College of Education Theses & Dissertations

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Open Access
A History of the School of Education at the University of Oregon
(University of Oregon, 1964-08) Colvin, Lloyd Wilkinson
The pioneers who settled Oregon had strong convictions about the bearing of education on the individual and the common good. They shared the view expressed in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 that "schools and the means of education shall be forever encouraged." But, even though Nathan Dane's prescript was transposed into the territorial government of Oregon, disagreements among educators and among people imbued with varied religious beliefs and diverse customs prevented quick fulfillment of its precepts.
Open Access
A Study of the Change of Student Teachers' Concerns Through Early Field Experiences
(University of Oregon, 1971-06) Harp, Max William
The present study examined the change in stated professional concerns of education students during a term of field experience. Three groups of students engaged in different kinds of field experience early in their training were investigated. The first purpose of the present study was to examine the change in stated concerns of education students as they engaged in one of three field experience programs at the University of Oregon. The focus of the study was the elevation of concerns of future teachers from self-survival concerns, such as "What will the teachers think of me" or "Will I be accepted as a teacher?" toward pupil-centered-teaching concerns, such as "How do I meet individual needs, specify objectives, and measure pupil progress?" Three populations of students were included in the study. Each group was at a different point in the training program in which they were enrolled. The groups were not compared. The major purpose of the study was to examine the change in concerns of each individual group during one academic term.
Open Access
The Relation of Conceptual Styles and Mode of Perception to Graphic Expression
(University of Oregon, 1969-08) Lovano, Jessie Jacquelyn
Early research in cognition, perception and graphic expression attributes differences in the cognitive and graphic products of children of the same age to differences in the amount of knowledge, facility in reasoning, skills or biogenic determined developmental levels. More recent studies in cognition and perception seem to indicate stable intraindividual consistencies of patterning in coping with and relating verbal and visual information (26) (49). The possibility of an individual performing in a self-consistent manner when processing visual and/or cognitive information into graphic expression has not been studied. The purpose of this study is to investigate the possible relationship of the findings of Witkin (49) on consistencies in mode of perceiving, and the findings of Kagan (22) on consistencies in mode of 2 cognition to the possible consistencies in the mode of graphic expression of boys at five grade levels. This study attempts to determine whether ( 1) an individual's preference for an analytical mode of perceiving and conceptualizing wiH also be demonstrated in his graphic expression, and whether (2) an individual's preference for a global mode of perceiving and conceptualizing will also be demonstrated in his graphic expression. The general assumptions to be tested in this study are that ( 1) individuals perform in a self-consistent manner when processing visual and cognitive information, and that (2) this consistency is also evident in their graphic expressions.
Open Access
A Longitudinal and Comparative Study of 8th Grade Students' "Spontaneous" and "Creative" Art Performance and Production
(University of Oregon, 1970-06) Lombard, James Benjamin
This study has incorporated the use of two evaluative criterion measures which purport to measure, in terms of their authors' defining and normative statements, the degree of creativeness visually manifest in art products. The purposes of this study were l) to determine whether there are real .differences in ranking art products of the same population between judge groups employing these measures, and 2) to analyze any ranking fluctuations of the subjects' art products between and among different art tasks and media as determined by the judge groups' evaluation.
Open Access
Motivating Change in High-Risk Adolescents: An Intervention Focus on the Deviant Friendship Process
(University of Oregon, 2004-03) Knopes, David Ryan
The purpose of the following literature review is not to exhaustively survey the current state of delinquency intervention science. Rather, the goal is to clearly delineate the developmental and peer social processes that reinforce and exacerbate adolescent problem behavior. Reviewed literature focuses on the developmental impact of family of origin, detailing how coercive family dynamics negatively impact social skills development. Consideration is then given to the difficulties children from coercive families have with school transitions. Reviewed research suggests that children who remain reliant on coercive interpersonal processes can commonly be directed by both punishments and interventions towards delinquent peer clustering, inadvertently creating environments that reinforce and exacerbate pre-delinquent social dynamics. Focus is then turned to the unique social and reinforcement dynamics inherent in these delinquent peer groups, identifying language and verbal dynamics as being a special risk factors and predictors of later problem behavior. This review, although necessarily limited in scope, argues that for the highest risk adolescents, delinquent talk and the behavioral reinforcement that it generates within the delinquent peer group is a powerful primer for later delinquent action. I also argue that high-risk adolescents' verbal behaviors are both visible and viable targets for intervention efforts.
