Kindergarten Through Third Grade Reading Tutors In Northeast Mississippi

All public schools in the United States have been caught up in educational reform. This has especially been true since the 1980’s. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was a major component in how schools have changed the process of educating students. In response to reform efforts, many schools have relied on their own knowledge to achieve higher test scores. In the last several years, accountability standards have been increasing. Schools are being assessed according to national standards. Because of this, many schools are using different methods of instruction for students at-risk of failing. One method of instruction that many schools have turned to is tutoring. Tutoring has been used in education for a long period of time. The use of tutoring and its effectiveness have been well established in the literature. However, there is not much literature on why tutoring is effective. There is also limited research on the tutor perceptions of the tutoring program. The focus of this study is to examine the use of tutors in Northeast Mississippi school districts. This study explores the grade levels and subjects tutors work in, how the tutoring sessions are organized, and the focus and materials of the tutoring sessions. Additionally, the backgrounds, experiences, training, and perceptions of the tutors regarding the tutoring program are explored. The results of this study suggest that tutors of schools in the Northeast Mississippi districts are utilized in a manner consistent with the research on effective tutoring. Additionally, the findings of this study add to the literature in regards to the organization, focus, and materials of the tutoring sessions. The findings show that some schools in Northeast Mississippi have a good organized tutoring program, but that others do not. Conversely, the focus and materials used in most of the tutoring sessions are consistent with ones shown to be effective in research. The findings also give some insight into tutor perspectives regarding tutoring sessions. Tutor perspectives coincide with research findings that show one-to-one and small group tutoring is effective and that tutors need training, observation, and feedback on tutoring to be most successful

Examining the Relationship between Student Support Services and Student Outcomes at a Four-Year Institution

This study identified and examined the service variable combination(s) provided by Student Support Services (SSS) TRIO program that had a statistically significant relationship with program participants’ academic performance and retention. SSS is a federally funded program designed to increase the retention and graduation rates of undergraduate first-generation, low-income, disabled college students. While SSS has played a significant role in the retention of disadvantaged students, scarce empirical research exist which examine the combination of SSS services that affect students’ academic performance and retention. Considering SSS programs will probably not experience large increases in federal support in the future and given the limited resources available to projects (Eisener, 1997), the purpose of this study was to determine the most efficient combination of services that had a statistically significant relationship with program participants’ academic performance and retention. The target population for this study included 307 students who participated in the program for the 2003-2004 academic year. Multiple and logistic regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between the total minutes devoted to services provided by SSS and program participants’ academic performance and retention rates. The findings from this study indicate that in combination the variables total minutes devoted to the services cultural enrichment and personal counseling were found to have statistically significant with academic performance for all subjects in the study. Personal counseling, cultural enrichment activities, career counseling, tutoring and academic counseling were found to have a statistically significant relationship with the academic performance of specific subpopulations of subjects in the study. Personal counseling had an inverse relationship with academic performance for all combinations of services found to be statistically significant. With regard to student retention, the program had a 93.5% retention rate. Academic counseling predicted student retention. However, certain services predicted student retention for specific subpopulations of students. Implications and recommendations for SSS programs and higher education are presented

The effects of multisensory phonics instruction on the fluency and decoding skills of students with learning disabilities in a middle school resource classroom

The purpose of this investigation was: (a) to determine the effects of a multisensory phonics instruction approach on students with learning disabilities in a middle school resource room, and (b) to ascertain the impact of phonics instruction at the middle school level for fluency and decoding performance for this particular population. This study utilized a single subject multiple baseline across participants design. Study results show students demonstrated a large increase in performance in both fluency rate and decoding accuracy. The average growth for fluency rate was 35% and the average growth for decoding accuracy among students was 24%. Analyses revealed that the multisensory phonics instruction in the small group setting during student tutorial periods improved their ability to read faster and decode text accurately at their reading levels. Implications for using multisensory phonics instruction for students with learning disabilities to help increase fluency rate and decoding accuracy are discussed

An exploration of emotional labour and emotion work in emergency pre-hospital care

This thesis explores emotional labour and emotion work in the context of the emergency ambulance service. The emergency medical service (EMS) provides constant response to life threatening situations and complex health care issues in the pre-hospital care setting. The emotional challenges of this type of health care work in the context of high demand is a crucial, though somewhat neglected area of research attention. Hochschild’s theory on emotional labour (1983, 2003) and Goffman’s (1959) dramaturgical concepts of front stage and backstage are utilised, supplemented with features of discourse and conversational analysis. An ethnographic approach involving 280 hours of participant observation over a 10-month period and 24 in-depth interviews with EMS crews in one busy, urban, inner city ambulance station serving a large geographical area in the UK has been utilised to explore the emotional challenges of this work and the local ways of dealing with these. The study findings suggest that EMS crews appraise and categorise their front stage work in positive and negative ways. Positive calls are expressed through local descriptors such being able to ‘make a difference’ and perceived ‘genuine’ need for the EMS and appear alongside emotions such as excitement which some crews suggested helped them deal with the more mundane types of work. Negative call appraisal was associated with questions of legitimacy of need for emergency assistance and predicated on normative ideologies. Crews constructed and populated categories displaying features of identity work, moral work and “negotiated order” (Strauss, Schatzman, Ehrlich, Bucher, & Sabshin, 1963), mobilizing their perceptions of the role of the EMS and the kind of work they should be doing. Negative categorisation was associated with frustration necessitating emotional labour by crews in the disguise and suppression of emotion and appeared to influence the interactions between them and patients. The backstage setting in the form of the crew room was a central, regular, social gathering point where frontline frustrations were shared and processed through moaning, complaining, talking and humour. The crew room was a setting to talk to each other about difficult calls; where reflection was verbalized in questioning if they had done the ‘right’ thing and where reassurance was sought from colleagues. The reflexivity displayed by crews in the backstage setting appeared to emphasise positive affirmations rather than challenge and contributed to a sense of group identity. This thesis offers new understandings of the challenges of the frontline EMS role, emotional labour and emotion work and drawing on participant observation, offers tentative implications these appear to have for crews’ interactions with those who use the service. The backstage context and behaviours represent local ways in which frontline role challenges appear to be expressed and managed from the perspective of those who are directly involved in it. The findings of this thesis offer unique contributions to the theory of emotional labour and emotion work in the emergency pre-hospital care context. These have implications for the inclusion of the concepts of emotional labour and emotion work in pre- and post-registration paramedic curricula, organisational recognition of the emotional demands of emergency ambulance work and staff support and for further research into the emotional challenges of this type of work

