Browsing by Subject "high school"
Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item ATHLETIC IDENTITY AND EGO IDENTITY STATUS AS PREDICTORS OF CAREER MATURITY AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS(2012-04-19) Adams, Jeffrey; McPherson, Robert H.; Gaa, John P.; Dao, Tam K.; Jones, Howard L.Adams, Jeffrey C. “Athletic Identity and Ego Identity Status as Predictors of Career Maturity Among High School Students.” Unpublished Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation, University of Houston, May 2011. Abstract The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between degree of identification with the role of athlete (athletic identity), identity foreclosure, and career maturity among high school students. In the current study 275 high school students completed the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS), The Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status (EOM-EIS-2), and the Attitude scale (Screening Form A-2) of the Career Maturity Inventory. Pearson product moment correlations demonstrated that identity foreclosure scores were inversely related to career maturity. Athletic identity was also positively correlated with identity foreclosure. Multiple regression analyses were employed to test the mediation effects of identity foreclosure, in explaining the relation between athletic identity and career maturity. However, the analyses indicated that athletic identity was not significantly related to career maturity. Consequently, no mediational path was detected. Three separate exploratory MANOVAs were then performed to examine the effects of participation in interscholastic athletics (athletes [n = 133] vs. non-athletes [n = 142]), gender (males [n = 141] vs. females [n = 134]), and grade level (9th and 10th grade students [n = 53] vs. 11th and 12 grade students [n = 222]) on identity foreclosure, athletic identity and career maturity scores. The results indicated that athletes displayed significantly higher scores on athletic identity and identity foreclosure than their non-athlete peers. Males also scored significantly higher in athletic identity and identity foreclosure than females. Finally, students in lower grades exhibited significantly greater levels of athletic identity and identity foreclosed thinking. The only significant differences in career maturity were found for gender, with females exhibiting more mature vocational attitudes than males. The findings offered a glimpse at the relationship between identity and career development variables within a high school population. While student-athletes demonstrated a strong commitment to the athlete role and greater identity foreclosure, they did not appear to be distinct from non-athletes in terms of their vocational maturity.Item International baccalaureate: a study in college readinessGurumurthy, UshaItem Investigating Student Satisfaction and Retention in Online High School Courses(2014-11-07) Rogers, Susan HaleyCaddo Parish Public Schools (CPPS) provides virtual courses via Education2020.com for students wanting to accelerate their studies or repeat coursework. Currently, anecdotal comments from students, parents, and school personnel and student data are the only feedback CPPS uses to evaluate its online program. The purpose of the current study was to assess student satisfaction and retention in the CPPS summer school program. I employed a mixed methods approach, utilizing the district?s database and responses from student surveys and interviews to analyze student academic performance, evaluate variables, and understand student experiences from the 2013 CPPS online summer school program. Student participants were sorted into four unique groups: (a) students taking a course for the first time who subsequently earned course credit, (b) students taking a course for the first time who subsequently did not earn course credit, (c) students repeating a course who subsequently earned course credit, and (d) students repeating a course who subsequently did not earn course credit. For the purposes of this study, student participants identified as repeating a course had completed the original course in either (a) a face-to-face classroom or (b) an online environment. Independent t-tests were used to determine whether statistically significant differences existed between student populations. Results from significance testing of data from the Education2020.com database for CPPS students revealed no statistically significant differences among demographic and academic variables. Similarly, only trivial effect sizes were identified. Student survey and interview responses affirmed that higher student satisfaction was associated with enrollment in electives, students who earned credit, students who repeated courses, and female students. Students who earned credit were self-motivated, investing considerable time and effort into their courses. Conversely, students who did not earn credit did not accept personal responsibility for their learning and had difficulty with course pacing. Data from this record of study indicate that helping students adopt effective learning strategies raises their chances of completing their online courses and increasing their satisfaction with the online program.Item Predictors of High School Student Success in Online Courses(2012-04-19) Grubb, Mark; Busch, Steven D.; MacNeil, Angus J.; Emerson, Wayne; Robin, Bernard R.As the use of online learning in high schools continues to increase, more research needs to be conducted on how students with different skills, abilities, and attributes perform in online courses. Not all students are successful at online learning, and they should be reviewed on an individual basis to see what strengths and weaknesses these students possess before enrolling them into online courses. This study identifies critical characteristics shared by successful online high school students using quantitative historical data collected from a large urban district’s summer school program in 2010. Student responses to an online pre-course evaluation instrument were compared to their course grades at the end of the semester. A multiple linear regression model using the stepwise method was calculated using 119 responses to predict the students’ final grades in their online courses based on their Individual Attributes, Learning Styles, Technical Competency, Technical Knowledge, Reading Rate, Reading Recall, Typing Speed, and Typing Accuracy as reported by the constructs of an online evaluation instrument. Based on the results, Typing Speed and Reading Recall were found to contribute with statistical significance as predictive constructs to the final grade earned by the students. A significant regression equation was found (F (2,116) = 14.039, p < .001), with an adjusted R² of .181. Research suggests that high school students given pre-course evaluative instruments before taking online courses can tell us more about online learning predictors, and how to better improve implementation of online learning for all high school students.Item Recruitment Experiences and Decision Factors of High School Science Teachers in Texas(2012-08-02) Richardson, Rasheedah 1978-The