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**   Where there is a paper and a name but no abstract, the abstract is missing.  Please send the abstract to Lorraine Allen, lallen@memphis.edu.

 

 

 

Session 7.1

9:00 A.M. – 9:50 A.M.      ENGLISH EDUCATION...................................................................... Bayou

 

Presider:                        Stacy L. Bliss, University of Tennessee , Knoxville

 

Issues in Southern Adult ESL Classrooms

 

Li-Ching Hung and Lishu Yin , Mississippi State University

 

                   According to the U.S. Census Bureau Report (2001), more than 35 million immigrants living in the United States stated that their native language was not English.  The growth of industries such as fish farming and car manufacturing has brought in a large number of immigrants to the southern states.  Many issues related to Adult English as a Second Language programs have started to catch the attention of educators and the community at large. 

                   This paper addressed the following critical issues:  (1) The diverse needs of students are not met at the individual level.  Some need advanced English skills to improve their lives, while others need English to function on a daily basis.  (2) Instructors are not equipped to help students ease the transition from their own culture to the dominant one. According to McCroarty (1993), cultural expectations of students directly influence their participation in the language classroom. Thus, it is essential for teachers to be aware of any cultural differences while developing the curriculum or lesson plan.  (3) Instructors are not aware of students’ diverse learning motivation caused by learners’ different educational backgrounds and proficiency levels. The students’ motivation has an impact on the process of the acquisition of a new language.  Understanding the motivation of students can help teachers employ different teaching strategies to get all students involved.   

                   Constructive suggestions regarding the issues were also given in this paper.  Most important, this paper provided teachers with a better understanding of the students they work with.  For example, students from Asian countries are used to the teacher-dominant learning environment, so when they first enter an American classroom, it can be very challenging for them to adjust to the new teaching methods such as role playing and group discussion.

 

 

The Impact of School Reform Design, ESOL Instruction, and SES on ESOL Students’ Reading Achievement

 

Cristina P. Valentino, University of North Florida

 

                   The purpose of this doctoral dissertation study was to examine how school reform design, ESOL instruction, and socio-economic status impacted the academic achievement of ESOL students in grade 2. Gains in lexile scores on the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) were used to measure one aspect of academic achievement, namely, general reading ability. The primary research question was: To what extent can gains in lexile scores on the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) be explained by the independent variable set of school reform design (America’s Choice/Direct Instruction), ESOL instruction (ESOL instruction/no ESOL instruction), and socio-economic status (free and reduced lunch/no free lunch)?  Participants were 204 ESOL students enrolled in grade 2 in Duval County Public Schools during the 2003-2004 academic year, including 53 in Direct Instruction and 151 in America’s Choice school reform designs; 151 receiving free and reduced lunch and 53 paying full fee for lunch; and 139 receiving ESOL instruction and 65 receiving no ESOL instruction.

                   Findings indicated that students in the Direct Instruction school reform design had greater gains in lexile scores on the SRI than students in the America ’s Choice design. Socio-economic status and ESOL instruction were not statistically significant predictors of academic achievement. Further, there were no statistically significant interactions among any of the predictor variables:  between school reform design and ESOL instruction, between school reform design and socio-economic status, between socio-economic status and ESOL instruction, or among school reform design, socio-economic status, and ESOL instruction.

 

 

The Transformation of Mainstream Teachers into ESL Mentors

 

Susan K. Spezzini and Julia S. Austin, University of Alabama – Birmingham

 

                   Through a school/university partnership, a site-based ESL certification program was provided to mainstream teachers in a large county system that was serving increasingly larger numbers of English language learners (ELLs). Although initially challenged by shifting paradigms, these teachers became empowered through self-accountability in distance learning groups. Armed with vested interests from their own action research, they began disseminating information about their own experiences, became advocates for ELLs and their families, and gradually transformed into ESL mentors. As documented by the research literature on mentoring, their transformation evolved as a constructivist practice through awareness, engagement, monitoring, reflection, personal strengths, and reciprocal learning. The data collected included a questionnaire and mentoring stories. All 44 completers in the first two cohorts responded to the questionnaire during their 5th ESL certification course (Spring 2004 or 2005) and wrote mentoring stories during their 7th and final course. This questionnaire was developed from research literature on mentoring, site-based professional development, and ESL best practices. Content validity was established by basing items directly on research literature and having items reviewed by a panel of experts. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data using content analysis.

                   When before-program entry was compared to the program’s 4th semester, self-reported results indicated the following changes: sharing ESL best practices with colleagues, from 70% rarely/never to 86% daily/weekly; length of interactions, from 84% five minutes or less to 95% 15 minutes or more; giving ESL presentations at faculty meetings, from 84% never to 68% at least once; and giving presentations at ESL parent meetings, from 93% never to 48% at least once.  Although no pre-assessment was given, the changes reported by the teachers themselves suggested that the intervention, a site-based ESL certification program via a school-university partnership, was the major catalyst for their transformation into ESL mentors.

 

 

Session 7.2

9:00 A.M. – 9:50 A.M.      MATHEMATICS EDUCATION............................................................. Levee

 

Presider:                        Scott W. Snyder, University of Alabama – Birmingham

 

The Relationship Between Eighth-Grade Students’ NAEP Mathematics Scores

and Their Fathers’ Educational Attainment

 

Beverly M. Klecker, Morehead State University

 

                   Educational researchers have long been aware of the pitfalls of correlational studies; still the methodology continues to be useful and popular. The No Child Left Behind Act requires the disaggregation of accountability test data by socio-economic status (SES). This SES variable has been found to be moderately to highly positively correlated with the educational attainment of students’ fathers. This paper presented secondary analyses of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) National Public School data for the years 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2003 exploring the relationship between students’ eighth-grade mathematics scores and their fathers’ educational attainment.

                   The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has, since 1969, been the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America’s students know in various subject areas. Demographic and questionnaire data were collected as the NAEP was administered. Considerable research literature was found on the relationship between paternal educational level and (1) student achievement (e.g., Anglum, 1990; DeBaz, 1994; McCarlin & Meyer, 1988; Mungai, 2002) and (2) student mathematical achievement (e.g.,Campbell, 1999; Downer-Assaf, 1995; Fagan & Inglessias, 1999; Illinois Mathematics & Science Academy, 2001).  NAEP eighth-grade mathematics average scale scores were examined through secondary data analyses.

                   Students’ responses to the question “How far in school did your father go?” were categorized: “Did not finish H.S.,” “Graduated H.S.,” “Some education after H.S.,” “Graduated college,” and “I don’t know.”  The percentage of students responding “I don’t know” ranged from 20% (1990) to 26% (2000). The students’ average scale scores on the NAEP consistently increased as fathers’ educational level increased. The statistical significance of the differences (alpha set a priori to .01) was consistent across years (measured by ANOVAs). The strongest effect sizes (Cohen’s d) were between “Did not finish H.S.” and “Graduated college” (median across years d=.72).

 

 

An Exploration into Issues of Identity and Power in Mathematics Classrooms: Reflecting on Classic Research

 

Lynn L. Hodge, University of Alabama

 

                   In this paper, the author illustrated how issues of equity in the form of identity and power may play out in mathematics classrooms. This understanding of how the dynamics of equity emerge and move through the mathematics classroom has implications for how educators and researchers approach efforts to promote more equitable teaching practices (Nasir & Cobb, 2002; Ladson-Billings, 1998). Overall, the author delineated an orientation on the mathematics classroom that took into account status and power and reveals the non-neutral and value-laden nature of the teaching and learning of mathematics. In order to accomplish this, the author drew on equity research, including many studies that are considered classics in the field, to offer illustrations and relevant issues. The author focused specifically on the idea of identity as a relational construct, issues of discourse that contribute and delimit students’ induction into mathematical literacy, and the process of silencing. It was in this discussion of specific issues that the idea of a third space (Gutierrez et al., 1999) that transcends the dichotomy between the official narratives and counter narratives of the classroom becomes particularly relevant to mathematics education.

 

 

Attitudes Toward Mathematics: Are Sex and Math Anxiety Important?

 

Martha Tapia, Berry College, and George E. Marsh II, University of Alabama

 

                   It is indisputable that males have higher achievement in mathematics and higher levels of enrollment in mathematics courses, but whether these results are caused by socialization factors or innate differences has been a matter of dispute. Attitudes play an important role in achievement and persistence in mathematics courses.  The development of positive attitude toward a subject is one of the most prevalent educational goals.  While attitudes are important, there is a paucity of research about the different factors that influence the attitudes toward mathematics. The effects of gender and mathematics anxiety on attitudes toward mathematics were examined with the Attitudes toward Mathematics Inventory (ATMI).  A sample of 210 students enrolled in mathematics classes at a private liberal arts college completed the ATMI and provided their gender and level of math anxiety.

                   Data were analyzed using a multivariate factorial model with four factors as dependent variables (self-confidence, value, motivation, and enjoyment of mathematics) and two independent variables (gender and mathematics anxiety).  The interaction of math anxiety and gender was not significant.  There was a significant effect of gender on value with small effect size with males scoring higher than females. There was a significant effect of math anxiety with large effect size on self-confidence, enjoyment, and motivation and with medium effect size on value. Students with no math anxiety scored significantly higher than all other students in self-confidence, enjoyment, and motivation and significantly higher than students with some or a great deal of math anxiety in value.  Students with little math anxiety scored significantly higher than more anxious students in self-confidence, value, and enjoyment and higher than students with a great deal of math anxiety in motivation.  Students with some math anxiety scored significantly higher than students with a great deal of math anxiety in all four factors.

 

 

Session 7.3

9:00 A.M. – 9:50 A.M.      RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.......................................... Mississippi Queen

 

Presider:                        A. J. Guarino, Auburn University

 

More Power to You? Not with Unbalanced Designs!

 

David Morse, Mississippi State University

 

                   Statistics texts frequently recommend that statistical power (for hypothesis testing) and precision (for estimates of parameters) should be considered a necessary part of planning a study.  However, not many address the impact on power arising from unbalanced designs.  This study summarized Monte Carlo simulations varying total N, effect size, proportion of cases in each treatment group, and population variances.  For each combination of conditions 25,000 replications were run, and resultant empirical power levels at the .01, .05 and .10 alpha levels were recorded.  Results indicated that when group sample sizes are sharply unequal, statistical power may vary by up to 40 points or more from the levels noted for equal sample sizes.  Very small total N values showed power differences across all effect sizes, whereas with large N values, the differences tended to be smaller except for the medium-to-small effect size values.  When separate-sample test statistics were used (e.g., Welch t for two-group case), sometimes power was better for sharply unequal group sizes than for equal group sizes when total N was small and effect sizes were small to medium. In some instances, the separate-sample test statistics had superior power to the pooled-sample test statistics even when population variances were equal.  In general, equal or near-equal sample sizes yield better power for null hypothesis testing than unequal sample sizes.  When sample sizes are not equal, sometimes the harmonic mean of sample sizes could serve to yield realistic forecasts of power, but conditions were noted in which the harmonic mean n would systematically misrepresent power.  Researchers should plan appropriately for studies, especially when independent variables are not manipulated so that the desired level of power can be attained.  These findings suggested that reliance on total N or generic “rules of thumb” can yield power levels much different than anticipated.

 

 

Can You Trust Education and Other “Science-Based” Publications?

 

Charles M. Achilles, Seton Hall University

 

 

 

The “Success Case Method”: A New Approach for Educational Researchers

to Use to Draw Causal Inferences?

 

James P. Van Haneghan, University of South Alabama

 

                   Scriven (2004) suggests the “Success Case Method” (SCM) was developed by Brinkerhoff (2003) as a research approach that allows for causal inference.  The goal of this presentation was to discuss the viability of the SCM as a formal technique for doing applied educational research. The SCM involves evaluating an intervention by gathering data on success cases and failure cases.  Success cases are then analyzed in detail to rule out alternative causes.  Hence, the technique requires thinking through the mechanisms of an intervention, and assessing plausible alternative causes that could account for success. For instance, in evaluating a school program, one would have to rule out teacher effects, test preparation effects, other interventions, and other factors. Failure cases are analyzed to provide formative feedback to help improve the program as are success cases. Brinkerhoff discusses SCM as a “quick and dirty” evaluation method. Most of his examples involve analyzing corporate programs.

                   The author described several additions to the success case method designed to make it a more viable applied research method. One addition was an expanded list of alternative causes for educational interventions that can be applied to most interventions. Second, educational scientists need to develop more detailed process models of interventions.  This would allow individuals using the SCM method to determine the “footprints” of particular kinds of interventions.  Third, since the SCM method usually involves sampling success cases, methods for ascertaining the causes of success for unsampled cases need to be developed. Finally, the integration of SCM with other approaches was discussed.  SCM, when combined with quasi-experimental designs, could be a powerful combination when randomized clinical trials are not available.  Most tools for developing the SCM methodology are already available.  Linking these tools to the SCM could help educational researchers develop a powerful methodology

 

 

Session 7.4

9:00 A.M. – 9:50 A.M.      READING................................................................................ Delta Queen

 

Presider:                        Patrick N. Kariuki, Milligan College

 

The Relationship of Oral Language Development and Socio-Economic Status to Mississippi Curriculum

Test Reading Comprehension Scores in High and Low Achievement Schools

 

Beth A. Richmond, Kristen Pittman, and Tania Hanna, University of Southern Mississippi

 

 

                   With the advent of high stakes testing mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, teachers are held accountable for the results of their students’ scores on annual achievement tests. The purpose of this study was to explore the demographic and language differences between students in Mississippi Level 1 and Level 5 Schools and to investigate the relationship of those variables to reading comprehension scores on the Mississippi Curriculum Test (MCT).

                   Methods employed by this study involved determining the oral language development of students on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) and obtaining reading comprehension scores from the Mississippi Curriculum Test (MCT).  PPVTs were administered to third-grade students in both Level 1 and Level 5 achievement schools. School demographics that indicated the socio-economic status of students were investigated.

                   Results were obtained using SPSS statistical analysis of the PPVT scores and the reading comprehension scores on the MCT. Results indicated a significant positive correlation between PPVT scores and reading comprehension scores for both groups.  Analysis of variance indicated that PPVT scores were significantly lower at the Level 1 school as were reading comprehension levels.

                    It was concluded that students from Level 1 schools have lower socio-economic levels and less developed language skills than those students from Level 5 schools resulting in lower reading comprehension scores.  Findings indicated that teachers from Level 1 schools must provide language interventions, as well as intensive systematic reading instruction, to attempt to reach the same levels of success as those teachers from Level 5 schools. The findings also raised the question of the equity of evaluating teachers from Level 1 and Level 5 schools on the same metric, as variables apart from instruction cannot be assumed to be equal in the different levels of schools.

 

 

Reading Intervention Preferences for Second-Grade Students

 

Kristi W. Campbell and Michael D. Mong, Mississippi State University

 

                   Repeated Reading (RR) and Listening Passage Preview (LPP) are two reading interventions that have been found to be effective according to empirical evidence.  However, to date, there has been no research evaluating children’s preference of either of the interventions.  The purpose of the present study was to examine elementary school children’s preference of RR and LPP interventions.   

                   A sample of 52 students from an elementary school participated in this study.  There were more female participants (n = 31, 60%) than male participants (n = 21, 40%); in addition, approximately 54% (n = 28) were African American, while the remainder reported Caucasian (37%, n =19), Asian (6%, n =3), Indian (2%, n = 1), and Pakistani (2%, n =.1).  All of the participants were second-grade students.  Most of the students were eight years of age (n = 33, 63%), with a mean age of 8.3 years.  Thirty-three percent were seven years old; 4% (n = 2) were 9 years old. 

                   Children were taken out of the classroom one at a time for an average of 10 minutes.  After arriving at the specified location, children completed either the repeated reading intervention or the listening passage preview intervention.  Once the reading interventions were completed, the children were given the child preference reading

survey.  After the survey was completed, children were taken back to their classrooms.

                   Statistical analyses were performed to answer two research questions:  (1) How acceptable is reading to second-graders? and (2) Which intervention, repeated reading or listening passage preview, is preferred?  Tentative conclusions were drawn, and attempts to verify conclusions included reexamination of relevant data sources.  The findings of the study suggested implications for classroom practice and teacher educators.

 

 

Teaching Boys to Read: A Review of the Literature

 

Rebecca M. Giles and Andrea M. Kent, University of South Alabama

 

                   Learning to read is a child’s most significant academic accomplishment. Reading is a vital skill that provides the foundation for future success, both throughout school and life. Reading ability, as well as the desire to read, varies greatly among different groups of children, including boys and girls. Research consistently reports that young male readers lag behind their female peers in reading achievement. There is no consensus, despite several possible theories, regarding the reasons why such a gap exists. The articles in this paper were reviewed in an attempt to clearly identify the issues surrounding the literacy differences observed in boys and girls and to fully examine the

approaches being employed to address these issues.

                   The wealth of current information related to the reading needs of school-aged boys leaves no doubt that parents, teachers, librarians, and even children’s authors, are now more aware of gender-specific literacy concerns than they were five years earlier. While several strategies, such as the incorporation of technology, a broader acceptance of reading material, and an increased number of male reading role models, are being used, research regarding the effectiveness of any one strategy is lacking. Further, the exact age range at which a difference between the reading ability and motivation of boys and girls occurs has not yet been established through sufficient research. Although boys’ literacy needs is a topic rich in emotional support, there is a great need for substantial research to further investigate the role of gender in learning to read, reading ability, and motivation to read.

 

 

Session 7.5

9:00 A.M. – 9:50 A.M.      PRINCIPALSHIP......................................................................... Riverboat

 

Presider:                        Kathleen T. Campbell, Southeastern Louisiana University

 

Pressure Cooker: Why Do You Want to Get in With Us?

 

Jean D. Krieger, Woodlake Elementary School, St. Tammany Parish (LA) Schools

 

                   Because of the demands of today’s accountability regarding student achievement, it is extremely important that school principals be dedicated to the task of ensuring that the needs of all students are met, regardless of “subgroup” classification, funding from the local school office, or lack of parental support and involvement.  With all of the demands placed on school administrators, why are enthusiastic, motivated teachers still choosing to become school principals?  This report provided a peek into the reasons aspiring principals are choosing to become school leaders and why veteran principals stay on the job.  Aspiring principals in the southeastern region of the country were questioned about their reasons for seeking principalship positions and their expectations upon becoming principals in this age of increased accountability.   Veteran principals in the same region were asked what keeps them on the job, motivated, and supported as they work to help their students achieve the highest level of performance possible.  Findings provided catalysts for further study.

