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**If your abstract is missing, please send the abstract to Lorraine Allen, lallen@memphis.edu.

Session 8.1

9:00 – 9:50 A.M. TEACHER EDUCATION (Displays)....................................................... Avon

Developing Professional Dispositions in the Preservice Teacher: Raising Standards

Nina M. King, Celia Hilber, and Elizabeth Engley, Jacksonville State University

This action research study was conducted to determine: (1) whether an instrument designed to measure emergent professional dispositions in the college classroom was effective in promoting appropriate behaviors, and (2) student perceptions of the instrument and how it was implemented. Highly Qualified Teacher requirements in the No Child Left Behind legislation address academic proficiency in teachers. However, many educators agree that there are other characteristics that must be considered when judging quality in teaching. Such traits are considered “dispositions” and have been, to some extent, ignored due to the inherent subjectivity in assessing them. Within the college classroom, certain dispositions exist that serve as a foundation for later professionalism in teaching. Such dispositions include attitude, timeliness in submitting assignments, participation in class activities, and dress and grooming.

Observing a lack of professionalism in some candidates entering the teacher education program, the early childhood faculty of a southeastern U.S. university designed the Emergent Professional Characteristics Rubric (EPCR) to assess various dispositions appropriate to the college classroom. Utilizing the EPCR instrument, researchers conducted action research involving Early Childhood Block students enrolled in spring and fall 2005. On the first day of class, the EPCR was introduced and explained to students. Throughout the semester, professionalism was emphasized in all four block classes. Individual midterm and final conferences were held with students, at which time progress regarding rubric dispositions was discussed. Both groups took a post-study survey regarding the rubric’s perceived effectiveness and appropriateness, and some candidates provided written comments. Surveys were analyzed quantitatively, while student comments were examined qualitatively.

An analysis of the data showed a general improvement on rubric dispositions between midterm and final evaluations. Follow-up data suggested the necessity of the midterm conference in promoting positive development of desired dispositions, and the importance of emphasizing professionalism throughout the semester.

An Innovative Instructional Technique: Combining Looping

with Action Research in the College Classroom

Judy H. McCrary, Jacksonville State University

Looping is an instructional technique whereby the teacher remains with the same group of students for an extended period of time. In an elementary school setting, the time period is usually for two years. At the university level, two faculty members discussed the concept and decided to try a modified version of this technique with students in the Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) program with a major in Education and a concentration in Elementary Education.

The sample group consisted of 10 graduate students from a regional state university (enrollment approximately 9,000). Ed.S. students were enrolled in a sequence of four courses spanning a two-year period: EED 631 – Teacher as Researcher/Issues and Trends (select an action research topic and conduct a review of the literature), EED 642 – Professional Publications (write and submit an article about the topic), EFD 681 – Problems in Education I (complete objectives 1-7), and EFD 682 – Problems in Education II (complete objectives 8-11). These courses are the basis for the Capstone Project in Elementary Education. The action research project is oriented to each student’s area of study. A research topic is conducted in the classroom setting with a group of elementary students or within the graduate student’s school system.

Graduate students responded to the following reflection at the beginning of the first course: Describe your feelings about research as you begin this EED 631 course. Then, students responded to a brief questionnaire at the beginning of the third course: What are the advantages/disadvantages to having the same professor for the four classes? Finally, students responded to the following reflection at the end of the fourth course: Now that you have completed your Ed.S. program, describe your feelings about research.

A Comprehensive Approach to Evaluating Changes In Teachers’ Mathematics Understanding

Rachel D. Cochran, University of Alabama at Birmingham

One of the most challenging aspects of evaluating the effectiveness of professional development in mathematics education is finding or developing instruments to measure changes in teachers’ content knowledge. Typically, content knowledge in mathematics is viewed rather narrowly as an ability to arrive at an accurate answer to a mathematical problem. Very rarely is there an interest in examining the problem-solving process as a pathway to understanding.

This study used a variety of data sources to provide a more complete picture of teachers as learners and teachers of mathematics than what could have been gleaned from a multiple choice test. The study included middle grades teachers enrolled in the first of a series of nine-day intensive summer courses titled Patterns, Functions, and Algebraic Reasoning. In that course, teachers engaged in a series of inquiry-based mathematics investigations. Teachers’ work was examined not only for accuracy, but also for processes in obtaining answers and a subsequent verification process involving articulating sound reasoning for the answers obtained.

The methods used to ascertain growth included: (1) a 36-item scale, the Content Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics—Patterns, developed from a set of items designed for the Learning Mathematics for Teaching (LMT) project at the University of Michigan; (2) a pre-post performance assessment task scored using the Oregon Department of Education Mathematics Problem Solving Official Scoring Guide; (3) an examination of teacher portfolios analyzed using a rubric developed by the Center for Educational Accountability at the University of Alabama at Birmingham; and (4) a behavioral checklist developed by the Center for Educational Accountability at the University of Alabama at Birmingham that charted evidence of productive disposition in mathematics, inquiry, reflection, verification, and communication of mathematical reasoning and justification in teachers’ mathematical problem solving.

Exploring Mathematical Concepts Through Applications of Technology

Cynthia Harper and Jan Wilson, Jacksonville State University

The purpose of this presentation was to report a research study conducted with secondary education math teachers. An innovative research project was initiated by the College of Education and Professional Studies and the College of Arts and Sciences to provide training in the incorporation of technology into the secondary mathematics classroom. The endeavor resulted from a partnership between the Mathematics Department and the College of Education and Professional Studies. An existing course, MS549 Selected Topics in Mathematics for the Secondary Teacher, was adapted into a completely new format. The course used the NCTM divisions of Number and Operations, Algebra, Geometry, Measurement, and Data Analysis & Probability to examine secondary mathematics topics from an advanced standpoint. Applications using Geometer’s Sketchpad, Fathom, graphing calculators, and web-based instructional materials were emphasized. In addition to the week of content coverage, lesson plan sessions, and activities, the participants remained involved in the course through Blackboard Internet communications and follow-up sessions during the subsequent semester.

This display session focused on the development of the research project’s activities, procedures conducted in the recruitment of the 21 inservice workshop participants, delivery of workshop activities, and workshop evaluation results. Participants learned the results of this research study focused on issues concerning the use of technology in mathematics instruction, shared personal views about activities used to enhance mathematics instruction through the use of technology, and summarized various strategies that enhance and promote successful teacher collaboration.

Session 8.2

9:00 – 9:50 A.M. SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT............................................................. Berkshire

Presider: Olin L. Adams III, Auburn University

Mississippi Elementary School Counselors’ Perceptions of Character Education Programs

Linda Wilson-Jones, Fayetteville State University, and Cedric A. Dixon, Memphis (TN) City Schools

A literature review revealed little, if any, statewide assessments that determined if counselors’ perceptions reflected a need for implementing character education programs. A random sample of 200 schools was drawn from a population of 498 elementary schools. The study investigated the perceptions of 143 responding elementary-level counselors throughout school districts in Mississippi. A survey questionnaire consisting of five sections was adapted for this study from an original survey instrument entitled, Questionnaire for Elementary Principals’ Perceptions about Character Education Programs. This forced-response questionnaire was used to collect data, and a descriptive research design was employed for the methodology.

The following research questions guided this study: (1) What is the attitude of Mississippi elementary school counselors on character education? (2) What are the perceptions of Mississippi elementary school counselors on which character traits are most important? (3) To what extent have Mississippi elementary school counselors been prepared to provide leadership in character education? and (4) What is the level of administrative support for character education as perceived by Mississippi elementary school counselors?

Participants were randomly selected from the Mississippi State Department of Education 2002-2003 list of elementary public schools and counselors. The collected data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Findings indicated that counselors’ attitudes about character education were similar: (1) they agreed that 21 character traits should actively be taught, (2) they engaged in some source of preparation for leadership in character education, and (3) they felt the level of administrative support for character education programs in their schools was good. These findings confirmed the literature that suggested a need for teaching character traits in schools and found identifiable traits that were essential for the emotional and social growth of students.

Teaching: More Than Academics

Sheila A. Webb, Jacksonville State University

Five hundred teachers were randomly selected from a number of schools and surveyed regarding variables and job satisfaction. With changes accelerated in children and youth due in part to media and technology access, a student's levels of knowledge and maturity has dramatically changed over the last few decades. Teachers who began their careers 10 or 20 years ago face an entirely different classroom of students today versus when they embarked on their careers.

This research focused on having the teachers identify variables that influence their choice of grade level. It explored such factors as whether an upper-level elementary teacher may now choose a middle-level elementary position to connect with the fresh innocence now lost at older levels but still found in younger students. It identified troublesome variables that affect teacher job satisfaction such as student rudeness or lack of respect for authority figures. All of the variables were teacher-identified versus prescriptive through the research model. Academics and levels of academic instruction presented the least challenge to the teachers. Their greater concerns related to the multiple variables found in a communicative classroom setting.

9:00 – 9:50 A.M. MENTOR SESSION...................................................................... Cornwall

Presider: Linda W. Morse, Mississippi State University

Hosted by MSERA Mentors, this session will provide 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. This session was offered primarily for new graduate students and professional members of the Mid-South Educational Research Association.

Session 8.3

9:00 – 9:50 A.M. LEADERSHIP................................................................................... Devon

Presider: Richard L. Daughenbaugh, University of South Alabama

An Examination of the Relationships Among Emotional Competencies and Factors

of Transformational Leadership Style Of Educational Leaders

J. William Hortman, The Hortman Group, LLC, and Paul Thomas Hackett, Columbus State University

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships that exist among the 21 emotional competencies measured by the Emotional Competency Inventory-University Edition (ECI-U) and the five factors of transformational leadership as measured by the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ). Each of 50 assistant principals serving at the elementary, middle, or high school levels in a nearby suburban public school district were invited to participate in this study.

Self-assessment data were collected from 46 assistant principals who consented to complete the MLQ and ECI-U in addition to a demographic information sheet. The MLQ measures several factors of leadership style within the transformational leadership framework defined by Bernard M. Bass & Bruce J. Avolio and the ECI-U measures 21 emotional competencies within Daniel Goleman’s framework of emotional intelligence. Correlation analyses among the five factors of transformational leadership and the 21 emotional competencies yielded several statistically significant relationships. Many of the ECI scores correlated highly with several (in some cases all) of the transformational leadership style scores.

The findings are significant for the area of educational leadership preparation. Much of the research that has examined noncognitive factors that relate to the effectiveness of a leader has been done in the private, business sector. Identifying capacities and competencies within educational leaders that are highly related to their effectiveness and can be positively changed has significant implications for how prepare future educational leaders are prepared. Possibly, educational leadership preparation programs could help prospective school leaders grow beyond just acquiring requisite knowledge and skills.

Interpreting Praxis: Stories of Three Women Educational Leaders

Janetta R. Waddell, Aretha Hargrove Edwards, and Eddie Mae Springfield, Delta State University

This qualitative study investigated the life histories of three women who are educational leaders. Two are doctoral students and public school educators; the third is one of their professors. Two are African American and one is white. Through written reflections and interviews, the participants interpreted their personal experiences as children and teenagers during the era of school integration in Alabama and Mississippi. They also reflected about how these experiences influenced their choice to become educators and continue to influence their practice as an administrator, school guidance counselor, and professor.

Theoretical and conceptual groundings for the study included William Pinar’s theory of currere, the significance of place in the American South, and the concept of praxis. Currere focuses on a highly personal interpretation of educational experiences that emphasizes intrapersonal understanding. The significance of place investigates the impact that local geography, history, and culture have on one’s past, present, and future. The concept of praxis focuses on the process of critical reflection that leads to critically purposeful action. The groundings were used to interpret the life histories from a critical, postmodern perspective. Identified themes from the data included the personal face of racism, hegemony in southern schools, and the role of praxis in the development of moral agency.

I Want a Mentor But I'm Afraid to Ask: A Study of Women's Mentoring Needs

Linda J. Searby, University of Alabama at Birmingham

There is a widespread assumption that barriers for women aspiring to leadership positions in school administration have been coming down. The reality is that women traditionally struggle to gain access into educational administration positions. Factors contributing to this are inadequate networking opportunities, few positive role models, and a lack of sponsorship and mentoring among women (Blount, 1999; Rhode, 2003).

In this qualitative study, the researchers examined what benefits and barriers women perceive about entering into a mentoring relationship and differences between their stated intentions for entering into a mentoring relationship and actual outcomes of having engaged in a relationship with a mentor. The need for this study was established during a two-day mentoring and networking conference sponsored by a state women school administrators organization. A three-stage data collection process included initial surveys of volunteer participants attending the mentoring conference, in-depth journal reflections written by the subjects during the conference, and a follow-up survey administered eight months after the conference. Fourteen subjects participated in the study, including both aspiring and practicing school principals, superintendents, and university educators.

An analysis of the data revealed the following three themes: (1) women can articulate specific perceived benefits of having a mentor; (2) women have a host of fears about seeking a mentor; and (3) women are reluctant to ask for a mentor. The findings of this study suggested the need for exploring ways to help female leaders overcome internal conflicts about seeking a mentor through developing strategies for engaging in mentoring relationships, and recommendations were made for doing so. Implications for practicing school leaders involved a new perception of networking that promotes women supporting other women in accession to leadership positions.

Session 8.4

9:00 – 9:50 A.M. TECHNOLOGY.................................................................................. Dorset

Presider: Margaret L. Rice, University of Alabama

Using Technology in the Classroom: The Journey of Two Teachers

Vivian H. Wright and Elizabeth Wilson, University of Alabama

With an emphasis on standards, assessment, and the need for data-driven decision making in today’s educational climate, it appears to be even more important to utilize technology efficiently and effectively. However, the reality is that preservice teachers, once in their own classrooms, experience barriers and may demonstrate technology proficiency (hardware and software), but cannot integrate technology in the teaching of content (Koehler & Mishra, 2005), or do not believe that technology integration is worthwhile (Swain, 2006).

The implementation of electronic portfolios in many teacher education programs has documented a preservice teacher’s growth, both pedagogically and technologically. Milman (2005) found that the preservice teachers’ digital portfolio development was a constructivist process and one that “fostered self-confidence in students’ professional and technical skills” (p. 373). This study employed case study methodology (Yin, 1989) to explore the practices of two secondary social studies teachers during three phases of their development: (1) stage one was the preservice teacher in the methods block; (2) stage two was the student teacher; and (3) stage three was the inservice teacher stage, post graduation.

Data sources included surveys employed during stages one and two, classroom observations at stages two and three, and interviews with the participants during stages two and three. Data were triangulated across the data sources and analyzed for emerging patterns and trends using constant comparative analysis (Miles & Huberman, 1984). The teachers saw the value of technology for student learning and growth. They both believed that technology was worthwhile, it engaged the students, and was fun to use. While they both experienced roadblocks, it appeared that because they had learned how to integrate technology in their methods training and had learned multiple skills, the teachers felt confident about overcoming the barriers.

Computer Self-Efficacy: A Multicultural Perspective

Srilata Bhattacharyya, Adelphi University

Technology integration in classrooms has been the focus of research in the past decades (Schunk & Ertmer, 1999). In today’s world, computer technology is an integral part of the classroom teaching environment. While recognizing the significance of technology enhanced education, especially in teacher education, researchers have not yet established the interconnection between the cognitive aspects of computer learning like motivation and self-regulation and the expectancy component of self-efficacy in computer usage in cross-national studies. Moreover, pedagogical concerns regarding self-efficacy in usage of computers in different countries have been raised, but not many explanations are available. This study examined the relationship between motivation and self-regulatory strategies, computer self-efficacy, and achievement in computers for education courses of undergraduate students at New York Institute of Technology, NY.

The purposes of the study were: (1) to determine the students’ motivational orientation and meta cognitive strategic use of computers to learn, (2) to determine the role of self-efficacy as a mediating factor in the computer learning/literacy of students, (3) to investigate whether this relationship is the same across the different groups studied (Asian Indian and Caucasians), and (4) to determine how each relationship contribute to the prediction of achievement.

The means and standard deviations indicated that there were significant differences in many variables. The initial t-test results indicated that Indian students demonstrated significantly higher self-ratings in the motivational variables of goal orientation. In this investigation, the emergence of different motivational and strategy constructs in learning computers in the two cultural environments indicated that every construct should be interpreted in its cultural context. A universal prescription for learning in all cultures is not the panacea. Cultural forces that shape the lives of students in different countries impact pedagogical belief systems that are reflected in the students’ motivation and use of strategies to learn computers.

