<p> Cairo School District has a chronic truancy rate that far exceeds the State of Illinois&rsquo; average. The purpose of the study was to understand the reasons for truancy at Cairo School District. Through data review and semi-structured interviews, the researcher was able understand recent graduates attitudes and perceptions regarding school attendance. Based on the finding of this research study, implications for practice emerged, and will provide the foundation to establish the necessary structures to improve educational and social emotional practices to improve student attendance. </p>

<p> To understand the influence of self-efficacy on academic achievement, it is first necessary to assess the construct with reliability and validity. Although this has been done extensively in the Western context, studies on the reliability and validity of self-efficacy scores in Asian contexts have been scarce. The goal of this study is to develop a Mathematics self-efficacy scale with sound psychometric properties that can be used in future studies to advance our knowledge on the nature of self-efficacy in different cultural contexts. In this study, I described the development of a mathematics self-efficacy scale and present data on the reliability and structural validity of the scores in a sample of Singaporean adolescents (<i>N</i> = 1, 572). Results indicated that scale scores had strong internal consistency. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggested that there were two related but distinguishable self-efficacy variables: content-specific and general. There was also evidence for convergent validity, given the significant and positive correlations between the self-efficacy scores and related constructs. As was found in other studies, the difference between gender and the three self-efficacy scores was statistically but not practically significant for content-specific self-efficacy; there was not statistical difference in the general or combined self-efficacy scores. Finally, regression analyses suggested that self-efficacy scores made significant contributions to mathematics grade, even after taking into account the contributions of past achievement and other attitudinal constructs. Further research is needed to address the limitations and to ascertain the generalizability of these findings.</p>

<p> This dissertation begins using Pierre Bourdieu (1979b), Gloria Ladson-Billings (2009), and Jean Anyon (1980) as a theoretical framework to examine how culturally relevant curriculum influences student engagement. This qualitative study utilized narrative inquiry to examine the effect of culturally relevant curriculum and student engagement. Four research questions were used in interviews of students, parents, teachers, and administrators, and were as follows: To what extent does culturally relevant literature influence student engagement with academic material in fourth grade? What common themes related to culturally relevant curriculum emerge when observing and listening to authentic voices of parents and fourth graders? Based on research findings of this study, what curricular and instructional recommendations can be made related to the influence of culturally relevant curriculum on student engagement in fourth grade? Does culturally relevant literature engage students more than traditional curriculum in a fourth- grade classroom? Social and cultural capital is demonstrated through all three themes of school culture, curriculum, and instruction. Used as a tool to guide pedagogy, teachers and administrators were able to form trusting relationships allowing for more behavioral and affective student engagement. Using authentic voices from the 14 interviews, two themes emerged from school culture, including relationships and identity; three themes emerged from curriculum, including making connections, human resources, and physical resources; and three themes emerged from instruction, including communication, support, and interactive environments.</p>

This study was designed to aid in determining the curricular direction which will be taken for the program in the preschool educational facility where the study took place. The target population for participation in this study was Black, four-year-old children who met the preschool facility’s operational definition for being disadvantaged. The study took place over a period of one school year with the primary aim being to determine curriculum components which are effective with the target population. The study utilized an experimental design and implemented an experimental curriculum with 30 children who were participants in the control group. A pre-test, teach, then post-test method was used. At the conclusion of the study, a statistical analysis of the collected data was made by using t-test computations. The findings show that, even though both the experimental group and the control group made significant gains in the areas assessed, the experimental group made gains that were significantly greater than those made by the control group.

<p> This quantitative research study investigated if there is a relationship between middle school principals&rsquo; leadership style in high-performing and low-performing schools in New York City. To address the problem and to answer the research question, a survey instrument adapted by Tomal (2007) was used to determine the principal&rsquo;s leadership style. The New York City Department of Accountability RPSG Research Data Department provided the student achievement data. Ten middle school principals, three from high-performing schools and seven from low-performing schools participated in the study. High-performing schools achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for two consecutive years and low-performing schools did not make AYP for two consecutive years. Principals completed a 30-question leadership survey to determine their preferred style: abdicator, collaborator, compromiser, enforcer, and supporter. The principals&rsquo; leadership style was then matched to the school&rsquo;s Performance Index (PI) from the 2015 New York State English Language Arts and Mathematics assessment. An independent <i>t</i>-test was used to analyze the principal&rsquo;s response to the leadership survey. The data indicated that principals from high-performing and low-performing schools differ on 5 out of 30 statements on the leadership survey. However, due to the small sample size, the results are not statistically significant.</p>

<p> Middle school students were instructed about the concept of metacognition in the classroom setting in order to investigate the differences in science content learning. This study investigated two research questions, first does teaching students about metacognition change their content learning in science, and second does teaching students about metacognition create self-regulated learners in the science classroom. This study compared both survey results and assessment scores to measure changes after treatment for both control and treatment groups across content scores and the survey categories of test anxiety, cognitive strategy use, and self-regulation. Statistical differences were found between groups after treatment in 2 of 3 of the survey categories; self-regulation and cognitive strategy use, and post assessment scores. Overall findings suggest that regular implementation of learning strategies used for metacognition may be beneficial to help students become more independent learners in the science classroom.</p>