 

 

From Behind the Mask: Principals’ Perceptions of Implementing Section 504

 

Camilla Sims-Stambaugh, University of North Florida

 

                   As a greater number of students and their parents request Section 504 services, K-12 public schools are expected to provide services. Public school principals have indicated that providing special needs education is a challenge that they feel unprepared to manage.

                   The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand school principals’ perceptions of Section 504 implementation by identifying, describing, and documenting principal routines in overseeing the civil rights law. Participants for the in-depth, semi-structured interviews were 18 principals of elementary and secondary schools in the southeastern United States.

                   The primary research question was:  “How do principals understand their experiences in implementing Section 504?” Further questions focused on principals’ knowledge of the mandate, their dispositions that either enhanced or marginalized their responses, and their behaviors or actions in managing the regulations.

                   The qualitative analysis of the data included the use of related literature concepts such as worker behavior within social service environments and the dramaturgical elements within social settings. Inductive analysis generated themes of demands, constraints, and choices within principals’ experiences of Section 504 implementation.

                   Findings indicated that principals cared about their students while managing all-consuming work loads. Principals lacked sufficient knowledge and expertise regarding compliance regulations. Because of legal aspects, principals felt apprehensive and avoided involvement. They had difficulty in supervising staff implementing Section 504 plans, they typically had no formal child-find process in place, and they frequently allowed staff to use discretion in deciding student eligibility.

                   Implications for further research surfaced. The principals’ perspective on implementing Section 504 services provided only a partial view of the complex issues attendant on effective implementation of services.  Perceptions of teachers, school counselors, parents, and students could further enrich the literature in regard to the Section 504 implementation in the K-12 public school setting.

 

 

The Changing Role of Principal: From Colonial Inspection to Modern Supervision

 

Abraham A. Andero, Mississippi State University-Meridian, and Bettie Jimerson, Robert C.H. High School

 

                   Supervision of instruction has changed greatly over the years from the inspection of teachers to democratic leadership. The relationship of the modern supervisor to the teaching staff should be that of an instructional leader. The principal coordinates and facilitates the work of teachers in an effort to improve the learning of pupils and the work of the school. The principal works to bring about coordination of the total program of education within the system. The principal seeks to draw many people and groups into educational planning and action, and assists the staff identifying, diagnosing, and solving problems. The principal facilitates the sharing of ideas, makes available new knowledge resulting from research, mobilizes resources and encourages the wise use of them, and assists in the continuous professional growth of the entire staff.  Realizing that her/his own professional growth is as important as that of staff members, the principal leads the staff in a constant search for better and more effective ways of doing their jobs, believing always that no best ways have yet been found.

                   Principals today work in such a way as to discover and develop leadership abilities in all their co-workers of both lay and professional groups. They try to establish a professional attitude wherein teachers feel secure in changing an attitude or a technique. Principals are patient, friendly, cheerful and understanding.  They like people and are enthusiastic about potentiality for improving the quality of education through their leadership.

                   The role that has been described here for the principal in the educational team is a large one, but a professional one. Principals today will enthusiastically accept this leadership challenge for making teaching and learning better for future students.

 

 

Session 7.6

9:00 A.M. – 9:50 A.M.      MAKING PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS: TIPS, TRICKS, AND WORDS

                                       TO THE WISE (TRAINING SESSION).................................... Meeting Room

 

 

Jane Nell Luster, National Center for Special Education Accountability Monitoring,

and Scott Bauer, George Mason University

 

                   MSERA has traditionally been a wellspring of knowledge for novice researchers, graduate students, and new faculty alike. Each year, MSERA proudly sponsors sessions on publishing, job seeking, and a bewildering assortment of research methods. Yet, in recent years at least, an important skill area has been neglected: making presentations at research meetings. This training session was designed to remedy this situation by offering guidance on how to make presentations at meetings like MSERA and AERA. Specifically, two (much too seasoned) veterans of educational research meetings first demonstrated in graphic detail how NOT to present one’s brilliant research findings in 14 minutes or less, highlighting many of the all-too-often distracting misuses of handouts, overhead projectors, and video-display technologies.

                   No expense was spared in simulating the kinds of presentations that leave audiences shaking their heads in dismay and pondering how such seemingly skilled scholars could imagine that they are communicating with members of their species. Second, the authors provided guidelines on preparing, practicing, and presenting research findings, including the Top Ten checklist for designing effective presentations. The authors also discussed the variety of formats available at meetings, including what to expect at national meetings like AERA. Though the authors strove to practice what they preached in conducting this training session (hence it is both entertaining and at least slightly humorous), the material presented was of a very serious nature. However elegant and technically proficient the research, authors are judged at meetings by their ability to communicate effectively and efficiently. Job seekers, novice scholars, and veterans may benefit from this material.

 

 

Session 8.1

10:00 A.M. – 10:50 A.M.   EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATION............................................................. Bayou

 

Presider:                        Jimmy D. Lindsey, Southern University – Baton Rouge

 

Functional Hearing Inventory: Research Update

 

Pamela M. Broadston, University of Arkansas - Little Rock; Robert L. Kennedy, University

of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; and Roseanna Davidson, Texas Tech University

 

                   Hearing plays a critical role in the total development of human beings, so a hearing loss can have a serious impact on that development. However, there is a lack of functional hearing screening/assessment instruments to evaluate such a loss, that are comprehensive, can be used across ages, are designed to assess children’s hearing within their natural environment, and have been investigated for evidence of reliability and validity. Because this type of assessment instrument is necessary for program planning, there is a need for such an instrument for deafblind children. The Functional Hearing Inventory (FHI) was developed to meet this need. 

                   The purpose of this study was to obtain evidence of the validity and reliability of the interpretation of the results of the FHI.  In particular, criterion-related validity for the FHI was investigated by correlating it with teachers’ and parents’ ratings. Interrater reliability of the FHI was studied through the correlation of the FHI ratings by two trained evaluators.  Participants for the research must have been reported as children with deafblindness on the Federal Deafblind Census, and must be between the ages of zero and 26.  Because of the low incidence of deafblindness in the population, the researcher selected a purposeful sample of 31 subjects. 

                   Descriptive assessment included frequency counts, percentages, and bar charts to illustrate the aggregate responses from the participants. Cohen’s kappa was used to determine interrater reliability. For criterion validity, the FHI ratings were recoded as 0 to indicate no response; 1 for the lower three levels (awareness/reflexive, attention/alerting, and localization; and 2 for the higher three levels (discrimination, recognition, and comprehension).  These three levels were considered to be comparable to the teachers and parents indicating a 0 for no response, 1 for a physical response, and 2 for a discriminating response.

 

 

A Cognitive-Anatomic Study of Dyslexia Subtypes

 

Janet N. Zadina, Tulane University - Health Sciences Center

 

                   Developmental dyslexia, the most common kind of learning disability, is defined as a reading disorder, although multiple cognitive-motor processes are involved. These processes may vary across individuals. Thus, subgroups may exist with deficits in some cognitive operations and relative sparing of others. Investigators have found that dyslexics have anomalous anatomy of speech-language areas. These results have not been replicated in all studies, perhaps because reading involves several processes and dyslexia may be a heterogeneous disorder comprised of subtypes. Understanding the neural basis of dyslexia subtypes may lead to clearer definitions, clinical characteristics, and earlier detection and treatment.

                   The underlying question in this study was:  Do behavioral subtypes of dyslexia exist and do neuroanatomical features dissociate these subtypes? This study investigated: (1) cognitive/ behavioral, (2) anatomical, and (3) behavioral-anatomic relationships. Dyslexics (n=16) and controls (n=16), matched for age, education, sex, and handedness, were compared on neuropsychological measures of intelligence and language. Brain regions (prefrontal and occipital lobes, hemisphere volume) were measured on volumetric MRI scans. Five subgroups were identified:  two control groups (weak phonological and strict) and three dyslexic groups (phonological deficit dyslexia, non-phonological deficit, and global deficit dyslexics). These subgroups differed on all cognitive/behavioral measures (p<.001) with a correlation (p<.001) between measures of IQ and phonology.

                   Significant group differences were found in lobar volumes (p=.018) with prefrontal (p=.003) and superior prefrontal regions (p=.004) larger in dyslexics. Subgroups differed significantly (p=.043) on asymmetry patterns, with the phonological deficit groups having atypical lobar asymmetries. A significant relationship existed between left occipital volume and performance on the word identification test (p=.045). These results may help explain conflicting findings in earlier studies that did not subdivide groups and support the notion that dyslexia is a heterogeneous disorder with anomalous frontal and occipital anatomy.

 

 

Students with Dyslexia: The Underserved and Left Behind Population

 

Beth A. Richmond, Ellen Ramp, and Carla Dearman, University of Southern Mississippi

 

                   The position of the researchers is that students with dyslexia are underserved in the Mississippi Public School System. Although dyslexia is specifically included in the Specific Learning Disability (SLD) definition of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), students with dyslexia are provided services under a separate, unique program separate from the IDEA in Mississippi.  As Mississippi is one of only four states addressing dyslexia under a separate program, this approach seems to be commendable and allows for more students to be served; however, it was the position of this paper that by removing students with dyslexia from the protections and funding of the IDEA, students may be served insufficiently or ineffectively with services varying greatly from district to district. This position paper elucidated the current definition of dyslexia, the IDEA definition, and the history of dyslexia programs in Mississippi. A review of the literature supported the need for intensive intervention for students with dyslexia.  The current dyslexia programs, the methods of identification, teacher preparation programs, and the various intervention models were reviewed. Implications for improving programs were developed, and a plan of action was proposed.

 

 

Session 8.2

10:00 A.M. – 10:50 A.M.   TECHNOLOGY.................................................................................. Levee

 

Presider:                        Linda F. Cornelious, Mississippi State University

 

Leading the Technology Thrust: Integration or Illusion?

 

Lawrence Leonard and Pauline Leonard, Louisiana Tech University

 

                   There is expanding recognition that formal leadership plays a pivotal, albeit largely indirect, role in student achievement (Leithwood, Seashore Louis, Anderson, & Walstrom, 2004; Peterson & Cosner, 2005).There is also substantial and increasing evidence that such school contextual factors as culture, mission and goals, instructional practices, and accountability mechanisms can have a dramatic impact upon school success (Fullan, 2005). One of the more recently evolving contextual factors that continues to be particularly problematic is that of authentic technology integration in the teaching and learning process.  School districts nationwide continue to spend billions of dollars annually on various forms of technology equipment and services. Despite the widespread expectation that teachers routinely integrate technology into the curriculum to facilitate student achievement, there is substantial evidence that it is not occurring in the manner or degree desirable.

                   This combined quantitative and qualitative study examined the extent that computer-related technology is used in 12 school districts in northern Louisiana from the perspectives of 214 site-based administrators in 149 schools. The findings suggested that technology integration remains a serious concern in that many teachers seem unwilling or unable to incorporate computer-related technology into the teaching and learning process. Even with appropriate teacher technology-use preparation and dispositions, the principals and assistant principals were concerned about inadequate technology resourcing. Respondents reported that there were recurring problems with computer and software currency, equipment maintenance, and teacher training. Problems were considered to be more serious in smaller, rural schools and school districts, primarily as a consequence of inadequate district support and persisting problems with sufficient Internet connectivity. Furthermore - and perhaps the most disturbing revelation from this research - the data revealed that many school administrators consider themselves to be ill-prepared to assume the role of technology leader. The implications of these and other findings for school improvement were discussed.

 

 

The Role of Educational Technology Professionals in Arkansas Schools

 

William Brescia, University of Arkansas

 

                   This study surveyed school administrators and sought to identify congruencies and mismatches based on demographic characteristics.  The job description of the ETEC professional in education has encompassed tasks as varied as leading the educational technology efforts for an entire building to changing the ink cartridge for a teacher who cannot figure out why the printer will not work.  The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has for over a decade sought to implement specific guidelines for the use of technology in the classroom and provide guidance to school systems on the most efficacious use of technology. 

                   Educational Technology professionals in Arkansas Schools serve in an uncertain and in some cases perplexing situation.  The state of Arkansas does not have a uniform way of classifying educational technology professionals in schools.  Educational Technology professionals fill a multi-faceted scope of tasks and means different things in different school systems.  There continues to be an ongoing concern about the wide variety of confusing job descriptions for these positions.  The lead Educational Technology professionals are referred to as sometimes the Director, sometimes the Coordinator, and sometimes a classroom teacher. 

                   This research sought to identify existing perceptions by school building administrators about the role of Educational Technology professionals in their schools.  The goal of this inquiry was to identify the perceived role of an education technologist in the schools and provide the researchers and practitioners with information that might lead to a more unified and rational approach to this important position.  The objective of this research project was to identify perceptions of building administrators about the roles and responsibilities of the educational technology professionals in their buildings.

 

 

Perspective Analysis of the Current Abilities of Alabama School Leaders to Provide

Technology Leadership in Schools and School Districts

 

Feng Sun, University of Alabama – Birmingham

 

                   With the award of Bill and Melinda Gates State Challenge Grant for Leadership Development, the Alabama State Department of Education was interested in getting a clear perspective regarding the current abilities of school leaders to provide technology leadership in schools and school districts. All of the attendees of district superintendents and school principals to the Alabama Renaissance Technology Academy for School Leaders training workshop took the Renaissance survey for school leaders online. Approximately 836 public and private principals and superintendents in Alabama have gone through this training from year of 2002 to 2004.  The survey was posted on the Profiler PT3 web server (http://profiler.pt3.org). All of these school leaders used the assigned login name and password to access this survey. The survey was composed based on the five factors regarding school leaders’ perspectives of providing technology leadership role in their school districts and schools and Technology Standards for School Administrators (TSSA): (1) a vision for technology, (2) staff development, (3) encouraging instructional integration of technology, (4) infrastructure for technology, and (5) using technology. Twenty-seven questions were asked in the survey to cover the above five factors; another five questions were included for demographic information. The response to each question has four choices of beginning, intermediate, advanced, and mentoring denoting the levels of implementation related to the leadership role of technology in their schools and districts. The three years of data showed a great growth in the technology leadership skills, especially the quality job-embedded staff development, as measured by Alabama’s Technology Survey for School Leaders.

 

 

Session 8.3

10:00 A.M. – 10:50 A.M.   CURRENT ISSUES (DISPLAYS)...................................... Mississippi Queen

 

Alternative Public School Students: A Comparison of Attitudes and Behaviors Across Time and with Peers

 

Angela L. White, Jason L. Houston, Leanne Whiteside Mansell, and Mark Edwards,

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and Carol Lee, Child Development, Inc.

 

                   Alternative school settings are used by many school districts throughout our nation.  The students are usually sent there as an alternative to dismissal from school and to prevent the student from dropping out of high school.  The rise of public awareness of school’s academic achievement heightens the stress on schools to sustain students through graduation. Alternative schools are often used to give students a chance to fulfill requirements to either graduate or as remediation with the goal of reintegration back into the school settings.  While it is clear that students attending alternative school differ from their peers that do not, it is not clear the extent to which these differences are behavioral, attitudinal, or personality traits.

                   This study examined rural students who were assigned to an alternative school (N = 48) and students in their public school of origin (N = 61).  The study investigated the extent to which these groups of students differ in their attitudes related to conflict and self esteem, their level of aggression and their self-reported risky behaviors. The scales used in this study were Modified Aggression Scale, Attitude toward Conflict, Rosenberg Self Esteem, and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Comparisons were made between student’s attitudes three times during the year in which intervention activities were conducted and with peers at the end of the school year.  Across-time comparisons investigated the impact of intervention and across-group comparisons investigated the similarity of attitudes held by the two groups of students. Modified implementation of the Aggression Replacement Training (ART) program was the key component of the intervention activities.

                   Preliminary findings suggested important differences between students assigned to alternative school and comparable peers.  Evidence of the positive impact of the ART program was mixed.  The results were useful in understanding the impact of interventions focused on students attending alternative schools.

 

 

Transportation Policies and Practices in University Athletic Departments in the U.S.

 

David LaVetter, Arkansas State University

 

                   Transportation of college athletes may be one of the most overlooked risk management issues facing intercollegiate athletics administrators. These accidents have caused death, injury, liability claims, property loss, and grief to the traveling teams, their families, and the institution. In February 2004, a 15-passenger van carrying a basketball team was hit by a semi-truck in Texas resulting in two deaths and others being seriously injured. Fifteen-passenger vans have been shown to be more risky than charter buses. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration cautioned that 15-passenger vans were three times more likely to roll over when carrying 10 or more passengers than when carrying nine or fewer passengers, or lightly loaded. Over 400,000 student-athletes compete in sports in the U.S each year. What do administrators consider when developing policies? What are the typical modes of transportation by sport? What policies have been changed to improve passenger safety during team travel?

                   An online questionnaire was sent to 765 college/university athletic directors. The survey was designed to answer questions relating to:  (1) transportation modes used, (2) policy development and implementation, (3) driver qualifications, (4) 15-passenger van usage, and (5) size of department as measured by budget, number of sports offered, and total number of athlete participants.

                   Descriptive statistics analyzed the data, as well as chi square analysis comparing policy variables and department budget. Additionally, 32 different states were represented, thus allowing data analysis by geographic location. There were 238 completed surveys returned for a response rate of 31%. The results may be used to create more awareness of college athletic departments’ transportation policies that may assist in the development of safer transportation policies for team travel. Knowing transportation policies that are currently practiced may help decrease accidents, litigation, and injury or death. Safe transportation recommendations were displayed and discussed.

 

 

Ripped from the Headlines: Issues and Trends in Educational Technology

 

Vivian H. Wright, University of Alabama

 

                   Pick up almost any newspaper or magazine today and chances are one will find at least one article relating to some new technological wave, advance, trend, or irritation! In this poster presentation, educational technology research on various technology issues and trends was presented.  Essentially “ripped from the headlines” this presentation provided an overview of how the issue/trend may affect today’s classrooms (P-16); discussed the impact on society—legal, social, cultural, and ethical; and how the issue/trend could be used as a teaching and learning tool.  Links to online resources were included for each issue/trend so that the conference attendee could investigate each further.  Issues and trends presented included video streaming, weblogs, plagiarism, webcasting, and Tablet PC potential in the classroom, among others.

                   In education today, it is hard to maintain an awareness of new trends in technology, much less how those trends could possibly benefit our classrooms and student learning.  This session presented an overview and briefly described innovative techniques on how these trends might be used in a classroom. Each issue/trend was presented in an organized format for this display session, with the presentation specifically focusing on how the issue/trend can affect our classrooms of today and tomorrow.  While technology grows exponentially, it is important for researchers and educators to understand current and emerging trends and research and assess their importance and potential.

