Recently Completed Dissertations
August 2011:
Wendy Athens: “Analysis of Self-Directed Mastery Learning of Honors Physics” (Educational Technology; Dr. Kara Dawson, chair).
Barry Bachenheimer: “A Management-Based CIPP Evaluation of a Northern New Jersey School District’s Digital Backpack Program” (Educational Technology; Dr. Kara Dawson, chair).
Jonathan Bostic: “The Effects of Teaching Mathematics through Problem-Solving Contexts on Sixth-Grade Students’ Problem-Solving Performance and Representation Use” (Mathematics Education; Dr. Stephen Pape & Dr. Tim Jacobbe, co-chairs).
Christopher Brkich: “High School World History Teachers’ Experiences: Learning to Use Authentic Intellectual Work in Schools of Color” (Social Studies Education; Dr. Elizabeth Washington, chair).
Katie Brkich: “Making Connections between Formal School Earth Science and Lived Experiences: An Investigation of Urban Fifth-Graders” (Science Education; Dr. Rose Pringle, chair).
Julia Carpenter: “An Exploratory Study of the Role of Teaching Experience in Motivation and Academic Achievement in a Virtual Ninth Grade English I Course” (Educational Technology; Dr. Cathy Cavanaugh, chair).
Stephanie Dodman: “School Reform in a High Poverty Elementary School: A Grounded Theory Case Study of Capacity Building” (Curriculum, Teaching, & Teacher Education; Dr. Dorene Ross, chair).
Julia Fuller: “An Evaluation of Professional Development on Using Student Response Systems and Interactive Whiteboards for Formative Assessment in the Middle Schools of a Southeastern School District” (Educational Technology, Dr. Kara Dawson, chair).
Jo Kozuma: “The Role of Social Networks in the Linguistic and Cultural Integration and Reintegration of Japanese Returning Migrants” (ESOL/Bilingual Education; Dr. Ester de Jong, chair).
Joanne LaFramenta: “Development of a Framework for Teaching Mathematics in Depth” (Mathematics Education; Dr. Thomasenia Adams, chair).
Zhuo Li: “Adolescent Second Language Learners’ Second Language Literacy Engagement in World of Warcraft (WOW)” (ESOL/Bilingual Education; Dr. Maria Coady & Dr. Rick Ferdig, co-chairs).
Mary Ellen Oslick: “African-American Boys’ Responses to Multicultural Children’s Literature Addressing Criminal Justice Issues in Literature Circles” (Language Arts & Children’s Literature, Dr. Ruth Lowery & Dr. Danling Fu, co-chairs).
May 2011:
Angela Browning: “An Exploration of the Experiences of High School Dual Enrollment Students Enrolled in College Composition” (English Education; Dr. Jane Townsend, chair).
August 2010:
Jeffrey Boyer: “Using scratch for learner-constructed multimedia: a design-based research inquiry of constructionism in practice” (Educational Technology; Dr. Kara Dawson, chair).
Vasa Buraphadeja: “An assessment of knowledge construction in an online discussion forum: the relationship between content analysis and social network analysis” (Educational Technology, Dr. Kara Dawson, chair).
Darby Delane: “An investigation of the co-construction of school identities: collaborating with fourth-graders in the supervision of prospective teachers” (Curriculum, Teaching, & Teacher Education; Dr. Elizabeth Bondy, chair).
Katherin Garland: “Literacy Practices in an English Language Arts Elective: An Examination of How Students Respond to Media Literacy Education” (English Education; Dr. Barbara Pace, chair).
Sandra Hancock: “Perceptions about teaching and learning to teach English language learners in elementary classrooms” (ESOL/Bilingual Education; Dr. Candace Harper, chair).
Kathryn Kennedy: “The essence of the virtual school practicum: a phenomenological study of pre-service teachers’ experiences in a virtual school” (Educational Technology; Dr. Kara Dawson, chair).