Technology Use in the K-12 Classroom: What Preservice Teachers See

Jeff Anderson, University of Alabama at Birmingham

The benefits of technology use in the classroom are constantly under debate. There are those who support technology as a learning tool, and those who argue that technology is more of a distraction. This study reviewed what technology was actually being used in K-12 classrooms during 2003 and 2004, based on feedback from preservice teachers participating in the field experience component of their Teacher Education Program (TEP).

The study consisted of both quantitative and qualitative data collected from preservice teachers during the spring and fall semesters of 2003 and the spring semester of 2004. Data collected included feedback about the use of specific types of technology in the K-12 classroom, as well as perceptions about challenges and opportunities with respect to technology use in the K-12 classroom.

Findings included the identification of opportunities for a University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Education to address technology implementation in public schools in the Birmingham, Alabama area. Results of this study are not generalizable beyond the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Education.

9:00 – 9:50 A.M. EXHIBITS/Internet Café.................................................................... Essex

Session 9.1

10:00 – 10:50 A.M. AT-RISK STUDENTS (Displays)........................................................... Avon

Brief Interventions to Increase Academic Fluency and Skill

Jen Kazmerski, Rachelle Schuck, Kristi Campbell, Masanori Ota,

and Kristin Johnson-Gross, Mississippi State University

According to the Office of Special Education (2003), approximately 12% of school-aged children (6 to 17 years of age) have been identified and receive services for learning disabilities. That number continues to grow. Before these children are evaluated, amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education and Improvement Act (2004; PL 108-446) mandates pre-referral interventions with accountability. These interventions must be brief and targeted to meet the specific need for assistance. Based on timelines and environmental constraints, the interventions must be brief, unobtrusive within the daily routine, easy to monitor with empirical evidence to show efficacy, and acceptable to those who “consume” the intervention.

Children in second through fifth grades were assessed to determine current functioning level. Based on this information, an intervention package was developed to address specific academic basic skills in each skill area (e.g., fluency, comprehension, digits completed correct, writing quality, and correct word sequences). Progress monitoring was then conducted using Curriculum-Based Measurement. Interventions within the packages variably included previewing, repeated practice, corrective feedback, self-monitoring and graphing of progress, and daily feedback (i.e., summative and formative). Progress for each student was monitored daily to track progress in skill acquisition and individual functional level. Preliminary analyses indicate growth in academic achievement (e.g., gains in proficiency with a corresponding increase in accuracy of the work completed).

This poster presented information on the efficacy of pre-referral intervention packages in reading, writing, and mathematics used to address academic difficulties of elementary school children. Using curriculum-based assessment, time-series analysis, and group analysis, the researchers provided case studies that examined the efficacy of Reading-to-Read, Reaching-for-Writing, and Math-to-Mastery as short-term, pre-referral interventions at Tier II or Tier III level in the school setting. “Consumer” satisfaction and integrity data were also presented.

Underage Drinking: Peer and Parental Opinion

Angela L. White, Mark Edwards, and Leanne Whiteside Mansell, University of Arkansas for Medical

Sciences, and Carol Lee, Child Development, Inc.

Although some researchers are showing a decline in alcohol use in high school students (Johnston 2005), underage drinking is still a concern in the United States. Arkansas students report above the national average rates of alcohol use. Seventy-six percent of students reported to have had a drink of alcohol in their lifetime, 30.8% had a drink before the age of 13, and 43.1% had at least one drink and 29.7% had reported binge drinking in the past 30 days (from the Center for Disease Control report of the YRBS in 2005). Alcohol use among adolescents is a concern, and multiple ways to intervene are being used to address the situation.

The purpose of this research was to look at the correlation of attitudes toward drinking in a community and the actual self-reported usage of alcohol among students. Parents (N=546) and students (N=671) were given surveys that asked their feelings and attitudes about alcohol use. In addition, students answered questions about their actual usage of alcohol. These questions are outcome measures being used to evaluate alcohol prevention programs that are being implemented as part of a research design to help prevent underage alcohol use in a rural Arkansas school district.

Preliminary findings showed that the majority of students and parents felt that it is unsafe for underage students to drink alcohol. In addition, a majority of the students reported that they did not regularly drink alcohol, but many believed that drinking is a problem in their community and teenagers overall have gotten drunk in the past month when they have chosen to drink. The results from this study will help administrators, school personnel, and parents to better address the issue of underage drinking in their communities.

Personal Problems Reported by a Non-Clinical Sample of Rural Youth

Tommy Phillips, Jacksonville State University

A study was conducted to examine the nature and frequency of personal problems reported by non-clinical adolescents. Most studies of adolescent problems have focused on clinical and/or incarcerated youths, and empirical investigations of the everyday problems of "normal" adolescents are quite rare. The sample consisted of 99 adolescents (58% boys, 42% girls) attending a rural high school in the southeastern United States. The mean age was 15.37 years (SD = 1.76). By ethnicity, the sample was 54% white, 42% African American, 2% Native American, and 2% other ethnicities. Participants completed the Personal Problems Checklist for Adolescents, a pencil-and-paper self-report instrument that consists of 240 items written at a seventh-grade level. The PPCA demonstrates excellent reliability and surveys problems in 13 areas: social, job, parents, school, money, religion, emotions, appearance, family, dating, health, attitude, and crises.

For secondary analysis, participants completed a five-item version of Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale. The most commonly reported problems were in the social and parental domains. Other areas where high percentages of participants reported problems included appearance, school, and family. Analysis also revealed that participant age was related negatively to problems in the parental domain, dating domain, and crisis domain, indicating a decrease in number of problems reported in those areas with an increase in participant age. In terms of gender, girls reported significantly more problems in the parental domain than boys. Finally, correlational analysis indicated a modest tendency for self-esteem to decrease as the number of personal problems increased.

This study's findings have implications for, and should be of interest to, secondary school teachers, administrators, and counselors in that they shed light on the exact nature of the problems encountered by today's adolescents.

Session 9.2

10:00 – 10:50 A.M. DIALOGUE ON REDESIGNING LEADERSHIP PREPARATION PROGRAMS

(Symposium).............................................................................. Berkshire

Organizer: Scott C. Bauer, George Mason University

George Theodore, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Juanita Haydel, University of New Orleans;

and Carmen Riedlinger, Our Lady of Holy Cross College

In the past year or so, the attack on educational leadership preparation programs has reached a level of rhetoric reminiscent of A Nation at Risk. Levine’s (2005) report, Educating School Leaders, is particularly memorable in this regard. The primary criticisms leveled recently are more accurately cast as a failure to respond as quickly as the role of school principal has changed (Hale & Moorman, 2003; Peterson, 2002), or to respond to the specific needs of schools systems to ensure that an adequate number of high-quality administrators is available to lead schools (Fry, Bottoms, O’Neil, & Jacobson, 2004).

While criticisms of leadership programs have gotten considerable attention, the work of addressing many of the issues that critics like Levine highlight has been going on for some time. Orr (2006) describes the considerable progress that many leadership preparation programs have made in revamping themselves, which, she says, provides “compelling evidence that significant innovation exists in the field and positively influences graduates’ leadership practice” (p. 493).

Among MSERA’s member states, Mississippi and Louisiana mandated whole-scale redesigns of leadership preparation programs, and other states are following suit. Individual institutions have collaborated with external agents, notably SREB, to engage in redesign efforts as well. These curricular redesigns are similar in their general form, but highly adaptable in their specific enactment.

The purpose of this training session was to provide a forum for faculty in leadership programs to share their experiences and learn from one another about various redesign options. Session leaders included faculty from public and private colleges, and from three different state contexts. The framework for the discussion drew on redesign themes identified by Bauer and Brazer (2006), including: (1) student selection, (2) curriculum and coursework, (3) internships and field experiences, and (4) student support and mentoring.

Session 9.3

10:00 – 10:50 A.M. SCIENCE EDUCATION.................................................................. Cornwall

Presider: Robert L. Kennedy, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Academic Contracts in a General Biology Class

Brenda C. Litchfield, Juan Mata, and Laura E. Gray, University of South Alabama

This study examined students’ motivation and interest in general biology for majors. Without dropping exams, a mandatory component in other sections of the same class, the researchers added an extra grade component in the form of student-centered activities to observe what type of impact they would have in their overall perception of the class and personal and academic success.

One or two relevant activities were created for each text chapter. Students could choose from 30 different activities. They were given the opportunity to present activity results in different formats: oral presentation, three-dimensional model, poster, brochure, or essay format. All activity formats were due during the week the chapter was being covered, and oral presentation presented within lecture time. A detailed criteria list for each activity was made available at the eCompanion website for the class.

Over half of responding students were satisfied/highly satisfied with activities, reported that they learned a lot, and wanted more activities. Most students supported the idea of offering activities the following semester for this same class. Most felt that such activities were a good idea because they could choose topics they were interested in, learn independently, and earn credit.

Most students turned in activities on time, and some generated products of very good quality and creativity. This suggests that students not only had to spend some time researching their topics, but also constructing a presentation that ultimately should create a positive student attitude towards general biology. The instructor was able to give extensive feedback that motivated the students much more than grades on a test.

As general biology textbooks become more encyclopedic in nature, it is difficult to cover all topics in class and keep students interested. The incorporation of academic contracts allows students to be engaged in learning current, relevant topics that apply directly to biology.

Accuracy in Science Textbooks: Research on Perspectives

Mary Kay Bacallao, Mercer University

This study investigated how science students perceive common errors in science textbooks. Both current and former science students were asked to complete surveys. The questions on the survey included both common errors in science textbooks and proven scientific facts. Survey respondents determined if the scientific statements were accurate. The survey respondents provided demographic information that included level of education, college major, grade point average, age, race, religion, political party affiliation, and educational region. Researchers used this information to determine distinctions and/or common error patterns for any sub-group.

Researchers designed the survey so that respondents were able to confirm the statement as accurate, indicate that the statement was not accurate, or indicate that the respondent did not have enough information to make a determination on the accuracy of the scientific statement. There was also room for the respondents to make comments on the rationale for each decision made. Along with the survey data, researchers conducted video interviews with interested respondents. Researchers reviewed the video interviews to determine the rationale behind the errors and misconceptions reported by the respondents. Upon completion of the survey, the researchers provided a summary and explanation of answers to the respondents if requested.

Assessing Second-Grade Students' Concepts of Science through Art

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

This qualitative study was conducted with second-grade students on their identification of science concepts by observing John Steuart Curry’s art print, Tornado Over Kansas. The purpose was to determine the students’ abilities to identify scientific themes from an art print depicting a natural environment and to assess students’ skills of observing, reasoning, and predicting to draw conclusions and justify interpretations. This study also focused on the students’ abilities to organize, analyze, and evaluate reasonable explanations and predictions from direct and indirect evidence.

The participants in this study included 18 second-grade students and two qualitative researchers. Interviews were conducted with groups of six students, three girls and three boys of high, middle, and low academic ability as classified by the classroom teacher. The students also represented three different ethnic groups.

Prior to the interviews, students were assessed on their knowledge, understanding, and attitudes of science by utilizing a 10-item questionnaire constructed by the researchers. By observing the art print and responding to a variety of cognitive level questions, data were collected using audio recording, video taping, and field notes documented by the researchers. The data were analyzed for emerging themes of science observed in art, as well as the students’ abilities to understand concepts similar to those practiced by scientists.

Some of the science concepts identified by students included: weather, animals, natural resources, resources, living and non-living things, and shelters. Students were able to describe these concepts combining personal experiences, science content learned at school, and science content learned from family and friends. Other findings showed that the students were able to extend science concepts beyond simple definitions and were able to engage in critical thinking needed in daily living.

Session 9.4

10:00 – 10:50 A.M. EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN................................................................ Devon

Presider: Kecia C. Topping, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Teacher Attitudes Prior to Mandated Inclusion

Susan Santoli and John Sachs, University of South Alabama

This presentation shared the results of an attitudinal survey on inclusion conducted among middle school faculty and staff prior to the implementation of inclusion. Results were compared with other research in this area. Much of the research on inclusion concludes that the attitudes of school personnel toward exceptional students are a key component for successful inclusion. Of particular significance are the attitudes of teachers. Many researchers agree that the most critical factor is the attitude of the teacher. There are many factors that influence attitudes. In the case of inclusion, some researchers suggest that teachers’ experiences and knowledge of the disabled are two important attitudinal influences.

In the spring of 2005, the Mobile County school district, the largest in the state of Alabama, mandated that nearly full inclusion begin in the schools in the fall of 2005. Very little information or training was provided to either general education or special education teachers. Knowing the importance of attitudes on the success of inclusion, two college faculty members collaborated with the principal of a middle school, where both had worked with teachers, in developing an attitudinal survey that was administered to all faculty, aides, and administrators during a faculty meeting just before the opening of school and the beginning of inclusion. The hope was that results from this survey would provide the basis for professional development that would be conducted in the school.

Both general education and special education teachers indicated that there was not enough time available for collaborative planning. Personnel also indicated concerns about increased classroom management problems. Respondents to this survey indicated that they felt that they had the administrative support for the training and implementation of inclusion, something that research says is vitally important for the success of inclusion.

Examining Connections: Placement, Test Performance, and Graduation Rates

for Students with Disabilities

Jane Nell Luster, LSUHSC - Human Development Center

There has been a presumption that when students with disabilities receive the majority of their education in the general education classroom better outcomes – improved test performance, greater graduation rates - result. This presumption is supported by the belief that students with disabilities in the general education classroom will receive instruction about (or have access to) the general education curriculum. There has, however, been little ongoing study of these presumptions.

The current study builds on a one-state exploratory study in 2003 that examined the relationship between the level of general education placements to performance of students with disabilities on state-level assessments at grades four and eight and to graduation rates of students with disabilities by districts. Significant correlations were found for general education placement and diploma rate, eighth-grade test performance in English and in math, and for a combined district variable (test performance, attendance, and dropout rate). The current study examined three states, the one from the original study plus two others. These states are geographically southern, mid-western, and east coast.

The study was conducted as case studies, comparing within states across two years. In each state the following variables were used for students with disabilities ages 6-18: (1) placement outside general education less than 21% of the day, (2) test performance, and (3) graduation rate. Data were taken from all districts within the state for which data were publicly reported. R-square varied from greater than .7 in one state to less than .35 in another. The results were, however, mostly consistent for each state. In addition to presenting the quantitative analyses, the case study for each state explored possible influencing factors resulting in the differences in R-square.

Do Sources of Information Influence Pre-Teaching Service Beliefs about Interventions

for Childhood Disorders?

Sherry K. Bain and Kelli R. Jordan, University of Tennessee-Knoxville

With the prominence of Internet connections in our everyday lives, our information bases are expanding. Information about potential interventions for childhood disorders is relatively easy to access. At the same time, in a professional world that encourages evidence-based intervention practices, university instructors frequently try to instill a sense of critical analysis in evaluating intervention practices for potential use. The actual rate of beliefs of pre-teaching service students in the legitimacy of various interventions has rarely been reported.

The purpose of the study was to investigate students' beliefs in the efficacy of a number of potential interventions for three childhood disorders: autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. Some of the interventions they investigated were empirically based, but many remain unverified in the refereed literature. The researchers also sought information about the relationship of students' beliefs to purported sources of information (e.g., Internet list-serves, popular magazines, friend's report, or refereed educational journal).

The researchers administered their questionnaire, "Potential Interventions for Childhood Disorders," to over 200 students in a sophomore-level course in human development. Seventy-two percent were pursuing professional goals of teaching. The questionnaire contained 21 items proposing interventions for the three childhood disorders mentioned above (e.g., "a gluten-free diet…can improve the symptoms of autism in children."). Four forms of the questionnaire were developed by systematically varying the purported sources across items, and they randomly assigned class sections to the each form.

In reporting their results, they compared beliefs of students across types of interventions, and they reported results of data analyses comparing differences in belief levels when sources of information were varied. They discussed the implications of these belief levels, as they vary across purported sources, in terms of university practices in educating our future teachers, and in terms of practical dilemmas that sometimes arise in professional teaching careers.

Session 9.5

10:00 – 10:50 A.M. HIGHER EDUCATION....................................................................... Dorsett

Presider: Jennifer L. Moore, Mississippi State University

The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ): An Outcome

Analysis Based on Gender and Campus Type

Rebecca R. Jacobson and Sandra M. Harris, Troy University at Montgomery

Lee, Keough, & Sexton (2002) reported that the process of social adjustment and campus appraisal is reflected in the academic success or failure of the student. Non-traditional students enter or re-enter the university environment for a variety of reasons (primarily economic and not social) and now currently make up between half and 75% of the students enrolled as undergraduates. Online education, as well as distance learning, has grown substantially in higher education. Regardless of campus type, how students integrate information based on the type of campus and the type of student (male versus female) is worthy of investigation.