Open Access
An Experimental Study of the Effects of Negative Sociometric Choices on Interpersonal Relationships in Grade Five Students
(University of Oregon, 1966-03) Cross, Donald A.
Open Access
The Basic Factors Involved in a Space Arts Curriculum
(1935-10) Schulderman, Marie
Open Access
A History of the Irreducible School Fund in Oregon
(1949-06) Hawk, Norman Ray
Efforts have been made in this study to trace the developments of the Irreducible School Fund and the factors responsible for depriving the schools of the legacy bequeathed by far-seeing statesmen during the formative period of American development. An attempt has been made to analyse the errors of the past and to estimate the resultant losses to the public schools of Oregon. It is now apparent that what was once intended as substantial school aid actually has been a paltry "drop-in-the-bucket" relative to needs.
Open Access
The Technological Imperative in Educational Organizations: An Investigation of Structural and Personnel Factors Associated with the Flexibility of Instructional Technology in Public Elementary Schools
(University of Oregon, 1978-12) Balderson, James Henry
This study of public elementary school organizations explored relationships among properties of three major variables: technology, structure and personnel. The relationships were examined (a) in the light of Charles Perrow's theoretical formulation of the "technological imperative" which states that the nature of an organization's technology determines the nature of its organizational structure and (b) in the light of the author's notion that the educational attitudes of organizational personnel were likely to affect the technology and structure of educational organizations. The general research problem was stated as follows: Are public elementary school organizations characterized by systematic variation in relationships among properties of personnel attitudes, technology and structure? Four research questions were derived from the study's theoretical framework: 1. Is there evidence that the technological imperative operates in educational organizations? This question was addressed by an examination of (1.1) relationships of instructional flexibility (a measure of technological routineness) with the following structural characteristics: (a) bureaucratization of teacher behavior, (b) influence over school-wide matters, and (c) influence over classroom matters; and (1.2) the effects of control variables on the hypothesized negative relationship between instructional flexibility and bureaucratization of teacher behavior. 2. What weights may be assigned to characteristics of supervisory and instructional personnel regarding their association , if any, with instructional flexibility and properties of organizational structure? This question was addressed by an examination of (2.1) relationships of the educational attitudes of principals and staffs with instructional flexibility and (2.2) bureaucratization of teacher behavior and (2.3) the powers of two models to describe causal relationships among these variables. 3. What few variables compared with instructional flexibility best predict bureaucratization of teacher behavior? 4. What few variables compared with bureaucratization of teacher behavior best predict instructional flexibility? Data was collected by a questionnaire survey of 41 elementary schools in a large urban western Canadian school district. Computerized multivariate statistical techniques, including path analysis, were used to examine the data.
