Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9
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- All Subjects: Education
- Creators: Ott, Molly
Description
Data use in higher education continues to increase as college and university leaders aim to meet accreditor and governmental expectations to use data to improve student outcomes. However, the steady increase in data use over the past decades has not been accompanied by an increase in employee data literacy in order for employees to use the data effectively. Further, inequitable student outcomes continue to persist in higher education, and more specifically at two-year community colleges, as potentially exacerbated by a lack of employee equity-mindedness. These concurrent problems—inadequate employee data literacy and persistent inequitable student outcomes—provide an opportunity to address both with one intervention. In this critical race, mixed-methods, action research study, I piloted an online professional development course, aimed at community college employees with the purpose to build data literacy and equity-mindedness. I used Bandura’s (1989) Social Cognitive Theory as a guiding theoretical framework paired with a quasi-experimental, delayed-start research design to study the effectiveness of the course in building employee data literacy and equity-mindedness, in addition to better understanding the impacts of environmental factors (i.e., organizational culture) on the implementation of the course. Using pre- and post-intervention surveys, pre- and post-intervention knowledge assessments, and post-intervention participant interviews, I determined that the professional development course contributed to improvements in employee data literacy and equity-mindedness. In particular, the course helped increase employee self-efficacy for data use, increased employee knowledge of data use and equity-mindedness, and increased employee intent to use data in the future. I also found that the organization’s culture related to data and equity to be complex and evolving, both hindering and facilitating data use, in general, and data use specifically, to address inequitable student outcomes.
ContributorsMitchell, Dennis Shane (Author) / Beardsley, Audrey (Thesis advisor) / Ott, Molly (Committee member) / Jacobsen, Craig (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
The purpose of the Preschool Intervention for Embodied Storytelling (PIES) study was to evaluate the efficacy of a drama-based story time intervention on at-risk preschool students’ emotion knowledge, story retell and story comprehension skills. Six classrooms with 44 students were randomly assigned into drama-based intervention and dialogic reading control groups. After four weeks of intervention sessions twice per week, students’ emotion knowledge and story retell skills were assessed with distal measures. During the program, students’ comprehension of the stories was evaluated weekly. Participants did not show significant main effects on any measures, however investigation of simple effects revealed differences in gains over time for intervention students in their story retell skills. Despite lack of significance, effect sizes for story retell were promising. Mean differences in story comprehension skills were consistently in favor of the intervention group for the duration of the program. Teacher participants showed an increase in their positive perceptions of drama-based instruction, but their own use of these strategies at story time was variable before and after observing the PIES program. Drama based instruction through PIES may be a favorable intervention strategy for preschool students as they develop narrative skills that are a prerequisite for future reading comprehension success.
ContributorsPierce, Melissa (Author) / Restrepo, Maria Adelaida (Thesis advisor) / Glenberg, Arthur (Committee member) / Marley, Scott (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Student voice has been an inactive component of public education since its conception. Educational practitioners and stakeholders create, define, and uphold federal, state, and local policy centered on growing student educational outcomes. However, most often students are not provided space or opportunities to actively engage with policy or decisions that directly impact their educational experiences. To boost student voice, this action research study explored school participatory budgeting’s impact on student engagement with school decision-making, civic engagement, and leadership development at Arcadia High School. School participatory budgeting (SPB) is an innovative civic learning tool designed for students to learn democracy in action through the process of participating in the student voice committee on campus, developing proposals, and voting to fund improvement projects that build a stronger school community. This study utilized a parallel-results convergent MMAR that involved collecting both qualitative and quantitative data simultaneously, analyzing them separately, and integrating results into study findings. Participants included eight students that were members of the student voice committee. Study participants completed pre- and post-surveys as well as participated in a focus group. The study and intervention were supported by Mitra’s Pyramid of Student Voice and The Social Change Model.