A study by Jacobson & Harris was conducted in 2005 using the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) to evaluate the differences between students attending a traditional university and those attending a non-traditional university. The MSLQ consists of 81 items, in two sections and 15 scales, that measure strategies for learning (9 subscales) and motivation (6 subscales). That initial study found significant differences on 10 of the 15 the sub-scales based on the type of university that was attended.

The current study used the same data set of 804 students from two universities to evaluate those significant differences based on the gender of the student and the type of university attended. Males from the traditional university were compared to males from the non-traditional university, and females from the traditional university were compared to females from the non-traditional university using SPSS. These analyses further indicated significant differences between males and females who attended either a traditional or nontraditional university. Those differences were reflected in different MSLQ scales based on the campus and gender of the students.

Embracing Interdisciplinary Research: Analyzing Faculty Participation

Kelly A. Brennan, University of Alabama

Throughout higher education, the prevalence of interdisciplinary research continues to increase, fostered by federal agencies and research intensive universities: federal agencies concerned with solving complex multidisciplinary research issues and universities intent on seeking funded interdisciplinary research opportunities while simultaneously encouraging the revival of the rich intellectual interdisciplinary discourse lost in the discipline-focused, departmentally structured environment of modern day academia (Toma, 1997). This is a difficult task for universities whose subcultures reflect diverse attitudes deeply embedded across an institution (Tierney, 1988). The overarching “faculty culture” shares a similar mission of teaching, research, and service.

Faculty identify with one another through this shared purpose, regardless of discipline. They identify with one another on the highest philosophical level through their desire to be a contributing part of an intellectual community. Beyond those identifiers, faculty differ. Research shows that faculty identify most with their own discipline-specific subcultures and are dependent upon the “acceptable norms” of that subculture (Quinland & Aderland, 2000). Previous organizational studies describe the institutional structures that support the existing faculty culture (Sa, 2005).

In the face of these barriers, this study sought to identify faculty motivators towards participation in interdisciplinary research. Through qualitative methods, the study utilized Bolman and Deal’s four frames to understand divergent cultural aspects of universities that encourage faculty participation in interdisciplinary research. In addition to data gathered from interviews at three southeastern research intensive universities, departmental tenure and promotion guidelines, along with organizational structures, were analyzed.

The data reflected the observation that embedded organization culture is slow to change (Kezar & Eckel, 2002). Implications from the study provided practical insight into the benefits associated with participating in interdisciplinary research and the importance of informal buy-in from senior level faculty in accepting and supporting the interdisciplinary work of fellow colleagues.

All About Textbooks: A Literature Review

Belinda Riley, Lola Aagaard, and Ron Skidmore, Morehead State University

It has been reported (Aagaard & Skidmore, 2004; Sikorski et al., 2002) that only a minority of college students actually read the course textbook in preparation for examinations. Although professors widely lament students’ propensity to ignore the carefully chosen textbooks, research specifically investigating why this phenomenon occurs is minimal. This presentation reported the results of a literature review on the topic of textbooks. Searches were conducted in ERIC, EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier, and Scholar Google for articles dealing with textbooks in secondary or postsecondary settings. Ninety articles were reviewed, covering seven categories: (1) the history of textbooks, (2) their general use, (3) cost of textbooks, (4) their readability, (5) the relation of textbooks to student learning; (6) student and educator opinions of textbooks, and (7) the trend toward electronic texts. A summary of the literature reviewed was presented, along with recommendations for further research in this area.

10:00 – 10:50 A.M. EXHIBITS/Internet Café.................................................................... Essex

Session 10.1

10:00 – 11:50 A.M. CREATING AND DELIVERING ONLINE COURSES WITH LIVETEXT

(Two-Hour Training Session)...................................................... Yorkshire

Donna F. Herring, Kathleen Friery, and Nancy Fox, Jacksonville State University

LiveText is quickly becoming the solution of choice for ePortfolios in Teacher Education programs. However, LiveText can do so much more. This session provided professors with the training necessary to create and deliver online courses with LiveText. Step-by-step quick tip guides were provided, as well as tips and techniques for organizing the online course.

Session 11.1

11:00 – 11:50 A.M. EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN (Displays).................................................. Avon

Before and After Special Education: The Three Tier Model and Differentiated Instruction

Carlen Henington, and Sandy Devlin, Mississippi State University

With the passage of IDEA 2004 and No Child Left Behind, many school districts and State Education Agencies are moving from the traditional assessment methodology to a three tier model in which children receive instruction targeted to their specific needs. Tier One involves the education of all children, whereas Tiers Two and Three involve increasingly intensive instruction. If a response to stepwise intervention is not accomplished, and a determination of eligibility is made, the child will receive differentiated instruction within special education.

Three Tier activities, such as the identification of curriculum placement, the selection of specific intervention techniques, and progress monitoring, have many similarities with differentiated instruction. This presentation provided information regarding the commonality of two phases in the provision of services to children who experience academic difficulty. A comparison of the Three Tier Model/Response to Intervention methodology and differentiated instruction within a special education placement was presented. Emphasis was placed on the Content (i.e., curriculum), Process (i.e., method), and Product (i.e., outcome/assessment) in mathematics and reading.

Selection of appropriate curriculum materials for instruction, methodology for administering intervention in an efficient and effective manner, and outcome assessment to determine the efficacy within the two phases were presented. Six case studies (i.e., one for each subject at each level of intervention) illustrated educational decisions at each step of the process. Rules for determination of the effects of the process for each case study were outlined to specifically show improvement and/or difficulty in obtaining short-term and long-term goals.

Similarities and differences between the two phases of the intervention process were examined and discussed. Recommendations and resources were provided to assist educators in the development of intervention for individuals with and without an eligibility determination.

Enhancing Cultural Competency among SLP Students

Calandra D. Lockhart and Mary M. Gorham-Rowan, Valdosta State University

According to the 2000 U.S. Bureau of Census, the population of the United States was nearly 281.5 million people, with greater than 30% of the US population being comprised of racial/ethnic minorities. It is vital that communication disorder specialists be able to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services to ensure the highest quality of care. In order to become culturally competent, speech-language pathologists and audiologists should be able to demonstrate sensitivity to cultural and linguistic differences that affect the identification, assessment, treatment, and management of individuals with communication disorders. A course was developed to educate undergraduate students in communication disorders concerning communicative styles, linguistic variations, and cultural aspects of a variety of racial/ethnic/culturally diverse populations. The goal of this course design was to expand the students’ view of cultural diversity and enhance their ability to work with clients from different cultural, ethnic, and/or racial backgrounds.

In order to affect students’ ability to accept individuals with differing belief systems, cultural values, communication styles, and languages, the course began with discussions of gender, age, and socioeconomic differences. The students were then introduced to members of differing communities: deaf, gay/lesbian/bisexual, various religious faiths, second-language speakers, and finally racial/ethnic. Following the introduction of various community members, the students were required to answer two questions: (1) Describe your racial/ethnic diversity. and (2) How has this class changed (or not) changed your view of cultural/ethnic differences and/or multiculturalism? The students were also required to assess the biases present in standardized assessment protocols currently available to speech-language pathologists.

An examination of the students’ responses to these questions and their ability to analyze standardized tests to assess individuals from culturally/linguistically diverse backgrounds indicated that the format of the class was successful in expanding students’ view of cultural diversity and enhancing their ability to provide culturally/linguistically appropriate services.

No Child with Autism Left Behind: Sound Strategies to Facilitate Successful Inclusion

Lynetta A. Owens, Jacksonville State University

The No Child Left Behind Act (2001) mandates that all included public school students meet average yearly progress (AYP). Many students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience performance deficits that impede the achievement of this goal (Board of Education of Ottawa Township High School Dist. 140 v. U.S. Dept. of Education, 2005). To reverse this trend and meet the letter, as well as the spirit of prevailing policy, teachers need strategies to teach students with autism successfully.

Strategies described in this work are applicable to both special and general educators who instruct students with ASD. Experts posit that there is no universally well suited method to teach students with ASD (Simpson, 2004). Therefore, a combination of methods must be used to meet their needs. First, because autism awareness characteristics are generally enigmatic to most general education teachers, dissemination of this information is necessary. Second, teachers need to know how to handle the challenging behaviors that students with ASD display. Techniques offered can easily be implemented in the general education classroom. Third, public school teachers need to possess methods that competently and effectively teach students with ASD. These strategies offer teachers a choice as they contemplate how best to address these students' educational demands. As the strategies shared in this work are embraced, teachers need not be anxious to leave any student with autism behind.

Session 11.2

11:00 – 11:50 A.M. READING.................................................................................... Berkshire

Presider: Sheila A. Webb, Jacksonville State University

Reading Strategies Enhance Lower-Level Readers’ Comprehension

Li-Ching Hung and Carey S. Smith, Mississippi State University

Research has shown that appropriate reading strategies enhance reading comprehension. However, inexperienced readers often need an instructor’s guidance after first exposure to reading strategies; that is, assistance is needed in order to comprehend a text both fully and completely. The primary purpose of this study was to demonstrate the efficacy of two major reading strategies, questioning and inferring, in order to enhance student reading comprehension.

Three African American students, all enrolled in the 4th grade, were chosen as the participants. Their reading comprehension level was substantially lower than their peers. One of the researchers met with the participants once a week for one and half hours, for a total of 10 weeks.

At each meeting, a short story emphasizing questioning and inferring was read. The researcher encouraged students to write down their questions and ideas on “sticky notes,” making sure to place them on an adapted double entry form. On its left side, a prediction was made and on its right side, questions were jotted down. Students were informed that at the end of the story they would go back to check their predictions and inferences to see if they were correct. If any problems arose due to not understanding the story, the students were told not to worry---they could reread it. Although connections were not the central strategies targeted in this research project, they are nonetheless invaluable aids for constructing meaning from difficult material. Thus, the researcher demonstrated Test-to-Text, Text-to-Self, and Text-to-World connections.

A discussion regarding the merits and potential disadvantages of the reading strategies ensued, with special emphasis placed on making “connections.”

ESLPESUWS

John S. Burgin and Gail D. Hughs, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Historically, low SES students have shown a significant literacy achievement loss over the summer months. Summer school programs are common, but measuring the effectiveness of a program is difficult. This study explored the credibility of using prompted writing samples to measure the effectiveness of a summer literacy program for low SES (93%) students K-4. Spring and fall writing scores were collected by the school district. The prompts, rubrics and scoring protocols the local district required were used in this study. Daily literacy instruction was provided for four summer sessions (one month each), held over two summers at two large schools in the same neighborhood. Writing scores of students that attended camp (138 subjects w/70% attendance) were compared to the scores of a matched group (gender, reading level, writing score, grade, school, primary language) that did not attend. The researchers provided training for teachers using the district's rubrics. Teachers worked in teams, the schools traded samples, and each sample was scored twice.

Results from the first year suggested that summer participants (70) experienced significant achievement gains in grades K, 2 and 3, and slight gains in grade 4. Within the control group, scores of students in grades K, 1, and 2 stayed the same or regressed over the summer. Interestingly, students in grades 3 and 4 had gains. The data from the first year also suggested that writing sample scores had the potential to be a dependable measure of literacy achievement.

Effects of Teachers’ Instructional Strategies on Kentucky Seventh Grade Reading Assessment

Stephen K. Miller, University of Louisville; D. Clayton Smith, Western Kentucky University;

and Lar S. Ennis, Lindsey Wilson College

The Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 (KERA) is arguably the most comprehensive among the 50 states. Although extensive research has documented both progress and problems of implementing reform, obtaining statewide evidence on instructional practices in the classroom (where teachers and students interact with the curriculum) has been limited to one study of middle school science.

This study analyzed the effects of students’ perceptions of teachers’ instructional strategies on student-level seventh-grade reading scores, utilizing 1998 performance assessment data (the dependent variable). The independent variables include seven demographic factors (Free/reduced lunch; Race; Gender; % Urban for the school, Appalachian Region; Attendance, Student mobility), three alterable Reading Strategies (seven items representing Active Reading instruction; two on Individualized Reading programs; one measuring Informational/Casual/Recreational Reading), and two Student Mediating Constructs (Student Efficacy; Student Effort). During accountability testing, students rated how frequently reading strategies were utilized by their teachers on a four-point scale; other responses were self-reported. The secondary database was obtained from the Kentucky Department of Education. All seventh graders with complete data (N = 20,297) constituted the population.

After population parameters were computed, simultaneous multiple regression was utilized to estimate effects. For the regression, the overall ANOVA and all but two variables (Appalachian Region and Active Reading) were significant, although the Adjusted R2 was only .12. The strongest impact in the study (standardized beta of .18) was for Gender. After controlling for demographics, the three types of reading practices had little influence. Besides Active Reading, Individualized Reading (Accelerated Reader computer program and rewards based on books read) had a small, negative effect (beta = -.03); reading newspapers/journals/magazines had a stronger, negative effect (beta = -.07). Finally, Student Mediating Constructs had positive effects (beta; = .12 and .07, respectively). These are disturbing findings. Implications for teachers’ instructional practices for middle school reading were discussed.

Session 11.3

11:00 – 11:50 A.M. FIELD EXPERIENCE..................................................................... Cornwall

Presider: Linda J. Searby, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Participating in A Study-Buddy Program: An Analysis on How Preservice Teachers'

Beliefs and Assumptions About Diverse Students Change

Fanni L. Coward, University of Alabama at Huntsville, and Deborah Brown,

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

The purposes of the present investigation were the following: (1) to examine the beliefs and assumptions held by preservice teachers relative to diverse students; (2) to describe the learning dilemmas of students reported by preservice teachers, as well as the solutions to these dilemmas proposed by preservice teachers; and (3) to trace how preservice teachers’ beliefs and assumptions changed over time and in what ways they changed as a result of participation in the study-buddy program. The participants were 54 preservice teachers from a mid-size, southern university. They participated in a study-buddy program where each tutored an assigned child, known as a study-buddy, from an urban elementary school. The majority of the preservice teachers were white and of the middle class, whereas the majority of the children in the urban elementary school in this study were minority students.

The preservice teachers were required to write three reflective journal entries throughout the semester and a final field experience paper at the end of the semester regarding their experience in the study-buddy program, then, based on a content analysis of their journal entries and field experience reports, the primary investigators independently analyzed the data sources.

The results of this study would contribute to understanding how preservice teachers, especially white preservice teachers, view diverse students. This understanding can help foster the development of expert teachers by facilitating the transformation of preconceived assumptions about diverse students held by preservice teachers. In addition, the results would illustrate how constructivist assignments, such as participation in the study-buddy program, can be useful tools in teacher education programs for self-reflection and problem solving in “ill-structured” settings.

An Off-Campus Study of the Cherokee: Assessing Multicultural Curricular Frameworks

Kay L. Williams, Hanover College

How can undergraduate student reflection and self-evaluation about their off-campus course (May, 2006) designed as a transformational approach to integrating multicultural curriculum (Banks, 1997) be used to assess multicultural curricular frameworks? There is limited research that confirms significant learning based on a particular framework for studying cultures different from their own. This study considered the experiences and reflections of eight undergraduate students who participated in an off-campus study of the Trail of Tears and the Cherokee culture designed with two frameworks or orientations to multicultural curriculum: G. Pritchy Smith’s (1998) seven elements of culture and James Banks’ integration of multicultural curriculum.

The author designed an eight-day off-campus experience that required a transformed curriculum or one that was “rewritten” to be distinct from the traditional U.S. historical record. Banks’ framework for a transformation approach required a means for students to discover or experience the complexity in understanding how this one cultural group participated in the formation of U.S. culture and society. Students also experienced insight and a clear sense of their cultural selves. A quick summation of the off-campus experience was difficult to express. How one fared, what one learned, and what one experienced was complicated. Is this part of the transformation that Banks intends?

Qualitative data for this study were gathered from journal entries, self-evaluation papers, notes from seminars, and records of debriefing sessions completed after eight undergraduate students and the author returned to campus. Three student co-writers for this study and the author read, collated, and confirmed significant themes and insights. This off-campus experience resulted in significant learning about one U.S. subculture and about how this group of teacher candidates should teach and talk about cultures different from their own. As a result of this study, the author’s students and the author participated in “advancing the knowledge bases for diversity” (Smith, 1998).