Open Access
Evaluating Psychometric Properties of the Korean Translated Social Emotional Assessment Measure for Korean Preschool Children
(University of Oregon, 2012) Young, Ah Kim Park
Children’s social emotional competence affects school achievement as well as later job success. Social emotional competence can be promoted when appropriate social emotional interventions are provided. To provide quality intervention, it is essential to use measures that include functional skills, promote team collaboration, and monitor changes in children’s performance over time. A Curriculum Based Measure (CBM) can support the connection between assessment and intervention. In Korea, an increasing rate of social emotional problems among young children has been reported. The need for culturally appropriate CBMs for Korean children is critical for providing quality interventions. This study explored whether the Korean translated Social Emotional Assessment Measure (KSEAM) is a valid and reliable measure to assess social emotional competency in Korean preschool children and evaluated teachers’ and parents’ perceptions of the utility of the KSEAM. Participants consisted of 160 parents and 66 teachers of 160 children between the ages of 36 and 77 months. Using data from the initially-completed K-SEAM (n=160), Cronbach’s alphas for parent and teacher data were .95. Correlations between the first and second K-SEAM completed by parents and teachers were statistically significant (i.e., .87 for parents and .81 for teachers). Using the first K-SEAM data completed by parents and teachers (n=160), inter-rater correlation was statistically significant, r = .31, p < .01. Moderate correlations were found between the K-SEAM and the Korean translated Ages and Stages Questionnaires: Social Emotion completed by parents as well as teachers (i.e., -.61 for parents, - .54 for teachers). The results show moderate correlation between the K-SEAM and Korean translated Child Behavior Checklist (-.58) or Kongju Early Developmental Assessment System (.48). Most of parents (77.6%) and teachers (74.2%) completed the K-SEAM within 10 to 30 minutes. A majority of parents (88.1%) and teachers (89.4%) felt that items of the K-SEAM were very easy or easy to understand. Most participants felt that the response choices were very easy or easy to select (77.5% of parents, 63.8% of teachers). Over 70% of parents and teachers indicated that the K-SEAM was helpful to identify previously suspected or newly detected concerns about their children’s social emotional development.
Open Access
Policy and Persistence: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Case Study of "Last Mile" Students at Portland State University
(University of Oregon, 2012) Wubbold, Joseph Mark
In an extension of educational attainment research, this exploratory mixed- methods case study examines the influence of institutional policies on the behavior of five cohorts (n=925) of traditional first time, full time (FTFT) freshmen – called “Last Mile” students – at one urban research university located in the Pacific Northwest. Last Milers are defined as FTFT students who persist to the fifth year of enrollment but do not graduate by the end of their sixth year; the cut point for federal graduation rates. Punctuated Equilibrium Theory (PET) was chosen as the theoretical framework for this study as the case subject is undergoing a period of internal change brought on by external forces beyond its control. In a classic PET response, the university has overcome its institutional inertia and is working to improve an area of perceived weakness – graduation rates – before resetting itself. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected for this study. Extant student and institutional characteristic data were provided by the case subject. Additional data were collected from Last Mile students via a researcher created online survey. This study supports four findings: 1) Formative interviews, contextual institutional data and student success expenditures data affirm the use of PET as the study’s theoretical framework; 2) Student survey data confirm that most of PSU’s planned interventions are supported and likely to yield the desired results of improved graduation rates, over time; 3) Difficulty obtaining complete student data supports the need for a more systematic approach to centralized data collection, particularly as PSU begins a transition to strategic enrollment management; and 4) As PSU enters the era of managing to metrics, it would be wise to consider the cautionary principle of PET; that organizations treat the time following a change as a trial rather than a reset period. While a trial-period does not guarantee the success of the organizational change, it does provide the necessary conditions for an organization to enact change when it is in the midst of punctuation. These findings have practical application to internal PSU policy and may have theoretical implications for college graduation rate research as well.
Open Access
Mental Health Screening Within a Tiered Model: Investigation of a Strength-Based Approach
(University of Oregon, 2012) Romer, Natalie; Romer, Natalie; Anderson, Cynthia
This study examined the utility of a brief, strength-based approach to mental health screening. A strength-based based approach to mental health screening focuses on the social and emotional competencies taught and supported by the school context. As such, a strength-based approach to mental health screening is aligned with a three-tiered response to intervention model aimed at maximizing the effectiveness of universal supports and early detection of students who may benefit from additional intervention.
Open Access
Using Concurrent Verbalization to Measure Math Comprehension
(University of Oregon, 2012) Lambeth, Cathryn; Lambeth, Cathryn; Tindal, Gerald
The current study investigated variability in student performance on a concurrent verbalization measure based on a grade-level sample math word problem and sought to determine to what extent the variability in verbalization scores is related to scores on a reliable measure of reading (DIBELS Next) and math (easyCBM) and to student factors (e.g. sex, grade, economic status). In light of the 2014 implementation of the Common Core State Standards and related measures of student performance, both of which contain components of language in mathematics curriculum and assessment, it was the intent of this study to identify factors associated with verbalization on sample math word problems that could be correlated with student performance on reliable, commonly used assessments of reading and math. The sample for analysis included 105 intermediate-grade students from one elementary school in the Pacific Northwest. Results support a relation between students' verbalizations about math word problems and benchmark assessments in reading and math. Limitations of the study, considerations for future research, and implications for practice are discussed.