Children\u27s attitudes toward persons with disabilities: A comparison of rural and urban schools.

Several individuals need to be acknowledged for their help with this project_ First and foremost, I would like to sincerely thank Melissa Hall and Kelly Branecki. Without their help in data collection, this project would not have been completed. The 5:00 a.m. trip and five-hour drive demonstrated their enthusiasm and dedication to this project. I would also like to thank the administrators who allowed their schools to participate in my study. Additional thanks goes to my committee members, Dr. Robert Woody, Dr. John Hill, and Dr. Hans Langner for their help and feedback. In addition, my advisor, Dr. Lisa Kelly-Vance provided me with excellent feedback and support from beginning to end. On a personal note, I would like to thank all my friends and family for their support of my entire graduate school experience. A big thanks goes to my friend and colleague, Holly Zumpfe, who made my graduate school experience a rewarding time. I think we have read enough of one another\u27s work to last a lifetime. Dr. Mark Shriver and Dr. Judy Mathews were vital resources throughout this endeavor. Their professionalism and drive left a lasting impression that I will forever carry. I am eternally grateful to my parents, Tim and Gay, who have always supported and guided me in reaching my goals. Additional gratitude goes to my brothers, Joe and Jeff, who were willing participants for many school projects. Finally, a special thanks goes to my wonderful husband, Jim, who was supportive of every aspect of my graduate school experience. His help with studying, proofreading papers, listening to my stories, and patience made graduate school less stressful. Completion of this project and graduate school would not have been as enjoyable without the contributions and support of these individuals

Health and Wellness Factors Affecting the Wholistic Lifestyle of National and International Christian Missionaries

This thesis will focus on the health and wellness of missionaries and will develop a wholistic framework for healthier living. This framework will be used as a guide to help sustain missionaries living in various cultural contexts by connecting and integrating the mind, body, and spirit in harmony for wholistic lifestyle. God intended for His people to live a healthy lifestyle and to take care of their temples. Missionaries are the backbone of cross-cultural evangelism, but they often find themselves living unhealthy lifestyles. These unhealthy lifestyles can have a negative impact on missionaries’ overall health, wellness, and fruitfulness in serving on the mission field. The goal of this thesis is to develop a framework to improve the quality of life and overall wellness of missionaries, so that they can continue to focus on sharing the gospel in a productive and healthy manner. This thesis will use questionnaires to collect data from various missionary populations around the world. In addition, various factors that can affect missionaries, health and wellness, such as social, emotional, nutritional, physical, mental, environmental, and spiritual health, are researched and evaluated. The quantitative data collection is extrapolated, compiled, and analyzed, and a wholistic framework is developed from this data. This thesis will be a model for Christians to develop healthy lifestyle principles and practices in ministry

Multicultural training in a clinical psychology doctoral program: a template for conducting a cultural audit

This study explored the multicultural training practices within Pepperdine University\u27s PsyD program in clinical psychology and provided a template for other training programs attempting to conduct a cultural audit. Utilizing a bounded case study design, the current investigation gathered data from faculty in the PsyD program, currently enrolled doctoral students, course syllabi and prospective student recruitment materials. Research questions were: How do faculty members, full-time, adjunct and visiting, self-rate their overall competence in integrating multicultural issues in the classroom?; 2.) How do faculty members rate the multicultural training offered in Pepperdine\u27s PsyD program?; 3.) How frequently are multicultural issues addressed throughout the curriculum?; 4.) How do graduate students enrolled in all four years of the program self-rate their overall multicultural competence?; 5.) How do students perceive the multicultural training in the PsyD program and their preparation to address cultural factors in clinical settings?; and 6.) In what ways do the program\u27s prospective student recruitment materials reflect multicultural philosophies and practices? The multicultural training offered in the PsyD program has a number of strengths, including supportive faculty and student cohorts, multicultural research with the use of diverse research methodologies, and a mission statement that clearly outlines the importance of diversity to the university. Additionally, concrete steps are being taken to embrace and continue to develop the University as a multicultural organization. Areas of growth include better infusion of multicultural content across the curriculum, integration of diversity issues in clinical supervision, evaluation of student multicultural competence and faculty integration of multicultural topics in courses, improvement of community spaces, and multicultural training that attends to aspects of diversity beyond race and ethnicity