An On-going Action Research Project to Improve Students’ Reading Fluency

in an Urban Elementary Professional Development School

Janetta L. Bradley, Bonne Warren-Kring, and Jeanette Stepanske, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga

Through collaboration with school administrators and faculty, university faculty associated with an urban elementary school professional development school (PDS) program initiated an action research project aimed at improving student reading scores through increased reading fluency. The reading research literature shows that students make significant gains when repeated readings are effectively applied within the learning environment.

Four students in each classroom were identified to participate based on reading level and interest in reading. Participants were of widely varying abilities, including students with special needs, English language learners, diverse learning styles, and socioeconomic levels. Following instruction and modeling sessions, undergraduate university students enrolled in the PDS program conducted repeated reading sessions based on Samuel’s repeated reading methods with each student over a semester. Each session consisted of time for rapport, guided reading, independent reading, timed reading, charting progress, and reflection. Sessions were held three times a week at a minimum, with data taken each session to record reading passage level and correct words read per minute. The PDS students also kept anecdotal notes and made personal reflections.

Early results indicated that students made gains in reading fluency as determined by DIBELS test scores. They also appeared to enjoy reading more and to have had more positive feelings about their abilities. PDS students made observations about their teaching ability, motivating reluctant readers, and lessons learned during the experience. These findings suggested implications for classrooms, PDS programs, reading instruction, and student-teacher relationships. Obstacles and celebrations also were presented. The ongoing project continues in the 2006-07 academic year.

Session 11.4

11:00 – 11:50 A.M. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY............................................................ Devon

Presider: Vivian H. Wright, University of Alabama

A Comparison of Analytical Methods When Predicting from Incomplete Multivariate Data

Carl M. Brezausek, Kent M. Daum, Alice Irby, and Marcia O’Neal, University of Alabama at Birmingham

An issue fundamental to all research is data quality. The major sub-issue of data quality forming the basis of this paper was how to address non-response; i.e., missing data. The analysis of data sets with missing data has flourished in the literature since the early 1970’s. Further, several textbooks have been in continuous publication on this topic since the late 1980’s. This dimension of completeness of data is particularly important in educational research because of the paucity of existing literature attending to the topic.

An overview of the traditional approaches to handling missing data was presented. Additionally, the methods of data augmentation and multiple imputations were reviewed. At the heart of the presentation was a comparison of these techniques and their impact on the classic model of linear regression derived from empirical data.

The data used for this comparison were collected in a health education initiative involving a collaborative effort between public health care professionals and a number of local funding partners. Over 3,000 residents presented at nine Alabama locations in the Alabama Black Belt Region and completed an interview and health screening. Later follow-up contacts and educational interventions were conducted for those participants referred for targeted health issues. The variables collected during initial screening were classified into the broad categories of: demographics, socioeconomic status, medical history, physical (ocular), and physical (systemic). The purpose of the regression analysis was to predict intraocular pressure using a linear combination of these variables.

The comparison of techniques for dealing with the missing data yielded few differences in the identification of variables contributing to the prediction equation, and the coefficients of determination did not differ appreciably among the methods. Included in the presentation were implications for using each of the methods for dealing with missing data.

Session 11.5

11:00 – 11:50 A.M. TEACHER EDUCATION..................................................................... Dorset

Presider: Angela L. White, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Developing Electronic Exhibits for Performance-Based Systems

Glenn Sheets, Arkansas Tech University

Accreditation has been a topic of great discussion/debate across the nation in recent years. In 1985, the state of Arkansas implemented a policy that in order for colleges/university to have a teacher-education program and be able to have its candidates licensed the school would have to be accredited by NCATE. With universities meeting new performance-based standards, documentation of evidence has become even more important. At present, universities have the option of having a paper-based exhibit room or an electronic exhibit room. Universities are beginning to make the transition from a paper-based exhibit room to an electronic exhibit room, some with great difficulty.

The statement of the problem in this study was to answer the following questions: (1) What is an electronic exhibit room? (2) What are the advantages and disadvantages of using an electronic exhibit room vs. a paper based exhibit room? (3) What aspects need to be considered in its development and continued maintenance and operation? and (4) Is an electronic exhibit room better when all other factors are considered?

Learning to Plan for Teaching: A Multiple-Case Study

Franco Zengaro, Middle Tennessee State University

The purpose of this study was to investigate how preservice teachers plan and what their planning revealed about their understanding of teaching. The study was based primarily on nonparticipant observations, lesson plans, and interviews with three preservice teachers during their junior and senior years in the Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) program. Preservice teachers’ ways of knowing about learning to plan and to teach are influenced by the situations they encounter in the course of becoming teachers. The kinds of learning experiences they have in their teacher preparation programs in large part affect the teachers they will become in the future. This research of preservice teachers is based on a multiple-framework perspective of constructivism, situated learning, and personal, practical knowledge.

In the fall of 2004, a pilot study was conducted on preservice teacher planning with four preservice teachers. Results indicated that both lesson plans and instruction tended to focus on sets of activities, keeping students busy irrespective of learning objectives. Three of the four pilot preservice teachers later agreed to participate in the research. It was found that four common phenomena influenced their later planning for instruction: confidence, organization and control, equipment, and motivation. All three participants showed shifts in planning, confidence, and teaching behavior. An important aspect of the results was that not all preservice teachers learned the same things from the same field-based teaching experiences.

The data also indicated that more reflection and debriefing is needed in PETE programs in order for preservice teachers to reorganize their understanding of teaching and learning. Future research is needed to examine cognitive shifts in preservice teachers in order to understand how one may assist in their development in physical education teacher education programs.

The Preparedness of New Teachers for the Profession: What New Teachers are Saying

Christon G. Arthur, Tennessee State University; Tina Smith and Michael Gonzales,

Maury County (TN) Schools; and Eric Jones, Lincoln County (TN) Schools

Nationally, approximately 29% of new teachers leave the profession within the first three years, and 39% leave by the end of five years. Many of the researchers addressing teacher attrition have centered on school environment factors such as administrative support, teacher isolation, and disruptive students’ behavior. In contrast, this study focused on the effectiveness of teacher education programs in preparing teachers for the challenges of the classroom.

One hundred twenty new teachers with 0 – 5 years of experience were surveyed, using the New Teacher Survey to assess their perceived preparedness for the classroom. The survey was checked for face-validity, and it was reviewed by a panel of practicing teachers to determine if at its face, the instrument was measuring what it purports to measure. Factor analysis was used, and five factors emerged. The factors, with their corresponding Cronbach’s apha numbers are: Teaching Diverse Learners (alpha .798), Assessing Diverse learners (alpha .655), Managing Diverse Learners (alpha .727), Communicating with Stakeholders (alpha .790), and the teachers’ General Preparedness for the Classroom (alpha .867).

Comparisons were made to determine whether new teachers in the inner city are less prepared for the classroom than suburban/rural teachers on each of these factors. Furthermore, comparisons were made between teacher education programs to determine which are more effective in preparing teachers. Finally, a thematic analysis was conducted to identify the characteristics and practices of these effective teacher education programs.

11:00 – 11:50 A.M. EXHIBITS/Internet Café.................................................................... Essex

Session 12.1

1:00 – 1:50 P.M. LEADERSHIP (Displays)..................................................................... Avon

The University of Southern Mississippi School Leadership Institute

Ronald A. Styron, University of Southern Mississippi

Mississippi Curriculum Test scores in the south central region of Mississippi are among the lowest in the state. Improving these scores is essential to improving student achievement and school performance scores and breaking the cycle of poverty found among families residing in these school districts.

The Institute consisted of a comprehensive 20-day summer program, with two days of follow-up involving 42 participants. Participants included novice and experienced principals grouped into two cohorts. Professors from the Department of Education Leadership, along with successful field practitioners, served as instructors.

The goals of the Institute were to: (1) improve leadership skills as related to the facilitation of core academic instruction, comprehension, and student achievement, (2) utilize school-based administrative applications of technology, (3) address the needs of special populations and diverse cultures, and (4) improve the interpretation and management of appropriate test data. Topics included a focus on instructional programs, leadership styles, school vision, decision-making, time management, fiscal prioritization, management, supervision, and selection and evaluation of teachers.

Fitness to Lead

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

and Lauren R. Wells, Consultant

The more physically and mentally fit that an educational leader is, the better the likelihood of performing well on the job. Unfortunately, physical and mental fitness appears to be declining because too many educators appear blasé regarding nutrition, strength training, aerobic exercise, and sleep.

This study examined the role of nutrition, strength training, aerobic exercise, and sleep play regarding an educator's physical and mental fitness to lead. Data for the study were collected from reviewing published literature addressing these critical areas. Books, articles, monographs, research reports, professional papers, and other publications relevant to the problem of physical and mental fitness were identified and read from a critical perspective. Both primary source material (reports produced by scholars who actually conducted field-based research studies) and secondary source material (documents produced by scholars who did not actually conduct the research studies) were utilized.

Self-study was also an important facet of the research process. Researchers have long been interested in the affect that nutrition, strength training, aerobic exercise, and sleep has on careers as professional educators and quality of life in general. Three years ago, the researchers initiated a series of studies addressing the role of physical and mental fitness in educational leadership. This paper represented the third in a series of research studies focusing on fitness in relation to leadership.

Taste of Reality: Principalship Training Using Simulated Schools

Donna E. Pascoe and Martha Hall, Columbus State University

University programs that are designed to develop leadership skills for principalships have required innovative program adjustments to accommodate standards, as well as meet the specific needs of area schools’ student populations. The ongoing evaluation of leadership effectiveness in the schools resulted in the addition of a “training-by-simulation” program to this university’s graduate curriculum.

Administrators must develop skills in collecting, interpreting, and making decisions using school, district, and state-level data. As reported by students who accepted jobs as principals, practice obtained during the “training-by-simulation” program provided a taste of reality that went beyond the information presented in the required leadership courses of strategic planning, finance and budgeting, curriculum design, and school law. Application allowed practice and creative problem solving with supervision and professional mentoring by faculty and administrators.

Graduate students enrolled in the master’s level leadership cohort were required to incorporate and apply the information learned throughout their program of study into practice by becoming principals of a simulated middle school. Data collected from local schools, school districts, and the state were used to design and implement a simulated school. Data were organized, graphed, and analyzed to make decisions regarding facilities, faculty placement, transportation, program improvements, and finance distribution for the simulated school.

This display detailed the program from inception to completion, along with longitudinal student evaluation data pertaining to the usefulness of the practice obtained from participating in the “training-by-simulation” program.

Session 12.2

1:00 – 1:50 P.M. EVALUATION.............................................................................. Berkshire

Presider: Sherry K. Bain, University of Tennessee

Building Capacity in a Middle School Through Improved Professional Practices:

Second-Year Results of a Longitudinal Study

Maria M. Witte and James E. Witte, Auburn University; Iris Saltiel, Troy University;

Tom Hackett, Columbus State University; and Kathy Hesler, Richards Middle School

This presentation overviewed second-year findings from a collaborative evaluation venture. University faculty team members from Auburn University, Troy University, and Columbus State University have been collaborating with Richards Middle School (RMS) administrators and teachers in Columbus, Georgia to evaluate a school improvement initiative. In 2004, RMS administrators identified and initiated efforts towards ambitious school goals that included the highly acclaimed International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme, and incorporation of IB classroom teaching methods throughout the school, and focused work on Annual Yearly Progress as required by No Child Left Behind. The IB Programme required indoctrination of existing and new faculty into an enhanced instructional culture.

These school improvement components were the basis of a longitudinal assessment and evaluation study, as framed by the following research questions: (1) How can RMS teachers most effectively be trained regarding IB goals, objectives, and practices? and (2) How effective will the IB Programme be in improving student achievement? Findings included results from the end of the second-year Teacher and Administrator interviews, teacher surveys, and parent surveys. Specifically, the results identified overall feedback on RMS professional practices and the impact of the IB Programme on teachers, administrators, students, and parents.

An Open Systems Model for Evaluating Partnership Projects: Overview and Illustration

Scott W. Snyder, University of Alabama at Birmingham

This paper presented a summary of the implications of open systems theory for the evaluation of K-16/community partnerships. The implications were illustrated using a NSF Mathematics Partnership project that has completed two years of operation.

A review of the literature on K-16/community partnerships suggests that features of effective partnerships are consistent with principles of open systems. As a result, a paradigm for describing and evaluating K-16/community partnerships systems is needed. This paradigm forces evaluators to shift their analysis of the partnership from an examination of isolated components to greater attention to concepts of functions/outputs, roles, patterns of interaction, homeostasis, morphogenesis, boundaries, negative entropy, and adaptation. This approach significantly alters the nature of evaluation questions that are required to describe the partnership. New questions include: (1) What are the output functions of the system? (2) What are the subsystems within the partnership and between the partnership members and the environment? (3) What are the patterns of interaction within the partnership and between the partnership and the environment? and (4) Are such patterns functional for achieving partnership goals and maintaining a collaborative system?

This paper summarized core components of systems theory, associated these components with the literature on effective partnerships, and drew implications for evaluating partnership projects from an open systems perspective. The model was illustrated using the Greater Birmingham Mathematics Partnership, an NSF-funded project.

Evaluating Online Instruction

Gayle Davidson-Shivers, University of South Alabama

Because online instruction is a major form of instructional delivery, evaluating its effectiveness is necessary. This paper discussed similarities and differences between two types of evaluation found in instructional design (ID) literature and how both can be used to review or judge web-based instruction (WBI). Additionally, it offered specific suggestions for planning WBI evaluation.

The two types of evaluation are formative and summative evaluation (Dick, Carey, & Carey, 2005; Gagne, Briggs, & Wager, 1992; Morrison, Ross, & Kemp, 2004; Smith & Ragan, 2005). Formative is used to analyze instruction to improve its quality before implementation (Dick et al..; Gagne et al.; Morrison et al.; Smith & Ragan). Summative is used to judge the worth of a product, program, or process (Boulmetis & Dutwin, 2000; Fitzpatrick, Worthen, & Sanders, 2004). With each, information is gathered on effectiveness, efficiency, and appeal, and then used to either revise instruction (formative) or determine successfulness (summative).

Savenye (2004) states that some practitioners have questioned the need for evaluating WBI in a summative manner while fully supporting the use of formative evaluation procedures, the argument being that WBI products are in continual states of revision. However, Davidson-Shivers and Rasmussen (2006) maintain that both can be used appropriately with formative procedures for online design and development and summative procedures for life-cycle maintenance and evaluative research. For purposive evaluation to occur, careful planning is needed. Davidson-Shivers and Rasmussen (2006), among others, offer several questions such as what is being evaluated, who should conduct it, and how should it occur, to guide evaluation planning. The questions help identify people, resources, and methods for gathering and analyzing data and reporting results. Similar questions are asked in both formative and summative evaluation, but for different purposes. Once plans are made, then they can be put into action. Results are then used to make decisions.

Evaluation of Summit II: Planning a COE’s Future

John R. Petry, The University of Memphis

Eighty percent of the College of Education’s personnel met for a day of contemplation, team building, and future planning. Of the 175,109 responded to the evaluation instrument (13 items on a six-point scale), which was divided into two parts: (1) reactions to Summit II, and (2) and outcomes of Summit I and II . Concerning reactions to Summit II, participants ranked Refinement of Action Plan higher (M=4.89, n=101) than any other item. Taking Teams to the Next Level was next (M= 4.83, n=102), closely followed by Overall Evaluation of Summit II (M=4.82, n=89). The lowest ranking item was Visioning, with a mean response of 4.08 (n=106).

Means for outcomes of Summit I and Summit II were headed by To what extent were you able to express your views in today’s planning?, achieving a value of 5.37 (n=104). The next ranking item, To what extent have you made a commitment to be involved in an aspiration team? had a mean value of 5.23, n=105. Lowest ranking items (M=4.40) were To what extent has progress toward achieving aspiration statements been made in 2005-2006? (n=101), and To what extent has your 06-07 team drafted a plan to move toward realizing your aspiration statements? (n=106).

Summation means for the parts were 4.58 and 4.91, respectively, indicating that there was a higher degree of satisfaction with personal and team achievements (part 2) among the respondents than with involvement in the planned or directed activities of Summit II (part 1).

Data seemed to indicate satisfaction with Summit II, in that Overall Evaluation of Summit II had the highest positive percentage of respondents (94.4). It also had the lowest standard deviation in part 1 of the instrument (0.91). That satisfaction was reiterated in part 2, To what extent were you able to express your views in today’s planning? having the lowest standard deviation (0.80).

