Emily Brown Dissertation Final Defense

The College of Education announces the final Dissertation of

Emily Brown

for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

April 20, 2018 at 1:00 pm  / 207 Ball Hall

Major Advisor: Sara Bridges, PhD

Predictors of Body Dissatisfaction in Trans Men and Women

ABSTRACT: Body dissatisfaction has been found to affect individuals regardless of gender or sexual identity. However, research on body dissatisfaction among transgender men and women is lacking despite findings that these individuals experience body dissatisfaction to a greater extent than cisgender men and women. This study explored whether factors associated with Objectification Theory, one’s experience of gender related violence, whether one has undergone medical transition, and the extent to one identifies with stereotypical feminine or masculine norms predicted body dissatisfaction in a sample of 234 transgender men and women. Results suggest that factors related to Objectification Theory, particularly internalization of the thin ideal, internalization of the muscular ideal, and perceived media pressure predict body dissatisfaction in transgender men and women. Moreover, among transgender women, having experienced gender related violence predicted greater body dissatisfaction, whereas having undergone some form of medical transition predicted lower levels of body dissatisfaction. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Rhonda Gregory Dissertation Final Defense

The College of Education announces the final Dissertation of

Rhonda Gregory

for the degree of Doctor of Education

April 24, 2018 at 3:45 pm  / online

Major Advisor: Amanda Rockinson-Szapkiw, EdD

INFLUENCE OF QUALITY MATTERS™ PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ON FACULTY MEMBERS PERCEPTIONS OF DESIGN STANDARDS AND THEIR COURSE DEVELOPMENT ABILITIES

ABSTRACT: Distance education quality assurance is a concern throughout the literature. Standards such as the Quality Matters (QM) Higher Education Rubric, 5th edition, are meant to support course design quality assurance. Professional development is associated with quality assurance initiatives, including the goal to transform faculty’s instructional practices. Some community college faculty members who create online and hybrid courses participate in the Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) training to learn how to apply the QM rubric. While the literature provides many in-house training program evaluations, there is a research gap about community college faculty experiences in APPQMR and what influence it may have on their perceptions of QM and their course design skills. A description of how social influences and facilitating conditions may influence long-term QM adoption and use is also lacking. Higher education administrators need to better understand these factors because faculty buy-in and support of the quality assurance process is critical to the success of such initiatives. This study used an explanatory sequential mixed methodology to examine the influence of the APPQMR workshop. The results of a causal-comparative research design revealed no significant difference in faculty perceptions of the QM rubric between groups who had and had not completed the training. However, results of a basic qualitative design demonstrated the possible practical influence of training on faculty skills and perceptions. The QM rubric is rigorous; learning to apply it requires rigorous effort. Faculty need time and institutional support to experience the potential benefits of transformational learning in QM training. Keywords: adult learning theory, community of inquiry (CoI), distance education, faculty development, instructional design, online education, quality assurance, Quality Matters™, transformative learning theory

Raquell Barton Dissertation Final Defense

The College of Education announces the final Dissertation of

Raquell Barton

for the degree of Doctor of Education

April 19, 2018 at 2:30 pm  / 405 Ball Hall

Major Advisor: Clif Mims, PhD

The Effect of Pleasure Reading On Ninth and Tenth Grade Students Reading Motivation in an English Language Arts Classroom

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this quasi-experimental, pre-posttest nonequivalent control group study was to compare two types of reading instruction (English Language Arts vs. English Language Arts with pleasure reading) on 9th and 10th-grade students’ reading motivation. Much of the research on reading motivation is focused on elementary and middle school students, even though the decrease in reading motivation is detrimental at the high school level. Therefore, this study was guided by research questions that examined if there were differences in ninth- and tenth-grade high school students’ 1) reading motivation, 2) self-concept as a reader, and/or 3) value of reading after participating in traditional English Language Arts instruction as compared to the intervention of English Language Arts instruction with pleasure reading. In this four-week study involving 216 students, the control group (N = 94) received traditional English Language Arts instruction while the experimental group (N = 122) received the same instruction enhanced with ten minutes of daily classroom pleasure or choice reading. Pre- and post survey data were collected with the Adolescent Motivation to Read Profile (AMRP) to gauge self-reported attitudes toward reading before and after four weeks of study implementation. A two-way mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to compare the AMRP mean scores of the two groups to determine if there were statistically significant changes over time to students reading motivation, self-concept as a reader, and/or value of reading. Results revealed that students’ in the experimental group did show a significant increase in reading motivation; however, overall, students’ self-concept as a reader and value of reading showed only a slight, non-significant increase. Thus, daily involvement in pleasure reading appears to be beneficial in increasing the reading motivation of high school students, but different types of interventions are needed to increase students’ self-concept as a reader or value of reading. Future research can examine the implementation of various interventions to determine ways to further enhance various aspects of reading motivation for high school students.

