Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Dissertations

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https://mcstor.library.milligan.edu/handle/11558/4201

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Browsing Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Dissertations by Author "Howell, Lyn"

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    A Dissertation Defense on the Impact of the Soccer Program at a Rural County High School on Females of Hispanic Descent on Social Development
    (2019-04-30) Chirica, Bettina; Howell, Lyn
    The social development of an adolescent is a complex process, and adolescent minorities face additional challenges. Female Hispanics take on many gender and cultural roles and face challenges of balancing school, home life, and community involvement. Extracurricular activities can help build traits that will impact a person for the rest of his or her life. It can connect a student to his or her community and teach life lessons. This qualitative case study focused on female Hispanic players that participated on the newly established soccer team at rural county high school for at least one season. Journal observations, interviews, and semi-structured open-ended questions were used to determine if the soccer program had any impact on the participants. Community members and teachers that worked with participants were also used as informants of the participants’ social interactions. Through the analysis of data, the researcher identified themes to match the four research questions. Themes of gender and racial equality, ability to engage in diverse situations, and school involvement all arose relating to the changed perception of social interactions since participating on the soccer program. Support groups, building relationships, and community integration were themes formed that related to the female Hispanic players’ relationships with others that were formed because of the interaction in the program. Leadership and pride and purpose were themes formed related to decision making characteristics that were taught in the program. Confidence, character building, soft skills, team concepts, and motivation to persevere were the final themes found related to lessons learned from the program.
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    Qualities of Teachers that Impact Retention in the Teaching Profession: Why Do They Stay?
    (2019-04-30) Zuehlke, Jan; Howell, Lyn
    Being able to identify and retain quality teachers is an issue faced by many school districts. There are some who possess innate personal characteristics inspiring their passion to remain dedicated to the teaching profession. The purpose of this research is to explore the qualities of teachers who are committed to the profession. The study explored personality traits from novice and experienced educators to understand their commitment to the profession from their own experiences. An embedded design was used to collect data from a personality assessment and in-person interviews. The personality assessment was analyzed to compare personality traits and years of teaching experience. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns and themes in order to answer the research questions that guided this study. The population sample was seven teachers ranging from one year all the way to more than 16 years of teaching experience. The findings of this research provided information on how teacher’s self-identity evolved with more years of experience. The results identified four qualities of teachers that chose to remain in the profession.
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    The Role of Administrators in Supporting Inclusive Practices at a Select School District in Upper East Tennessee
    (2019-05-02) Blevins, Melody; Howell, Lyn
    The implementation of inclusive practices has increased in response to the federal mandate for students with disabilities to be educated with their typically developing peers “to the maximum extent possible.” Previous research indicates that teachers frequently cite a need for administrative support to implement inclusive practices successfully. This qualitative study examines the role of administrative support for inclusive practices by interviewing teachers and principals in a select school district in Upper East Tennessee and comparing their perspectives. Results indicated that both groups had similar viewpoints regarding the role of administrators in supporting inclusive practices. The findings suggest that scheduling, professional development, schoolwide culture, and relationships are critical to supporting inclusive practices. Implications for practice include establishing a schoolwide schedule that reflects student needs, providing regularly scheduled collaborative planning time for general and special education teachers, working collaboratively with teachers to identify professional development needs, and contributing to the culture of the school by establishing positive relationships with students and staff.