Session 12.3

1:00 – 1:50 P.M. AT-RISK STUDENTS.................................................................... Cornwall

Presider: Rebecca R. Jacobson, Troy University at Montgomery

Special Programs for Minorities: A Key to Overcoming Barriers to Collegiate Success

Shirley Scott-Harris, Glennelle Halpin, Gerald Halpin, and Robin Taylor, Auburn University

Minority students face multiple barriers in higher education that contribute to their higher rates of attrition. These barriers include insufficient academic preparation, lack of financial assistance, inadequate support services, and deficient role modeling. Additionally, the climate at predominantly white universities reflects the dominant majority, which can further create barriers for minority students. Special assistance is often needed if minorities are to succeed.

The focus of this presentation was on a program for minorities at a major university in the South. Mentoring in a variety of ways is key. In this presentation, the researchers spotlighted the following components from our diversity program and demonstrated how including them can help deal with the barriers restricting advancement of minorities: an interactive Learning Lab designed to provide a structured learning environment where at-risk students receive supplemental instruction; a Shadow Mentoring program wherein mentors work with the freshman minority students to monitor their progress and offer counseling; Collaborative Learning Groups in which freshman students are placed in a like-subject collaborative learning group facilitated by upper-level students proficient in that subject; One-on-One Tutoring and Peer Tutoring, in which freshman students who need extra help in a particular course are tutored on Sunday evenings by a team of volunteer upper-level students proficient in the subjects being taught; and Academic Excellence Workshops in which upper-lever students and alumni make presentations dealing with topics such as time and financial management, diversity, study strategies, listening skills, and note taking.

Discussed was how each aspect of this program was implemented, with examples from the ongoing program provided. Institutions committed to diversity must fully consider the benefits of special assistance for minority students and provide substantial support to diversity programs if all are to succeed.

Study of the Impact of a Tailored Educational Environment (Freshman Academy) on Urban High

School Minority Students' Academic Achievement and Truancy Rates

Dedrick J. Sims, University of South Alabama

This study measured the impact of a tailored educational environment on urban minority high school students to find out what effect a tailored education environment would have on urban high school freshman students: (1) academic achievement using students’ Criterion Referenced Test (CRT) scores, and (2) truancy rates. One hundred twenty freshman high school students participated in the study for its duration. All of the students were African American. The researcher met with the teachers and administrative staff once a week for an entire semester (18 weeks) to obtain the truancy data.

The CRT exam was administered two times during the study (week 9 and week 18). The CRT data were collected after each administration of the exam. The data were compared with other freshman students who were not a part of the Freshman Academy (control). This control group was made up of students of the same demographics as the target group. Tables displaying data obtained from the students were developed and used to identify emerging patterns.

Results suggested that the Freshman Academy had a positive effect on the CRT and truancy data. Descriptive statistics indicated that students in the Freshman Academy performed 10.5% higher on the CRT exams as a whole and had an 18.5 % decrease in truancy. The findings of the study suggested implications for school and classroom reform for “at-risk” students and school system administrators.

A College-Level Instructional Technique for Preservice Teachers – Impacting Upper

Elementary, Middle, and High School Students’ Reading Scores

Connie S. Schimmel, Millsaps College

The nation needs highly qualified teachers. Requiring rigorous field-site experiences for preservice candidates prior to the clinical practice semester produces qualified, effective graduates. The added pressures of the No Child Left Behind legislation, the growing demands and exploding numbers of ESL learners and students with learning difficulties, teacher shortages, and low reading and math test scores underscore the increasing need for highly qualified teachers.

In an attempt to meet this need, a reading intervention program, effective for diverse and disadvantaged learners, was taught to preservice candidates. Inner-city, critical needs schools serve as field sites. Reading services for low achieving students and training for preservice candidates were provided simultaneously. Each candidate was assigned five upper elementary, middle, or high school students, depending on the candidate’s area of licensure. Participating students were learning disabled or Second Language Learners, or had fallen behind due to numerous reasons. The program’s only prerequisite was poor reading skills. The college preservice candidate worked with each assigned student individually for 30 minutes twice a week for a total of five hours per week on site.

Results involving approximately 35 college interns and 100 students from the previous two years were presented. The average growth in reading comprehension with the six to seven hours of individual instruction averaged approximately 3.5 grade levels. Results from the classroom of one first-year graduate was also presented. Preservice candidates were able to differentiate between true organic learning difficulties versus cultural and environmental disadvantages. Correcting the reading difficulties of problem students may be the most significant challenge a new teacher faces. Equipping preservice candidates with a method to meet this challenge paves the way for successful clinical practice semesters, confident graduates, and positive first-year teaching experiences.

Session 12.5

1:00 – 1:50 P.M. TECHNOLOGY.................................................................................. Dorset

Presider: Belinda Riley, Morehead State University

Barriers That Predict the Number of Distance Courses Faculty

Deliver at Higher Education Institutions

La Toya Hart and Mary Nell McNeese, University of Southern Mississippi

This study focused on whether the barriers, lack of faculty interest and rewards or incentives, could statistically significantly predict the total number of distance education courses delivered by the full faculty over a 12-month academic year.

The researchers used nationwide data from the 2000-2001 National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Postsecondary Education Quick Information System (PEQIS). Out of the 4,175 eligible institutions (both Title IV-eligible and degree-granting), a random sample of 1,600 institutions was invited to participate in the study. The surveys included questions on accommodations, distance education consortia, primary mode of distance education delivery, and barriers to starting and expanding distance education. The overall response rate was 99% with 1,591 institutions responding.

The researchers conducted a standard multiple linear regression analysis to answer the research question. The overall regression analysis was statistically significant, with the two barrier variables explaining 2% of the variance in the number of total college-level distance education courses that the faculty taught. Individually, only one of the predictors, lack of faculty interest, had a significant impact on the number of courses taught.

The unstandardized regression coefficient (2) for lack of faculty interest was -16.134, meaning that for each unit increase from the low end of the scale (1 = “not at all”) to the high end of the Likert scale (4 = “great extent”), the number of total college-level distance education courses taught by the total faculty at that institution tended to decrease by 16.134 courses. Results differed somewhat from past studies in the literature, which indicated that lack of faculty incentives or rewards was the greater barrier. Future studies could investigate the specific reasons for faculty lack of interest, such as the amount of time required to develop distance education course content or the possible lack of copyright protection of their course content.

A Million to One

Portia I. Hull and Gaylynn Parker, University of Southern Mississippi

Could a million dollar grant to implement advanced technology in a rural school district possibly be sabotaged by teachers’ lack of comfort with technology? How quickly can teachers overcome their fears of technology to use these latest tools to increase student achievement? Cisco Systems, a large technology firm, decided to donate technology products and generous funding to those regions most affected by Hurricane Katrina. The purpose of this study was to provide baseline data for a school involved in the Cisco Systems 21S Initiative, as well as to determine if there was a relationship between teachers’ years of experience and degree and technology use in the classroom.

Forty-five surveys were coded and placed in teacher mailboxes in one elementary school in southern Mississippi. Surveys were coded so that teachers can be compared to themselves over the next three years. Thirty-one teachers chose to participate by returning their completed surveys.

A Pearson r was used to determine if a significant relationship existed between the years of experience and highest degree completed and teacher use of technology in the classroom. The results of this study will have an impact for this school and district as administrators seek to use the technology and funds donated by Cisco Systems to impact student achievement.

How to Effectively Train Instructors to Use Technology in the Classroom

Kristie L. Ramsey, The University of Alabama

The inclusion of computers as an instructional tool in the classroom has presented a challenge to instructors in the community colleges. With the new technology, instructors needed to become competent in the use of various types of software packages and instructional tools associated with the computers. What was needed, therefore, was a study to be performed in order to determine how to best train community college instructors on the effective use of technological devices in their classroom.The researcher conducted a semi-structured interview with a sample size of five tenured community college instructors from varying disciplines. Each instructor was familiar with and used technology in her/his classroom. Before implementing the technology, each instructor had participated in a training session to help with the implementation of the technology.

In order to secure data for the study, 10 questions were posed to the participants. In analyzing the data received from the sample, the constant comparative method was applied. Examples of questions asked were, “What type of instructional component/s you use in your classroom?” and “What type of training module do you think would be the most effective for preparing instructors to use technology in the classroom?” The primary reason for selecting this type of analysis was to compare the interview data independently and develop a set of results that would adequately represent the findings. The techniques used to conduct a constant comparative analysis were to catalog the responses from the research questions, place them into categories based on a common theme, and present the findings.

The findings from the study confirmed that instructors valued the use of an instructional technology component in the classroom. Specifically addressed in the literature research were the benefits gained by students from having an instructional technology tool in their classroom. Al-Bataineh and Brooks noted that students must learn the skill of “higher order thinking,” and in order to develop this skill, “teachers will need varied opportunities and training to increase professional skills in order to achieve this goal” (p.477). However, instructors felt that past training sessions were woefully inadequate and ill-prepared them to incorporate such technology into their pedagogical approach. In reviewing the literature for this topic, an overwhelming consensus showed that past training sessions were poorly organized, and devoid of experimentation.

1:00 – 1:50 P.M. EXHIBITS/Internet Café.................................................................... Essex

Session 13.1

1:00 – 2:50 P.M. ENHANCEMENT OF CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION AND PRESENTATIONS:

MOVING DIGITAL PICTURES INTO MOVIES USING PHOTO STORY 3 FOR

WINDOWS (Two-Hour Training Session)..................................... Yorkshire

Feng Sun and Jeff Anderson, University of Alabama at Birmingham

The purpose of this two-hour training was to introduce Microsoft Photo Story 3 for Windows in detail. In the training, digital pictures were used to cover the following features of this free program: (1) downloading and installing, (2) picture importing, (3) photo editing, (4) adding effects, (5) auto cropping, (6) adding captions and titles, (7) adding narration and motion animation and transition, (8) music importing, and (9) saving and sharing. The trainers provided hands-on training to assist the participants in using either their own pictures on flash drive or pictures provided to create a movie. This training can be used by either classroom teachers to enhance classroom instruction or educational researchers to enhance presentations of their research.

Session 14.1

2:00 – 2:50 P.M. CURRICULUM (Displays).................................................................... Avon

Effective Learning Environments via Active Teaching Enhancement Strategies:

Project ELEVATE - Year Two

Julie A. Holmes and Randy Parker, Louisiana Tech University

This display session described and reported the results and future endeavors of Project ELEVATE (Effective Learning Experiences via Active Teaching Enhancement Strategies), a two-year project whose primary purpose is to enhance the mathematical skills of students with disabilities, regular education students and blind students.

The analysis of a 27-item Educational Needs Assessment completed by 116 teachers in seven school systems revealed that the majority of the participants expressed: (1) parental involvement was critical for student success, (2) a willingness for outside consultation for learning better teaching strategies, and (3) that more manipulatives were needed to enhance instruction. To fulfill these needs, the project staff provided Family Math Nights to encourage more parental involvement. To date, 17 Family Math Nights have been held with 373 parents in attendance and providing them with activities and materials to encourage student/parent interaction in mathematics skills. Participating schools also received math materials kits, based on school site needs assessments.

Project ELEVATE developed and implemented professional development activities of: (1) sponsoring workshops on differentiated instruction in the mathematics classroom, where 119 teachers from 65 schools across the Project service area learned valuable techniques to enhance their mathematics instruction, (2) collaborating with faith-based groups to sponsor Family Math Nights, (3) modeling demonstration lessons and providing mathematics manipulative materials to teachers and teacher candidates, and (4) distributing Braille mathematics materials through the state resource center. Through participant evaluation forms and in-depth interviews, participants revealed that: (1) they had strong, positive impressions about the activities and materials, (2) the skills learned would be useful in helping children excel in mathematics, (3) the project established and enhanced collaborative partnerships with parents and members of the community, and (4) more and longer Family Math Night sessions were desired in order to increase teacher effectiveness and student achievement.

Designing and Incorporating Food Safety Education into the Middle School

Curriculum: Results of a Pilot Study

Jennifer K. Richards, Gary Skolitis, and F. Ann Draughon, University of Tennessee

The most effective method for educating young consumers about food safety is to engage students in K-12 classrooms. The difficulty is that teachers have limited time because of required state curriculum standards. The result is that students do not receive meaningful food safety education despite the availability of numerous resources. The goals of this project were to: (1) determine how food safety is addressed in public education, (2) identify state standards for core subjects (i.e. math, science, language arts, and social studies) that can be correlated to food safety concepts, and (3) develop, implement, and evaluate an integrated food safety curriculum.

In the southeastern U.S., food safety is not a part of the core curriculum. Many states have food safety objectives in non-core disciplines; however, these are usually buried in a larger sub-set of standards for Health classes and typically receive less than 15 minutes of class time. There are numerous core subject standards to which a food safety-based curriculum could be developed, such as understanding bacterial cell structures, graphing logarithmic growth, and analyzing environmental consequences of human behavior.

This presentation reported on the development and implementation of an integrated curriculum that teaches key food safety concepts in middle schools while meeting state-required core subject area content standards and preparing students for grade-level performance assessments. The learning objectives of the curriculum encompass Tennessee and North Carolina state standards for math, science, social studies, and language arts. Five middle schools are currently pilot testing the program. The initial results of this project indicated that meaningful food safety education can be integrated into classroom settings if efforts are made to structure that curriculum to meet school needs.

A New Look at Providing Programs in Career Technical Education

Patsy Lowry, Karen Nemeth, and Kelly Ryan, Jacksonville State University

Facing a shortage of qualified Career Technical Education (CTE) teachers on local, state, and national levels, higher education institutions must investigate ways to address this shortage. Career Technical Education programs are specialized by nature and serve a small group of educators. Low enrollments have caused the elimination or downsizing of CTE programs. This presentation demonstrated how a regional institution has maintained CTE programs, improved the quality of graduates and addressed the varied sub-specialty CTE areas while maintaining viable enrollment with limited funds, faculty, and facilities.

The implications for policy change are evident in the literature review and through observations of practicing professionals. Higher education institutions are not producing sufficient graduates to fill current P-12 Career Technical Education positions. With the looming retirement bubble, the state-level crisis will become a national tragedy in Career Technical Education. States have responded to the crisis by reducing qualification standards and embracing alternative approaches to certification. These alternative certification programs attempt to place qualified career-path persons in a teaching role for which they are unprepared.

Career Technical Education is at a critical crossroads. Institutions of higher education and P-12 schools must take action to ensure long-term viability of their respective programs. Higher Education must reassess funding and resource issues and develop a strategic plan to not only maintain but to grow CTE programs. The P-12 programs are facing many of the same issues such as increasing retirements, unfilled positions, limited funding, and negative perceptions. If higher education does not strengthen and grow its programs, the P-12 programs will have a bleak future. If P-12 programs do not exist, the higher education program, in turn, will cease to be viable. These monumental changes cannot be accomplished without collaboration and resource sharing.

Session 14.2

2:00 – 2:50 P.M. COLLEGE STUDENTS................................................................. Berkshire

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

Students’ Perceptions of Mentoring in a University Cooperative Education Program

Matthew Fifolt, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Participation in a mentoring relationship has long been considered an accepted and advisable practice for new professionals. The potential for mentoring within the context of cooperative education has had great potential for connecting students to their work assignments through informal interactions with their professional supervisors. Despite the prevalence of cooperative education programs on college and university campuses, there is a paucity of research regarding students’ perceptions of this student-supervisor relationship.

Students’ perceptions of mentoring in a cooperative education program at a large, public institution in the southeast were examined in this mixed-methods study. A web-based version of Noe’s (1988) Mentoring Functions Scales was used to collect data from 92 (N = 92) students. Follow-up interviews were conducted with nine students in an effort to further describe the findings from the quantitative data. Participants were asked to respond to a 21-item attitude scale based on their experiences with cooperative education. A factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedure was used to examine the differences in the dependent variable scores for psychosocial and career-related functions of mentoring as related to the independent variables of gender, ethnicity, and length of time in the program. Use of the factorial ANOVA design allowed the researcher to test for any interaction effects between levels of independent variables; additional one-way ANOVA tests were conducted to assess main affects of the independent variables.

Preliminary results indicated that there was no significant interaction between the independent variables of gender, ethnicity, and length of time. Additionally, there was no statistical significance between the independent variables and students’ perceptions of mentoring. Qualitative interviews suggested that students require different levels of technical and interpersonal support based on their time with the co-op program. The findings from this study lay the groundwork for connecting the situational leadership model with mentoring in cooperative education.