state of Texas reflects the teacher shortages experienced by the rest of the United States. The three studies included in this dissertation use exploratory mixed-methods and qualitative research designs to understand experiences of Texas high school science teachers at the entry stage of the teacher professional continuum (TPC): recruitment. Little is understood about the relationship between recruitment, job satisfaction and retention of teachers. A conceptual framework (i.e., teacher-to-school match, realistic job previews, decision factors) was used to guide the inquiry process and help draw connections between the literature and findings from this study regarding teacher recruitment, job satisfaction, and retention. This research was completed in collaboration with the PRISE Research Group at Texas A&M University. The first study describes recruitment activities of new-to-school science teachers for their current positions. A content analysis of teachers' interviews suggested that schools are not maximizing valuable resources supporting teacher-to-school match and realistic job previews (RJP). Further analyses indicated teachers' interview experiences and participation in various types of RJP activities were associated with minority student enrollment profile (MSEP) and size of school. The second study explores reasons for teachers' decisions to accept their positions. New-to-school teachers indicated 12 categories of reasons. Subjective factors relating to non-pecuniary aspects of the job were reported by teachers more frequently than objective or critical contact factors. Teachers' responses for accepting their positions were found to be associated with MSEP and size of school. The third study describes recruitment experiences of highly satisfied and retained new-to-school teachers. Trends were identified regarding teachers' match to schools, engagement in RJP activities, and use of decision factors. Findings from this study direct researchers towards new questions with regard to teacher recruitment as a leveraging factor for job satisfaction and retention. The final chapter provides a summary of all three studies. Recommendations are made to stakeholders regarding progressive recruitment practices and policies for high school science teachers. Concurrently, themes in this chapter provide researchers with a topology for the design of future studies addressing teacher shortages on campus using the initial stage of the TPC: recruitment.Item The relationship between small learning communities(2009-05-15) Turnbo, Bobbie JoThe purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship of small learning communities (SLCs) and student performance for ninth grade students at Robert E. Lee High School in North East Independent School District (NEISD). For this study, student performance includes achievement on reading and math Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), attendance rates, and number of dropouts. Research included data for years 2002-2003 through 2005-2006 retrieved from the Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS). An extensive review of the literature revealed support for implementation of the SLCs model for high school reform. Recent research indicates that student performance will improve if SLCs are fully implemented and supported using a framework, such as Oxley?s five domains for SLCs. The first two questions of this study addressed reading and math TAKS data by ethnic, economically disadvantaged, and special education subpopulations. The third question in this study addressed attendance rates and dropouts. This study found a significant difference in reading TAKS scores for the ethnic subpopulations with the implementation of SLCs. Economically disadvantaged students? and special education students? scores also showed significant gains in reading scale scores over the four years of the study. Data from this study revealed that math TAKS scale scores showed a significant increase in the economically disadvantaged and special education subpopulations after implementation of the SLCs. In addition, significance was found in reducing the achievement gap between special education and regular education students on math TAKS. Attendance rates showed no statistical significance after the implementation of the SLCs. An analysis of dropout rates was not possible due to low dropout numbers. The empirical data would not support meaningful analysis. Further investigation is needed to gain a better understanding of the relationship of SLCs on student performance, especially for African American and Hispanic students in math. Additional factors such as degree of implementation and influence of the administrative leadership needs to be explored.Item The relationship between small learning communities and student performance as identified by the Academic Excellence Indicator System at Robert E. Lee High School in North East Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas(Texas A&M University, 2008-10-10) Turnbo, Bobbie JoThe purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship of small learning communities (SLCs) and student performance for ninth grade students at Robert E. Lee High School in North East Independent School District (NEISD). For this study, student performance includes achievement on reading and math Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), attendance rates, and number of dropouts. Research included data for years 2002-2003 through 2005-2006 retrieved from the Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS). An extensive review of the literature revealed support for implementation of the SLCs model for high school reform. Recent research indicates that student performance will improve if SLCs are fully implemented and supported using a framework, such as Oxley's five domains for SLCs. The first two questions of this study addressed reading and math TAKS data by ethnic, economically disadvantaged, and special education subpopulations. The third question in this study addressed attendance rates and dropouts. This study found a significant difference in reading TAKS scores for the ethnic subpopulations with the implementation of SLCs. Economically disadvantaged students' and special education students' scores also showed significant gains in reading scale scores over the four years of the study. Data from this study revealed that math TAKS scale scores showed a significant increase in the economically disadvantaged and special education subpopulations after implementation of the SLCs. In addition, significance was found in reducing the achievement gap between special education and regular education students on math TAKS. Attendance rates showed no statistical significance after the implementation of the SLCs. An analysis of dropout rates was not possible due to low dropout numbers. The empirical data would not support meaningful analysis. Further investigation is needed to gain a better understanding of the relationship of SLCs on student performance, especially for African American and Hispanic students in math. Additional factors such as degree of implementation and influence of the administrative leadership needs to be explored.