Education Leadership Review of Doctoral Research
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Articles in this Issue
Using Technology to Enhance Project-Based Learning in High School: A Phenomenological Study
Alexis Mabe, Kelly Brown, J. Edward Frick and Frederico Padovan
Educators are tasked with preparing students for college and beyond (Gómez-Pablos et al., 2017). Project-based learning can help achieve this goal (Gómez -Pablos et al., 2017). PBL engages students in real-world problem-solving activities that allow them to take ownership of their own learning and create real products (Zafirov, 2013). The problem this study aimed to solve is how technology can better support PBL so we can better prepare students for the 21st century. It has been argued that technology can directly increase the effectiveness of project-based learning in the classroom (Pitura & Monika, 2018). Effectively leveraging technology during PBL is one of the best ways to help students address real-world problems and prepare for life after college (Brown, Lawless, & Boyer, 2013; Korucu & Cakir, 2018; Pitura & Monika, 2018). The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study is to understand how technology currently supports project-based learning for educators in secondary schools, and to determine what missing features would be beneficial. The information gained in this study has helped the researcher understand how technology enhances the project-based learning experience. The research also supports an understanding of what features and capabilities are missing in current technology from educators’ perspective.
Keywords: project-based learning, technology, secondary schools, digital
First Through Third Year Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Mentoring Experiences: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study
Jessica L. Pomerenke, Kristine Reed, David De Jong, Lisa Newland, and James Nold
This study examined the lived experiences of seven beginning secondary mathematics teachers in an upper Midwestern state who had experienced mentoring and remained in teaching. The study sought to identify the mentoring experiences beginning secondary mathematics teachers perceive as most beneficial to their professional growth. Data were collected through individual interviews and focus groups and were analyzed by coding significant words and statements. Findings suggest beginning secondary mathematics teachers experience various types of support from assigned mentors and informal supports from colleagues within the same building. Regular observations with constructive feedback were found to be highly valued by beginning teachers
Keywords: mentoring, mathematics teachers, informal mentors
Rural Leaders’ Experiences Implementing FAPE for Students with Intellectual Disabilities
Jessica Vogel, Erin Lehmann, Susan Curtin, and Carly Retterath
To provide effective rural leadership and ensure students with intellectual disabilities are receiving an appropriate education, principals must understand the substantial needs of these students. Eight principals of remote rural school districts, with at least one year of leadership experience participated in this phenomenological study. Based on the findings, principals are not professionally prepared to provide FAPE for students with intellectual disabilities, nor are they confident in their ability to do so and rely heavily on their special education teachers to comprehend and comply with educational mandates
Keywords: rural school leadership, FAPE, intellectual disabilities
A Mechanism to Increase Literacy and Math Skills to Reduce Summer Learning Loss
Adam Reynolds and Olcay Yavuz
There is a lack of consensus among school districts on how best to mitigate reading and math learning loss during the summer months. The purpose of this quasi-experimental quantitative exploration study was to determine if there was a statistically and practically significant effect of an educational program on summer learning loss in reading and mathematics in grades five and six students. The findings of this non-randomized controlled trial indicated that the students who participated in Summer Academy grew in reading almost double compared to those students that did not participate in Summer Academy. The findings also suggested that the students who participated in Summer Academy regressed in math almost double compared to those students that did not participate in Summer Academy. The implications indicate that school leadership is integral to the success of summer programs especially with regard to the impact programs have on economically disadvantaged students.
Keywords: reading learning loss, math learning loss, summer academy, school leadership
Relationships Between Dual Enrollment Parameters and Community College Success in Tennessee
Victoria N. Mellons, Jill Channing, Kwangman Ko, James Lampley, and Amy Moreland
The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative study was to evaluate the relationships between completion of high school dual enrollment courses and subsequent success of first-time, full-time community college students as measured by completion of an associate degree and time to completion of the degree. In addition to comparing dual and non-dual enrollment student performance, the effects of the number of dual enrollment courses completed and the subject areas of those courses were evaluated. Student subgroups reviewed included gender, race, socioeconomic status, and prior academic preparation (ACT score). Archival data from Tennessee community colleges used in this study included 62,644 students across four years (2015-2018) comprising 11,949 dual enrollment students and 50,695 non-dual enrollment students. Six research questions were answered from these data utilizing independent samples t tests, two-way contingency tables using crosstabs, Pearson correlations, logistic regression, or descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that completing just one dual enrollment course significantly increased the probability of completing an associate degree, and this finding was consistent across all subgroups studied. In addition, dual enrollment students completed associate degrees in significantly less time. Completing more dual enrollment courses tended to further increase the probability of completing a degree and further reduce the time to completion.
Keywords: dual enrollment, community college success, degree completion
First-Generation Women Students’ Perceptions of Support While Enrolled in Higher Education Institutions: A Phenomenological Study
Erin Messmer and Jill Channing
This phenomenological study explored the perceptions of support first-generation women students enrolled in college have. Eleven first-generation women students who were enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs across the United States completed one-on-one interviews. The participants explained the support they felt from family, friends, and members of their institutions, as well as areas where further support could be given. Key themes emerged, such as the role of mentorship, the need for financial assistance, the role of family, the roles of intersectional factors such as race and motherhood, and the offering of support during a crisis, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic
Keywords: first-generation women students, mentorship, COVID-19
Uniforms in Three Middle Schools: Student Opinions
Andrew Yoxsimer and Jafeth E. Sanchez
This quantitative study used an existing dataset with responses from 1,848 public middle school students’ opinions on the benefits of wearing a school uniform. Efforts in favor of and against school uniforms are noted, and the analyses used to examine demographic variables (i.e., gender, grade-level, and race/ethnicity) reveals that students in the 7th grade and Hispanic/Latino students benefited from the uniforms as compared to their peers. These insights can help school leaders identify practices that promote positive responses to the factors measured by the Student School Uniform Survey. Positive increases in students’ perceptions of the constructs identified in the Student School Uniform Survey could support efforts toward increased learning experiences for all students. This is especially important with the understanding that, when students’ social-emotional needs are met within a school culture of learning, positive learning outcomes can transpire. A discussion of these findings is shared, along with a conclusion
Keywords: quantitative, opinions, survey, middle school, school uniforms
The Perspectives of Principals on the Discipline Disproportionality of Black Students with Disabilities
Wanda L. Van Dyke, John C. Pijanowski, Kara Lasater, and Christy Smith
Black students with disabilities in Maple Cove School District were three times more likely to lose instructional days due to exclusionary disciplinary action than their peers without disabilities. A qualitative inquiry approach, in the form of a case study was used to determine principals’ perspectives about factors that may impact discipline disproportionality. Student disciplinary records were examined to verify disproportionality and investigate patterns and categories related to students with and without disabilities being issued Office Discipline Referrals (ODRs). Interviews were conducted with building level administrators (principals and assistant principals) and their responses recorded and open coded to determine themes and develop ideas about how to address the inequities in how students are disciplined
Keywords: discipline, disproportionality, educational leadership, special education, disability