White Faculty, Black Students, and Mentoring Relationships: A Literature Review

Marco J. Barker, Louisiana State University A & M

African American students tend to gravitate to mentors of the same race and gender (Ugbah & Willimas, 1989). However, there is a disproportionate number of African American full-time faculty at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) and black students enrolling in these colleges and universities (NCES, 2003). Although it is only a “myth” that faculty of color can only mentor students of color (Brown, Davis, & McClendon, 1999, p. 105), there is a growing body of literature that addresses the importance of faculty being more culturally competent when dealing with students from diverse backgrounds (Gay, 2000). Nevertheless, there remains a dearth in the literature that examines the impact that cross-cultural mentoring has on African American students’ cultural development.

In order to respond to this dearth in the literature, the author examined the literature on mentoring students of color, the importance of white faculty being culturally competent, and the racial and institutional-culture dynamic of cross-cultural developmental relationships. The intersection of these three areas of literature provides institutions with factors to consider when engaging students of color and white faculty in cross-cultural mentoring relationships.

Some researchers have found that race is not an issue in selecting or being assigned a mentor or a factor in specific student outcomes and academic development and transition (Campbell & Campbell, 1997; Freeman, 1999; Frierson, Hargrove, & Lewis, 1994; Lee, 1999; Smith & Davidson, 1992; Thomas, 1993; Wallace, Abel, & Ropers-Huilman, 2000). Regardless of differences, other researchers have concluded that African Americans receive more psychosocial support from African American faculty than from white faculty (Allen, Epps, & Haniff, 1991; Fleming, 1984). Furthermore, scholars have reported that cultural disconnects exist within cross-cultural groups (Goto, 1997; Murphy & Ensher, 1997; Thomas, 1993, 1999).

This line of inquiry has implications for providing insight into issues that may emerge from cross-cultural mentoring relationships: additional knowledge on issues encountered by undergraduate African American students.

Student Perceptions of and Satisfaction with Academic Advising

Brian D. Bourke, University of Alabama

The study examined perceptions of academic advising among first-year students to determine the extent to which a particular advising delivery method is preferred. First-year students were the target population of this study, as research has shown that experiences in the first-year are likely to influence students' remaining time at an institution. It was intended that by examining both student satisfaction and preferences in advising, the researcher would be able to determine to what extent academic advising is meeting the needs of first-year students.

The survey instrument was distributed to 3,700 first-year students via institution-issued e-mail accounts. Five hundred usable responses were received. The low response rate is a likely result of a large volume of communication targeted to students via their issued e-mail accounts. Incentives were used to generate responses, as well as a reminder e-mail. The survey instrument, the Academic Advising Inventory developed by Sandor and Winston, was used and adapted for a web environment.

A variety of methods and recommended practices exist for the academic advising of first-year college students. These may range from a prescriptive approach of focusing on the next matriculation task at hand to an integration of services in the institution designed to facilitate a student’s growth and learning. Through this study, the authors sought to explore academic advising through the perceptions of first-year students. This examination provided data that highlights the perceived effectiveness of first-year academic advising as measured by students' perceptions and levels of satisfaction.

The initial conclusions of this study indicated that satisfaction with advising varied based on a number of factors. The findings of this study have implications beyond the site of the study, as the delivery of services for first-year students and the effect that delivery may have on retention is of tantamount concern in higher education.

Session 14.3

2:00 – 2:50 P.M. ATTITUDES.................................................................................. Cornwall

Presider: Jane Nell Luster, LSUHSC-Human Development Center

The Downside of Internet Metaphors

Terrance K. Harrington, University of Alabama

The investigator considered how misunderstandings about Internet metaphors impacted faculty perceptions of the technology. Of interest to the investigator were potential relationships and differences, if any, between Internet and online teaching expertise levels, attitudes and metaphoric understanding. Participants were volunteers from a sample of convenience. The faculty names and e-mail addresses had been collected in a database, and randomly generated access codes were created for each requestee, programmatically.

The participants took an online survey, with five questions related to internet experience, six related to online teaching attitudes, and 20 metaphoric statements, evenly distributed as follows: (1) five were positive and descriptive statements, (2) five were negative and descriptive, (3) five were positive and misleading, and (4) five were negative and misleading. Misleading statements contained statements of human-machine confusion and space and motion illusion. The investigator wanted to ensure anonymity among participants, and did this by designing the application to select 10 volunteers defined as experts (two or more years with Internet and online teaching experience), 10 determined to be Internet intermediates and 10 novices. Once the surveys were completed and the three groups of 10 populated, the data were analyzed quantitatively.

Results showed that there was no significant difference between average agreement between the expertise levels, except in one case: positive descriptive scores were more likely to be accepted by experts than novices. There was a slight, significantly positive correlation between expert level and attitudes toward online instruction. However, when attitudes were partialed out, there were no significant differences between the expert levels for any statement type. The investigator believed that this demonstrated that faculty attitudes played a greater role in metaphor acceptance than expertise level and that metaphors may require careful construction to make them more useful in teaching. Suggestions for future study were included.

Student Attitudes Toward Using a Global Positioning System as a Mathematics Learning Aid

Lisa Buck and Margaret Rice, University of Alabama

This study was conducted to explore students’ attitudes toward using a GPS (Global Positioning System) in solving mathematical computations. The study participants were 21 eleventh and twelfth graders in an Algebra Connections class at a public school in southeastern Alabama. All of the students in this class were on the Alabama Standard Diploma graduation option.

The activity consisted of giving the participants instructions on the basic use of a GPS. Participants were then given a map of the school campus prepared by the researcher that had a grid overlay and a list of places on campus to plot, such as home plate on the baseball field. The participants were divided into groups to plot the landmarks and given a sheet that asked the area of various places on campus that made up right triangles. One week after the activity took place, participants were administered an attitude survey concerning the use of a GPS in math activities and their general attitude toward math.

The findings of the study suggested that this was a worthwhile activity and that in the future more activities using a GPS would be designed by this researcher. 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.

Sex Differences in Mathematics

Martha Tapia, Berry College

The fact that sex differences exist in mathematics achievement and enrollment in mathematics courses is indisputable. It is an ongoing dispute in the academic arena that these sex differences in mathematics are caused by socialization factors or innate differences. Attitudes play an important role in achievement and persistence in mathematics courses. The development of a 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 Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory (ATMI) was developed to measure students’ attitudes toward mathematics. The initial pool of items was submitted to an exploratory factor analysis, and four factors were identified: self-confidence, value, enjoyment of mathematics, and motivation.

This study examined the effect of gender on attitudes toward mathematics by use of the ATMI. The sample consisted of 243 students, 106 males and 134 females, at a private liberal arts college in the southeast. The sample was predominantly Caucasian. The students were enrolled in eight different, randomly selected, mathematics courses in fall 2005. The ATMI was administered at the beginning of the semester and the students completed the inventory in their classes. All participants were volunteers and all students in the classes agreed to participate.

Data were analyzed using a multivariate factorial model with four factors of mathematics attitudes as dependent variables (self-confidence, value, enjoyment of mathematic, and motivation) and gender as the independent variable. Assumptions were verified. Significant differences with small effect size were found in two of the four factors of attitudes toward mathematics. Male students scored significantly higher than female students in the enjoyment of mathematics and motivation. No significant differences were found in self-confidence or in value.

Session 14.4

2:00 – 2:50 P.M. LEADERSHIP................................................................................... Devon

Presider: Li-Ching Hung, Mississippi State University

Supervisors' Perceptions of Integrating Music into Core Areas to Positively Influence Learning

Isreal L. Eady, Jacksonville State University

The study investigated what leaders perceived regarding integrating music into the core curriculum. A survey-descriptive study was conducted to assess and compare curriculum supervisors’ perceptions of integrating music into core areas to positively influence learning. One hundred fifty-four curriculum supervisors responded to items on a survey questionnaire on Integrating Music into Core Areas. The constructs of the survey were several core goals of learning: building self-esteem, developing communication skills, developing creative thinking skills, providing motivation for learning, and developing problem-solving skills.

Based on the results of the survey, it was found that music positively influenced learning by contributing significantly to the attainment of those core goals of learning. Using descriptive statistics, differences were found between proportions of supervisors’ perception scores. A small proportion of respondents indicated resistance to integrating music into core areas of middle grades. A significant number of curriculum supervisors indicated readiness to provide leadership in implementing music integrated into the core curriculum. The overall administrative implications of the findings related to functions of change agent, coordination, motivation, planning, and policy-making. It appears that supervisors would function well as change agents and be willing to encourage the total instructional staff to work collaboratively in planning and implementing creative lessons integrated with music.

Teachers' Perceptions of Substitute Teacher Performance and Training

in Maury County, Tennessee

Tina T. Smith, Maury County (TN) Schools

Educational literature and research shows that by the time a student graduates from high school, the average student in the United States will have spent one full school year under the direction and instruction of substitute teachers. Unlike substitute teachers of the past, there are currently few substitutes who have had college training in education, and most substitutes do not hold a valid teaching license. Although research consistently shows that substitute teacher training programs improve performance and skills of substitute teachers and helps reduce the shortage of substitute teachers, fewer than 8% of school districts in the United States offer an organized substitute teacher training program. Maury County Schools in Tennessee is an example of the typical school districts cited in various research studies because they require substitutes to have a minimum of a high school diploma and there is no program of training for substitutes.

This study examined opinions and perceptions of permanent teachers in Maury County, Tennessee, regarding performance and training of substitute teachers. In addition to demographic information and comparisons among group means, the relationships between variables were studied. The results of the study were used to determine if a substitute teacher training program would be beneficial to Maury County Schools.

The study sample included full time K-12 teachers. Respondents were divided into three groups: elementary, middle, and high school teachers. Permanent teachers responded to 10 items on a Likert scale and three opinion questions. Statistically significant differences between the three responding groups were indicated. Findings were as follows: (1) there was a statistically significant difference in the way teachers rated substitute teacher performance based on grade level, and (2) all three groups agreed that substitute training would be beneficial; however, the highest ranking came from middle school teachers.

Reaching out to a Rural School in Crisis: An Action Research Study

Rayma L. Harchar and Kathleen Campbell, Southeastern Louisiana University

This action research study examined a southern, rural high school and attempted to involve the learning community in improving student achievement. The study began in November, 2004, and action/interaction strategies occurred during the 2005-2006 school year. The researchers wanted to find out: (1) Parent/Caregiver Involvement in School Activities and Decision-making, (2) Support of Student Learning Outside of School, (3) Teacher Role and Responsibility for Parent Involvement and Support, and (4) Current Parental Involvement and Expectations of their involvement and of teachers and the school.

At the conclusion of the 2004-2005 school year, the school scored at 100% in Decline and Unacceptable Performance. Twenty-five teachers and 150 students composed the sample from ninth through twelfth grades. Ninety-eight percent of the students participating in the study were African American. The school district had desegregated as recently as 1989.

The researchers and teacher leadership team met periodically beginning in November, 2004 through June, 2006. The research team met with other research teams from Lowndes County, Alabama, and the Rural School Community Trust Group for professional development in creating action research. Following this, surveys were created for teachers and parents in order to create an action plan. The surveys were composed of Likert-style ratings and open-ended questions.

Each survey was analyzed holistically and analytically. The data were displayed from both sources, and the team identified emerging patterns. An action plan was created and implemented that involved all levels of the learning community. At the conclusion of this study the school had a mandatory reconstitution plan from the state. The findings of the study suggested implications for improved leadership practice at the district, school, and classroom levels. Many rural schools in the country and the Deep South may be in similar circumstances and be able to learn from this action research.

Session 14.5

2:00 – 2:50 P.M. HIGHER EDUCATION........................................................................ Dorset

Presider: Glenn Sheets, Arkansas Tech University

Evaluation of Faculty Development Through Perception

Terry D. Allen, University of North Texas

Most faculty development studies have focused on needs and practices from only the administrator perspective, especially those studies conducted at college and university levels. Being a service-oriented function, the effectiveness of faculty development initiatives is therefore dependent upon the recipients’ (faculty) understanding of the program and their perception of the program’s meeting their needs. In conjunction, the development program must also address the needs of the institution in maintaining its viability. It therefore appears that a faculty development program should address three levels of perception: that of faculty, academic administrator, and institutional administrator.

Unfortunately, faculty and administrators often have diverse opinions about almost any issue presented them, from issues of policy to the color of the faculty lounge walls. Faculty development needs and practices are no exception. A comparison of the perceptions held by administrators and faculty related to needs and practices may serve as a powerful framework for the assessment of the faculty development program.

A review of the literature did not yield any studies applying perceptions in the manner described above. The following researchers provided supporting evidence for segments of this topic: Centra in 1975 provided the seminal work on faculty development practices from a national sample. Armand’s 1977 examination of development needs of faculty suggested no significant difference in program needs among the sample institutions. Nelson’s (1980) study investigated how both faculty and administrator perceived faculty development needs for the 1980 decade. The common, perceived need for both groups suggested a need for new or increased activity, not simply continuation of the current program. In1985 Alexander reported the relationship among dean and faculty perceptions of faculty development and selected organizational variables. Finally, Rubino’s 1994 dissertation found institutional categorical alignment with certain types of development programs and that four areas of measurement were used by all.

Determinants of Successful Doctoral Completion

Cary S. Smith and Li-Ching Hung, Mississippi State University

Since the 1950s, graduate students have played a critical role in American higher institutions, and it is axiomatic that the quality of a university is often judged by the rank of its doctoral programs. Each year, thousands of students earn their degrees (both bachelor’s and master’s) with many deciding to enroll in established Ph.D. programs. Once there, they realize that doctoral study is vastly different from anything experienced academically up to that point. In other words, a Ph.D. can be very demanding, requiring independent research skills in order to complete the mandatory requirements. As a result, statistics reveal that the attrition rate for doctoral students hovers around 40% to 60%, though different fields had different drop-out rates.

The overriding purpose for this study was to quantity the specific variables considered most important by professors to completing doctoral degrees. A short list provided includes: initiative, tenacity, flexibility, competitiveness, the pursuit of excellence, interpersonal relationships, organizational skills, communication skills, writing ability, motivation, and public speaking ability.

Seventy faculty at a southern university were chosen at random to participate. The instrument, aptly titled “Opinion Survey,” contained 30 questions, with each question incorporating one specific personality factor. The survey’s purpose was to investigate professorial opinion regarding the needed qualities to finish a dissertation. Of that number, 53 returned their questionnaires. There was no preference regarding demographics, and the only requirement for inclusion was faculty status. The professors were chosen from varying disciplines, since each program typically needs different characteristics for success. An in-depth examination was conducted using descriptive analysis; the results were both startling and prosaic, and were discussed in detail.

A Comparison of Managerial Accounting Practices in Private Liberal Arts Institutions

and Other Higher Education Institutions

Olin L. Adams III, Anthony J. Guarino, and Rebecca R. Robichaux, Auburn University

All institutions of higher education face challenges in managerial accounting practices that refer to the planning and control of fiscal operations. The authors have conducted a national study of managerial accounting practices (MAP) in four-year colleges and universities. Of particular interest is a comparison of private liberal arts institutions and other higher education institutions in the implementation of such practices. Private liberal arts institutions confront special difficulty in financial management. Although some private liberal arts institutions enjoy strong endowment and can subsidize operations substantially by annual payout from the endowment, many others are dependent on tuition revenues and discount tuition as an inducement for students to enroll in the institution.

Information collected for analysis in this study was obtained with a survey instrument developed by the authors. The instrument included questions concerning six domains of MAP: budgeting, costing, pricing, performance measurement, organization behavior practices, and outsourcing. The study population was comprised of chief financial officers (CFOs) in four-year colleges and universities. Among the 154 respondent CFOs were 37 representing private liberal arts institutions and 117 from other four-year institutions. For purposes of analysis, the other institutions were organized according to the year 2000 classification of institutions by the Carnegie Foundation.

A multivariate analysis of variance was performed on the six domains of MAP. CFOs in private liberal arts institutions reported significantly lower adoption of costing practices than did CFOs in doctoral intensive institutions. The adoption of performance measurement practices was significantly lower in private liberal arts institutions than in all other institutional types: doctoral extensive, doctoral intensive, master’s, and public bachelor’s. CFOs in private liberal arts institutions reported significantly lower adoption of organization behavior practices than did CFOs in doctoral extensive institutions. The lower adoption of MAP suggested one more challenge in the financial management of private liberal arts institutions.

