hypothesized that students with a high preference for competing and collaborating strategies would also have higher scores from the assessment tool. On the other hand, students who indicated a high preference for accommodating and compromising strategies would have lower scores. The results from the Preferred Negotiation Strategies survey supported my hypothesis that students who highly prefer accommodating and compromising strategies would have lower scores on overall competency and negotiated outcome. But the mixed findings for competing and collaborating preferences only partially supported my hypotheses. I also hypothesized that students who were highly confident in the use of distributive and integrative negotiation tactics would have higher scores on the assessment compared to those who have low self-confidence. The results did not support my hypotheses because there were no significant relationships between confidence and the assessment outcomes. Finally, the study also found that gender, expertise, and negotiation training have an effect on overall competency score and the negotiated outcome. This dissertation provided a case study on how to develop an assessment tool that diagnoses negotiation competencies using the ECD framework. It also provided evidence of validity for the tool by demonstrating its ability to distinguish different levels of performance by expert and novice negotiators. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2015. / October 30, 2015. / Includes bibliographical references. / Valerie Shute, Professor Directing Dissertation; Paul Marty, University Representative; Robert Reiser, Committee Member; James Klein, Committee Member.