 

 

Evaluating the Outcomes of Strategic Planning in Higher Education: Faculty Perceptions

of University Goals and Objectives

 

John D. Hall, Daniel H. Cline, and D. Lynn Howerton, Arkansas State University

 

 

                   With increasing frequency, institutions of higher education are called on to engage in coordinated efforts to develop future plans. These efforts typically entail a systematic collaborative process known as strategic planning. A complete assessment model includes a written strategic plan that sets forth key institutional goals and objectives and an evaluation of the progress in meeting those goals and objectives. Evaluation results may in turn be used to assist the institution in redirecting efforts to address unmet needs or concerns.

                   This paper presented the faculty’s perceptions of a university’s progress in meeting its goals and objectives. A faculty survey designed to evaluate 12 university goals and 55 objectives resulting from a 1995-1996 strategic planning process was mailed to university faculty in the fall of 2003. The 55-item survey addressed each strategic goal and objective. Items pertained to the academic and intellectual environment, student issues, faculty matters, undergraduate and graduate program concerns, research, evaluation of academic programs and services, public service, university communication and cooperation, state leadership role specific to education, and university image. The survey used a six-point scale for each item.

                   The results revealed that none of the university’s strategic goals were met. No goals received a rating higher than “minimal” progress, and only four of the 55 objectives were rated as “moderate.” No items were rated higher than “moderate.” Overall, the findings suggested that the university made no or only minimal progress on the objectives implemented during the planning. The viability of strategic planning as a model for higher education was discussed as were the limitations of the study and suggestions for future research. 

 

 

Session 8.4

10:00 A.M. – 10:50 A.M.   MENTOR SESSION................................................................. Delta Queen

 

Presiders:                       Quisar Sultana, Eastern Kentucky University, and Nola J. Christenberry,

                                       Arkansas State University

 

                   Hosted by MSERA Mentors, this session provided opportunities for attendees to collaborate with one or more long-term members of MSERA about attendees’ existing or potential research projects, proposed or draft manuscripts, dissertation ideas, data analysis, program evaluation projects, and other research-related topics. These sessions were offered primarily for new graduate student and professional members of the Mid-South Educational Research Association.

 

 

Session 8.5

10:00 A.M. – 10:50 AM     TEACHER EDUCATION................................................................ Riverboat

 

Presider:                        William Spencer, Auburn University

 

Philosophical Statements and Instructional Practices of Middle Grade Science Teachers: Do Teachers

Practice What They Say They Believe About Student Learning?

 

Carolyn C. Williams and Carolyn Pinchback, University of Central Arkansas

 

                   The study examined the philosophical statements of middle grade science teachers as compared to samples of their classroom instructional practices to determine whether: (1) their philosophical beliefs of how middle grade students learn science are significantly different from samples of their instructional practices, (2) samples of their instructional practices are aligned with the five prepositions of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), and (3) the factors and conditions may influence teacher quality and student achievement.

                   A total of 115 middle grade science teachers participated in the study for a period of 18 months.  The teachers were selected from two school districts, one small urban fringe school district and one relatively large urban school district.  Seven of the teachers were African American and 108 Caucasian. A total of 20 teachers were males.  Pre-and post-assessments on science content knowledge, skills, and dispositions were administered to all teachers.    The researcher met with the teachers for 45 hours of professional staff development.  The sessions followed the format: (1) teachers engaged in hands-on instructional model lessons and reading resource and reference materials standards and practices and the five propositions of the NBPTS, and (2) lessons were led by National Board Certified middle grade science teachers and university professors of physics, biology, and general science.   Four sessions focused on hands-on computer-enhanced science lessons on how to access science lessons on the Internet.

                   The researcher asked the teachers to write a 250-word philosophical statement on how middle grade students learn science and to submit the results of a science practice lesson that they had conducted with the students. Teachers were asked to collect, analyze, and submit written responses from three of their students:  one from a student who responded to the assignment extremely well, one whose responses were judged to be at an average level of understanding, and one who responses were judged to be far less than average.  The teachers were asked to discuss: (1) What was the goal of the lesson? (2) What was each student’s most essential misunderstanding or difficulty? (3) How does each student response fit into what your prior knowledge about this student’s understandings and performance? (4) What did each student learn from the assignment judging from the responses? and (5) What does each student need to do next to move her or his understanding forward?  Each teacher’s philosophical statement and practice lessons were analyzed holistically and analytically.  Matrices displaying data obtained from all sources were developed and used to identify patterns emerging from the data.  Tentative conclusions were drawn and attempts to verify conclusions included reexamination of relevant data sources.  The findings suggested implications for classroom practice and teacher educators.

 

 

Effectiveness of Science Teaching Video Case Studies as Demonstrated in Classroom Practices

 

Clifford A. Hofwolt, Vanderbilt University

 

                   Does the use of video case studies in an elementary science methods class make a difference in the classroom practices of prospective elementary teachers as demonstrated in their student teaching experiences?  To date, little research has been reported on the use of video case studies in relationship to actual teaching practices as demonstrated by classroom teachers.

                   This study was conducted for two years.  During the first year, students in an elementary science methods course were not shown any video case studies that showed inquiry or discover learning and the use of the science learning cycle.  They were subjected only to readings and class discussion about these topics. This was the control group.  During the second year, students viewed and analyzed video case studies demonstrating these techniques in addition to class discussion and reading.  This was the treatment group.

                   During student teaching, when students from either the control or treatment group taught science lessons, they were observed utilizing an observational system that detects the use of hands-on approaches to teaching science that incorporates discovery or inquiry learning and the use of the science learning cycle.  Each student was observed teaching five lessons.  When all students from both treatment and controls groups had completed their student teaching, the data collected from the observational instrument were analyzed.

                   The results indicated that when students viewed and analyzed science video case studies showing inquiry learning and the use of the science learning cycle, they were more inclined to incorporate these teaching strategies into their actual classroom practices during student teaching than were students who had not viewed and analyzed the science video cases.  The implication of this study was that video case studies can illustrate to prospective teachers successful styles of teaching and learning that students may not see during observation sessions.  These can serve as models of teaching worth emulating.

 

 

Misconceptions of Preservice Elementary Teachers Regarding Computational and Conceptual

Understanding of Percentage Discounts

 

Rebecca Robichaux, Independent Consultant, and A. J. Guarino, Auburn University

 

                   Research indicates that many preservice teachers have difficulty solving word problems involving multiplication and division of real numbers because they lack conceptual understanding. This study investigated preservice teachers’ ability to identify and correct common conceptual and computational errors in simulated written student solutions to percentage discount problems.

                   Two hundred fifteen preservice teachers enrolled in an elementary mathematics methods course participated. These participants were randomly assigned to one of four simulated solutions and were instructed to identify and correct all errors in the solution. Four computation errors and two conceptual errors were deliberately placed in the solutions. The computation errors included:  (1) basic facts, (2) regrouping, (3) decimal equivalents of percentages, and (4) decimal placement in the final answer. Conceptual errors involved:  (1) adding percentages, and (2) failing to subtract to determine final answer.

                   In analyzing the responses, the investigators determined the percent of Type I errors (identifying correct responses as incorrect) and the overall percent of Type II errors (failing to identify incorrect responses) for both conceptual and computation errors. They also determined the percentage of each Type II conceptual error and each Type II computation error. Results indicated that: (1) 9% of the participants committed Type I errors, regardless of the solution assigned, (2) 83% of those given solutions with conceptual errors failed to detect at least one of the errors, and (3) the group given the computationally only incorrect solution was more likely to commit Type II computation errors (3.30) than the group given the computationally and conceptually incorrect solution (2.63).

                   This study suggested that preservice teachers have difficulty identifying errors made in solutions to percent discount problems. Further analyses yielded the following misconceptions held by these participants: (1) addition of percentages, (2) basic facts, (3) place value, and (4) regrouping.  Implications of these findings were discussed.

 

 

Session 8.6

10:00 A.M. – 11:50 A.M.   DESIGNING A MIXED METHODS DISSERTATION STUDY IN EDUCATION

                                       (TRAINING SESSION).................................................... Meeting Room 253

 

Nataliya V. Ivankova, Matt Fifolt, Tonya Perry, and Jennifer Fritschi, University of Alabama – Birmingham

 

                   This training session provided an overview of the mixed methods approach to research, types of mixed methods designs, and steps in designing a mixed methods dissertation study in education. The objectives of the session were to: (1) summarize recent methodological discussions about mixed methods research, (2) distill important steps to be considered when designing a mixed methods dissertation study, (3) illustrate those steps with a 2004 PDK Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award mixed methods dissertation research project in education and with several mixed methods dissertation research proposals recently developed by doctoral students in education, (4) address the challenges and problem solving strategies utilized by the participants in applying those steps, and (5) provide implications for training education doctoral students with regard to mixed methods dissertation research projects.

                   The session culminated by:  (1) actively involving the audience in the discussion and sharing the experiences with designing a mixed methods research project, and (2) jointly creating a mixed methods research proposal outline that incorporated the discussed procedural issues, the outlined steps in designing a mixed methods dissertation research project, and the successful application strategies, including a visual model of the proposed study procedures.

 

 

Session 9.1

11:00 A.M. – 11:50 A.M.   SCIENCE EDUCATION...................................................................... Bayou

 

Presider:                        Carolyn C. Williams, University of Central Arkansas

 

Use of Pre- and Post-Visit Activities with Informal Learning Settings: Year Two

 

Julie A. Holmes and Randy Parker, Louisiana Tech University

 

                   Visits to science museums have been shown to improve student achievement, and the effects of museum-based learning may be increased if content knowledge activities are included as part of the museum experience. This two-year study examined the use of classroom activities before, during, and after a visit to a science museum.

                   The participants were 175 PK through eighth-grade teachers from north Louisiana and southern Arkansas who participated in the annual IDEA Place Space Days program at Louisiana Tech University. Teachers were given a survey to complete to indicate:  (1) the activities they had completed with their students prior to the museum visit to build prior content knowledge, (2) if their students had structured activities to complete during the visit, and (3) what activities they had planned to complete after the visit. In the second year of the study, teachers were also asked to specify what activities and materials they had used with their students in conjunction with the museum visit.

                   Preliminary data analysis indicated that most teachers at all grade levels reviewed rules prior to the visit, and they completed at least one classroom activity in preparation for the museum visit. None of the teachers had assigned a structured activity for their students to complete during the visit. Teachers in the first year of the study indicated more use of post-visit activities across the curriculum than those teachers in the second year of the study.

                   The results suggested that in order to capitalize on the learning potential of the museum experience, teachers need to be encouraged to use resources designed to emphasize content that their students are exposed to as part of the museum visit. The museum has begun to address this issue by posting activities on its website that correlate with the exhibits and developing lesson plan packets.

 

 

Fact or Fiction?: Science Explorations that Enhance Critical Thinking Skills

 

Mary Kay Bacallao, Mercer University

 

                   In recent years, the field of scientific discovery has expanded exponentially.  Some developments have challenged many of the theories that have been taught in science classrooms over the years.  Through this paper, science educators were able to consider the implications of these discoveries about the way the curriculum is presented. 

                   Through the presentation of contradicting factual scientific evidence, readers were given an opportunity to think deeply about the science that they teach.  Why is the earth slowing down? What has caused the earth’s magnetism to weaken? How was the Grand Canyon formed?  Why are several of the planets spinning backwards?  Why are living things interdependent?  What do you think happened to the dinosaurs?  This paper addressed how teachers can utilize these amazing contradictions within science to teach their students how to think critically.  These and other questions that cannot be answered solely by reading the definitions of boldface words in textbooks were presented.  In sorting out fact from fiction, the readers and eventually the students learned the healthy art of questioning and skepticism. They learned the process by which they may form their own hypotheses. These and other mysteries of science were examined though the presentation of evidence and Socratic style questioning.  Some scientific questions may not have answers.  Using scientific evidence, students can be led to ask their own questions and find their own answers.

 

 

Third-Grade Students’ Perceptions, Attitudes, and Interests in Science and Social Studies

 

Gahan Bailey and Edward L. Shaw, Jr., University of South Alabama, and Amber Howell,

Spencer Elementary School

 

                   A third-grade public school teacher and two university faculty members worked together in the disciplines of science and social studies with 16 African American students enrolled at an urban elementary school in the southeast. The primary objectives of this study were to determine third-grade students’ perceptions of science and social studies, students’ attitudes of science and social studies, and what activities may increase or decrease the students’ interest in these disciplines. Additionally, students rank ordered their favorite to least favorite courses from the four disciplines of language arts, math, science, and social studies. Data were collected by surveying the students at the beginning of the study and again at the end of the six-week period. The pre-survey was given to determine a baseline of the students’ attitudes toward science and social studies. The responses were then compared to the post-survey. To determine the students’ perceptions of these disciplines, pictures were placed on the survey to determine what students think of when they think of science and social studies. The responses to these pictures showed that they have a limited view of both disciplines. The findings showed that all 16 of these third-grade students enjoy science and 15 enjoy social studies. However, science and social studies were ranked as the least favorite disciplines in the pre-survey. In an attempt to determine if activities that are taught affect attitudes, lessons that were taught in this classroom were documented on a table created by the teacher.

 

 

Session 9.2

11:00 A.M. – 11:50 A.M.   QUALITATIVE RESEARCH................................................................ Levee

 

Presider:                        John A. Sargent, East Texas Baptist University

 

Professional Development and Community Building Through Program Development

At A Nontraditional Teacher Education Program

 

Penny Elkins, Dana Lilly, Al Stramiello, Linda Adams, and Karen Michael, Mercer University

 

 

 

 

Narrative Non-Fiction Story Method: A Search for Caring Culture and Leadership

 

Anita L. Johnston, University of Central Arkansas

 

                   The intent of this study was to identify the characteristics of school culture and the leadership practices that exemplify an ethic of care. The chosen methodology was narrative non-fiction, for it is stories that offer an enhanced understanding of the context and culture in which one has membership.

                   Purposive sampling was used to select the school and principal for study. The school met all criteria detailed in the design: rated “Exemplary” by the state education agency for the two previous years, student population reflecting 35% or greater of minority heritage, and 50% or greater participating in free or reduced meal programs. The principal had been in the position for more years than the required five, and teacher-participants had been there three or more years.

                   The researcher scheduled separate sessions with the principal and five of the teachers to record their individual descriptions of the school and their experiences over time as members there. Although some questioning by the researcher was needed to maintain focus on the themes of care and power, the intent was to allow the stories to be told in their most natural voice. The stories were transcribed in narrative text just as told to the researcher. The analysis allowed for interpretation and integration of the individual stories into an emplotted narrative that profiled the reality of the school’s leadership and caring culture.

                   The narrative that emerged from this study revealed the common threads of care, coherence of policy, program, and practice, and the overwhelming evidence of a prevailing ethic of care in the leadership there. The study provided evidence that narrative inquiry can be a powerful tool for educational leaders to more closely examine and inform practice.

 

 

Session 9.3

11:00 A.M. – 11:50 A.M.   FACULTY DEVELOPMENT FOR DISTRIBUTED LEARNING: THE ONLINE

                                       LEARNING LAB APPROACH (SYMPOSIUM)................... Mississippi Queen

 

Organizer:                      John V. Dempsey, University of South Alabama

 

                  

Andy K. Stanfield, Piti Kanjanapongpaisal, Hans Gray, and Eunice A. Luyegu,

University of South Alabama

 

                   The University of South Alabama Online Learning Laboratory (OLL) is dedicated to assisting faculty to develop and improve their online instructional environments and pedagogical approaches.  Additionally, part of the mission of the OLL activities has always been to provide practical instructional design experience for students working in the Lab. For the last six years, the OLL has been coordinated by an Instructional Design and Development faculty member, but most of its day-to-day activities have been conducted by an ever-changing cadre of graduate students. This model differs from many universities that have full-time career employees conducting faculty development and instructional design services for online learning.

                    The papers presented in this symposium examined different aspects of how and why the OLL works. The papers recorded unique aspects of the OLL and how this faculty development model could be transferred to other universities. All five participants (the faculty coordinator and four doctoral student/staff members) presented papers.

                   Briefly, these topics included: (1) the context, background, and credo of the Online Learning Lab; (2) the role and challenges of a part-time senior instructional designer who is also a graduate student; (3) specific job tasks and strategies that are employed by the Lab; (4) the mechanics of working with faculty; and (5) issues of self- assessment, accountability, and evaluation. The first author facilitated audience discussion with the symposium participants focused on the topics of their papers. 

 

 

Session 9.4

11:00 A.M. – 11:50 A.M.   LEADERSHIP.......................................................................... Delta Queen

 

Presider:                        Camilla Sims-Stambaugh, University of North Florida

 

What Successful Administrators Read

 

Randy L. Anderson, Ronald A. Styron, Thelma J. Roberson, and

John Rachal, University of Southern Mississippi

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Role of Water in an Educator’s Fitness to Lead

 

Jack Blendinger, Linda McGrath, Vince McGrath, Mississippi State University, and

Lauren R. Wells, University of West Alabama

 

 

 

An Analysis of Servant-Leadership Characteristics of Public School

Superintendents in Mississippi and Alabama

 

David A. Wright, Donna A. Lander, and Darlene A. Thurston, Jackson State University

 

                   The study examined the “Ten Critical Characteristics of Servant-Leadership,” according to Spears and Lawrence (2002), among public school superintendents in Mississippi and Alabama.  The 10 servant-leadership characteristics were derived from the writings of Robert Greenleaf.  All 278 superintendents were sent a survey instrument that operationalized the servant-leadership characteristics.  A data analysis was conducted based on superintendents’ survey responses and on school district demographics and personal information.  School district demographics included school district enrollment, economic status based on percentages of students participating in the Free and Reduced Lunch Program, and whether the position of superintendent was appointed or elected.  Personal information included the number of years of superintendent experience, age, and highest degree earned.  Null hypotheses based on the school district demographics and personal information were tested using composite scores for the characteristics of servant-leadership and sub-scale scores for each of the 10 Characteristics of Servant-Leadership.

                   Out of a possible 278 superintendents in Mississippi and Alabama, 180 responded to the survey that contained 100 statements that were adapted from a survey by Livovich (1999) designed to incorporate servant-leadership characteristics and the “Superintendent’s Responsibilities” developed by a joint American Association of School Administrators (AASA) and National School Boards Association (NSBA) in 1994.  Servant-leadership characteristics most evident superintendents in Mississippi and Alabama were awareness, empathy, foresight, listening, and healing.

                     Using one-way ANOVA, the composite scores of superintendents with doctorate degrees were statistically significant compared to those superintendents with the educational specialist and master’s degrees. On sub-scale scores for individual servant-leadership characteristics, awareness, conceptualization, foresight, healing, and persuasion were significant for the variable of degree.  When the sub-scale scores were analyzed using the variable of gender, the characteristics of commitment to growth, foresight, and stewardship were found to be significant. 