Results of the study indicated that school participatory budgeting had a positive impact on students’ engagement with school decision making, civic engagement, and leadership development. Results also revealed that participants were able to lead change for collective student voice, engage civically through real world application, encourage participatory democracy over elite democracy, and increase both communication and collaborative skills. Furthermore, an integration of quantitative and qualitative data was presented, along with connections to the existing research questions and literature. Additional discussion centered on the limitations of the study, implications for practice, future cycles of research, and recommendations for educational practitioners.
ContributorsJohnson, Sara Anne (Author) / Ott, Molly (Thesis advisor) / Hermanns, Carl (Committee member) / Sackos, Milissa (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
As an administrator, it is essential to understand the varying theoretical perspectives and frameworks surrounding leadership and organizational development that support employee and student success. After conducting the first two cycles of action research, it was confirmed that there was a need for an intentional focus on the employees’ experience and their professional development. This focus led to administering a distance mentoring program for higher education administrators. The distance mentoring program was a mixed-methods action research project that ran a total of eight weeks with an orientation, mentoring sessions and individual activities during the first five weeks, and individual interviews three weeks following the intervention. There were eight participants in the study who were paired into four groups of two in order to foster a mentoring relationship using the “other” mentoring model. The purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness of the distance mentoring program with respect to increasing educational outcomes, innovation, job satisfaction, productivity, and strategic action planning for higher education professionals. The distance mentoring program was successful in generating innovative thoughts relevant to the participant’s workplace challenge, increasing job satisfaction, stimulating better solutions for strategic action planning, and creating in a positive impact on the mentoring relationship. Results surrounding productivity were mixed and inconclusive. The implementation of the distance mentoring program was designed to initiate dialogue, brainstorming, planning, and supportive measures by each participant and delivered the social and strategic elements necessary to achieve a more positive, productive, and successful work environment.
ContributorsScott, Kristina (Author) / Ott, Molly (Thesis advisor) / Aska, Cassandra (Committee member) / Maxwell, Tanisha (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
This action research study primarily examined how educative curriculum materials (i.e., curriculum materials that include supports for teacher learning) can improve a teacher’s knowledge base and ability to succeed in the classroom. The focus was on the impact of one type of educative curriculum material: PowerPoint presentations. Specifically, the study investigated if translating teacher’s manuals into digital presentations was valued by general education teachers responsible for teaching Engage NY math in kindergarten, first, second, and third grades. The study asked teacher participants to describe the impact (if any) of adding a digital presentation component to their lessons and investigated if they self-reported increased Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), which is a teacher’s understanding of how to help students understand specific subject matter. Using questionnaires, interviews, and field notes, the following research questions were examined: 1) How do teachers describe the impact that pre-made digital slide share presentations (i.e., PowerPoint presentations) have on lesson planning, preparation, and pacing and 2) What impact does translating teacher’s manuals into digital slide share presentations (i.e., PowerPoint presentations) have on teacher’s pedagogical content knowledge? Results indicate that teacher participants found the presentations to be helpful and positively impacted their lesson planning, preparation, and pacing, and improved their perception of their own abilities when presenting Engage NY math content.
ContributorsFreauff, Rebecca (Author) / Ott, Molly (Thesis advisor) / Ceceña, Araceli (Committee member) / Tovar, Andrea (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a mentoring program on self-efficacy beliefs. High-risk undergraduate students at Arizona State University majoring in Public Health and other closely-related fields represent this study’s sample. Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory guides this study’s theoretical framework. This study used a mixed method, action research design. Participants took a pre-test that measures their self-efficacy and registered the barriers to their academic success; following that, they enrolled and participated in a mentoring program. Upon completion of the program, they completed a post-test to evaluate any changes to their perspectives. Non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were applied to the surveys. Throughout the mentoring program, participants completed field notes and I completed a journal about our interactions. These, along with two focus group discussions, were analyzed using grounded theory in addition to the pre- and post-tests. The surveys found that the mentoring program impacted their self-efficacy in overcoming educational barriers the qualitative data showed a strong correlation between the intervention and perceived confidence. This included their perceived ability to perform difficult or unusual tasks, but also their ability to overcome barriers.