<p> As schools across the United States continue to earmark funds for instructional technology in the classroom we must consider how it is being used in the classroom. This qualitative research study was conducted to investigate instructional technology methods being used in sixth through eighth grade classrooms and to understand the Depth of Knowledge of those lessons. The study was grounded in Huberman&rsquo;s Teacher Life Cycle Theory, Constructivism Theory, and Norman Webb&rsquo;s Depth of Knowledge Theory. Interviews and observations were conducted to gather data about how teachers plan and deliver instructional technology methods to students in 6-8th grade classrooms. Findings from this study determined the instructional technology methods (ITMs) teachers utilize in the classroom, the perceptions teachers have about integrating technology, and instructional technology tools (ITTs) teachers used in the classroom. Discussion of the research findings revolved around how ITMs and methods teachers use in the classroom and teacher perceptions about how they integrate technology methods in the classroom to achieve depth of knowledge with their students. One implication of this study is that teachers would benefit from utilizing Puentendura&rsquo;s (2009) SAMR Model as a guide for ITM planning to improve ITMs and to sustain ITM use in the classroom.</p>

<p> This work explores some key questions associated with designing games to foster empathy. First, how can design practice build on the understandings of empathy that have been developed in a variety of disciplines? Although empathy has been thoroughly studied in many fields, the lack of standardized nomenclature makes it difficult to apply knowledge from one to the next. Here, I present a theoretical framework that helps organize and explain research on empathy across disciplines. I also use the framework to propose heuristic best practices for designing games to foster empathy. </p><p> Second, what does &ldquo;empathetic play&rdquo; look and feel like, and how does it impact the player? In the research presented here, 81 participants played the game Layoff. Some were prompted to play &ldquo;empathetically,&rdquo; while others received no prompting. Both quantitative and qualitative findings suggest that the experience of empathetic play is distinct from that of entertainment-focused play, and that empathetic play produces distinct attitudinal and behavioral consequences. Specific findings include the following: </p><p> 2. Empathetic players approached in-game decisions as moral dilemmas, while entertainment-focused players were much less likely to engage with the game on moral terms. </p><p> 3. Empathetic players were much more likely to experience emotional states that have been associated with empathy in prior research, i.e., empathetic concern and personal distress. </p><p> 4. Empathetic players were more likely to associate their own histories with people represented in the game. </p><p> 5. Once the game was over, players who had been prompted to engage empathetically donated more of their remuneration to a charity serving victims of economic hardship. </p><p> Overall, these results suggest that (a) players will not reliably adopt an empathetic (as opposed to entertainment-focused) posture without some form of prompting, and that (b) empathetic engagement inside of a game can encourage altruistic behavior in the world outside the game.</p>

<p> The high stakes accountability environment in which schools currently operate demands leadership behaviors that produce enhanced student outcomes. However, school principals are often caught in a complex web of competing stakeholder demands within large bureaucratic systems. Specifically, principals must fulfill high stakes accountability mandates while also cultivating an environment that enhances stakeholder morale while maintaining the health, safety and well-being of students and faculty. This study explores the influence of transformational, transactional, and servant leadership behaviors on collective faculty trust within a high-stakes mandated testing environment using the theoretical framework of Self-Determination Theory. Additionally, this study will explore the relationship between principal leadership behavior and collective faculty trust in colleagues and collective faculty trust in the principal to gain a better understanding of leadership behavior outcomes.</p>

<p> In the current educational discourse there have been urgent calls for the United States to develop programs to prepare students for post-secondary success and to develop in students the skills necessary for workplace success. One avenue suggested to do this more effectively is to create more robust partnerships between educational institutions and employers. In particular, President Obama&rsquo;s &ldquo;Blueprint for an America Built to Last&rdquo; (2012) calls for &ldquo;new partnerships between community colleges and businesses to train and place 2 million skilled workers.&rdquo; He also indicated that in order to address future workforce needs, he will &ldquo;support partnerships between high schools and industry to create more career academies, which combine instruction in academic subjects and industry skills&rdquo; (4). The Cristo Rey model of high school education is one variation of this model of partnership between the world of academics and the world of work. </p><p> This study is designed as a program evaluation of the Cristo Rey model of education whereby each student from a low SES family works five days a month in an entry level professional job for each year of attendance. In particular, this study seeks to examine alumni perceptions of the impact their high school corporate work-study program at one particular Cristo Rey School, Cristo Rey St. Martin, has had on their lives. In addition to alumni perceptions, this study will also gather the perceptions of workplace supervisors. The study will also look at how alumni are doing in terms of college persistence and completion. In particular, it will look at how the classes of 2011, 2012, and 2013 are doing in terms of post-secondary enrollment and persistence relative to national averages and relative to peer group (low SES) averages utilizing the National Student Clearinghouse database and reports. By triangulating these data points, the study seeks to answer the following question. What impact is the corporate work-study program (CWSP) having on the graduates? </p>