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This study examined the impact of a multi-component coaching process on Kenyan school professional's facilitation of the Prevent Teach Reinforce for Young Children (PTR-YC) model and its corresponding effects on student challenging behavior in an early childhood education setting in Nairobi, Kenya. Three school professionals were trained to implement the PTR-YC process across two phases, co-facilitation and independent facilitation. Five teachers and six students with challenging behavior participated in the study. A multiple baseline across participants design was used to evaluate the impact of the PTR-YC process on student target behaviors. Results indicate that the multi-component coaching process was effective in training teachers to implement the PTR-YC process with high fidelity and desired student outcomes were observed across both experimental phases. Furthermore, the PTR-YC and process was reported by school professionals, teachers, and students to be effective and feasible to implement within the target setting. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This single-case case study explores the experiences of eight public school educators in the St. Louis area who support English Learners (ELs) and participate in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The public school system was not designed to support the diversity it is currently experiencing, and educators want to be able to support students. Participants revealed a clear understanding of equity, a desire to collaborate with other educators, and a lack of confidence in their ability to effectively meet the needs of ELs in their classrooms. While educators collaborate with others, it is reported here that the collaboration is not always productive and rarely focuses on equity. The results of the study show that collaboration is valuable, but time is a barrier. The people that participate in collaboration and the relationships between those people matter more than the structure of the collaboration. While the PLC process can provide a framework for educators to share ideas, the rigid structure can sometimes be a hindrance to responsive teaching. Educators feel like they have to meet the expectations of the structure, rather than responding to what students currently need. Equity-centered collaboration means working in trusting professional relationships to share ideas, problem-solve, and support Othered populations. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

While teachers and schools across the country actively work to impart curricula that is relevant and meaningful to their students, the written standards and reading lists too often represent a Eurocentric perspective and reinforce inequities perpetuated by the status quo. Too frequently, teachers are inadequately supported with or provided pedagogical tools to enact decolonial or critical curricula. This basic interpretive qualitative study drew upon decolonial theory, itinerant curriculum theory, as well as disciplinary and critical literacy frameworks to understand how a decolonial tool can be employed alongside disciplinary and critical literacy practices and build a bridge between theory and praxis. This basic interpretive qualitative study explored how one secondary teacher and two of her ninth-grade language arts sections engaged with a decolonial, pedagogical questioning tool as applied to a literary work, as well as the ways in which this pedagogical tool was supported by disciplinary and critical literacy practices. This 18-week study took place over two semesters at a public school in Hawaii. During this period, I employed iterative thematic inquiry and analyzed data during and after collection. The analysis revealed three themes across the research questions: engaging with the decolonial questioning tool, synergistic applications, and creating a decolonial space. Implications include the following: (1) teachers need time, support, and training to enact a decolofanial curriculum and (2) further research needs to be conducted regarding the use of the decolonial questioning tool and how it can be mutually supported by disciplinary and critical literacies. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This study examines the attitudes, beliefs, and professional behaviors of preschool and daycare directors. More specifically, this study reveals how director's attitudes, beliefs, and professional behaviors have shaped the way they implement inclusion practices within their centers. The decision making theory of Herbert A. Simon (2000) provides the framework for this research. The primary data source for this study was interviews with current preschool and daycare directors, who include preschool aged students with special education needs into their centers. The research results informed multiple themes that emerged through uncovering detailed accounts of the attitudes, beliefs, and professional behaviors of childcare directors regarding preschool inclusion. These themes included: beliefs that have shaped the definition of inclusion, influence of background knowledge on preschool inclusion, the importance of communication through being present, the importance of culture within preschool inclusion, director's attitudes towards the importance of the role of family and teacher, how enrollment and acceptance procedures influence professional behaviors, and how staff retention creates barriers for consistency in preschool inclusion. While the results are limited to the perspectives of four childcare directors who participated in this study, they suggest that multiple factors within attitudes, beliefs, and professional behaviors play a role in how childcare directors make decisions to include children with special education needs into their center. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Many factors contribute to the educational success of undergraduate students, including personal beliefs, effort, and the ability to self-manage. Many students are not prepared for the rigors of post-secondary education. This need is particularly striking given the limited availability of manualized evidenced based interventions available to support college students with academic task demand management. This study sought to determine the efficacy of the Time and Organization Preparation System-College (TOPS-C), a program aimed to increase study skills, organization, self-regulated learning, and time management through direct instruction, group contingency, and performance feedback. To determine changes in skill level, students completed the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory--3rd Edition (LASSI-3), an assessment measuring skill level in ten areas. Forty-four Louisiana State University students participated in the 6-week program TOPS-C program via a randomized delayed waitlist treatment design. Results of the study indicated that LASSI-3 scores improved for the majority of assessment areas. Limitations of the current research and future directions are discussed. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to assess to what extent math anxiety and math attitudes predicted math self-efficacy among community college students enrolled in one of two developmental mathematics courses at a metropolitan community college in the Southwest United States. Self-efficacy, math attitudes, math anxiety and social learning theory set the theoretical foundations for this research. The study was conducted with a convenience sample of 192 students who voluntarily participated in an online survey (8.5% response rate). A multiple linear regression was conducted to find out to what extent math anxiety and math attitudes predicted math self-efficacy. The impact of the combined predictor variables was statistically significant with, F(2, 189) = 41.034, p < 0.001. Math anxiety was a significant negative predictor of math self-efficacy, beta = -0.175, t = -2.774, p = 0.006, and the math attitudes variable was a significant positive predictor of math self-efficacy of the developmental students, beta =0.478, t = 7.586, p < 0.001. These findings are relevant to community college instructors who teach developmental courses. They can identify students with high anxiety and negative attitudes towards mathematics and get for them support to alleviate such problems in order to enhance their math self-efficacy and ultimately their performance in developmental math courses. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Ground-based astronomy sky surveys are massive, decades-long investments in scientific data collection. Stakeholders expect these datasets to retain scientific value well beyond the lifetime of the sky survey. However, the necessary investments in knowledge infrastructures for managing sky survey data are not yet in place to ensure the long-term management and exploitation of these scientific data. How are sky survey data perceived and managed, by whom, and what are the implications for the infrastructures necessary to sustain the long-term value of data? This dissertation used semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and ethnographic fieldwork to explain how perspectives on data management differ among the stakeholder populations of two major sky surveys: the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). Perspectives on sky survey data cluster into two categories: "data as a process" is where data are perceived in terms of the practices and contexts surrounding data production; and "data as a product" is where data are perceived as objective representations of reality, divorced from their production context. Analysis reveals these different perspectives result from stakeholders' differing data management responsibilities throughout the research life cycle, as reflected through their professional role, career stage, and level of astronomy education. These results were used to construct a data management life cycle model for ground-based astronomy sky surveys. Stakeholders involved in day-to-day construction, operations, and processing activities perceive data as a process because they are intimately familiar with how the data are produced. In contrast, sky survey leaders perceive data as a product due to their roles as liaisons to external stakeholders. During the proposal stage, leaders must present the data as objective and accurate to secure financial support; during data release, leaders must attract researchers to trust the data for scientific use. The tendency of sky survey leaders to regard data as a product leads them, and other stakeholders, to undervalue workforces, funding, and the other knowledge infrastructures necessary to sustain the value of scientific data. Planning for long-term data management must include stakeholders who view data as a process as well as those who view data as a product. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether any statistically significant differences in mathematics and reading academic achievement and academic gains of male and female students taught in single-sex classes existed when compared to male and female students taught in coeducational classes. This study reported findings from mathematics and reading achievement scores and academic gain scores from 850 fourth and fifth grade participants enrolled in seven high poverty public elementary schools during the 2007-2008 school term. The experimental group consisted of 347 students taught in single-sex classes. The control group contained 503 students who were taught in coeducational classrooms within the same schools. Four distinct groups were analyzed within the study: female students taught in single-sex classes, male students taught in single-sex classes, female students taught in coeducational classes and male students taught in coeducational classes. Students were examined in three ways: as fourth and fifth grade students combined, only fourth grade students and only fifth grade students. The findings varied in results. Female students taught in coeducational classes attained higher means in reading achievement levels compared to all other class types. Males taught in single-sex classes showed significantly higher growth in reading and mathematics than all other class types. In some instances there were no differences noted in reading or mathematics achievement scores or academic growth between the groups. While the results of this study have implications for all professionals who work with public school students, special attention has been given to implications for school leaders in high poverty schools where gender achievement gaps are prevalent. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]