Michelle Klosterman: “A comparison of secondary science teachers’ reported and actual use of non-instructional mass media : implications for science education and media literacy” (Science Education; Dr. Troy Sadler, chair).
Feng Liu: “Factors influencing success in online high school algebra” (Educational Technology; Dr. Cathy Cavanaugh, chair).
Jennifer Mesa: “The development and use of a concept mapping assessment tool with young children on family visits to a live butterfly exhibit” (Science Education; Dr. Linda Jones, chair).
Felecia Moss: “The Impact of Cultural Informants in Building Cultural Competence of Preservice Teachers in Urban Schools” (Curriculum, Teaching, & Teacher Education; Dr. Dorene Ross, chair).
Berna Mutlu: “A study of English language learners’ second language use in the context of a collaborative graphic organizer task” (ESOL/Bilingual education; Dr. Candace Harper, chair).
Vicki Vescio: “Identification with academics: the early school experiences of six African American boys” (Curriculum, Teaching, & Teacher Education; Dr. Dorene Ross, chair).
May 2010:
Wendy Drexler: “The networked student: a design-based research case study of student constructed personal learning environments in a middle school science course” (Educational Technology; Dr. Kara Dawson & Dr. Cathy Cavanaugh, co-chairs).
December 2009:
Fatma Aslan-Tutak: “A study of geometry content knowledge of elementary preservice teachers : the case of quadrilaterals” (Mathematics Education; Dr. Thomasenia Adams, chair).
Jennifer Drake Patrick: “Crossing borders : high school science teachers learning to teach the specialized language of science” (Reading Education; Dr. Zhihui Fang, chair).
Min-Tzu Wang: “Effects of metacognitive reading strategy instruction on EFL high school students’ reading comprehension, reading strategies awareness, and reading motivation” (Language Arts & Children’s Literature; Dr. Danling Fu, chair).
August 2009:
Carl Colavito: “Educating for democracy : lessons from Goethe’s Faust” (Curriculum & Instruction, Dr. Elizabeth Bondy, chair).
Ihsan Seyit Ertem: “Investigating the effects of electronic CD-ROM storybooks and traditional print storybooks on reading comprehension of fourth grade struggling readers” (Reading Education; Dr. Richard Ferdig, chair).
Caitlin Gallingane: “Effects of read-aloud strategies on young children’s vocabulary learning” (Early Childhood Education; Dr. Kristen Kemple, chair).
Jennifer Manak: “Intertextual connections : the impact of interactive read alouds on the writing of third graders during writing workshop” (Language, Literacy, & Culture; Dr. Linda Lamme, chair).
Charlotte Mundy: “Reading First Reading coaches’ interpretations and enactments of their role as reading coach” (Reading Education; Dr. Zhihui Fang, chair).
Emily Peterek: “Culturally responsive teaching in the context of mathematics : a grounded theory approach” (Mathematics Education; Dr. Thomasenia Adams, chair).
Donna Sabis-Burns: “Once upon an encounter: a content analysis of selected children’s literature portraying the encounter of Christopher Columbus and the Taino people” (Language Arts & Children’s Literature; Dr. Ruth Lowery & Dr. Linda Lamme, co-chairs).
Chiu Hui Wu: “Adolescent English language learners in the classroom: students’ perceptions of using READ 180” (ESOL/Bilingual Education; Dr. Maria Coady, chair).
May 2009:
Erik Black: “An evaluation of familial involvements’ influence on student achievement in K-12 virtual schooling” (Educational Technology; Dr. Rick Ferdig & Dr. Kara Dawson, co-chairs).
Donald Boyd: “The WPA Packhorse Library Program and the Social Utility of Literacy, 1883-1962” (Social Foundations of Education; Dr. Sevan Terzian, chair).
Susan Jinks: “An examination of teaching presence and the sense of community on perceived student learning” (Educational Technology; Dr. Colleen Swain, chair).
Christopher Sessums: “The path from insight to action: the case of an online learning community in support of collaborative teacher inquiry” (Educational Technology; Dr. Thomas Dana, chair).