2:00 – 2:50 P.M. EXHIBITS/Internet Café.................................................................... Essex

Session 15.1

3:00 – 3:50 P.M. EVALUATION/STATISTICS (Displays)................................................. Avon

Use of Wireless Assessment Systems in Post-K-12 Classrooms

Richard L. Daughenbaugh, Edward L. Shaw, Jr., Lynda R. Daughenbaugh,

and Paige Baggett, University of South Alabama

This study examined the application of the Classroom Performance System (CPS), a wireless assignment system, in preservice teacher education courses. The purpose of the study was to investigate: (1) frequency of class attendance and participation during the semester, (2) level of student preparedness for class, (3) level of achievement on course requirements, and (4) attitudes toward the use of this technology and course content. One hundred preservice students participated in this study. These were preservice teachers enrolled in a Computer Technology class, Elementary Science Methods class, Art Methods class and Children’s Literature class. These courses met in the spring and summer semesters of 2006. The participants were predominately female and Caucasian.

The CPS was used to take attendance, administer pre- and posttests of material covered in class, monitor course content understanding and participation, and to complete a brief attitudinal survey about the use of technology in the courses. When compared with classes not using the CPS, results from this study indicated that frequency of student attendance increased and tardiness decreased. Findings further suggested an increase in the level of student preparedness, as well as student participation and attentiveness for class. Scores on the various instructor-designed examinations administered to test learning of course content were higher than the scores of students enrolled in comparable class sections that were not using CPS. Scores from the attitudinal survey reflected a more positive attitude toward the use of technology and the content of the course.

Evaluating Educational Training Programs Using the Kirkpatrick Model

Margaret L. Rice and Richard L. Rice, Jr., University of Alabama,

and J. Elizabeth Gibbs, Gibbs Learning Technologies, LLC

The Kirkpatrick model is a process for evaluating training programs in which four evaluation levels are examined: reaction, learning, behavior, and results. This four-level process is one of the most commonly used approaches for evaluating corporate training programs and, while it is frequently used by corporate departments of human resources and by government programs, it is not often used in the field of education. This method is also recognized as an effective form of evaluation for web-based training programs. This session provided an explanation of the levels of the Kirkpatrick model and how it has been used in studies of two educational training programs. One study was an evaluation of a principalship training program that is part of a federal grant. This study used descriptive and qualitative methods based on the four levels of the Kirkpatrick Model.

Collected data included observations, focus groups, interviews, checklists, pre- and post-surveys, reaction surveys, and participant reflections and artifacts. Qualitative procedures include triangulation of the above-mentioned data sources. The second study was conducted to investigate measures of effectiveness for an online professional development program for K-12 teachers. The five-month program was designed to train 20 teachers to solve simple technology-related service calls in their schools in order to improve school technology support systems and response times to service calls.

This program was evaluated using qualitative measures on the levels of reaction, learning, behavior, and results through the examination of data gathered from teacher participants, technology staff members, web server logs, service call tracking reports, and written activity logs. Examples of instruments used and the results of the data analysis were discussed. Results of the studies showed the Kirkpatrick model to be a suitable evaluation model for educational training programs.

A Template for Teaching the Spearman “rho” Correlation Technique

Robert L. Kennedy, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and Pamela M. Broadston,

University of Arkansas, Little Rock

A template is a pattern that might be used for building mosaics, for sewing a quilt, for constructing a dog house, or for guiding the gathering of information for a report. Over the past couple of decades of teaching, this teacher has found that the use of templates for instructional purposes has been advantageous for communicating relatively complex topics efficiently and clearly. Any number of ways of teaching correlation might be tried. Examples that have been derived from the literature include graphic display calculators, videotapes, interactive scattergrams, animation, web pages, and simulations. All are reasonably effective tools for teaching correlation and other statistical techniques. However, another tool for teaching that is widely marketed is the template.

Templates are distributed and/or sold for worksheets, calendars, organizers, surveys, gradebooks, rubrics, and online tests, as well as for other purposes. They save time, not only for the less-experienced (or even experienced) teacher using them, but can also benefit students by allowing a more efficient approach to learning. They may be available as open source documents, freeware, trialware, demoware, commercial software; immediately downloadable from a website or available on CD through snail mail; and in common word processing or PDF formats.

In particular, the template presented in this session was directed toward the Spearman “rho” correlation technique. The primary components included an abstract of the scenario investigated, the reference or citation for the source of the scenario, number of cases, variables, data, rationale for the statistical technique chosen, null hypothesis, assumptions to be tested, steps in testing the assumptions, reading and interpretation of the findings, and a conclusion relative to the hypothesis. Because of the data files, the materials will be available on computer media.

Session 15.2

3:00 – 3:50 P.M. SCIENCE EDUCATION................................................................. Berkshire

Presider: Ronald A. Styron, University of Southern Mississippi

An Analysis of Teacher Education Students' Conceptual Knowledge

of the Ozone Layer and its Depletion

Ava F. Pugh, Holly B. Casey, and Jerilene Washington, University of Louisiana at Monroe,

and Rebecca S. Watts, Caddo (LA) Parish Schools

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 were more familiar with certain concepts regarding the ozone layer. Graduate students who were posttested five weeks after discussion (n = 21) answered an average of 74.01% of the posttest items correctly. These findings suggested that students were familiar with factual concepts regarding the ozone layer. However, students were less familiar with the implications of ozone depletion. The time lapse between the discussion of concepts and posttesting may influence the retention of discussed topic.

Science Achievement of African American Females in Suburban Middle Schools:

A Mixed-Methods Study

Kecia C. Topping, Nataliya Ivankova, and Loucretia Collins, University of Alabama at Birmingham

This transformative sequential explanatory mixed-methods study examined factors that affected the science achievement of 150 African American females in four suburban middle schools in the southeastern United States. Research indicated that these females are facing cultural barriers and faltering in the science areas. In the first, quantitative, phase, selected factors affecting the females' science achievement were investigated. Scores from the Modified Fennema-Sherman Attitude towards Science scale were compared to the females' SAT-10 NCE scores and yearly averages in science.

The results showed positive, significant relationships between attitude and both SAT-10 NCE Scores and yearly averages. Attitude was a significant predictor of SAT-10 NCE score, and both attitudes and socioeconomics were significant predictors of yearly averages. In a second, qualitative phase, nine purposefully selected females with high and low attitude scores were interviewed. Exposure and perceiving usefulness of science, self-perception, and classroom influences were also found to impact the females' attitudes.

Student Achievement In Inquiry-Based Versus Traditional Chemistry Programs

Issa M. Saleh, University of North Florida

Chemistry in the Community (ChemCom) is an inquiry-based chemistry program that was developed in 1988 by the American Chemical Society (ACS). ChemCom was intended for capable students who are not planning to pursue science or engineering related careers. The ACS had previously developed three other editions of ChemCom that were released in 1992, 1996, and 2000. ChemCom is different from traditional chemistry programs. Mathematics is the language of science. The number of mathematics concepts used in ChemCom is less than the number used in a traditional chemistry program. In addition, ChemCom introduces topics that are usually not introduced in traditional Chemistry programs. Because of these differences, ChemCom was viewed by many educators to be for low achieving students; moreover, ChemCom was scrutinized by many teachers and college professors as not being as challenging as traditional chemistry programs. As a result, many administrators favored other programs in order to best prepare students for college chemistry.

The purpose of this study was to compare Florida Comprehensive Assessment (FCAT) Science scores for traditional chemistry and ChemCom students. Data were obtained from the data base of the research and evaluation office at Duval County Public Schools. The sample consisted of 88 students with ChemCom as their high school chemistry background and 88 students with a traditional chemistry program as their background. All of the students in the sample took the FCAT Science. No significant difference in achievement was noted between the inquiry-based versus traditional chemistry students.

Session 15.3

3:00 – 3:50 P.M. ACHIEVEMENT............................................................................. Cornwall

Presider: Jack G. Blendinger, Mississippi State University

The Effects of Drama on the Performance of At-Risk Elementary Math Students

Linda M. Williams and Patrick Kariuki, Milligan College

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of drama on the performance of at-risk elementary math students. According to McMaster, drama engages students in meaningful communication and provides the interaction needed to effectively internalize new knowledge (McMaster, 1998). This is particularly important for at-risk students who often struggle when faced with the repetitiveness of traditional methods of instruction.

In a 1997 case study, Baxter & Woodward (1997) demonstrated improvement in standardized test scores of at-risk math students who received a year of innovative mathematical instruction. Wahl (2001-2002) states that drama is effective at tapping into the bodily-kinesthetic and interpersonal communication learning styles that may be stronger in some students. In their dramatic “math show,” Ozal & Ufuktepe (2002) targeted these styles to increase students’ interest in math and to demonstrate drama’s effectiveness in teaching abstract mathematical concepts.

In this study, a sample of 26 at-risk fourth graders was randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group was taught geometry concepts using drama, while the control group received more traditional instruction. Fifty-minute lessons per day were given for one week. Then, a multiple choice test to assess academic achievement was administered along with a Likert survey to assess interest and attitude towards math.

A significant difference was found between the academic achievement of experimental and control groups. No difference was found in the interest and attitude toward math between experimental and control groups. Finally, no significant relationship was found between academic achievement and interest and attitude towards math. These results imply that drama can be an effective teaching tool but may be more beneficial over a longer time to students whose learning style best appeals to such instruction.

Results for Year 2 of an Early Reading First Project

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

University of Alabama at Birmingham

This paper presented results of Year 2 of an Early Reading First project in a low-income, primarily African American community in a southeastern state. Results were reported for the 4-year-olds in Cohort-2 and the kindergarteners from Cohort-1. Goals of Early Reading First include preparing at-risk preschoolers for school success. This project provided professional development, classroom coaching, provision of books and materials in support of a literacy focused preschool environment, and parent education.

The sample for the study was comprised of the four-year-old group in Cohort-2 numbering approximately 100 children (treatment) and 30 children (comparison). The kindergarten group in the second year numbered 31 (treatment) and 29 (comparison). In this study the comparison group was assumed to represent higher SES because those children attended fee-for service childcare while the treatment group attended free childcare. Data were collected before and after the intervention using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-III) and a locally developed letter-ID subtest. Additional data from five locally-developed subtests were available for treatment group only.

Kindergarteners (four-year olds from Cohort-1) were measured with DIBELS. On the PPVT-III more treatment group children moved from lower to higher stanines than did children in the comparison classrooms. Children in treatment classrooms gained significantly in letter recognition. Additional subtests showed statistically and practically significant gains. Students in the project classrooms made substantial gains in all subtests of the DIBELS during kindergarten. By the end of kindergarten, students from treatment classrooms had higher average scores in Letter Naming Fluency and Nonsense Word Fluency than did students from comparison. Students from project classrooms experienced less “summer regression” between kindergarten and first grade in Letter Naming Fluency and Phoneme Segmentation Fluency than did comparison students. Findings suggested positive effects of this Early Reading First

project in preparing at-risk students for future school success.

Visual and Performing Arts and the Academic Achievement

of English-Language Learners and Students in Poverty

Marsha L. Walters, University of Southern Mississippi

Arts education has survived at the margins of education primarily as curriculum enrichments, though scientific study reveals that cognition depends on a balance and a variety of media and symbolic form. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether arts education, as measured by standardized achievement scores, made a difference in students who have a high risk of failing – English-language learners (ELs) and economically disadvantaged learners (EDs) in three levels of art instruction: no art, art instruction by specialists, and art integrated in the core curriculum.

The research was conducted in three parts. The first study evaluated elementary school groups classified into the three levels of art instruction. The results of this analysis indicated that the level of art instruction made a difference on the achievement scores of school groups with integrated art having the highest scores. There was not a measurable difference among the three levels of art instruction for the EL or ED student, although there was a significant difference among the ELs and non-ELs and the EDs and non-EDs. The second quantitative study evaluated individual student scores from two elementary schools. One school had art taught by specialists and one school had art integrated into the core curriculum. The analysis indicated that the EL and ED students in the school with the integrated arts program had higher scores than in the school with art specialists.

The final study was qualitative. Six principals, representing schools of three levels of art instruction, were interviewed. All of the schools represented in the interviews described programs that drew on the artistic resources of their communities and believed in engaging teachers, arts’ specialists, and artists from all disciplines in serious inquiry. The findings suggested attention for future school district policies regarding students at risk of failure.

Session 15.4

3:00 – 3:50 P.M. INSTRUCTION.................................................................................. Devon

Presider: Donna E. Pascoe, Columbus State University

Connecting to Community Through Collaboration

Ruth S. Busby, University of South Alabama, and Janie Hubbard, University of Montevallo

Many elementary students are being slighted in social studies instruction resulting in deficits in content knowledge and lack of preservice teachers’ exposure to exemplary instructional strategies. Collecting oral histories provides an active and personal learning experience that integrates other disciplines.

This oral history project was a collaborative effort among the following participants: (1) 57 university preservice teachers enrolled in an undergraduate elementary social studies methods course, (2) 40 fourth graders from an elementary school in Mobile, AL enrolled in inclusion classes, (3) 15 fifth graders from an elementary school in Cairo, Egypt, and (4) five community members from the Mobile, AL area. Following training on the process of historical inquiry, the preservice teachers taught the fourth graders how to collect oral histories, resulting in a culminating activity in which students interviewed a community member regarding personal experiences of the impact of the Civil Rights Movement.

Preservice teachers and students wrote about their experiences, and a grant provided funding for the publication of a book of their stories. Moreover, fifth graders from Cairo, Egypt collected oral histories about other types of discrimination and civil rights movements. Because these students are from many different countries, the stories they collected represented experiences from a global perspective. Multimedia presentations were produced and exchanged between the fourth and fifth graders. Student writings were analyzed to ascertain: (1) the amount and accuracy of content learned, and (2) the impact on student attitudes in regards to enthusiasm for the project and the subject of social studies in general.

The results of the study imply that this methodology yields promising results. Additionally, preservice teacher reflections were analyzed for emerging patterns. Results from this data are useful for informing future practices in teacher education. Scrapbooks were produced and archived at the university in an effort to preserve student artifacts.

Promoting Interdisciplinary Collaboration in the Classroom: The Collaborative

Assessment Project (CAP)

Lloyd E. Pickering and Kristi Julian, University of Montevallo

Historically, academic disciplines have had some difficulty “talking” to one another. Unfortunately, this disciplinary exclusivity often spills over into classroom practice, causing students in a particular field to receive limited exposure to other disciplines. One such example was recently noted in an academic unit where both teachers and interior designers are trained simultaneously. Though, on the surface, these two fields may seem mutually exclusive, a closer investigation reveals considerable overlap. Thus, opening a dialogue between students in these two disciplines is valuable.

Consequently, a classroom project was developed that promoted interdisciplinary collaborative learning. This project involved students working together in groups to accomplish two specific outcomes: (1) assessment of currently existing child care facilities, and (2) proposal for a state-of-the-art child care facility. A total of 52 students from four classes representing two majors (education, family and consumer sciences) and multiple fields of study (e.g., early childhood education, elementary education, secondary education, psychology, social work, child and family studies, interior design) were formed into groups of no more than six with each group containing at least one representative of each major.

Assessment focused on both physical (conformity to building code and ADA guidelines) and programmatic (developmentally-appropriate practice following NAEYC accreditation performance criteria) elements. Proposals involved integrating knowledge of building code (interior designers) and developmentally-appropriate practice (teachers) and applying such knowledge to an “outside-the-box” facility.

Thus, the expertise of each discipline was utilized, and students taught each other important, relevant information from their fields as they worked together. The goals of the project were largely met, as indicated by successful presentations and strong student feedback. Several important lessons were learned that will lead to future modifications of the project.

Session 15.5

3:00 – 3:50 P.M. TEACHER EDUCATION..................................................................... Dorset

Presider: Maria M. Witte, Auburn University

Novice Teachers’ Assessment of Their Teacher Education Programs: A Comparative Analysis

Martha W. Pettway and William Spencer, Auburn University

Preparation programs for teaching continue to receive extensive attention as a part of increasing the success level of students in public schools as state and national accreditation systems require institutions to solicit and utilize feedback from graduates 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. A sample of 608 novice teachers from three public school systems in eastern Alabama was asked to evaluate preparation for teaching using five especially generated scales based on previous satisfaction literature and current NCATE standards: 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. Overall, they were somewhat less satisfied with the degree to which their programs had prepared them to deal with diversity and also with their preparation to utilize technology for instruction. Additional analyses were then conducted to determine any impact on these perceptions of type of institution attended (historically black colleges and universities vs. predominantly white Institutions (PWI), the ethnic identity of the respondents, the type of certification program the novices completed, and the general grade level at which the novices were teaching. In addition, the effects of experience and location of the school on satisfaction were also explored.