Open Access
Teaching for Conceptual Change in a Density Unit Taught to 7th Graders: Comparing Two Teaching Methodologies - Scientific Inquiry and a Traditional Approach
(University of Oregon, 2012) Holveck, Susan; Holveck, Susan; Zvoch, Keith
This mixed methods study was designed to compare the effect of using an inquiry teaching methodology and a more traditional teaching methodology on the learning gains of students who were taught a five-week conceptual change unit on density.
Open Access
21st Century Skills Development: Learning in Digital Communities: Technology and Collaboration
(University of Oregon, 2012) Short, Barbara; Short, Barbara; Scalise, Kathleen
This study examines some aspects of student performance in the 21st century skills of Information and Communication (ICT) Literacy and collaboration. In this project, extant data from the Assessment and Teaching for 21st Century Skills project (ATC21S) will be examined. ATC21S is a collaborative effort among educational agencies in six countries, universities, educational research groups, high tech innovators and the multinational corporations Cisco, Intel and Microsoft. ATC21S demonstration tasks explore the use of digital literacy and collaborative problem solving constructs in educational assessment. My research investigates evidence from cognitive laboratories and pilots administered in one of the ATC21S demonstration scenarios, a collaborative mathematics/science task called "Global Collaboration Contest: Arctic Trek." Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, I analyze student work samples. Specifically, I (i) develop a rubric as a measurement tool to evaluate the student assessment artifact "Arctic Trek Notebook" for (a) generalized patterns and (b) trends that may indicate skill development in collaborative learning in a digital environment and (ii) conduct descriptive studies among the variables of student age and student notebook characteristics. Results are intended to inform instructional leaders on estimates of student ability in virtual collaboration and to make suggestions for instructional design and professional development for online collaborative learning assessment tasks in K-12 education.
Open Access
Identification of Students in Late Elementary Grades With Reading Difficulties
(University of Oregon, 2012) Lai, Cheng-Fei; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Kamata, Akihito
Piecewise latent class growth analysis (LCGA) was used to examine growth patterns in reading comprehension and passage reading fluency on easyCBM, a popular formative assessment system. Unlike conventional growth modeling, LCGA takes into account the heterogeneity of growth and may provide reliable predictions for later development. Because current methods for classifying students are still questionable, this modeling technique could be a viable alternative classification method to identifying students at risk for reading difficulty. Results from this study suggested heterogeneity in reading development. The latent classes and growth trajectories from the LCGA models were found to align closely with easyCBM's risk rating system. However, results from one school district did not fully generalize across another. The implications for future research on examining growth in reading are discussed.
Open Access
Relative Effects of Delayed Versus Immediate Reinforcement Within an Interdependent Group-Oriented Contingency System
(University of Oregon, 2012) Coughlin, Cristy; Coughlin, Cristy; Anderson, Cindy
The current study sought to add to the literature on applying interdependent group-oriented contingency systems with randomized components to academic performance. This study expanded previous work, which has only examined effects on elementary classrooms and students with disabilities, by implementing a similar intervention within a general education, secondary classroom. Given the restricted time that teachers have to learn and implement interventions, while simultaneously carrying out all their additional responsibilities in the classroom, it is necessary for school psychologists to consider these limitations when recommending interventions. In previous work involving interdependent group-oriented contingencies, the delivery of reinforcement has been relatively immediate. While this is an ideal arrangement, it may be infeasible for middle and high school teachers to ensure reinforcement of academic performance occurs immediately within the class period. This study examined whether the delivery of reinforcement can be delayed within an interdependent group-oriented contingency system and still improve the academic performance of students in the classroom, which will allow the teacher more time for evaluating the quality of student work and, in turn, impact the acceptability of the intervention. One middle school, general education classroom served as the setting for this study. Academic performance data, including in-class work completion and accuracy rates, were collected class-wide and data on social behavior variables were gathered for 3 students exhibiting moderate to high levels of off-task behavior, based on teacher perception. An alternating treatments design was employed with two intervention conditions: one condition included immediate reinforcement and the other involved delivering reinforcement to students a day later. The interdependent group-oriented contingency intervention implemented included procedures for randomly selecting target behaviors, criteria, and reinforcers.