Josie Currie Dissertation Final Defense

The College of Education announces the final Dissertation of

Josie Currie

for the degree of Doctor of Education

April 5, 2018 at 11:30 am  / 123 Ball Hall

Major Advisor: Reginald Green, EdD

The Relationship between Perceived Implementation of Green’s Four-Dimensional Model of Educational Leadership and Students’ Proficiency in Basic Skills

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study is to investigate relationships between elementary-level educators’ perceptions of their school’s implementation of Green’s four-dimensional model of educational leadership and the percentage of students proficient in Language Arts and in Mathematics, averaged over three years. Represented by responses to twenty items selected from the 2013 state-wide administration of the Teaching, Empowering, Leading, and Learning survey in Tennessee (TELL Tennessee), school-level means at 1187 elementary schools were obtained for each of four five-item scales that were intended to measure each dimension of Green’s model. Along with a grand mean computed across all twenty items and denoting a school’s overall implementation of the model, all of these data were merged with student achievement outcomes archived by the Tennessee Department of Education and with information related to student and faculty demographic characteristics and employed as control variables. Consistent with previous research, student demographic characteristics proved to be the most important factors in explaining variation in student proficiency. The impact of these factors notwithstanding, higher perceived scores on Green’s four-dimensional model of educational leadership nevertheless proved to be associated with higher percentages of proficient students at statistically significant levels, irrespective of subject matter. At the same time and consistent with the school effectiveness literature, it should be mentioned that the inclusion of the Leadership Dimensions scores tended to explain a systematically higher proportion of variance with respect to Mathematics outcomes than Language Arts outcomes.

Bobby White Dissertation Final Defense

The College of Education announces the final Dissertation of

Bobby White

for the degree of Doctor of Education

April 2, 2018 at 8:30 am  / Ball Hall

Major Advisor: Beverly Cross, PhD

THE CHARTER SCHOOL MOVEMENT AS A FORM OF WHITE SUPREMACY: A DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF STATE AND FEDERAL EDUCATIONAL POLICIES AND HOW THEY FURTHER SEGREGATION

ABSTRACT: Abstract Charter schools have become a mainstay in the American Education system. Low academic performance, school safety concerns and an overall decrease in positive perception of many traditional public schools around the country have led to an atmosphere of acceptance as part of the solution to what ails public education. The growth of this movement has led to a body of research around charter school impact. Much of the charter school growth has been driven by policies created over the past 20 years. One major unintended outcome of the movement has been the increase in school segregation. One researcher admonishes that government should not exacerbate the problem of segregation by ignoring the unintended consequences of its policies. The purpose of this study is to examine how charter schools further segregation. In an era where a quality education is of the utmost importance for low-income students of color, coupled with the idea that racial diversity serves as an aspect of educational quality, we must look at policies that are counter-intuitive. This study adds to the body of research that informs the education profession about ways legislation has furthered segregation. This study contributed to the literature by illuminating the segregation that is perpetuated by the federal policies NCLB and RTTT. In essence this study examined how the lack of intentionality to diversity in the policies have led to increasing and creating an ever growing number of segregated charter schools in America.