Results of the analysis revealed that all of the factors except type of program completed impacted the evaluations by the novice teachers of their respective preparation programs. After describing these differences, implications for possible program revisions were then drawn.

The 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 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 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 is 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.

3:00 – 3:50 P.M. EXHIBITS/Internet Café.................................................................... Essex

Session 16.1

4:00 – 4:50 P.M. ATTITUDES (Displays)........................................................................ Avon

Examining the Attitudes of Teachers and Prospective Teachers Toward Mathematics

Instruction in Elementary Grades

Gena Riley and Dale Campbell, Jacksonville State University

This study examined the attitudes of preservice and inservice teachers to find out if their attitudes or dispositions toward teaching mathematics in elementary classrooms could change. To obtain this data, a pre- and post-survey of math attitudes was administered to the participants. The participants were preservice and inservice teachers enrolled in elementary mathematics methods courses; therefore, the number of participants was determined by class enrollment.

The researchers met with the participants daily/weekly depending on the semester of the school year. The meetings were class sessions in which the researchers engaged the participants in hands-on manipulative math activities using problem solving. Every class session included these two components. The participants were administered a pre-survey at the beginning of the semester. They were then exposed to the activities in the class for the duration of the semester. A post-survey was then administered to determine if attitudes toward mathematics instruction was influenced after exposure to these methods.

The data from these surveys were examined both quantitatively and qualitatively to determine the results. The findings from this study suggested implications for mathematics methods classes.

Viewing Knowledge Maps: The Attitudes of Preservice and Inservice Teachers

Paige V. Baggett, Edward L. Shaw, Jr., Rebecca M. Giles,

and Lynda Daughenbaugh, University of South Alabama

This study represented an exploration of attitudes towards viewing knowledge maps among inservice and preservice teachers in an effort to develop tentative hypotheses towards the usefulness of teacher-generated concept mapping as a study method. Participants were 35 female and two male education majors enrolled in the courses Art in the Elementary School, Classroom Management, and Elementary Curriculum Design at a southern university. Thirty-three participants were elementary education majors. Of the remaining four participants, one was a secondary education major, one was majoring in physical education and leisure services, and two were speech pathology majors. Participants’ classification was as follows: three sophomores, 15 juniors, seven seniors, 11 graduate students, and one second bachelors.

Data were collected using the Knowledge Map Questionnaire, a six-item instrument that measures attitudes toward viewing the knowledge map as a study strategy, specifically: (1) participants’ attitudes toward understanding knowledge maps as a study strategy for acquiring concept knowledge related to the design elements line, shape, and color; (2) participants’ attitudes toward the effect knowledge maps have as a study strategy on learning and acquiring concept knowledge related to the design elements line, shape, and color; and (3) participants’ attitudes toward the effect knowledge maps have as a study strategy on enjoyment of acquiring concept knowledge related to the design elements line, shape, and color. The instrument’s five-point rating scale ranges from 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree). Descriptive data in the form of frequency and percentages were calculated using SPSS.

The findings suggested that both graduate and undergraduate participants had generally positive feelings about viewing knowledge maps as a study method, although approximately 3% of the sample reported the teacher-generated maps to be hard to understand and confusing.

Linking Moral Disengagement to Physical and Sexual Aggression in College Freshman

Jessica Ashley Carroll, University of Alabama

The primary purpose of this study was to connect Bandura’s model of moral disengagement to physical and sexual aggression in a college-aged population. Research has shown that individuals in fraternities are more frequently involved in acts of physical and sexual aggression than their non-member student counterparts (Spaulding & Eddy, 1995; Flezzani & Benshoff, 2003; Cokley et al., 2001).

In Bandura’s (1996) landmark study on early adolescent males, he linked aggression to moral disengagement. This study linked acts of aggression to moral disengagement using Bandura’s theoretical framework and instrument to measure moral disengagement.

The sample of research participants was drawn from freshman, sophomore, and junior men (N=160) attending a large public university in the southeastern United States. Traditional-aged (18-22 year) freshman, sophomore and junior students were chosen to make a good comparison in developmental age between the fraternity member and non-fraternity member groups.

Respondents who agreed to participate were informed that this study would investigate dating behaviors, and anger behaviors in men. They were told that their answers would be completely confidential, that data would be aggregated for data analysis, and they were thanked for their participation. After completing the three instruments, participants were given a debriefing statement that explained the purpose of the study.

Three materials, a questionnaire to measure the mechanisms of Moral Disengagement (Bandura et al., 1996), the Aggression Inventory (Gladue, 1991), and the Sexual Experiences Questionnaire (SEQ; White & Hoecker, 1995) were used in this study, in addition to a demographic questionnaire that included questions about fraternity membership. Results and analysis linked fraternity membership to higher scores on measures of all three constructs.

Gender Differences in Helping Behaviors of Bystanders

Vanessa Esparza and Anatasia D. Elder, Mississippi State University

The purposes of this study were to examine: (1) the likelihood of bystanders assisting someone in need, and (2) the effects of gender differences on social assistive behavior. An experimental study was carried out on a university campus and on an off-campus location. An emergency situation was created in which a college-aged male or female confederate stood on location with the hood of their vehicle propped open. The number of bystanders that ignored the emergency situation was tallied and their gender was noted. In addition, when subjects stopped to offer assistance they were administered an interview to assess their helping behaviors.

This measurement procedure was conducted on four separate occasions during a span of two weeks. The results indicated that 10.5% of bystanders stopped to offer assistance when the confederate was female, and 3% of bystanders stopped to offer assistance when the confederate was male. Help was offered 11.5% of the time off-campus compared to 4.6% of the time on-campus. Over the total of four experimental sessions, 287 bystanders walked by and 21 stopped to offer assistance. Of those 21 bystanders interviewed, all reported having helped someone with car trouble in the past. In addition, 15 of the subjects reported having been helped in the past when they were in need. The most common way in which subjects reported that they would be willing to help was to jump the car battery but a variety of methods (use cell phone, change tire, fix other problems) was also offered.

It was concluded that males were more likely than females to offer help during an emergency situation in which the task requires skills that were typically associated with masculine characteristics. Limitations and future research were discussed in an effort to more fully appreciate the circumstances surrounding helping behaviors of bystanders.

Session 16.2

4:00 – 4:50 P.M. STORM SAGAS: THE DISPLACEMENT, RETURN, AND RESURGENCE OF

MID-SOUTH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCHERS IN THE WAKE OF

HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA (Symposium)......................... Berkshire

Organizer: Randy Parker, Louisiana Tech University

Kathleen Campbell, Southeastern Louisiana University; Betty Porter, School Leadership Center

of Greater New Orleans; and Michelle Haj-Broussard, McNeese State University

The effects of hurricanes Katrina and Rita on MSERA members extend far beyond the cancellation of the 2004 annual meeting. Using first-person accounts, this symposium described and documented the effect of displacement on the professional lives of MSERA members, their institutions, and member focus on new research opportunities.

Session 16.3

4:00 – 4:50 P.M. EDUCATION REFORM.................................................................. Cornwall

Presider: La Toya Hart, University of Southern Mississippi

Middle School Principals’ Perspectives of Evaluation as They Implement

Mandated Educational Reform

Charlotte K. Eady, Jacksonville State University

The perspectives of three middle school principals as they implemented educational reform were investigated in this study. School reform and middle school reform provided the contextual framework for the study. The study examined how principals executed macro and micro tasks such as supervision and evaluation of teachers in a high stakes era. A qualitative case study was conducted to gain an understanding of the supervisory and evaluative perspectives of three middle school principals. During a six-month period, three interviews were conducted with three middle school principals in three different school systems. Artifacts were collected from each school, and the researcher wrote extensive fieldnotes. Symbolic interactionism was the theoretical framework that guided this study. The researcher explored the meanings that mandated reform had for three middle school principals and examined how the meanings (perspectives) were related to the principals’ evaluative practices.

The participants in the study were purposefully selected. The three principals fit a list of essential attributes or criteria established prior to their selection. Within-case analysis was performed utilizing data sets derived from each of the three principals. After the within-case analyses were completed, cross-case analysis began. Even though the primary goal of this study was to understand and describe perspectives, the implications from the data may serve to inform the practices of other middle school principals and to assist policy makers in their understanding of reform movements as they evolve in middle school settings.

Adequate Yearly Progress: Leaving Explanation Behind?

Jennifer L. Moore, Mississippi State University

The purpose of this research was to determine if the variables included in the Mississippi Report Card 2003-2004 utilized for the calculation of AYP could be used to predict with accuracy greater than that which can be attributed to chance, whether Mississippi LEAs will attain adequate yearly progress in reading and math using the logistic regression technique. An additional goal of this study was to identify whether the inclusion of an additional variable pertaining to the proportion of teachers in each Mississippi LEA with a one-year teaching certificate could notably enhance the predictive accuracy of the logistic regression models.

This study addressed two research questions: (1) Can variables (included in the Mississippi Report Card 2003-2004) required for the calculation of adequate yearly progress be used to successfully predict Adequate Yearly Progress using the Logistic Regression technique with an accuracy greater than that which can be attributed to chance? (2) Could the addition of another predictor variable (Percentage of Teachers with One-Year Educator Licenses) notably add to the predictive accuracy of the model?

This study demonstrated that using the variables utilized for the calculation of AYP, a predictive model can be successfully utilized to classify Mississippi LEAs that will and will not attain AYP in reading and math with an accuracy greater than that which can be attributed to chance. This study also established that the inclusion of a variable corresponding to the percentage of teachers in a LEA with one-year educator licenses did not add to the predictive accuracy of the model.

A Dimensional Resolution of the Qualitative-Quantitative Dichotomy: Implications

for Theory, Praxis, and National Research Policy

Charles McLafferty and Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, University of South Florida

Politicians and taxpayers wonder why researchers have not developed educational research and practice with the same scientific rigor attributed to medicine and engineering. Legislation threatens to proscribe funded research. The debate recurs: Is qualitative or quantitative research best? Beginning in graduate school, educators and researchers are usually taught only one such approach. Philosophical explanations depict an insolvable incompatibility.

The traditional qualitative-quantitative dichotomy is resolved using a three-dimensional ontology: soma, psyche, and noös. The physical dimension (soma) is best researched through quantitative methods. Qualitative approaches optimally encompass the emotions and intellect (psyche). The noëtic dimension includes choice, purpose, and spirituality: our unique personhood and universal connection with Life. Concepts such as choice, responsibility, and discovered meaning are largely missing from research and theory in psychology and education, partly because there are no methods philosophically suited to study the noëtic dimension. Current legislation intended to "leave no child behind" has an unintended side effect of forcing children to "conform to the norm" because of the bombardment of standardized testing.

From a dimensional perspective, the quantitative-qualitative concept is no longer dichotomous; rather, the two methodologies are dimensionally different. Thus, the political move toward “science-based research” in the areas of human learning and development must ensure that research and praxis include the search for meaning - the very soul of education.

Session 16.4

4:00 – 4:50 P.M. SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT................................................................. Devon

Presider: Terrance K. Harington, University of Alabama

Technology Tipping Point

David Theodore Freeman, Xiamen International School, and Thelma Roberson,

University of Southern Mississippi

The study examined the level of self-reported computer efficacy that teachers must reach before they will indicate plans to incorporate technology on a daily basis into their instructional practices. The link between technology integration and student achievement being well documented, school leaders need a method to determine which candidates can and will integrate technology on a daily basis.

The 128 participants in the study were student teachers finishing their teacher preparation program at the University of Southern Mississippi. To student teach, these candidates must have passed a test of basic technology skills. They were asked how often they planned to integrate technology. The mean indicated that the participants planned to integrate technology slightly more frequently than once a week. While more than half of the participants indicated plans to integrate technology once a week, more than a quarter planned to use technology on a daily basis.

The members of the sample reported their computer technology skill levels within such activities as writing computer programs, creating audio and video for instruction, creating class Web sites, using desktop publishing, preparing and using presentations with PowerPoint, communicating with e-mail, using the Internet to find and create materials, and word processing to produce new materials.

The researcher used a reverse stepwise multiple regression analysis to find which skill or combination of skills would likely result in daily technology integration plans. The results of the study indicate that a combination of presentation software skills and desktop publishing skills made the statistically significant difference between daily integration and weekly or less integration of technology. The implications for administrators seeking to increase technology integration is to hire teachers who posses and use presentation software and desktop publishing skills.

Session 16.5

4:00 – 4:50 P.M. STATISTICS..................................................................................... Dorset

Presider: Israel L. Eady, Jacksonville State University

Psychometric Analysis of Athletic Perfectionism Through Polytomous Item Response Theory

Amanda K. Cotton and Jwa Kim, Middle Tennessee State University

Perfectionism is a personal trait that consists of setting excessively high standards and making overly critical self-evaluations. The latent trait of perfectionism has been studied extensively in the area of psychology, but not often in relation to sport and competitive athletes. Furthermore, a need exists for an accurate measurement of perfectionism in sport.

Using a Graded Response Model for polytomous response types, an IRT analysis was conducted to determine item behavior for a 98-item scale of perfectionism in sport. An initial exploratory factor analysis yielded five factors for consideration. Then, a polytomous IRT analysis determined the strengths and weakness of the remaining items. Results indicated that 31 of the 98 items performed especially well for this purpose and should be included in a future, validated scale of perfectionism in sport.

The Effect of Sample Size on Statistical Significance

Sunghee Yangkim and Lynn Loftin, Southern University

This study examined the statistics of random number samples to determine the effect of sample size on statistical significance. Most researchers use, but only a few understand, the concept of statistical significance. The effect of sample size is important because it indicates the appropriate way to interpret statistical significance in a study.

The researcher generated two samples of random numbers, from 1 to 100, using M/S Excel and tested the two samples for statistical significance using t-tests. The researcher then increased the sample sizes by repeating the 10 random numbers in each sample set. One of the two samples of random numbers was 2, 28, 32, 64, 30, 8, 55, 91, 17 and 9; and the other sample was 93, 22, 21, 67, 42, 22, 52, 89, 29 and 19. The researcher then increased each sample size by adding each sample set to its own. The two sample sets for the second test would be achieved by adding each sample to itself again. The researcher tested repeatedly until statistical significance was achieved. The result of the first test of the two sample sets of 10 random numbers did not achieve statistical significance.

The result of the 41^st test achieved statistical significance with a sample size of 410, and a level of 0.05 to reject the null hypothesis. By increasing the sample size, each test has the same mean difference, correlation, and effect size. However, there is an increase in the degrees of freedom and a decrease in the standard deviation, the standard error and the confidence interval. In conclusion, when increasing the sample size, the test result is more likely to be statistically significant at a level 0.05.

Caution: Some Multivariate Texts Ignore the Structure Coefficients in Oblique Rotation

Essenc M. Balam and Anthony J. Guarino, Auburn University

Comprehending factor analysis (FA) is often challenging. Pedhazur and Schmelkin (1991) caution, “To understand what FA is, how it is applied, and how the results are interpreted is bound to bewilder and frustrate most readers” (p. 590). The role of factor analysis (FA) is to decipher the construct as measured by the individual variables. The structure coefficients are the zero-order correlations between the factor and the variable. Consulting only pattern coefficients when interpreting an oblique factor can lead to serious interpretation errors (Kieffer, 1999a). An oblique factor may have a strong structure loading yet a near-zero pattern coefficient. Interpreting only the pattern loading in the situation just described would lead to an inaccurate portrayal of that factor. To interpret an oblique factor, researchers (Gorsuch, 1983; Pedhazur & Schmelkin, 1991; Diekhoff, 1992) urge that both structure and pattern coefficients be considered.

Yet, a review of some of the popular multivariate texts revealed that many authors ignored the use of the structure coefficients to aid in the interpretation of an oblique factor. The purpose of this study was to determine if structured coefficients were included in the factor analysis chapters in popular multivariate texts. Educational psychology programs from the southeastern United States were contacted to identify the multivariate statistics texts assigned. Twelve multivariate statistics texts were reviewed.

A sample of multivariate texts assigned in educational psychology programs revealed that structure coefficients are often ignored to aid in the interpretation of an oblique factor. The results also indicated that few of the assigned multivariate texts recommended including the structure coefficients to aid with the interpretation of the emergent factor. Because consulting only pattern coefficients can lead to serious interpretation of the factor, it was suggested that statistics instructors introduce this important concept.

4:00 – 4:50 P.M. EXHIBITS/Internet Café.................................................................... Essex

Session 16.6

4:00 – 4:50 P.M. WRITING AND GETTING PUBLISHED (Training Session)............. Yorkshire

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 given handouts.