Open Access
An Examination of the Impact of Successive and Non-Successive Geometry Classes on High School Student Achievement
(University of Oregon, 2012) Sugg, Steven; Sugg, Steven; Tindal, Gerald
This study examines the impact of successive versus non-successive scheduling of mathematics courses on the achievement of ninth-grade students in a suburban Oregon high school. The Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills and student performance on the geometry course final exam were employed to compare the achievement of intact groups of students who had geometry scheduled for two successive trimesters and students who had geometry in two non-successive trimesters. An ANCOVA provides a comparison of students on pre-test and post-test performance. The results show no differences in student mathematics achievement as a result of scheduling differences after the covariate pre-test is examined. The implications are that schools may choose schedules for reasons other than improving student achievement and that scheduling does not impact student achievement.
Open Access
Using Curriculum-Based Measurement to Predict Eighth-Grade Student Performance on a Statewide Reading Assessment
(University of Oregon, 2012) LeRoux, Mindy; LeRoux, Mindy; Zvoch, Keith
The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between oral reading fluency (ORF) and Maze, two common Curriculum-Based Measures (CBMs), and the statewide large-scale assessment of reading in Oregon, the Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills- Reading (OAKS-R). A sample of three cohorts of eighth-grade students in an Oregon school district was used to examine concurrent validity, predictive validity, and the relation between demographic characteristics, disability status, and socio-economic status and the ability to predict performance on the OAKS-R. Findings of the concurrent validity analysis revealed a moderately strong positive correlation between the OAKS-R and both ORF and Maze measures, with ORF demonstrating a slightly stronger correlation with the OAKS-R. Multiple regression analyses were used to analyze the predictive relationship between ORF and Maze and scores on the eighth-grade OAKS-R. Both ORF and Maze were statistically significant predictors of OAKS-R, demonstrating moderately positive relationships with scores on the state reading test. Although no interaction effect was found between disability classification or eligibility for free or reduced-price meals and the different CBMs, in relation to the OAKS-R, student disability status was negatively related to performance on the OAKS-R. The relationship between OAKS-R performance and low socio-economic status, as measured by eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch status, was not consistent across the cohorts. This finding is promising, as it indicates that there may be factors that schools can take advantage of to ameliorate the relationship between poverty and reading outcome measures for eighth-grade students. In light of study results, suggestions for future research, as well as implications for the field, are discussed. This study adds to the research literature documenting that ORF and Maze assessments provide schools with valuable information to predict student performance on statewide large-scale assessments of reading. With CBM data available early in the school year, schools can provide additional intervention as needed, potentially leading to improved end-of-year student performance on the OAKS-R.
Open Access
Characteristics of Effective Implementation of School Wellness Policies
(University of Oregon, 2012) Ehrlich, Virginia; Ehrlich, Virginia; Conley, David
The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 requires that most public school districts implement student wellness efforts that promote physical activity and nutrition. Several studies have found that there were no significant changes to schools' nutrition and physical activity environments as a result of previous district wellness policy efforts, making the identification of strategies that will help facilitate actual health-promoting policy and program changes in schools a timely and important goal. This study investigates effective strategies for improving the implementation of school wellness policies with the goal of understanding factors that predict effective and quality policy implementation more clearly. Specifically, this study explores the results of a consultative technical assistance model aimed at implementing a school-based obesity prevention program as a mechanism for school wellness policy implementation in three cohorts over a 4-year period. Analyses suggest that schools in Urban District 1 and Urban District 2 made significantly more progress in implementing health-promoting policy and program changes than did the national schools cohort.