Lisa Loden Dissertation Final Defense

The College of Education announces the final Dissertation of

Lisa Loden

for the degree of Doctor of Education

March 23, 2018 at 10:00 am  / 123J Ball Hall

Major Advisor: W. James Jacob, PhD

Optimal Delivery of Remedial Mathematics Programs in U.S. Higher Education

ABSTRACT: Remedial mathematics has been considered the roadblock to obtaining a college degree by students and educators for years. The purpose of this research is to determine the optimal time and delivery method of the three presented (fully module, module with a traditional lecture component, and fully on-line) for teaching remedial mathematics. This will be done by comparing pass rates. First, pass rates will be compared to determine if there is a statistically significant difference between pass rates in the two models for teaching remedial mathematics (pre-requisite and co-requisite). Next, pass rates will be compared to determine if there is a statistically significant difference between pass rates in the two models for teaching remedial mathematics for students who score below 14 on the mathematics portion of the ACT. Last, pass rates will be compared to determine if there is a statistically significant difference between pass rates in the three delivery methods presented. Samples of students from a large community college located in the Mid-South were used in the study. Hypothesis tests were conducted. A test of proportions was used to test the hypothesis regarding the best time to teach remedial mathematics. A chi-square test of independence was used to test the hypothesis regarding the better delivery method for teaching remedial mathematics. The results of this research indicate that the co-requisite model leads to higher pass rates for students in their remedial mathematics course overall as well as for students who score below 14 on the mathematics portion of the ACT. The results of this research indicate that there is no significant difference in pass rates of students in the delivery methods presented. Based on these findings, the co-requisite model for teaching remedial mathematics is the better model. Future research is needed in the area of the better delivery method.

Ebony Briggs Dissertation Final Defense

The College of Education announces the final Dissertation of

Ebony Briggs

for the degree of Doctor of Education

March 28, 2018 at 10:30 am  / 123 Ball Hall

Major Advisor: Wendy Griswold, PhD

THREE VOICES, ONE GOAL: A NARRATIVE STUDY OF HIGH SCHOOL FACILITATORS’ EXPERIENCE IN A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE

ABSTRACT: Special education teachers and general education teachers are charged with working collaboratively in a single classroom that serves the diverse needs of all children due to federal regulations such as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004. Evidence based practices that foster collaboration are scare. The purpose of this qualitative, narrative inquiry research, therefore was to explore the perceptions of a team of educators which consists of a general education teacher, special education teacher, and an administrator on how their experience of participating in a community of practice is beneficial to addressing collaboration needs of team teachers in an inclusive environment. Within this purpose, the intent was to explore the value of learning that is attached to social learning and participation within a community of practice. Although the administrator is not directly a part of this co-teaching team, the addition of an administrator as a study participant supports the notion that administrator support is a key factor in establishing a collaborative culture. The research questions that guided this study were: 1. How does a collaborative teaching team’s experience of participating in a community of practice provide insight into their perspectives of collaboration? 2. How does participating in a community of practice help or hinder the experience of the collaborative teaching team in the inclusion environment? 3. To what extent does a collaborative teaching team feel a sense of success in the inclusive environment as a result of participating in a community of practice? Through in-depth semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis, participants were able to provide insight about their experiences and explain how the collaborative practice was successful in creating a more inclusive environment for students with disabilities in the general education environment. The common themes to emerge from the data collection was that participating in a community of practice helped create a positive outlook on collaborative practice, helped to create shared responsibility, helped to increase administrative support of co-teaching teams, helped overcome the challenges of common planning for co-teachers, and it helped strengthen relationships among co-teachers.

Susan Farris Dissertation Final Defense

The College of Education announces the final Dissertation of

Susan Farris

for the degree of Doctor of Education

March 28, 2018 at 10:00 am  / 123 Ball Hall

Major Advisor: Reginald Green, EdD

The Investigation of the Relationships between Teacher Job Satisfaction and Retention and Green’s Four-Dimensional Model of Educational Leadership

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between teachers’ perceptions of their schools’ implementation of Green’s four-dimensional model of educational leadership, their level of satisfaction with their schools as “a good place to work and learn” and their intent to remain professionally employed there. Represented by responses to twenty items selected from the 2013 state-wide administration of the Teaching, Empowering, Leading, and Learning survey in Tennessee (TELL Tennessee), school-level means at 248 high schools were obtained for each of four five-item scales that were intended to measure each dimension of Green’s model. Along with a grand mean computed across all twenty items and denoting a school’s overall implementation of the model, school-level indices were also computed for the mean level of satisfaction that the respondents expressed as well as for the percent of respondents who indicated their intention to keep working at the same school the following year. After merging these all of these data with covariates pertinent to student and faculty characteristics, five sets of two hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to determine the effect of model implementation on each outcome. Across all ten regressions, higher scores on Green’s four-dimensional model of educational leadership proved to be systematically related both to higher percentages of faculty intending to remain at the school and to higher levels of satisfaction with the school as “a good place to work and learn.” While demographic variables pertinent to faculty appeared to have no relationship to either of the two outcomes, the percent of minority students at the school evidenced consistently negative associations with them both. Although the school-wide percent of students on free and reduced lunch was also systematically negatively linked to teacher satisfaction, this was not to the case for teacher retention.