ContributorsSavaglio, Lauren Nicole (Author) / Ott, Molly (Thesis advisor) / Hrncir, Shawn (Committee member) / Orozco, Holly (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
The purpose of this study was to research the effects of a student-staff mentoring relationship on high school students’ locus of control, life/school satisfaction and ultimately their academics as determined by their grades. Participants consisted of a small cohort of 10th grade high school students at a public charter, college preparatory high school in inner city Phoenix, Arizona. Frederickson’s broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions and Bandura’s social cognitive theory provide the models of behavior to improve school satisfaction, motivation and overall well being. A mixed method, action research design was used to study how a 9-week mentoring program facilitated by the dean of students impacted the students’ locus of control, satisfaction, and academic achievement. Participants completed pre and post test measures using a modified Trice College Success Survey that measured external-internal locus of control and the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS) used to measure life satisfaction and sub-constructs of satisfaction including family, friends, school, living environment and self. Post intervention a smaller sample of students were interviewed, field notes were also compiled and analyzed using a social constructionist point of view to gather insight on how students create their own knowledge and how that connects to their behaviors and attitudes that affect their success. Among the key findings was that students indicated a preference for the type of individualized attention that the mentoring program introduced to support them academically. Quantitative analyses of the survey data did not indicate a significant shift from external to internal locus of control or an improvement in life or school satisfaction, however further research should be conducted to implement a longer intervention period with similar intervention components.
ContributorsAlvarado Hernandez, Ruby Rebecca (Author) / Ott, Molly (Thesis advisor) / Hartley, Adam (Committee member) / Schauer, David (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
Writing is an intricate cognitive and social process that involves the production of texts for the purpose of conveying meaning to others. The importance of lower level cognitive skills and language knowledge during this text production process has been well documented in the literature. However, the role of higher level skills (e.g., metacognition, strategy use, etc.) has been less strongly emphasized. This thesis proposal examines higher level cognitive skills in the context of persuasive essay writing. Specifically, two published manuscripts are presented, which both examine the role of higher level skills in the context of writing. The first manuscript investigates the role of metacognition in the writing process by examining the accuracy and characteristics of students' self-assessments of their essays. The second manuscript takes an individual differences approach and examines whether the higher level cognitive skills commonly associated with reading comprehension are also related to performance on writing tasks. Taken together, these manuscripts point towards a strong role of higher level skills in the writing process and provide a strong foundation on which to develop future research and educational interventions.
ContributorsAllen, Laura K (Author) / McNamara, Danielle S. (Thesis advisor) / Connor, Carol (Committee member) / Glenberg, Arthur (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
A commonly held belief among educators, researchers, and students is that high-quality texts are easier to read than low-quality texts, as they contain more engaging narrative and story-like elements. Interestingly, these assumptions have typically failed to be supported by the writing literature. Research suggests that higher quality writing is typically associated with decreased levels of text narrativity and readability. Although narrative elements may sometimes be associated with high-quality writing, the majority of research suggests that higher quality writing is associated with decreased levels of text narrativity, and measures of readability in general. One potential explanation for this conflicting evidence lies in the situational influence of text elements on writing quality. In other words, it is possible that the frequency of specific linguistic or rhetorical text elements alone is not consistently indicative of essay quality. Rather, these effects may be largely driven by individual differences in students' ability to leverage the benefits of these elements in appropriate contexts. This dissertation presents the hypothesis that writing proficiency is associated with an individual's flexible use of text properties, rather than simply the consistent use of a particular set of properties. Across three experiments, this dissertation relies on a combination of natural language processing and dynamic methodologies to examine the role of linguistic flexibility in the text production process. Overall, the studies included in this dissertation provide important insights into the role of flexibility in writing skill and develop a strong foundation on which to conduct future research and educational interventions.
ContributorsAllen, Laura (Author) / McNamara, Danielle S. (Thesis advisor) / Glenberg, Arthur (Committee member) / Connor, Carol (Committee member) / Duran, Nicholas (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017