 

 

 

Session 9.5

11:00 A.M. – 11:50 A.M.   EVALUATION.............................................................................. Riverboat

 

Presider:                        Carl M. Brezausek, University of Alabama - Birmingham

 

Pilot Development of a Measure of Research Integrity: Conceptual and Scaling Issues

 

Scott W. Snyder, University of Alabama – Birmingham

 

                   Integrity in scientific research is important to the public and scientists.  Effective education in research integrity will require understanding the domains and dimensions of research integrity and the timing of acquisition of perceptions about research integrity among trainees and faculty.

                   Preliminary research has been conducted to test the validity of a measure of research integrity. The measure includes six scenarios and reflects a two-dimensional model of research integrity. The first dimension represents core performance areas (data gathering, mentoring, publication practices, peer review, etc), and the second dimension represents three domains of integrity (honesty and accuracy, collegiality and adherence to mutual responsibilities among investigators, and protection of the rights of subjects). Data were collected on 150 trainees and faculty in health-related fields of research at UAB and Duke. Rasch analysis and factor analysis were used to gain insight about the performance of the scale.

                   Results indicated some inconsistencies between item performance and the model. Based on these results, recommendations have been made for revising the scale. While the initial version of the scale included scenarios that primarily focused on clinical research, the typology and results of analyses have relevance to all fields of research. The presentation described the typology and the scale, summarized results of analyses, and discussed the implications of the study for scale revision and for applications with educational researchers.

 

 

The Association Between the ACT Test and Tennessee’s Value-Added Assessment

 

Paul B. Webb, East Tennessee State University

 

                   The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between and among various demographic and test score data with ACT scores in 281 Tennessee high schools.  In addition, this study examined TVAAS’ assessment of ACT scores and its distribution of grades to Tennessee’s high schools based upon its value-added analysis.

                   The researcher performed correlations and multivariable linear regressions using socio-economic status, ethnicity, dropout rate, graduation rate, attendance, average daily membership, per-pupil expenditure, teacher salary, Gateway exams, English I scores, and math foundations scores as independent variables and ACT scores as the dependent variable.  The strengths of the correlations were examined, and the best combination of independent variables was used to predict future ACT scores.  Schools were divided into quartiles, based upon average daily membership and attendance rates, in order to analyze the differences in R2 values among the quartiles when running regressions to predict ACT scores.  Quartiles, based upon the percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced meals, ethnicity, and average daily membership, were used to study the difference in TVAAS’ grade distribution based upon its assessment of ACT scores.

                   The findings indicated that English I and II scores are most strongly associated with ACT composite scores including the four ACT subtests: math, English, reading, and science.  English scores were found to be more strongly associated with ACT math scores than Algebra I scores, and more strongly associated with ACT science scores than biology scores.  It was discovered that TVAAS’ ACT grades were highly skewed when schools were divided into quartiles based upon the percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced meals, ethnicity, and average daily membership.  Only one school, in a poor school quartile of 70 schools, scored above the state average gain in ACT reading.   

 

 

A Web-Based Teaching Aid for Presenting the Concepts of Norm Referenced

 

Charles E. Notar and Sherri Restauri, Jacksonville State University

 

                   This paper presented a useful instructional tool in the form of a user-friendly, web-based navigational chart for preservice, as well as inservice, teachers. Based on an extensive review of established, as well as contemporary publications on norm- and criterion-referenced assessment, the authors generated an instrument that highlighted the main topics covered by previous researchers interested in NRT and CRT.  A chart illuminated the most important issues relating to the composition and evaluation of appropriate forms of student assessment within the learning environment. This chart was designed based on a major facet of testing: comparing and contrasting norm-referenced and criterion-referenced testing models (Kubiszyn & Borich, 2003). In addition to providing a useful, easily distributed application tool, this paper presented information that is useful for understanding the commonalities and differences between norm referenced and criterion referenced testing. The electronic aid presented may further be adopted by both teachers and students in classes focusing on research, assessment, and tests and measurement.

 

 

Session 10.1

1:30 P.M. – 2:20 P.M.      POLICY............................................................................................ Bayou

 

Presider:                        Charles E. Notar, Jacksonville State University

 

Impact of a High-Stakes Test on Mississippi Social Studies Teachers’ Instructional Practices

 

Kenneth E. Vogler, University of South Carolina

 

                   The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of high-stakes tests on teachers’ instructional practices.  Data were obtained from a survey instrument given to a stratified random sample of Mississippi social studies teachers who teach the same content that is tested on their state’s high school graduation examination.  An analysis found teachers using more traditional, teacher-centered instructional practices such as textbooks, multiple-choice questions, open-response questions, visual aids, lecturing, and textbook-based assignments rather than student-centered instructional practices.  Also, teachers’ use of these instructional practices was most influenced by factors relating to sanctions attached to the examination rather than items such as personal desire or belief about using “best” practices.

 

 

Questioning Authority: The USM Happening

 

Lauren R. Wells, University of West Alabama, and Jack Blendinger, Mississippi State University

 

                   Responding to the need for a unified voice for faculty on university campuses in regard to fundamental professional values and standards, academic freedom, shared governance, and contribution to the common good, a group of committed faculty members came together in 1915 to found the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). This study examined AAUP’s role in a recent controversy regarding the abuse of authority at one of Mississippi’s leading public universities, the University of Southern Mississippi (USM). In March 2004, USM’s president suspended two tenured professors and locked them out of their offices because of their outspoken criticism of his leadership. The two professors were leaders in the university’s AAUP chapter.

                   The researchers investigated the USM controversy as a case study using data collected from documents and records available in the public domain. Each document and record was analyzed holistically for the purpose of identifying patterns and themes. Particular attention was given to available email messages because electronic communication played a featured role in the controversy. The professors’ emails and other forms of communication appeared to have been monitored by the president without their knowledge. Findings from the study indicated that the president’s abuse of authority ignited student-led protests and faculty no-confidence votes.

 

 

The Influence of Institutional Control in Adoption of Managerial Accounting

Practices by Colleges and Universities

 

Olin Adams, Toni L. Edwards, and A.J. Guarino, Auburn University

 

                   Institutions of higher education have followed the lead of business in adopting managerial (internal) accounting practices that promote planning and control of operations. The investigators sought to determine the status of managerial accounting practices in higher education institutions. To that end the investigators surveyed a national sample of chief financial officers (CFOs) in four-year colleges and universities at two points in time, 1998-99 and 2003-04. The sample was stratified by institutional control (public or private).

                   The research suggests that as of 2003-04 public institutions of higher education have increased their adoption of managerial accounting practices, both in comparison to their position in 1998-99 and when compared to public institutions in 2003-04. This increased commitment of public institutions is observed especially in budgeting, costing, performance measurement, and outsourcing. Item analysis indicated that public institutions report significantly higher adoption of capital budgeting practices, activity-based costing, financial performance measurement at the level of individual classes, and the use of benchmark costs. By contrast, the status of managerial accounting practices in private institutions appears to have leveled or fallen.

                   Although the interpretation of these findings might have varied by observer, public institutions likely have assumed a greater commitment to internal accounting practices as part of an adjustment to the new economic realities they face. Reduced state appropriations have forced public institutions to raise tuition substantially, while rising costs, notably in health care benefits, have led public colleges and universities to a consciousness of frugality.

 

 

Session 10.2

1:30 P.M. – 2:20 P.M.      READING.......................................................................................... Levee

 

Presider:                        Julie A. Holmes, Louisiana Tech University

 

Evaluation of Years 1 and 2 of Putting Reading First

 

Marcia R. O’Neal, Kathleen Martin, Kay Emfinger, and Scott W. Snyder,

University of Alabama – Birmingham

 

                   This paper described and provided evaluation results for the Putting Reading First project implemented during the 2003-2004 school year in Bessemer, Alabama.  Among project goals was that of improving outcomes for children through professional development, curriculum, and high quality literacy environments so that children in the community will enter kindergarten with skills and abilities that ensure they will become successful readers and learners.

                   In its first year, the project served over 200 three- and four-year-old children and 16 classrooms at eight independent, school-affiliated, or Head Start centers, each of which was designated as either a treatment or comparison site.  During the second year of the project, it served over 300 children in 19 classrooms at seven centers.  Project activities included screening, coaching sessions, parent education workshops, professional development in literacy education, transition planning, parent lending libraries, and curriculum materials.  Evaluation included a number of student assessments (PPVT-III, PreLAS2000, Early Childhood System Concepts of Print and Writing, book checkout records, Social Skills Rating Scale, a locally used Language and Emerging Literacy Assessment, and a family literacy inventory).  Children who exited the program and attended one of the local kindergartens were followed through analysis of DIBELS results.  Teacher assessments included the ELLCO and the Assessment Profile, as well as three locally developed surveys of knowledge and perceptions. 

                   First-year results indicated greater gains for treatment groups than for comparison groups on both the PPVT and on Print Concepts subscale of the Concepts of Print and Writing.  Significantly greater gains were also seen for teachers in treatment classrooms on both the process and structure components of the ELLCO and on the structure components of the Assessment Profile.

 

 

The Effect of Supplemental Reading Programs for At-Risk Students

 

Laureen Mayfield, Bienville Parish (LA) Schools, and Julie A. Holmes, Louisiana Tech University

 

                   The purpose of this action research study was to determine the effectiveness of the Edmark Reading Program, a supplemental, mastery learning reading program on the performance of at-risk K-5 students. Six elementary schools in a rural north Louisiana parish identified 127 K-5 students at-risk for reading failure. Students were pretested on the 150 Level I words of the Edmark Reading Program. Paraprofessionals tutored each child for 15 minutes per day in the program. Students were posttested on the 150 Level I words. Those who mastered Level I proceeded to Level II. Data were analyzed using a dependent t-test.

                   Preliminary data analysis revealed a significant difference in the pretest to posttest scores and in the students’ letter grades in reading from entry to completion of the Level I lessons. Of the 45 students who completed Level II, a significant difference was found from pretest to posttest score, but no significant difference in letter grades in reading. A Pearson-r correlation was also used to determine if there were any significant correlations between the Edmark posttest score and letter grade at the end of the program and between grade level in school and the Edmark posttest score. This analysis revealed a significant correlation in grade level and posttest scores for those who completed Level I, while those who completed Level II showed a significant correlation between the posttest grade and the letter grade in reading at the end of the program. Qualitative data in the form of teacher surveys and student reading grades were also collected, and an analysis revealed that most teachers saw a great deal of improvement in their students’ reading skills, mentioning improved fluency and letter grades.

                   Further data analysis may reveal other significant findings. Further research using true experimental design is needed to verify the usefulness of supplemental reading programs.

 

 

The Effects of Self-Assessment on Kindergarten Students Learning of High Frequency Words

 

Patrick N. Kariuki and Brooke Wiseman, Milligan College

 

                   The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of self-assessment on kindergarten students learning of high frequency words. Under the state curriculum standards, specifically the Tennessee curriculum, kindergarten students are introduced to high frequency words also known as sight words.  The standard 100 high frequency words taught in kindergarten make up 50% of the words found in the English-language text (McGee & Richgels, 2000). Therefore, the emphasis for acquiring the skills to teach/learn high frequency words is enormous, not only for the kindergarten teacher but also for the learner.

                   This study was conducted at a selected elementary school in Kingsport, TN. The sample consisted of 30 randomly selected kindergarten students. The students were then randomly assigned to a control group and an experimental group. The experimental group used the self-assessment method to learn high frequency words, whereas the control group used the traditional method of assessment to learn high frequency words.

                   The data for this study were collected by using a posttest only equivalent group design. Data were analyzed using independent t-tests at .05 level of significance. The results indicated a significant difference between the students who used self-assessment and those who used traditional assessment. The students who used self-assessment scored higher than those who used traditional assessment.  No significant difference was found between the genders.

 

 

Session 10.3

1:30 P.M. – 2:20 P.M.      OBSERVATION OF CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR

                                       (SYMPOSIUM)................................................................ Mississippi Queen

 

Organizer:                      David N. Ellis, University of South Alabama

 

 

Abigail Baxter, University of South Alabama, and R. Kenton Denny, Louisiana State University

 

                   The current emphasis on accountability in education has raised the bar on what the classroom teacher must accomplish in the classroom.  In addition to instruction, the teacher must demonstrate that all students have learned what has been taught. There is also an emphasis on the documentation of the effectiveness of instructional methods. Much of the current legislation has placed a large emphasis on the summative assessment of students’ learning, that is, assessment at the end of the unit, term, or year to document learning.  However, in order to ensure positive results from summative measures, the classroom teacher needs to use much more formative assessment throughout the school day. Formative assessment is the process of collecting assessment information to guide instructional decisions.  In formative assessment the teacher investigates the success of each lesson and uses the obtained results to guide future instruction. In formative assessment attention is paid to how the students behave and react to instruction in addition to how many questions they got right or wrong.  Most classroom teachers, however, have very few such action research skills.  This session focused on strategies that classroom teachers can use to assess their students’ behaviors in the context of the classroom in order to make learning more effective. One of the first decisions the teacher needs to make is to decide what behaviors are of interest and how they should be measured. 

                   These two decisions are very important.  The behaviors to be assessed must be observable and measurable.  This is accomplished through an operational definition of the behavior.  This session described the process teachers should use to operationally define the behavior of interest.  Teachers also need to decide on the aspect of the behavior that is important to them.  Teachers can choose to measure the frequency of a behavior, or how many times it happens.  They can limit the frequency to a specific period of time and figure out a rate for the behavior.  The teacher may also want to look at the duration of the behavior or how long each episode lasts.  Finally, the latency, or length of time from the beginning of the lesson until the behavior occurs, may be of interest. 

                   The presentation described the decision process teachers should use in determining whether to measure the frequency, duration, and/or latency of a behavior. This session helped teachers design action research projects within the context of their classrooms.  These action research projects, including formative assessment techniques that concentrate on students’ classroom behaviors as well as academic productivity, can be used to make instruction more effective for all members of the classroom.  Teachers will then be able to develop instruction that meets the needs of students and, in turn, will enhance learning.

 

 

 

Session 10.4

1:30 P.M. – 2:20 P.M.      TEACHER EDUCATION........................................................... Delta Queen

 

Presider:                        Andrea M. Kent, University of South Alabama

 

Novice Teachers’ Assessment of Their Teacher Education Programs

 

William Spencer and Martha Pettway, Auburn University

 

                   Preparation programs for teaching continue to receive extensive attention as a part of increasing the success level of students in public schools.  For example, the No Child Left Behind initiative includes the requirement that all teachers be “highly qualified.”  In addition, accreditation systems at the state and national levels typically require preparation programs to obtain feedback from graduates and to use that feedback to improve their programs. 

                   This study was designed to assess the perceptions of recent graduates of their preparation programs and to develop some recommendations for program modification. Using three public school systems in eastern Alabama as a base, 608 novice teachers (three years experience or less) were sampled for this study.  Subjects were asked to respond to a questionnaire soliciting their perceptions of their preparation for teaching.  Using previous satisfaction literature and current NCATE standards, 39 items were generated and grouped into five broad categories:  knowledge, skills, and dispositions; field experiences and clinical practice; diversity; technology; and quality of instruction. 

                   Results indicated that most respondents were well satisfied with their preparation as far as knowledge, skills, and dispositions; field experiences and clinical practice; and quality of instruction.  They were somewhat less satisfied with the degree to which their programs had prepared them to deal with diversity, both inside and outside the classroom, and also with their preparation to utilize technology for instruction. Additional analyses were then conducted comparing the perceptions of subjects who had attended historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) to those who had attended predominantly white institutions (PWI).  Also, the study compared teachers who went through traditional B-level certification with those who went through an Alternative A certification.  A third dimension of investigation involved comparing those who were teaching grades 1-6 with those who were teaching grades 7-12.

 

 

Non-Traditional Teacher Licensure Programs’ Influence on Traditional Educational Programs

 

Glenda G. Ezell and Roland Smith, University of Arkansas - Fort Smith

 

                   This paper suggested that one state’s non-traditional teacher licensure program could lead to the demise of traditional educational programs and will eventually call into question that state’s resolve to insist on NCATE approval when large numbers of candidates emerge from programs with significantly less rigor and much less assessment. This position paper was based on a study of a non-traditional educational program sponsored by the Arkansas Department of Education contrasted with traditional educational programs.

                   After referring to a recent state-wide research study that found a slight preference for traditionally prepared educators, this paper discussed effects of non-traditional education on traditional education programs in a public and a private university. Based on a case study at a public university, the paper reviewed the evolution of changing guidelines, the relationship between preparation of non-traditional candidates versus traditional candidates, steps taken at the site level to strengthen non-traditional programs, school district leaders’ responses to nontraditional candidates, and the dichotomy of a state firmly committed to increasingly stringent NCATE regulations while sponsoring and promoting a program that would not meet minimum NCATE standards. This paper then considered the effects of a state’s non-traditional program model on traditional education programs offered at public and private universities. Based on specific examples, references were made to informal counseling of candidates by university, public school, and state agency personnel as well as enrollment trends resulting from these two program options.

                   The presenters offered suggestions for the future calling for increased standards, increased course requirements, and accountability for non-traditional educational programs and increased flexibility for traditional education programs. They argued that these refinements could increase capabilities for non-traditional candidates while maintaining the viability of programs sponsored by colleges of education.   

 

 

The STEADY Program: Perceived Effectiveness and Impact on Retention of New Teachers

 

James Hortman, Columbus State University

 

                  

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a program of special mentoring services and strategies on first- and second-year public school teachers. Teachers were surveyed about: (1) their level of participation in the various services offered by the Sustained Teacher Education Advisement for the Defining Years (STEADY) program, (2) their perceived effectiveness of the services to help them develop as professional educators, (3) their intentions to stay in education, and (4) their perceived role of the STEADY program in their decisions about education as a career.

                   All first- and second-year teachers employed in schools participating with the area university in the Partner School Network were invited to complete the survey. Thirty-six first-year teachers and 49 second-year teachers representing elementary, middle, and high school levels were surveyed.  Data were gathered, analyzed descriptively, and disaggregated by gender, age, level of teaching, and highest earned degree.  Results yielded evidence that certain services such as email communication with mentors, personal onsite visits, and the availability of “first year survival kits” were more widely utilized than others and perceived as more effective.  High percentages of first- and second-year teachers, 94.3% and 78.7% respectively, reported that they currently intended to stay in the classroom.  The second-year teachers reported more participation in offered services and perceived positive impact of the STEADY program on their decision to stay in the classroom.  Several suggestions were offered for enhancing the program.

