The College of Education, Health and

Human Sciences

Announces the Final Examination of

Abigail L. Braddock

for the degree of

Doctor of Education

July 11, 2014 at 09:00 am

123 Ball Hall, University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

Biographical Sketch

B.A. Classics, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

MSEd., Secondary Education, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Advisory Committee

Larry McNeal, PhD, Professor, Leadership, Committee chair

Reginald L. Green, EdD, Professor, Leadership

Mitsunori Misawa, PhD, Assistant Professor, Leadership

Charisse Gulosino, PhD, Assistant Professor, Leadership

Major Field of Study

Leadership and Policy Studies

Period of Preparation:  2009 – 2014

Comprehensive Examination Passed: April 2013

Organized Chaos: A Qualitative Case Study of the Initiative to Measure Teacher Effectiveness in Tennessee

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand how policy decisions concerning teacher effectiveness measures are made and have since evolved in Tennessee since the inception of the Race to the Top funding grant proposal. The push for education reform at the federal level has provided Tennessee with the funding to make major changes in the way teachers are evaluated and compensated under the guise of raising student achievement. First, at a micro level, the researcher explored the policy development process through semi-structured interviews of key policymakers and superintendents. The researcher utilized McDonnell’s policy feedback framework to determine how feedback shaped the policy implementation process. Second, at a macro level, the researcher explored the contextual flow of political streams evolution of teacher effectiveness measures after Tennessee received Race to the Top funding. Through the analysis of primary and secondary sources, utilizing Kingdon’s policy streams, the researcher examined the context and the policy actors involved in the shaping of each policy, with the idea that minute variations in initial inputs lead to sizeable difference in outcomes, as the decision agendas which stemmed out of each “policy window” had a large impact upon Tennessee’s classrooms. The findings and discussion explored the successes and challenges of implementing the teacher evaluation measures in Tennessee, how feedback helped legislators refine the policies as they were implemented, and the education reform legislation that spiraled out of measuring the effectiveness of teachers.

The College of Education, Health and

Human Sciences

Announces the Final Examination of

Dorian Bailey Brown

for the degree of

Doctor of Education

July 16, 2014 at 10:00 am

IDT Studio, Ball Hall, University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

Biographical Sketch

Bachelor of Business Administration, Marketing Management, The University of Memphis

Master of Arts in Teaching, Instruction and Curriculum Leadership – Secondary Education, The University of Memphis

Advisory Committee

Dr. Michael Grant, PhD, Associate Professor, Instruction and Curriculum Leadership, Committee chair

Dr. Trey Martindale, EdD, Associate Professor, Instruction and Curriculum Leadership

Dr. Inmaculada Gómez Soler, PhD, Assistant Professor, Foreign Languages and Literatures

Dr. Carmen Weaver, EdD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Instruction and Curriculum Leadership

Major Field of Study

Instruction and Curriculum Leadership – Instructional Design and Technology

Period of Preparation:  2010 – 2014

Comprehensive Examination Passed: February 2013

Mobile Learning for Communicative Language Teaching: An Exploration of How Higher Education Language Instructors Design Communicative MALL Environments

Abstract

Brown, Dorian B. EdD. The University of Memphis. July 2014. Mobile learning for communicative language teaching: An exploration of how higher education language instructors design communicative MALL environments.

Major Professor: Michael M. Grant PhD.

The purpose of this study was to describe how higher education language instructors design mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) environments for communicative language teaching. As our focus in second language acquisition has moved toward a communicative approach, the media richness and communication savvy of mobile devices can play a vital role in this new communicative goal. Offering authentic content and dialogue opportunities, language instructors can take advantage of these devices leading language learners to achieve true fluency in another language.  While the opportunity for communicative language teaching with MALL is viable, how to best design MALL environments for this purpose is still in its infancy. Answering questions regarding devices type, application usage, theoretical foundations, and communicative task type and frequency will add to the richness of research for planning communicative MALL experiences.

This study focused on two research questions. The first question explored how higher education language instructors designed mobile assisted language learning environments. The second dealt with the influences that ignite those decisions. Four higher education language instructors participated in this case study. Data consisted of semi-structured interviews, document reviews, and observations, and were analyzed using general qualitative analysis and the constant comparative method. Three themes emerged in the findings: (1) describing the communicative language learning environment enhanced by mobility, (2) meeting student, organizational, and instructional needs/goals, and (3) planning the implementation of MALL experiences for communicative language purposes.