Whitney Stubbs Dissertation Final Defense

The College of Education announces the final Dissertation of

Whitney Stubbs

for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

April 3, 2018 at 11:00 am  / 103 Ball Hall

Major Advisor: Elin Ovrebo, PhD

The Frontal Assessment Battery: Relationship with Functional Status Indicators and Caregiver Burden in a Veterans Affairs Memory Clinic

ABSTRACT: Neurocognitive screening measures reflective of functional independence, often measured by basic activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), are needed for accurate detection of executive dysfunction. The Frontal Assessment Battery, a measure designed to assess executive functioning at bedside, lacks sufficient research establishing its relationship with measures of ADLs and IADLs, particularly in United States veterans. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the ecological validity of the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) by examining its relationship with the Functional Status Interview (FSI), a measure of basic activities (ADLs) and instrumental activities (IADLs), and caregiver burden. Participants in the primary sample were 168 veterans with a mean age of 81.3 years (SD = 7.6). The majority of participants were White (63.1%) and male (97.0%). Prior to the main analyses, principal axis factoring examined the factor structure of the Functional Status Interview (FSI) and confirmed the existence of two subscales assessing ADLs and IADLs. Correlations were calculated to examine relationships between FAB and the other measures. Two FSI factors (ADL and IADL) were identified with all items having strong loadings with the expected scale (absolute values of > 0.40) and factors accounting for 56.4% of the variance. ADL and IADL were strongly correlated. Main findings indicated a significant relationship between FAB and ADL, which slightly increased when controlling for demographic variables. A strong significant relationship was found between FAB and IADL. FAB and caregiver burden subscales were unrelated; however, when controlling for demographic variables, a weak relationship emerged with dependency burden. This study provides initial support for the ecological validity of the FAB in a sample of United States veterans. Cultural and clinical implications are discussed.

Amelia Sanders Dissertation Final Defense

The College of Education announces the final Dissertation of

Amelia Sanders

for the degree of Doctor of Education

March 28, 2018 at 12:00 pm  / Ball Hall

Major Advisor: Wendy Griswold, PhD

AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF THE SHOWCASE ASSIGNMENT: TREATING PUBLIC SPEAKING ANXIETY THROUGH THE USE OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AND SELF-DISCLOSURE THEORIES

ABSTRACT: This experimental study reviewed the efficacy of a new classroom tool known as the Showcase Assignment. This assignment reduces public speaking anxiety in the public speaking classroom. This assignment asked students to pick a talent (poetry reading, singing, etc.) that is important to them in some way, give a brief description of what their talent is, disclose its importance to them, and perform it in front of the class. This study is based on literature related to communication apprehension, experiential learning and self-disclosure theories, and classroom environment. This study used pre-test post-test survey methodology of 179 students, split into treatment and control groups, enrolled in speech courses at two mid-sized universities in the Southern United States to answer five research questions: (1) How does the implementation of the Showcase Assignment effect public speaking anxiety as it relates to speech classrooms? (2) How does the Showcase Assignment impact grades on speaking assignments compared to those that are not exposed? (3) How do students describe the Showcase Assignment in relation to a supportive classroom environment? (4) How do students describe the Showcase Assignment in relation to creative learning? (5) How does perceived instructor personality and implementation of the Showcase Assignment compare to the students’ perception of instructor personality and implementation of the Showcase Assignment? The study found that the Showcase Assignment did not have a significant impact on students’ self-reports of anxiety overall but, the instructor teaching the Showcase Assignment did impact those reports. The study found that students reported positive feedback concerning the Showcase Assignment including its benefits in creating a supportive classroom environment and in enhancing creativity skills to help with other speech class presentations. Finally, the study showed that positive instructor personality and implementation of the Showcase Assignment will result in positive student feedback.