 

 

Session 10.5

1:30 P.M. – 2:20 P.M.      ACHIEVEMENT............................................................................ Riverboat

 

Presider:                        Deborah Y. McAfee, University of Arkansas – Little Rock

 

A Study of the Effects of the Accelerated Reader Program on Eighth-Grade Students’

Reading Achievement Growth

 

Sharone Lacy, Debra Prince, and Sue Minchew, Mississippi State University

 

                   The study compared the reading achievement growth of eighth-grade students following one and two years of participation in the Accelerated Reader (AAR) program with the reading achievement growth of eighth-grade students who did not participate in it.

                   The issue of adolescence literacy, or the lack thereof, is a concern that continues to gain increasing attention. Educators are trying to find effective strategies to improve reading skills, and the use of computer-assisted instruction is widely spreading. One computer-assisted instruction that is widely used in schools is Accelerated Reader.  Therefore, it is imperative to find out whether or not it is effective in improving secondary students’ reading skills. Currently, there is very little research of Accelerated Reader being a secondary school improvement model.

                   A pretest-posttest group design was utilized for this causal comparative study. The Mississippi Curriculum Test was used as the pretest and the posttest for reading achievement growth. A one-way analysis of variance was the statistical treatment performed on the data to determine if a significant difference existed between the reading comprehension growth of eighth-grade students with and without one and two years of participation in the Accelerated Reader program. Three groups of eighth-graders (242 students) were chosen from one school.

                   Results revealed that the AAR program participants scored significantly higher than those who did not participate in the AAR program.

                   The findings showed that the addition of the AAR to the existing reading program did result in a significant increase in the reading achievement growth of participating students when compared to the reading achievement growth of students who did not participate in it.

 

 

The Impact of the STAR 3 Positive Behavioral Support Program in an Inner-City Middle School

 

John D. Sachs, University of South Alabama

 

                   The purpose of this paper was to present the results of a study that compared the office discipline referrals in two inner-city middle schools from a large metropolitan school district. The STAR3 program was designed to improve the overall discipline by implementing a school-wide program based on the positive behavioral supports initiative that has been emphasized by Sugai, Sprague, Horner, and Walker, 2000. The main thrust of the program was to reduce the number of office discipline referrals by teaching the teachers how to focus on and reinforce appropriate behaviors exhibited by their students.  The main objective of this program was to have a positive impact on the overall school climate and hopefully have a positive impact on student achievement. This presentation discussed the results of the study and identified the issues that surrounded the implementation of school-wide behavioral interventions in a metropolitan inner-city middle school.

 

 

The Effects of School Schedules on Mississippi Subject Area Scores

 

Ronald E. Morgan, Donna Lander, and Darlene A. Thurston, Jackson State University

 

                   This study examined the effect of schedules on the 2003-2004 Mississippi Subject Area Examinations. There were 240 Mississippi public high schools included in this study. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used in this study. The mean scores were analyzed based on the following schedules:  (1) A/B BLOCK, (2) Traditional schedule, and 4x4 block. Sub-groups of African American, white, and economically disadvantaged students were included in the study. Extending instructional time appeared to affect student achievement on all Mississippi Subject Area Examinations with the exception of English 2.

 

 

Session 10.6

1:30 P.M. – 2:20 P.M.      MAKE SOME NEW FRIENDS: LOW-ASSUMPTION STATISTICAL TESTS

                                       YOU SHOULD KNOW (TRAINING SESSION).................. Meeting Room 253

 

 

David Morse, Mississippi State University

 

                   Many of the traditional statistical tests require strong assumptions about the underlying population distribution(s) and interval or better strength scale in order to behave reliably when testing hypotheses.  However, behavioral science data sets do not always conform well to these conditions.  Further, the actual tests themselves often do not serve to inform as to the magnitude of the effect, requiring additional computation of effect sizes to be reported.  It would be useful to have procedures available that do not make such strong assumptions and do not require such strength of scale for the measures in order to allow meaningful comparisons to be made.  This training session covered procedures with these advantages.  For ordered data sets, methods such as the ridit and the dominance statistic make very little demands of the data and yield results that are interpretable as effect sizes.  Multivariate versions of traditional nonparametric tests such as the sign, the Wilcoxon and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney, were also presented.  Several examples were given for each test, and simple computer programs for running each test were furnished.  Armed with these assumption-free tests, researchers should be able to tackle a wider variety of data sets and worry less about violations of assumptions.

 

 

 

Session 11.1

2:30 P.M. – 3:20 P.M.      COLLEGE STUDENTS...................................................................... Bayou

 

Presider:                        Lauren R. Wells, University of West Alabama

 

Characteristics of Doctoral Students Who Commit Citation Errors

 

Vicki L. Waytowich and Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, University of South Florida, and Qun G. Jiao,

Baruch College - City University of New York

 

                   The study investigated the citation error rate and quality of reference lists in doctoral dissertation proposals rather than in the finished theses and dissertations. It also studied the relationship between perfectionism and (1) frequency of citation errors and (2) the adherence of the reference list to the fidelity of the chosen citation style among doctoral students. Also of interest was to determine whether any demographic variables predicted citation errors and quality of the reference list. The major analytical procedure used in this study involved canonical correlation and regression analysis. Findings indicated that graduate students with relatively high levels of self-oriented perfectionism and other-oriented perfectionism tended to commit the most citation errors and constructed reference lists that departed the furthest from the citation style stipulations.

                   An analysis of the citation errors revealed that the participants’ dissertation proposals, on average, contained more than 12 missing and incomplete citations. This indicated that for every three citations included, one of them represented some type of error. Regression analyses revealed that:  (1) students with the lowest expectation levels tended to commit the highest rate of citation errors, and (2) students who have taken the most courses in their graduate programs tended to receive the lowest scores pertaining to the quality of reference lists. The implications of these findings were discussed.

 

 

Investigation of Whether Cultural Differences Exist in Scores Obtained on the

Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire

 

Sandra M. Harris and Rebecca Jacobson, Troy University – Montgomery

 

 

 

The Relationship Between Bibliographic Errors and Library Anxiety Among Graduate Students

 

Qun G. Jiao, Baruch College - City University of New York, and Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie

and Vicki L. Waytowich, University of South Florida

 

                   Errors in bibliographic citations are not recent problems. Indeed, citation errors can be traced back to more than 100 years ago. Despite the publication of various style manuals to guide the preparation of bibliographic citations, such as the Chicago Manual of Style, the American Psychological Association Publication Manual, and the Modern Language Association Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, “citation errors continued to appear, as did an increasing number of complaints about them” (Sweetland, 1989, p. 293). In recent years, several researchers have examined the bibliographic accuracy of citations. In particular, one reason for citation errors to occur is that the authors take a shortcut and actually have not seen the original article they are citing, perhaps due, in part, to their inability or reluctance to utilize the library system to obtain the article. This inability or reluctance, in turn, has been found to stem from their levels of library anxiety.

                   Therefore, the present study investigated whether levels of library anxiety predict simultaneously the citation error rate and quality of reference lists in doctoral dissertation proposals among 90 doctoral students. This study was unique for at least two reasons. First, it was one of the first studies to examine bibliographic citation inaccuracies in unpublished articles. Second, it appears to be the first study of citation errors in research proposals. Third, the current investigation was one of the first to investigate the psychological characteristics of authors who commit such errors. A canonical correlation analysis revealed a multivariate relationship between levels of library anxiety and both the citation error rate and quality of reference lists. This finding suggests that level of library anxiety plays an important role in students’ ability to construct accurate reference lists. The implications of these findings were discussed.

 

 

Session 11.2

2:30 P.M. – 3:20 P.M.      SCIENCE EDUCATION...................................................................... Levee

 

Presider:                        Clifford A. Hofwolt, Vanderbilt University

 

An Analysis of Teacher Education Students’ Conceptual Knowledge of the Ozone Layer and Its Depletion

 

Ava F. Pugh, Rebecca Watts, Holly Casey, and Jerilee Washington,

University of Louisiana – Monroe

 

                   The study examined the knowledge of undergraduate and graduate teacher education students regarding the ozone layer and the implications of ozone depletion. Students were tested on concepts regarding the ozone layer prior to any discussion of the concepts and then tested on the concepts following a discussion of the pretested items. Statistical analyses compared the items answered correctly on the pretest and posttest to determine if student knowledge improved after discussion of concepts. Test scores also were compared among students who were posttested one week after the discussion of concepts and students who were posttested five weeks after the discussion to determine if concept knowledge differed among students as a result of the amount of time between discussion and posttesting.

                   Ninety-eight students responded to the 35-item questionnaire on the ozone layer and its depletion. After discussing the concepts, the average percentage of posttest items answered correctly (73.03%) exceeded the average percentage of items answered correctly on the pretest (47.93%). Although undergraduate students (n = 56) correctly answered a lower average percentage of pretest items than graduate students (n = 42), undergraduates correctly answered a higher average percentage of the posttest items than did graduates. Percentage comparisons among individual items indicated that students are more familiar with certain concepts regarding the ozone layer. Graduate students who were posttested five weeks after discussion (n = 21) answered an average of 68.98% of the posttest items correctly, whereas graduate students who posttested one week after discussion (n = 21) answered an average of 74.01% of the posttest items correctly. These findings suggested that students are familiar with factual concepts regarding the ozone layer. However, students are less familiar with the implications of ozone depletion. The time lapse between the discussion of concepts and posttesting may influence the retention of discussed topics.  

 

 

Levels of Understanding of Physical Science Concepts of College Students

Enrolled in General Education Physical Science Courses

 

Tillman Kennon, Arkansas State University

 

 

 

Evolution vs. Creationism: An Evolution in Student Attitudes

 

Linda C. Kondrick and Eric C. Lovely, Arkansas Tech University

 

                   Teaching college students about the nature of science should not be a controversial exercise. College students are expected to understand the difference between science and pseudoscience. They are expected to accept astronomy as science and astrology as mysticism; likewise, to accept evolution as a scientific theory and creationism as a religious belief. In practice they are unlikely to walk out of a physical science course if the instructor discusses the evidence supporting the existence of black holes. In fact, they are fascinated with the discussion of these yet unproven singularities in space and time. However, the conflict between creationism and the nature of science is apt to create friction in the classroom when the subject of evolution is raised. In fact, students have been known to stage walkouts from classrooms in protest of the topic being discussed. The authors have grappled with the meaning of such behaviors.

                   They surveyed 287 students in a small, public, liberal arts college in the Mid-South. Pre-course survey questions were designed to determine: (1) what portion of the students held a creationist view, (2) how well informed the students were about the theory of evolution, and (3) whether there was a correlation between the level of understanding of the theory of evolution and the expression of a creationist position. An identical post-course survey was used to determine if there was any significant shift in position before and after a semester of instruction in a college biology or zoology course in which evolution was taught.

                   The results revealed that students who are initially in a transitional stage of cognitive development undergo the greatest move away from a creationist viewpoint, toward a true understanding of the theory of evolution. Classification of theories of origins according to Scott and accommodation theory informed the analysis of survey results. 

 

 

Session 11.3

2:30 P.M. – 3:20 P.M.      RESEARCH METHODS AND

                                       STATISTICS (DISPLAYS)............................................... Mississippi Queen

 

A Template for Teaching the Pearson “r” Correlation Technique

 

Robert L. Kennedy, University of Arkansas Medical Sciences;

Pamela M. Broadston, University of Arkansas - Little Rock

 

 

 

 

 

 

Analysis and Application of Educational Research: An Online Course

that Creates a New Culture for Learning

 

Donald Snead and Barbara N. Young, Middle Tennessee State University

 

                   Content requirements, criteria and standards, and personal needs and issues of learners drive course design. Multiple modes of interaction, such as small group discussion, large group discussion, teacher to individual student communication, and individual student to individual student communication, must be incorporated into course design. Both traditional onsite course models and newer, more innovative, online course delivery systems must incorporate these components into course design.

                   Analysis and Application of Educational Research was designed with the above in mind as an innovative online course. The online graduate course was designed and structured for effective delivery, using the WebCT online development program and its components, with attention given to meaningful interaction, quality feedback, relevant and enriching activities, inquiry-based readings and activities, and research opportunities not typically available or engaged in when utilizing the traditional onsite course delivery format. The online course design provided for a more dynamic, complex, and enriched learning environment for the inquiry-seeking graduate student. Learners were immersed in course content within this alternative learning environment through multiple styles of delivery, Internet resources and Internet-based teleresearch, and numerous inquiry-based tasks.

                   As a result, a totally new, dynamic culture for learning emerged utilizing interactive WebCT components such as Online Personal and Group Discussion Boards; Group Chat Rooms; Student Tools including email links, Student Personal Profile Homepages, online grade access, and Essay Drop Box with instructor feedback capability; External Links; Course Documents including handouts, articles, and resources; and other links and tools. Poster display session noted content description including Syllabus, Content Modules, Semester Calendar, Readings, Requirements, and description of links to various pages and tools, and essays and assignment directions. WebCT Course Map/Menu settings, navigation, and tools available and utilized within WebCT for this course were addressed.

 

 

Challenges and Facilitators of Faculty Involvement in Research

 

Kyna Shelley and Freda M. Kirkland, University of Southern Mississippi

 

                   Despite the undisputed emphasis on high-quality teaching, the common measure of success of a college faculty member, the performance on which promotion and tenure decisions are primarily made is research productivity. Not only does the number of publications impact faculty performance evaluations, but with the rising costs of higher education, faculty are also expected to seek out and procure research grant monies. Although faculty almost unanimously report that they are genuinely interested in research and acknowledge the importance of grant funding, large numbers also report that they do not engage more fully in these activities because of lack of time, training, or support.

                   The goal of this project, used initially as a class research project, was to assess the challenges that university faculty face and the facilitators that help these faculty participate in research activities. Unlike most prior studies, this project focused on members of a professional education unit within a research-extensive university. Input from a faculty focus group guided the development of a 93-item questionnaire. Items included demographic and professional questions, as well as those addressing the relative influence of factors on research participation and productivity. Whereas the survey included numerous challenges and facilitators identified by various prior studies, this project included additional factors and evaluated experiences with research separately from those with grant writing.

                   Results indicated that, similar to related research about barriers to research activity, these respondents viewed lack of time as being the biggest barrier to greater research productivity. Whereas the institutional environment was perceived as supportive of both research and grant writing and equitable in providing research incentives and recognition, participants nonetheless reported that research could be facilitated by increased training, particularly the presence of a research and grant-writing mentor, and incentives such as course releases that increase time available for research and grants.

 

 

Culturally Congruent Methodology in Nursing Dissertations

 

Betty Clavijo Bennett, Southern University - Baton Rouge

 

                   Recognition of the potential for misrepresenting cultural minorities by using measures developed and normed with other populations should prompt the development or adaptation of appropriate research methodology.  Thoughtful consideration of cultural nuances will mitigate potential researcher bias and ensure enhancement of the interlinking aspects of research validity.  This paper presented a discussion of the five types of validity evidence based on: test content, response processes, internal structures, relations to other variables, and consequences of testing [American Educational Research Association (AERA), American Psychological Association (APA), and National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) 1999; Goodwin, 2002].  These types of evidence of validity were examined with consideration of the threats to validity imposed by cultural biases utilizing a format established by Hambleton, Merenda, and Spielberger (2005) for assessing construct, method, and item biases. 

                   Nursing dissertations from a large southern university were examined and deficiencies noted with respect to culturally congruent methodology. Leininger’s Culture Care Diversity and Universality Theory (1991) informs about the concept of culture as groups characterized not only by ethnicity or race, but by age, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, or socio-economic status.  In order for researchers to have cultural proficiency in conducting research they need to be cognizant of diverse expressions of constructs and appropriate methodology.  Unfortunately, as noted by Jacobson (1997), a common error in nursing research is the assumption that a widely used and published measure is conceptually and psychometrically sound.  If research methodology is not culturally competent in diverse healthcare systems, how effective will it be?

 

 

An Example of Problem-Based Learning in a Research Methods Class

 

Anastasia D. Elder, Mississippi State University

 

                   Problem-based learning (PBL) environments encourage students’ critical thinking and active engagement with classroom material (e.g., Evenson & Hmelo, 2000).  PBL is a student-centered approach to instruction in which students learn material by way of addressing or solving an authentic problem. A PBL case was developed and evaluated for use in a senior seminar class on Research Methods for undergraduates majoring in Educational Psychology (n=15).  It was designed to challenge students to:  (1) develop a researchable question, (2) distinguish between different types of research questions, and (3) review concepts of independent and dependent variables.  The case included a survey instrument on academic cheating and a mission to “do some research and report back to the University administrators.”

                   Students worked in groups creating three different research questions (i.e., descriptive, comparative, and correlational), delineating independent and dependent variables, and critiquing the survey instrument.   Groups shared their responses with the larger class.  In addition to addressing the objectives of the case, discussion in the larger class incorporated issues of sampling, development of survey items, and ethics in data collection and management. 

                   Evaluations collected at the end of the case revealed that 86% found it very interesting, and 62% found it very informative.  Students’ qualitative reactions indicated that the PBL activity enlightened them on a variety of research topics and highlighted some issues for the researcher/instructor regarding use of PBL in the classroom, namely, the social challenges involved in group work. 

 

 

Session 11.4

2:30 P.M. – 3:20 P.M.      MATHEMATICS EDUCATION................................................... Delta Queen

 

Presider:                        Martha Tapia, Berry College

 

Using Calculators in Calculus Education

 

Mary Kay Bacallao and William Otis Lacefield, Mercer University

 

                   As new learning technologies have been introduced in mathematics classrooms, teachers, school leaders, and educational researchers have often wondered what the impact of these new devices would be.   Studies on the impact of computers on student learning in calculus present mixed views on the relative merits of computer-assisted learning in calculus.  This paper focused on the varied and at times contradicting impact of calculus computer software programs on student learning. 

                   Technological advances have given calculus teachers an opportunity to complement mathematical reasoning with the computational and graphical power of computers.  Used effectively, these computer applications can allow students to visualize and conceptualize concepts, many times even before mastering hand calculations. However, before taking a headlong leap into using computers in calculus teaching, it is necessary to consider all computer-assisted implications.  In any given course or class period, there is only so much time available.  Inevitably, instruction involving computers will take time away from traditional methods.  Will the learning that results from new teaching methods minimize the learning that would have taken place with tried-and-true methods that have been used for hundreds of years?  If so, what steps need to be taken to counteract any possible negative effects on student learning?  These are the questions that this research paper attempted to answer through the analysis of the varied and often contradictory research that has been conducted in recent years on using computers to enhance calculus teaching.