A discussion integrated these findings with interpretations in order to answer the research questions. The data suggested higher education language instructors identify goals, and create authentic learning experiences via communicative modes in order to achieve those goals. Further, the data suggested they have theoretical alignments with constructionism and situated learning, hold strong beliefs in CLT, and have beliefs about mobility that inform how they design communicative MALL environments.

The College of Education, Health and

Human Sciences

Announces the Final Examination of

Margaret Ann Gilmore

for the degree of

Doctor of Education

 July 8, 2014 at 3:30 p.m.

 Ball Hall, University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

Biographical Sketch

Bachelor of Science – Elementary Education (1-6), Special Education (K-12)

Endorsement – Middle School English

Arkansas State University

Master of Science, Special Education, Arkansas State University

Leadership Scholars Program (+45) – Licensure, Leadership & Policy Studies

University of Memphis

Advisory Committee

Dr. Reginald Green, Ed.D. , Professor, Department of Leadership, Committee chair

Dr. Larry McNeal, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Leadership

Dr. Louis A Franceschini III, Ph.D., Senior Research Consultant,

Center for Research in Educational Policy

Dr. Lauren Burrow, Ed.D., Assistant Professor, Instruction and Curriculum Leadership

Major Field of Study

Leadership and Policy Studies

Period of Preparation:  Fall, 2011-Summer, 2014

Comprehensive Examination Passed: December, 2013

A Comparative Analysis of the Peak Experiences of Eleventh Grade Students On Track and Not On Track for Graduation

Abstract

A critical issue facing American education today is the problem of the percentage of high school dropouts. A growing number of students are dropping out of school each year and negatively impacting society as a whole.  Exposures of lagging graduation rates and early dropouts numbers have sparked renewed interest about the dropout problem our nation is facing. However, few studies have focused on emotional, social, and intellectual peak experiences as a platform to promote student engagement and keep students on track for graduation. A “Peak Experience” is a school activity, event, or program that provides a student with a sense of belonging, self-engagement, and self-worth.  It equips a student with the skills and ability to cope with the interactions that occur in schools (Green, 2010).

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate peak experiences that kept students committed to graduating from high school, and practices and programs that research revealed kept students on track to graduate.  Specifically, the purpose of this study was threefold: (1) To ascertain peak experiences of eleventh grade students who are on track to graduate from high school, and those who are not on track to graduate; (2) To determine if there is a relationship between the grade point average, gender, and ethnicity and number of peak experiences of eleventh grade students on track for graduation and those not on track, and (3) To examine if students who are on track for graduation tend to have more peak experiences that are categorized as emotional, social, and intellectual peak experiences than those who are not on track for graduation?

The five-item questionnaire was used to solicit responses from two groups of students- eleventh graders on track and not on track for high school graduation.  Based on the findings, thirteen peak experiences were of significant interest to students on track for graduation. They showed statistically significant differences in the number of students on track for graduation and those who were not. The peak experiences were frequently selected by students on track to graduate were: (1) Doing classwork that is relevant, meaningful, and worthy of my time and attention, (2) Making good grades in school, (3) Having teachers who make sure I understand all assignments, (4) Being in classrooms in which there is trust and respect between teacher and students, (5) Having caring teachers , (6) Having supportive parents, (7) Being part of a school that has a positive climate and effective disciple, (8) Feeling a sense of belonging in school, (9) Being accepted by my peers, (10) Being recognized at school for making good grades, (11) Being involved in school clubs, (12)Volunteering for community service, and (13) Taking challenging classes. The data analysis revealed that evidence of activities and peak experiences kept these students on track to graduate from high school. Additionally, the data revealed that not only do intellectual factors keep students engaged in school, but emotional and social factors were contributors to students being on track for graduation. Ethnicity tended not to be a factor in the number of peak experiences students had.

The conclusion from this study presented evidence of peak experiences that surfaced in the literature that kept students on track to graduate from high school. These results can help schools and districts with lagging graduation rates to recognize the impact social, emotional, and intellectual peak experiences have on students’ ability to stay on track to graduate from high school.