 

 

An Examination of the Use of Item Response Theory and Classical Test Theory to Estimate Ability

 

Malenna Sumrall and Scott Snyder, University of Alabama – Birmingham

 

                   Ability estimates in item response theory (IRT) are conceptually more appealing than simple raw scores because IRT estimates take into account, at a minimum, the difficulty of each item.  It is quite possible that two identical raw scores might produce different IRT ability estimates when the response patterns differ.  However, previous research has found strong correlations between calculations performed using IRT and calculations performed on the same data set using classical test theory.  While IRT has many uses, the question arises:  Is it always the best method? 

                   This study compared IRT ability estimates (thetas) and raw scores using data from test items that were administered as pretest and posttest to teachers participating in a summer mathematics workshop.  The items in the tests were from a bank of items designed specifically for such a use.  These items have been piloted using large samples and have been analyzed extensively.  Using the established IRT item difficulty parameters, a one-parameter IRT model was applied to estimate the ability level of each of the workshop participants on their pretest and on their posttest.  Those ability levels were then correlated with the corresponding raw scores.  The correlations were extremely high, indicating that either measure of ability could be used with confidence.  When findings concerning ability must be communicated to an audience with limited measurement knowledge, raw scores seem to be a better choice.

 

 

Teaching Algebra with Science

 

Mary Kay Bacallao and William Otis Lacefield, Mercer University

 

                   In recent years, prompted by national standards that advocate the integration of science and mathematics, secondary mathematics and science teachers have sought to enhance their students’ knowledge through capitalizing on the interconnectedness of these subjects.  This paper discussed some integration ideas for connections between algebra and science.  A brief historical and pedagogical discussion was followed by starter ideas that teachers can use to integrate algebra with science instruction that will mutually enhance the teaching and learning of both subjects.  The Benchmarks for Science Literacy, The National Research Council, and the National Council of the Teachers of Mathematics all agree:  making connections between mathematics and science have positive effects on student learning for both subjects. 

                   As early as 1905, research had been conducted on both the pedagogical and content knowledge teachers need to successfully integrate mathematics and science teaching. Most of the research conducted from 1901-1989 focused on integration of math and science in the elementary and middle grades.  The number of studies published on the integration of math and science from 1990-2001 has increased dramatically.  These more recent studies have emphasized the integration of secondary mathematics and science to a greater degree.  However, the percentage of articles that describe curriculum and instruction has decreased from 11% in the years 1901-1989 to 5% in the years 1990-2001 (Berlin & Lee, 2005).  Although articles on curriculum and instruction for the integration of mathematics and science represent a small percentage of the literature, this paper focused specifically on curriculum and instruction for the integration of algebra and science.  Specific ideas for the successful integration of the two subjects were discussed. 

 

 

Session 11.5

2:30 P.M. – 3:20 P.M.      MINORITY RECRUITMENT/STUDENT RETENTION........................ Riverboat

 

Presider:                        Fanni L. Coward, University of Alabama - Huntsville

 

An Examination of Student Support Services at a Research Extensive University

 

Eric L. Penalber, Michael Burnett, and Spencer J. Maxcy, Louisiana State University

 

                   The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of level of participation in services provided by the Student Support Services (SSS) program on the grade point average (GPA) and retention of entering freshmen who also entered the SSS program at a research extensive university in the South.  Participants in the study were 152 SSS students who entered this university in the fall semesters of 1996 and 1997. A researcher-designed, computerized recording form was used to collect data.  The variables measured were selected based on the literature and the information that was obtainable from the admission and student records data bases.  All information utilized for this study was collected unobtrusively from the data bases. Findings indicated that peer mentoring, tutoring, counseling, and study skills training were provided to participants in the study group, and that hours earned and hours carried each semester significantly impacted student grade point averages.  The mentoring and study skills services provided by SSS, as well as cumulative hours earned and high school academic grade point averages, influenced student retention.  Results of this study also indicated that students who earned more credit hours each semester were more likely to continue until they graduated.

                   As a result of the findings of the study, the researcher recommended that administrators and counselors of the SSS program carefully examine the high school academic GPAs of students enrolled in the program to assist in identifying students who are at greater risk of unsatisfactory academic performance.  The researcher recommended that SSS staff work closely with participants to develop a degree plan that includes an outline of the courses for which each student will enroll each semester.  Program administrators should also investigate the possibility of expanding the study skills program beyond the first year for the potential beneficial effect on student retention.

 

 

Undergraduate Faculty Members’ Perception of Their Role in Increasing Student Success and Retention

 

David S. Hood, Brentwood (TN) Middle School

 

                   This study examined the relationship between faculty perception of their role in increasing student retention and actual interaction with students at Tennessee State University.  The primary purpose of this study was to determine if undergraduate faculty perception of their role in increasing student success and retention is related to their actual level of interaction with students outside of the regular classroom setting.  In addition, faculty interaction with students was examined based on gender, age, ethnicity, marital status, institutional origin, rank, faculty appointment, and status. The sample for this study consisted of 151 undergraduate faculty from Tennessee State University. 

                   A self-developed perception survey was used to gather the data to complete the study.  A peer review panel of six experts in the field reviewed the instrument to establish content validity.  There were three research questions, nine research hypotheses, and nine null hypotheses used to determine if there was a correlation between undergraduate faculty members perceived roles and actual level of involvement, and to determine if significant differences existed based on gender, age, ethnicity, marital status, institutional origin, rank, faculty appointment, and status.

                   Findings of this study were:  (1) there was a significant correlation between undergraduate faculty perception of their role in increasing students’ success and retention and actual interaction with students outside of the regular classroom; (2) there was not a statistically significant difference in the actual level of interaction with students based on the gender, age, ethnicity, marital status, rank, faculty appointment, and status; (3) a statistically significant difference was found for participants’ actual level of interaction with students outside of the classroom based on the institutional origin of the participants; and (4) expectation, faculty roles, knowledge of current retention rate at TSU, age, rank, and status could account for 37% of the variance in faculty interaction.

 

 

Paradox of Conquering Student Retention Issues: A Study of Historically Black Colleges and Universities

 

Edward D. Brown and Janine Brouillette, Alabama State University

 

                   The likelihood that an African American student will remain at an institution to graduate can be described as a series of behavioral, cognitive, and emotional interactions between the student and institution.  A large proportion of African American students faces a variety of potentially defeating challenges when it comes to completing college. These challenges exist for many African American students before and during college. A major concern of socially conscious educators is the provision of support to these students and the facilitation of their college attendance and graduation.

                   This paper was based on a research project conducted during an internship at an historically black university. The project involved qualitative and quantitative statistics on a number of variables in an attempt to identify common threads that might help provide solutions to the great number of students not returning. The survival of historically black colleges and universities depends increasingly on showing that they provide educational benefits not otherwise available. This paper addressed those issues, as well as factors and strategies that may predict persistence of African American college students.

 

 

Session 11.6

2:30 P.M. – 3:20 P.M.      LINKING EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION FOR READING AND SPELLING FOR

                                       STUDENTS WITH MILD LEARNING AND BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS

                                       (TRAINING SESSION).................................................... Meeting Room 253

 

 

Alexandra A. Conniff and Kate Simmons, Auburn University

 

                   Teaching techniques for direct instruction reading and spelling were presented.  Participants learned strategies for teaching reading decoding, reading comprehension, and spelling for all students, including students with mild learning and behavior problems.  Research-based techniques for accessing the curriculum for students with disabilities were presented.  Strategies for linking effective classroom management through instruction were emphasized.

 

 

 

Session 12.1

3:30 P.M. – 4:20 P.M.      LEADERSHIP................................................................................... Bayou

 

Presider:                        Randy L. Anderson, University of Southern Mississippi

 

Teacher Preferences of Educational Leadership Students

 

Ronald A. Styron and Wanda Maulding, University of Southern Mississippi

 

                   The National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education’s standards for accreditation of Departments of Educational Leadership contain a defined knowledge base that is expected of all DEL graduates. A key question regarding the teaching of this knowledge base is if a DEL professor can be effective if her/his acquired knowledge base is derived solely from theory with no related experience pertaining to the implementation of those theories.

                   Eighty students enrolled in a graduate educational administration program were surveyed to help determine the qualities that they felt most desirable in their professor(s).  The program had a total enrollment of 250 students and was found within the southern region of the United States. It had both instructors with K-12 administrative experience and teachers who were recent graduates with no administrative experience.

                   Participants were asked to complete demographic information and respond to seven questions, including one open-ended question. Responses were anonymous, and no attempt was made to match surveys with participants. The authors used a selective coding technique to create topical categories for each response set.  These categories were then reviewed and revised anonymously by an independent team of graduate student researchers who then grouped survey responses into appropriate categories. Survey data were quantified by recording the relative frequency with which each response category appeared.

                   The information appeared to indicate that students participating in this study prefer professors with backgrounds in K-12 administration, but would also like them strongly grounded in theory.  Another conclusion was that of the disconnect in student’s minds between the aspect of theory and practice. Although scientist-to-practitioner is a model taught in classrooms, it does not appear to be one in practice by those in the field.

 

 

Internet Lends Support for Educational Leadership Interns in Rural Schools

 

Amany I. Saleh, Arkansas State University

 

                   Graduate internship in education is one of the most difficult and stressful experiences students go through during their training to earn a certificate and/or a degree in educational administration or curriculum leadership (Martin, Wright, & Danzig, 2003). One of the commonly cited concerns by the interns is the isolation and resistance from their peers they face in their internship sites. Providing constant support and communication has become one of the top priorities for many colleges of education internship directors. However, in many states, students are conducting their internship in their own schools in rural areas hundreds of miles away from the university campuses. With the increasing financial constraints on universities, the traditional model of supervising interns on school campuses, especially at the graduate level, is fast disappearing. The utility of the Internet provides college supervisors a way to keep constant communication with these interns, reducing the need to conduct school visits. Utilizing the Internet also affords internship supervisors with greater opportunities to lend their support to students in an immediate and persistent fashion. The author of this paper described the experience in such an endeavor as the Internet was used to conduct a unique model of supervision and to provide the needed support for interns and also shared students’ comments about the experience as data to support the findings.

 

 

Fitness to Lead: The Importance of Stone Age Nutrition

 

Jack Blendinger, Linda McGrath and Vince McGrath, Mississippi State University;

and Lauren R. Wells, University of West Alabama

 

 

 

Session 12.2

3:30 P.M. – 4:20 P.M.      QUALITATIVE RESEARCH................................................................ Levee

 

Presider:                        Anastasia D. Elder, Mississippi State University

 

Voices from the Classroom: The Impact of TAKS Preparation in a Third-Grade Classroom

 

John A. Sargent and Michelle West, East Texas Baptist University

 

                   The purpose of this study was to investigate the way preparation for the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) exam affected classroom instructional methods. TAKS is administered annually and serves as the state’s high stakes exam.  The research question guiding this action research study was: How does preparing for the TAKS test affect classroom instructional methods in a third-grade classroom?

                   The participants in the study were 22 third-grade students located in a semi-rural elementary school in northeast Texas. The study took place over a 14-week period. Data collection procedures included observations/fieldnotes, reflective journals, and student and teacher interviews. Categories were generated through the constant comparison method with continual refining and analysis. Three themes emerged from the data analysis:  (1) the amount of time spent focusing specifically on the TAKS test detracted from overall classroom learning, (2) a lack of effective planning for preparation of TAKS instruction lead to student disengagement and boredom, and (3) pressure to get students ready for the TAKS test thwarted the teacher from giving each student the attention deserved.

                   Implications from this study were in several areas. The vast amount of time spent by teachers in preparing students for high stakes tests detracts from the time available to meet the needs of students. Students with learning problems require extra time that is not available. Also, time devoted to reviewing worksheets and other specialized test preparation activities results in student burnout and apathy. Teachers should prepare for high stakes tests by using varied learning activities. Moreover, time spent in student TAKS preparation results in neglect of subjects not being tested for that year. Teachers must teach all subjects in the curriculum and not specialize in subjects being tested on the TAKS.

 

 

In Their Own Voices: A Case Study of Individual and Collective Experiences in Cooperative Education

 

Matt M. Fifolt, Peggy Delmas, Jennifer Fritschi, Tonya Perry, and

Nataliya V. Ivankova, University of Alabama – Birmingham

 

                   For many students, Cooperative Education (co-op) serves as a transitional bridge between school and work. Because of a paucity of research from students’ perspectives, a need existed to study the complex nature of the co-op experience from their unique vantage point. This qualitative case study explored the co-op experience for eight students at Southeastern University focusing on their daily experiences in the co-op program, benefits and challenges of being a co-op student, and how participation in the program helped students learn about their intended professions.

                   The research used a qualitative case study approach to provide in-depth exploration of the participants’ experiences of co-op and to secure multiple perspectives on the central phenomenon. The students involved had all participated in the university’s co-op program for at least one semester and were all working at different sites. Students were enrolled in the fields of Engineering, Computer Science, and Business. Data were collected from multiple sources, including formal interviews, reflective journaling, and document analysis over a five-week period. Researchers developed codes from interviews and documents. Codes were aggregated into the following seven themes: roles/responsibilities, benefits, drawbacks, schedule, interactions, environment, and experience. Themes were grouped into three meta-themes: environment, transition, and culture. One of the prevailing sentiments from the research was that students experienced a great deal of conflict in balancing the dual roles of both “student” and “employee” without being able to fully commit to either one. Findings suggested implications for co-op employers, parents, students and colleges.

                   By listening to the voices of the students, the researchers learned how the concepts of work culture, environment, and transitions affected students’ co-op experience. As a primer for qualitative research on co-op, researchers proposed this investigation as a springboard for further discussion in the areas of interpersonal relationships and alternative forms of learning.

 

 

Study of the Influences of a High School Career

 

Roger H. Nadeau, Jefferson Parish (LA) Schools

 

                   This phenomenological study documented the influences of a high school career exploration program, Experience-Based Career Education (E.B.C.E.), on the professional lives of nine adults of former program participants. E.B.C.E. was an experience-based, student-centered program that helped students develop long-term career goals and then reassessed those goals based on community-based, externship experiences. The students in this 2004 study completed the two-year program in 1989 and 1990.

                   The findings indicated that the utilization of John Dewey’s experience-based, student-centered philosophy, the basis for E.B.C.E., effectively enhanced the learning process. Study participants developed life guides/philosophies, such as the importance of responsibility, commitment, dedication, and hard work. Adult mentors played an important role in participants’ personal and professional lives. Program participants also experienced flow, a condition linking high challenges to feelings of enjoyment, self-worth, and ongoing development, based on their successfully meeting challenges.

                   The author adopted a phenomenological approach in an attempt to understand the E.B.C.E. program’s phenomena and utilized data and theoretical triangulation, member checking and various interview techniques to ensure the credibility of this study. To ensure transferability, the author collected detailed descriptions of data and thoroughly analyzed and interpreted data to enable readers to judge the applicability of findings to other settings. To ensure confirmability in this study, the author conducted a confirmability audit to determine if the findings and interpretations were supported by data and also utilized data and theoretical triangulation; identified foundations upon which findings are based; and described measures taken to diminish researcher bias. To ensure dependability, the author utilized data, theoretical triangulation, and multiple methodologies. The study’s data were gathered exclusively through an Internet focus group session and follow-up email questions. Member checking was utilized to allow participants to react to other participants’ comments before follow-up questions were designed for the Internet focus group session.

 

 

Session 12.3

3:30 P.M. – 4:20 P.M.      EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATION (DISPLAYS)........................ Mississippi Queen

 

Using Repeated Reading to Increase Fluency in Disabled Middle School Readers

 

David D. Paige, University of Memphis

 

                   This study examined the effects of repeated reading using above-grade-level narrative passages on (1) reading rate as measured in words per minute (wpm) and (2) reading miscues. A single group, pretest-posttest design was used to measure the treatment effects.

                   The study group consisted of 11 sixth-grade African American students with learning disabilities who received language arts instruction in a self-contained special education setting. A pretest-posttest measurement was conducted using the Flynt-Cooter Reading Inventory for the Classroom to measure reading level and reading rate. The average reading level for the study group was 3.3. 

                   The study treatment lasted for six weeks and consisted of each participant reading a 100-word narrative passage once per day for five consecutive days. A different passage was used for each of the six weeks, and the passages were on a 5.0 reading level. During the reading of the passage, the participant had one minute to read as much as possible, after which the number of words read and the number of reading miscues were recorded.

                   Pretest-posttest measurement of wpm increased from 87.6 to 116.3. A paired sample t-test of the same measure for reading rate was found to be statistically significant at p < .017. Study effect size was .86.

                   The study results suggested that for the classroom teacher, daily, extended use of a repeated reading intervention with above-grade-level passages may have two positive effects on students with reading disabilities. First, reading rate may increase, meaning that a greater volume of text can be read, enabling a student to read more productively.   Secondly, a decrease in reading miscues may also occur, resulting in greater decoding accuracy and aiding comprehension. These two factors may improve overall reading efficiency.

 

 

Special Education Identification Rates and the Use of Certified School Psychologists in Kentucky

 

Robert P. Lyons and Mardis Dunham, Murray State University

 

                   This study examined the special education identification rates of 176 school districts in the state of Kentucky to describe:  (1) the influence of school and community SES factors on special education identification rates, (2) the extent that minority children are over-identified, and (3) the impact of the use of certified school psychologists on the identification process as evidenced by the resulting identification rates. 

                   Special education identification rates of the state’s 176 school districts ranged from approximately 9% to 31%, with African American children representing 0% to 65% of identified children.  Within each of the categorical disability, identification rates ranged widely as well.  Preliminary analyses indicated several significant trends, including school and/or community estimates of poverty (free lunch participation, percentage of adults with high school diploma) relating significantly with both the overall identification rate, and the percentage of minority children identified.  Additional data has been requested from the Kentucky Department of Education about minority representation within each of the 13 categorical disabilities so that identification trends can be examined with more specificity.

                   In June of 2005, a survey was sent to all Kentucky Director’s of Special Education regarding the district’s use of certified school psychologists in the identification process.  Of particular interest to researchers was the impact of certified school psychologists when utilized to obtain and interpret diagnostic data in the IEP meeting.  It was hypothesized that identification rates were more reflective of federal guidelines when school psychologists are used in this way.

 

 

 

Web Resources for Professionals Concerned with Research Related to and Education

of Students with Learning Disabilities

 

Jimmy D. Lindsey, Chhanda Ghose, and Regina Patterson, Southern University - Baton Rouge

 

                   There are approximately three million students with learning disabilities (LD) receiving general and special education, and they represent 5% of the school-aged population and 50% of all students with disabilities.  In increasing numbers, professionals concerned with these exceptional learners are using the Internet for research, instruction, and other intentions.  The purpose of this display session was to present Web resources that professionals could access to understand and meet the needs of students with LD and engage in research to add to the developing knowledge base regarding this disabled population.  These resources included different search engines (e.g., Google), directories (e.g., Yahoo), and megasearch engines (e.g., Dogpile). The resources also included selected websites professionals should access for research and statistical information or tools, including histories (e.g., Materials for the History of Statistics - http://www.york.ac.uk/depts/maths/histstat /welcome.htm), glossaries (e.g., Howell’s -http://www.uvm.edu/~dhowell/StatPages/Fundamentals/Glossary.html), tutorials (e.g., University of California – Irvine Library - http://tutorial.lib.uci.edu/), statistical tools (e.g., Sample Size Calculator - http://www.surveysystem.com/ sscalc.htm), digital statistical books (e.g., Electronic Textbook StatSoft - http://www.statsoft.com/textbook/stathome.html), chat rooms (e.g., Northeastern Education Research Association Chat Rooms - http://www.nera-education.org/chatroom.html), and organizations (e.g., MSERA – http://www.msea.org). 

                   These resources included special education and LD-specific websites professionals can access to obtain general and LD information, including governmental agencies (e.g., U.S. Department of Education [USDOE] Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services http://www.ed.gov/about/ offices/list/osers/index.html), professional and parental organizations (e.g., Council for LD - http://www.cldinternational.org/; LD Association of America - http://www.ldanatl.org/), legislation (e.g., USDOE - http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/idea2004.html), university sites (e.g., University of Virginia - http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/sped/ projects/ose/information/interventions.html), and assessment and instructional sites (e.g., Reading Assessment) database for grades K-2 -http://www.sedl.org/reading/rad/database.html; Read-Think-Write - http://www.readthinkwrite.org/). 

                   Attendees were asked to share their Web search and research-statistical tools and favorite special education and other sites related to learning disabilities.

 

 

Multiple Intelligences of Students with Learning Disabilities and Factors Related to Those Dispositions

 

Vera J. Alexander and Jimmy D. Lindsey, Southern University - Baton Rouge

 

                   This study determined if students with learning disabilities (LD) exhibited:  (1) different multiple intelligence (MI) dispositions (measured by the MI Developmental Assessment Scales [MIDAS]); (2) associations among their gender, ethnicity, and MI dispositions; and (3) differences in reading, mathematical, and spelling achievement by MI disposition and the interaction of MI disposition, gender, and ethnicity.  It also determined if there were matches between perceived and identified MI dispositions by the students themselves and their special education teachers. 

                   The accessible population was 166 fourth- and fifth-grade students with LD attending 17 elementary schools in an urban school system in a southeastern state.  A stratified, proportional random sampling procedure was used to select 80 participants from the population (strata gender and ethnicity).  Between-subjects designs were used; factors included MI disposition, perceived and identified MI dispositions, gender, and ethnicity. Dependent variables included the frequency of overall MI dispositions and by gender and ethnicity; Wide Range Achievement Test 3 (WRAT3) reading, mathematical, and spelling standard scores; and the number of matched and mismatched MI dispositions by the participants and their special education teachers.

                   Data were analyzed using descriptive, chi square, tests for the significance of difference between two proportions, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistics (alpha level p < .05).  Findings indicated that the students with LD had:  (1) different MI dispositions, but there were no associations between their gender and ethnicity and MI dispositions, and (2) different mathematical and spelling achievement by MI disposition (reading achievement was similar), and (3) MI disposition and ethnicity interacted to effect mathematical and spelling achievement, but not reading achievement.  There were no significant matches between perceived and identified MI dispositions by the students with LD and their special education teachers. Findings were discussed, and the limitations of the study and recommendations for future research were presented. 

 

 

Mode of Assessment and the Reading Performance of African American Students with LD

 

Faye J. Jones, Orleans Parish (LA) School Board, and Jimmy D. Lindsey,

Southern University – Baton Rouge

 

                   This study investigated the effects of mode of assessment (paper-and-pencil vs. computer), gender, and computer experiences on the reading scores of fourth- and fifth-grade African American students with learning disabilities (LD).  The accessible population consisted of 412 African American students with LD (278 males and 134 females) attending 39 elementary schools and receiving general and special education services in an urban school district in a southeastern state.  Eighty students from the population served as the sample and were selected using a stratified, random sampling procedure (stratum gender - 40 males and 40 females selected).  To conduct this study, a one-way (1x2) and two two-way (2x2) between-subjects designs were used.  The treatment variable was mode of assessment (paper-and-pencil vs. computer), and subject variables included gender (male vs. female) and computer experiences (limited vs. extensive access/use).  The dependent variables were the participants’ reading rate, obtained using one story from an extended basal reader passage, and word identification, vocabulary, and comprehension scores (literal, inferential, and critical), obtained by administering the Silvaroli and Wheelock Classroom Reading Inventory. 

                   Descriptive statistics and one- and two-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were used to analyze the data.  The covariates were the participants’ Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement word identification or reading comprehension standard scores, and null hypotheses were tested (alpha level p < .05).  Results indicated that mode of assessment affected the participants’ reading rate and word identification scores; African American students with LD assessed using the traditional method (paper-and-pencil) had higher reading rate and word identification scores.  Mode of assessment did not affect the participants’ vocabulary and comprehension scores and did not interact with gender or computer experiences to effect the participants’ reading rate, word identification, vocabulary, and comprehension scores.  Findings were discussed, limitations of the study were presented, and recommendations for future study made.

 

 

Session 12.4

3:30 P.M. – 4:20 P.M.      MINORITY RECRUITMENT/ STUDENT RETENTION.................. Delta Queen

 

Presider:                        Edward D. Brown, Alabama State University

 

Mentoring Minority Students in Higher Education: A Review of Literature

 

Robin T. Taylor, Glennelle Halpin, and Gerald Halpin, Auburn University

 

                   African American students are vastly underrepresented within S.M.E.T. (Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology) fields, and many higher education facilities use different techniques in attempts to level the playing field for them. Mentoring programs are one of the approaches that has been undertaken to assist students of minority races, specifically African American students, within higher education. The literature review focused on:  (1) a brief introduction to the needs of African American students within S.M.E.T. fields, (2) mentoring within higher education versus business, (3) benefits and drawbacks of mentoring to minority students, and (4) types of mentoring programs.

                   Articles and studies were selected by relevance to higher education, and focused on minority groups, especially African American students, and an article or study’s ability to define mentoring and different mentoring techniques. Also, articles were chosen with a focus on undergraduate mentoring versus mentoring at the graduate level.

                   Findings indicated that many higher education universities are interested in practices, programs, and activities that will help retain and recruit diverse students. Minority programs are often seen as a key for retaining minority students, and this review of literature hopes to show both positive and negative feedbacks from different types of minority programs.

                   Implications from this literature review were shared. A clearer understanding of what role mentoring has in higher education and what seems to work or not work should evolve. Implications from this literature review about how others could best assist minority cultures were discussed.

 

 

Persistence of Transfer Students at a Southern University

 

Tiffany F. Culver, Mississippi State University

 

                   The purpose of this study was to estimate a model to determine the factors that influence the retention of transfer students at Mississippi State University.  Specific research questions to be addressed included:  Are the transfer student requirements at MSU factors that are strongly related to the retention of transfer students? How can the information that is collected before the actual admittance of a student be used to predict retention? An existing dataset was obtained from the Office of Institutional Research. Specific variables included were institution, high school GPA, ethnicity, ACT scores, transfer GPA, transfer hours. For the purposes of this study, retainment was defined as students attending MSU fall of 2000, 2001, and 2002 who were enrolled at MSU during the fall of 2003; 4,619 transfer students were included in the study and 3,850 of whom classified themselves as white, 627 African American, 40 Asian, 45 International, and 17 Indian. Of the total, 3,674 of these students were from community colleges and 907 from four-year institutions.

                   Data analysis consisted of a logistic regression.  Only variables that were required by the Office of Admissions at MSU were used in the logistic regression analysis. Results suggested that the model is better at predicting students who will be retained than students who will drop out. Variables strongly related to retention include transfer hours, transfer GPA, ACT score, and gender. This information is useful in assisting university officials in policy decisions relating to admissions and the retention of transfer students. This information could also be used to enhance programs targeted at improving the persistence of the transfer student.

 

 

Session 12.5

3:30 P.M. – 4:20 P.M.      ACHIEVEMENT............................................................................ Riverboat

 

Presider:                        John D. Sachs, University of South Alabama

 

The Effects of Poverty, Disability, Limited English Proficiency, and Migrant

Status on Kentucky School Accountability Indices

 

Sara Lindsey, Morehead State University, Jennifer Latham Harris, University of Louisiana – Monroe

 

 

 

Wealth, Family, and Behavior: Do Money, Two Parents, and Good Behavior Equal Good Grades in School?

 

Rebecca Jacobson, Troy University, and Tomeka Gibson, Troy University – Montgomery

 

                   In a perfect world, children of all races, socio-economic background, and family types would have, and would take advantage of, the opportunity to receive a higher education.  Empirical research has shown that various socio-economic factors are associated with children’s educational attainment: wealth, family structure, and social behavior.  Many studies have found that socio-economic factors effect children’s education, determining a child’s success in, and beyond, the school setting. Such factors include wealth (savings, home ownership, stocks, and bonds), family structure, behavior, and quality of schooling.  Different forms of wealth (economic capital, social capital, and cultural capital) provide both parents and children access to educational resources. Academic success often leads to increased social opportunities.  Also a substantial number of studies have shown that social skills and self-efficacy in turn influence children’s achievement.

                   Family structure also influences the educational accomplishments of children.  As the number of single parent homes increases, studies suggest that the disruption in the home environment affects children academically.  Many factors play a significant role in how children succeed in the classroom and can be used to predict how well they will perform as an adult in the working world.  In today’s society, education has become the key to success and a major factor contributing to the wage gap.  Job opportunities once available to less well-educated individuals are scarce as more employers raise employment standards.   In this currently changing job market, a high school diploma is not enough.  Continuous education is required in order for an individual to excel in the working world.  This study examined the role of socio-economic factors on children’s success in the classroom setting.  It is proposed that wealth, family structure, and social behavior are interrelated in relationship to achievement.  The goal of this study was to evaluate how individuals perceive the socio-economic issues that influence academic achievement.

 

 

A Comparative Study of Parental Demographics For Students in Open-Enrollment

Charter Schools and Public Schools in Arkansas

 

Deborah Y. McAfee and Gail H. Weems, University of Arkansas - Little Rock

 

                   The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a statistically significant difference based on parental demographics and parental factors of students enrolled in Arkansas public schools and Arkansas open-enrollment charter schools.

                   Four Arkansas open-enrollment charter schools, chartered prior to the 2004-2005 school year, and four public schools, nearby, were surveyed.  The information was disaggregated into parent demographics of age, gender, number of children attending school in the home, income, educational level, marital status, and distance between the home and school.  Forty parental factors were categorized into four headings: career, policy and procedures, academics and learning styles, and parent and community involvement. 

                   A two-way comparative table analysis was conducted using crosstab on parental demographics.         A t-test was conducted on the four parental factors.  The key findings of the study indicated that charter parents supported their child’s enrollment on the key parental factors.   

 

 

Session 12.6

3:30 P.M. – 4:20 P.M.      WRITING AND GETTING PUBLISHED

                                       (TRAINING SESSION).................................................... Meeting Room 253

 

John R. Petry, University of Memphis

 

                   Opportunities and problems associated with writing and publishing articles and manuscripts were discussed. Topics included sources of ideals for research and writing, guides for effective writing, elements of style, publication sources, preparing and submitting a manuscript, ethics in authorship, understanding the publishing process, and using writing/publishing for professional development. Objectives of the session were to increase the awareness of opportunities to publish, raise standards for writing quality manuscripts, and establish minimum guidelines for professional growth.

                   The session addressed pertinent information designed to aid in the achievement of these goals. Activities included a diagnosis of the basic writing skills of attendees, analysis of articles ready for submission to publications, and administration of a predictive measure for publication success. Several sources for publishing (both print and electronic) were presented and discussed that gave the manuscript submitters a higher chance of achieving success or acceptance. Participants’ manuscripts were evaluated for their content, style, impact on the reader, and value to the scholarly community.

                   Important emphases included knowing the audience to whom the publication is intended, knowing the expectations of the editor and journal and making sure the article addresses its main point effectively, having a definite message and reason for writing, writing effectively and distinctly, writing about subjects that the author knew, following the style of the publisher’s writing, knowing the editor’s preferences, and using the journal’s format, understanding the publishing process: how journal articles have been requested, reviewed, rewritten, and accepted; recognizing that the writing, reviewing, and editing processes are time consuming; and following up on every submission, contacting the editor to determine status, and learning how to edit personal submissions. Participants had a broad understanding of writing and publishing as a result of attending this session and were motivated to begin or continue the process.

 

 

Session 13.1

4:30 P.M. – 5:20 P.M.      ONLINE LEARNING.......................................................................... Bayou

 

Presider:                        Jeff W. Anderson, University of Alabama - Birmingham

 

A Phenomenological Study of Online Learning in a Community College Setting

 

Carla S. Stout, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, and Charles R. Collins

and R. Burke Johnson, University of South Alabama

 

                   The Mississippi Virtual Community College (MSVCC), a consortium of 14 of Mississippi’s community colleges, provides its students the opportunity to take distance learning courses from community colleges in Mississippi while getting support services from a local college.  This study examined online learning experiences of students taking classes in the Mississippi Virtual Community College (MSVCC) to find out what motivator, support mechanism, and/or driver is needed to take an online learning class and how the MSVCC online experiences compared to traditional classroom experiences.  Based on previous studies, the researchers believe that successful online instruction occurs when learners use the Web to go through the sequence of instruction, to complete the learning activities, and to achieve learning outcomes and objectives. Data were collected through online discussion forums and online surveys, interviews, and focus groups.  Repetitive key themes and ideas were established by using N6 (formerly NUD*IST).  Themes and ideas were used to establish a foundation that is purposeful and meaningful. Participants were all students from the 14 Mississippi community colleges participating in the MSVCC.  The findings of the study suggested implications for online educators and students alike. 

 

 

Teaching Multicultural Education Online Using Student Centered Pedagogy

 

Joyce C. Nichols, Karen Rasmussen, and Fernaundra Ferguson, University of West Florida

 

                   Draves, of the Learning Resources Network, a distance learning group, maintains that within 20 years online classes will replace most lecture-based courses (Carnevale, 1999).  Growth is also predicted by International Data Corporation (IDC).  Draves stated that “Distance learning, where student and teacher are connected by technology rather than participating in a classroom, is becoming a viable option to traditional teaching methods, and is poised for major growth [33% annually] over the next several years” (IDC, 1999).

                   In this paper, the researchers described how a graduate-level course in multicultural education was transformed to an online course. In 2003, the university funded training for selected faculty interested in offering courses online. The authors were given the opportunity to teach graduate-level multicultural education courses in an online format. The authors used Knowlton’s (2000) theoretical framework that focused on a student-centered approach to describe how to deliver the courses.  Knowlton (2000) contends that online courses must be aligned with the student-centered approach to be educationally effective.  Knowlton uses Connelly and Clandinin’s (1988) model of the classroom to contrast student-centered and professor-centered paradigms of teaching and learning.  There are two categories, including teacher-centered classrooms (usually positivist in nature and most often includes lecture) and student-centered classrooms often associated with contructivism that promotes the active involvement of students).  The authors provided student reactions to taking a multicultural course online.    

 

 

Distance-Learning as an Ecosystem

 

Ruifang Adams, Idaho State University

 

                   To examine a distance-learning virtual classroom, the dominant research paradigm has separated mind from matter, or separated learners from environment. Recently, Zhao and Frank (2003) promoted the examination of technology integration from an ecological perspective. The ecology metaphor is used here to emphasize that in order to understand a complex distance-learning environment it requires a framework that is active, interdependent, and adaptive as a single ecosystem. “The emerging ecological paradigm proposes a unified view of mind, matter and life” (Frielick, 2004, p. 40).

                   The ecosystem proposed in this position paper suggested that individual learning occurs within a set of nested contexts that fit together somewhat like the levels in a virtual classroom ecosystem. The ecosystem approach describes learning in a distance-learning environment consisting of nested levels within the systems: microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem. The innermost level, the microsystem, is the reciprocal relationship between the individual and the immediate environment. For distance-learning, it is the immediate physical and digital setting in which learners’ activities are taking place. The mesosystem refers to the reciprocal relationship between learners and their immediate two or more microsystem learning environments. Within the mesosystem, diverse settings are related in a distance-learning environment through the Internet. The exosystem refers to dynamic interrelationships within the context of distance-learning, the connection between the formal university and informal settings (the student’s home or office computer). The last outermost context, macrosystem, considers factors in general environment in a university as governed by global, political, cultural environment. Together they shape new university structures to transform the institutional culture, and in turn, to improve student learning. As a recommendation, the ecological approach could be used to inform policy makers, educational administrators, and instructors of the steps needed to develop distance-learning within the university ecosystem. 

 

 

Session 13.2

4:30 P.M. – 5:20 P.M.      PRINCIPALSHIP............................................................................... Levee

 

Presider:                        David A. Wright, Jackson State University

 

Closing the Achievement Gap: A Model for Successful Principal Leadership in Impoverished Schools

 

Portia I. Hull, University of Southern Mississippi

 

                   With the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, educational leaders, including school principals, are searching desperately to identify leadership behaviors and practices that will positively impact student achievement and promote Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for all students, including minorities and economically disadvantaged students.

                   Ten principals in the state of Mississippi were interviewed to determine differences in their leadership behaviors. All participants were employed in either a level 1 or a level 5 school. Two principals worked in central Mississippi, and the other participants worked in north Mississippi.

                   Grounded Theory, a qualitative research design, was used for data collection and analysis in this research project. Fourteen principals were given the opportunity to participate in this study. Participants were asked 11 questions during each interview. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. The methods of open coding, axial coding, and selective coding were used in the data analysis process.  A coding review panel was utilized to establish reliability and validity.

                   The questions developed for this interview are based on a review of the literature concerning effective school practices, the work of the National Association of Elementary School Principals, and Robert Marzano.

                   The themes that emerged from this study indicate that principals in level 1 schools seek parental involvement, seek buy-in from the staff, focus on institutional management, and focus on instructional development. Principals in level 5 schools create a family environment, develop the faculty, focus on instructional development, and adopt a no-excuses policy.

                   While the themes generated in this study do not provide the perfect plan for success, they do provide useful, practical, and proven strategies for school leaders that may lead to success when working with minority and poverty students.

 

 

Factors Influencing Job Satisfaction and Task Performance of High School Principals

 

Jerry G. Mathews, Mississippi State University, and Mark W. Neill, Idaho State University

 

                   This study was designed to survey high school principals about their perception of the impact of specific task performance factors that influenced job satisfaction, job performance, and retention in the principalship as measured by:  (1) the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) short form, (2) a demographic survey, and (3) a set of open-ended questions. The target population consisted of 128 public high school principals in a western state.

                   The study used a mixed method research design to assess the task performance factors affecting job satisfaction of high school principals. This study utilized both quantitative and qualitative techniques to assess research process activities and analytic outcomes. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to determine which demographic variables accounted for a statistically significant variation in the dependent variables. Open-ended, free response questions were used to collect detailed data from secondary school principals to go beyond the simple collection of descriptive data and support the complex process of analyzing behavioral and institutional characteristics.

                   Some of the results of the study indicated that general job satisfaction and task performance were influenced by gender, level of experience, number of vice/assistant principals. Specific factors for improving future principal job satisfaction and factors influencing task performance were indicated.

 

 

Teacher Leadership: The Impact on School Improvement

 

Sonja Y. Harrington, Hyacinth E. Findlay, and Gwendolyn V. King, Alabama State University

 

                   Many state departments of education are concerned with teachers who receive post-baccalaureate degrees mainly for professional development and pay increases, with no intention to pursue administrative positions. States lose money with pay increases and supporting educational leadership programs that produce insufficient numbers of qualified administrative leaders, including assistant principals. As administrative positions go unfilled, impossible demands are made of current principals to be highly effective in the areas of instruction and management. To assist principals, teachers need to share the responsibilities of instructional leadership.

                   A common theme in the many calls for school improvement is the importance of teacher leadership (Sherrill, 1999; Sergiovanni & Starrat, 1998). Teacher leadership is not about individual “teacher power.”  Rather, teacher leaders work with colleagues for the purpose of improving teaching and learning (Patterson & Patterson, 2004). Zimpher and Howey (as cited in Sherrill, 1999) point out that “even the best teachers” not prepared for leadership assignments experience frustration and a lack of self-efficacy. Therefore, the roles of teachers as leaders need to be defined and clarified, and teacher leaders need to have a more purposeful preparation (Sherrill, 1999).  Teacher leadership preparation programs may resolve these issues.  Teacher leaders will be prepared to assist principals and share in the responsibilities for school improvement. 

                   In this qualitative study, several research questions were addressed:  (1) How is teacher leadership defined?  (2) What are the benefits of having teacher leaders in schools?  (3) What impact do teacher leaders have on terms of student achievement and behavior?  and (4) What types of training in educational leadership programs do teachers need to be developed into effective teacher leaders?

                   Data were analyzed by constant comparative analysis, utilizing qualitative software, N6. Several recurring themes were prevalent regarding the need for teacher leaders in all schools. Recommendations for further study were discussed.

 

 

Session 13.3

4:30 P.M. – 5:20 P.M.      TEACHER EDUCATION (DISPLAYS)................................ Mississippi Queen

 

Opening Windows of Opportunity: Orientation for Future Teachers**

 

Kelly W. Ryan, John B. Hammett, and Roland Thornburg, Jacksonville State University

 

 

 

Improving Student Learning Outcomes Through the Implementation of Teacher Work Sample Folios

 

Cheryl J. Cummins and Leslie Griffin, Delta State University

 

                   Teacher work sample (TWS) methodology has been implemented in the elementary education program at Delta State University to prepare teacher candidates to determine student learning and use reflective practice.  The Renaissance Partnership for Improving Teacher Quality provides a model in which teacher candidates are required to develop documentation related to seven teaching processes believed to be critical to improving learning for all students. 

                   During spring 2005, a teacher work sample folio was designed and implemented in CEL 497 Measurement and Evaluation to improve candidates’ understanding of:  (1) contextual factors in relationship to designing instruction, (2) the development of learning goals as aligned with state content standards, (3) assessment plans in terms of measuring student growth relative to learning goals and to inform instruction, (4) instructional strategies for the purpose of enabling all students to achieve the learning goals, (5) the use of formative data to make instructional decisions, (6) the analysis and reporting of student learning results, and (7) the reflection and evaluation of teaching and learning. The instructor for the course met with the students twice a week for instruction for eight weeks.  Each meeting followed a similar format:  (1) each of the seven processes was discussed with the whole group, (2) examples of acceptable documentation were generated, (3) individuals had the opportunity to share ideas, questions, etc. with a partner or the instructor, and (4) candidates developed individual teacher work sample folios.  At the end of the eight weeks, each work sample was analyzed according to scoring rubrics.  The scores related to each dimension of the TWS were then analyzed, and tentative results were used to guide implementation of this process during the student teaching semester. 

 

 

Comparing Preservice Teachers’ Opinions of Public Schools to Gallup Poll Results

 

Paige V. Baggett, Rebecca M. Giles, Carolyn Casteel,

and Jayne Kennedy, University of South Alabama

 

                   The Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes toward the Public Schools traces and interprets the public’s view regarding its schools in order to advance the discussion of educational issues (Rose & Gallup, 2004). This study compared the public’s view of schools to those of preservice teachers to identify areas where increased dialogue is needed between the educational community and the public, as well as issues where the two groups might unite to help foster change. Participants were 9 male and 132 female preservice teachers enrolled at a southern university. The majority (126) were elementary education majors. Thirty had children attending public schools. Data were collected using 22 multiple-choice items from the Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll. Researchers eliminated items containing a political component and added seven demographic items. Descriptive data, in the form of frequency and percentages, for participants’ anonymous responses, were calculated using SPSS.

                   Findings suggested that preservice teachers’ overall view of public schools is similar to that of the general public. While both groups agreed that funding is the biggest problem facing public schools, preservice teachers rated discipline as a larger issue than the public. Seventy-four percent of public respondents gave the schools in their community a grade of A or B, while 59% of preservice teachers gave their schools a C. In contrast to the public, preservice teachers strongly oppose using a single test to determine if a student receives a high school diploma and feel that there is significantly too much emphasis on achievement testing in schools today. Not surprisingly, preservice teachers, who are in a position to have detailed information and personal experience with the NCLB Act, view this legislation more favorably than the public, and the public sees parents as a more important factor in determining student performance than preservice teachers.

 

 

Impact of Field Experience on Preservice Teachers’ Perceived Ability for Teaching

Comprehensive Reading: Realistic or Wishful Thinking?

 

Andrea M. Kent and Jennifer Simpson, University of South Alabama

 

                   For preservice teacher education candidates, and those teaching preservice teacher method courses, arguably one of the greatest challenges is to provide experiences that help candidates integrate theory and practice.  Though simulations of K-12 classrooms are beneficial, the primary manner in which this bridging occurs is through field experience.  However, often times and for varied reasons, the candidate does not see what  is being taught at the university that is identified as best practice in research and implemented in the public school classroom.

                   The study examined how one university’s extensive field experience during methods courses impacted preservice teacher candidates’ perception of their knowledge and ability to teach a comprehensive approach to teaching reading in an elementary classroom.  This was examined in relation to the amount the candidates reported seeing their mentor teacher implementing this reading approach.

                   One hundred thirty-six preservice teacher education candidates completed approximately 250 hours, three days per week, in an elementary classroom under the tutelage of a mentor teacher.  The candidates simultaneously spent two days per week attending methods courses, including the reading methods course.  The researcher spent the semester teaching a comprehensive approach to reading instruction.  This approach included assessments to guide instruction, read alouds, shared reading, guided reading, working with words, and independent reading.  All assignments were made in relation to these components and were to be carried out during the field experience.

                   At the conclusion of the semester, a Likert-type questionnaire was administered with the candidates.  Data were analyzed and compared centering on the candidates’ perceived knowledge of the comprehensive reading components, their perceived ability to teach the components, and the amount they reported their mentor teacher teaching these components.  Tentative conclusions were drawn about the results of the data.  A brief explanation of an expansion of the project for a longitudinal study was included.    

 

 

A Collaborative Approach to Developing Highly Qualified Science & Mathematics Teachers**

 

Peter Sheppard, Louisiana State University

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Oblivion to Engagement: A Model for Teaching Thoughtfulness and Responsiveness

 

Naomi Jeffery Petersen, Indiana University - South Bend

 

                   This display presented a model for teachers to consider their profoundly influential role of influencing students’ perspectives and habits, and how to confront the counter-productive tendency toward oblivion and how to foster thoughtfulness. Oblivion is a happy place, for ignorance is bliss. It confounds every instructor laboring to change students into wiser, more skilled graduates. Oblivion may be seen in students who focus exclusively on the concrete tasks required in the syllabus. This is not just a matter of low level thinking about extrinsic rewards: it is deeply rooted in competition and fear of failure. It is manifested by overreaction and risk avoidance. It is alleviated by civic engagement experience, by conscious awareness of oblivion and engagement, and by developing skills of contemplation and preparation. The impulse to avoid change is a barrier in itself, and teachers must introduce an alternative path.

                   This model was grounded in systems theory in that a helpful integrated graphic design illustrates the recycling effect of returning to oblivion after impulsive over-reaction or mindless habit or of returning to thoughtfulness after steps of contemplation and preparation. The emphasis here is that the paths become familiar habits that can be developed through intentional practice. Without the intervention of different strategies to respond to stress or to solve problems, students are likely to maintain their preference for oblivion and therefore contribute to the problems of poor communication, low productivity, and other results of disengagement. This model is also rooted in psycho-social constructivism. The interdependence of the community of learners is respected here as a powerful mediator between states of oblivion and states of engagement.  The practical strategies emphasize metacognition and feedback to articulate and solidify principles of engagement and to highlight the need for teachers to confront their own tendencies toward oblivion and reaction. 

 

 

Session 13.4

4:30 P.M. – 5:20 P.M.      MATHEMATICS EDUCATION................................................... Delta Queen

 

Presider:                        Mary Kay Bacallao, Mercer University

 

The Effect of Teacher Communication with Parents on Students’ Mathematics Achievement

 

Hosin Shirvani, University of Southern Mississippi

 

                   This study examined the effect of teacher communication with parents on students’ mathematics achievement. In the fall of 2003, the investigator selected a total of 52 students from four Algebra I classes taught by a teacher and randomly placed two classes in the control group and the other two classes in the experimental group. The parents of the students in the treatment group received monitoring sheets twice a week that contained students’ daily homework grades, tests, conduct levels, and engagement levels. The parents in the control group did not receive monitoring sheets.

                   The study investigated three questions:  (1) What are the effects of teacher communication with parents on student achievement in mathematics courses? (2) Are female and male students affected differently when their teachers have communication with their parents or guardians? (3) How does teacher communication with parents affect lower-performing students when they are compared with other lower-performing students in the control group?

                   With respect to mathematics achievement, the investigator found that students in the experimental group outperformed the students in the control group. With respect to gender, the results showed that teacher communication with parents did not affect student achievement differently. With respect to lower performing students, the researcher found that lower-performing students in the experimental group significantly outperformed those students in the control group.

 

 

Comparison of LEAP Scores of Fourth-Grade Students Taught by Mathematics

Specialists and Self-Contained Teachers

 

Carol L. Price and Thelma J. Roberson, University of Southern Mississippi

 

                   This paper presented the findings of a recent study of the use of elementary mathematics specialists to improve mathematics instruction and student achievement as measured by the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) fourth-grade mathematics test. The two null hypotheses tested in the study were: (1) There is no statistically significant difference in LEAP mathematics raw scores for 4th grade students taught by elementary mathematics specialists and those taught by self-contained teachers, and  (2) There is no statistically significant difference between elementary mathematics specialists and 4th grade self-contained teachers on the following variables: (1) number of hours spent planning for mathematics instruction, (2) mathematics preparation, (3) perceived ability to teach mathematics, (4) personal feelings toward mathematics, and (5) teacher development.  The testing of hypothesis 1 found no statistically significance; however, a pattern of higher scores for students taught by a mathematics specialist was noted that may indicate a need for further studies. The paper presented a discussion of this finding and explored the implications for using mathematic specialists in elementary schools. 

                   When testing hypothesis 2, statistical significance was found in all areas, with one exception.  It was noted that only one of the two measures used to quantify mathematics preparation revealed a statistically significance between the two groups.   That measure was the number of elementary mathematics methods courses taken in college. The paper presented a discussion about why this may have occurred and addressed a possible limitation found in the instrument used to collect data for this study.  Additionally, the paper included a brief review of the literature and a detailed description of the research methodology used in this study.

 

 

Relationship Between Fifth-Grade Teacher Qualification and Student Achievement

in Mathematics in Five Mississippi Delta School Districts.

 

Garfield Burke and Vickie Curry, Mississippi Valley State University

 

                   Considerable evidence exists that indicates that students taught by qualified teachers were more likely to demonstrate higher academic performance than students taught by teachers less qualified. This study examined the relationship between fifth-grade teacher qualification and student achievement in mathematics in five MS Delta school districts. The data collected included a list of names of fifth-grade teachers and scale scores for their students on the 2003 Mississippi Curriculum Test from Mississippi State Department of Education and a survey questionnaire that was administered to participants.

                   A one-way analysis of variance was conducted to evaluate the relationship between:  (1) the teacher’s years of experience and students’ performance in mathematics, (2) the teacher’s highest level of educational attainment and students’ performance, ( 3) the teacher’s possession of MS teacher license and student’s performance, and (4) the teacher’s type of license (traditional, alternative, etc.) and students’ performance. The four factors of the independent variable were: (1) the teacher’s years of experience –  included five levels: 0 - 3, 4 - 9, 10 - 25, 26 - 30, and 31 or above, (2) the teacher’s highest level of educational attainment – seven levels: less than a bachelor’s, bachelor’s, bachelor’s plus, master’s, master’s plus, specialist, and doctorate, ( 3) teacher’s possession of MS teacher license –  two levels: yes and no, and (4) the teacher’s type of license – four levels: traditional, alternative, reciprocity, and emergency. The dependent variable was the students’ mathematics scale scores on the Mississippi Curriculum Test (MCT). The ANOVA was significant for: (1) the teacher’s years of experience and students’ performance F (4, 189) = 15.309, p = .000, (2) the teacher’s highest level of educational attainment and students’ performance F (2, 191) = 20.76, p = .000, and (3) the teacher’s type of license (traditional, alternative, etc.) and students’ performance F(1, 192) = 28.29, p = .00.

 

 

Session 13.5

4:30 P.M. – 5:20 P.M.      COLLEGE STUDENTS................................................................. Riverboat

 

Presider:                        Edward B. Reeves, Morehead State University

 

The Value of Service-Learning for College Students

 

Wendy Jordanov, Tennessee State University, and Srilata Bhattacharyya,

New York Institute of Technology

 

                   According to the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse, almost 30% of the 6.7 million students in public and private four-year institutions of higher education report participating in a course where service is part of the curriculum, and almost two million of these students participate in service-learning (Shumer & Cook, 1999).  Service-learning is defined as “a credit-bearing, educational experience in which students participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs and reflects on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility” (Bringle & Hatcher, 1995, p. 112).  This literature review explored what colleges and universities across the nation value about service-learning.  Articles and studies about the value of service-learning for college students written since 1995 were reviewed.  Findings suggested that service-learning has had a positive impact on the lives and actions of many college students.  Implications of the reviewed studies suggested that service-learning is a valuable tool to motivate students to learn and to apply what they learn in order to help others.

 

 

Measuring the Academic Orientation of Students Attending a Nontraditional University

 

Sandra M. Harris, Troy University

 

                   Academic orientation is a primary factor that influences student persistence and success. Having a succinct way of measuring academic orientation could provide useful information for predicting academic performance, and thus designing appropriate intervention programs. The purpose of this study was to assess the external validity of the Survey of Academic Orientation (SAO) as suggested by previous research. The researcher sought to determine: (1) if psychometric properties of the instrument held for students attending a nontraditional university, and (2) whether scores from the SAO could be used to predict course performance.

                   The SAO is a 36-item, self-report inventory that contains an adaptiveness index (AI) that measures overall academic outlook, and includes six scales that measure the academic orientations of structure dependence, creative expression, reading for pleasure, academic efficacy, academic apathy, and mistrust of instructors. Respondents were 280 students enrolled in various psychology courses at a nontraditional university. Reliability analyses generated an alpha coefficient of .78 for the AI and alphas, which ranged from.59 to .81 for the six scale scores. The mean score for the AI was 111.58, and means for the scale scores ranged from 14.57 to 23.84. Two scale scores (reading for pleasure and academic self-efficacy) were significantly, positively correlated with course performance. Two scale scores (apathy and structure dependence) were significantly, negatively correlated with course performance.

                   Results on the psychometric properties of the instrument were consistent with previous findings as were the correlations among scale scores and the correlations between scale scores and course performance. The construct and predictive validity of the SAO were supported. Results suggested that: (1) the academic orientation of nontraditional students is similar to that of their traditional counterparts, and (2) that the SAO could be used as a method of identifying students at potential risk of academic failure.

 

 

Non-Traditional Community College Students’ Perceptions of Educational Progress

as a Result of Their Experiences Outside of College

 

Regina A. Lowery, University of Memphis

 

                   Community colleges are quite different from other institutions in the educational hierarchy.  From the mission of the institutions to the students they attract, community colleges are designed to be able to meet the needs of numerous populations of people.  Pascarella (1997) makes note that students are more likely to attend community colleges on a part-time basis while also navigating additional responsibilities such as work and family.  “New majority” students comprise two groups: (1) students over 25 who live off campus, work over 20 hours per week, have families, and attend college on a part time basis, and (2) traditional age students of color (Arnold et al., 1993).  In terms of this “new majority,” community college campuses have been legends before their time, servicing this novel population. 

                   This study examined specific aspects of experiences outside of college life that may affect how non-traditional students perceived their educational progress (gains) utilizing the Community College Student Experience Questionnaire (CCSEQ).  External factors included: the effect of job on schoolwork, the effect of family on schoolwork, time spent on campus not in class, time spent studying, and perceived effort in coursework.  A random sample of 750 students was taken from the full dataset of the 1999-2001 CCSEQ.  From this sample, students indicating they were 23 years of age or older were extracted.  Students with answers on all pertinent questions were included in the final sample (n = 261) which consisted of 134 African American (51.3%) and 127 Caucasian students (48.7%).

                   Least squares multiple regression was used to determine whether the set of variables were the primary influences on non-traditionally aged community college students’ perception of overall gains, and if so, what were the interaction effects by race.  Implications for community college administration, professionals, and students were discussed in the context of the results.

 

 

Session 13.6

4:30 P.M. – 5:20 P.M.      SCHOOL-BASED INTERVENTIONS: ADDRESSING CHRONIC HEALTH

                                       CONDITIONS IN CHILDREN (TRAINING SESSION)**...... Meeting Room 253

 

Linda McGrath, Vincent McGrath, and Jack Blendinger, Mississippi State University