2023 Doctoral Capstone Projects

This qualitative study examined the perceptions of K-12 school staff in buildings that have recently performed facility upgrades or renovations in the past five years. The purpose of this study was to get an understanding of staff perceptions related to the impact of school facility improvements on students. The main questions that guided this research were: 1.) What is the perception of staff on facility upgrades/improvements and its impact on student engagement? 2.) What is the perception of staff on facility upgrades/improvements and its impact on student and staff safety? Data collection consisted on surveys and interviews within the Cumberland Valley School District and the Mechanicsburg Area School District, both located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. These surveys and interviews proved to be invaluable because perceptions were being considered from individuals that work daily in the day-to-day operations of a building, its professional staff, support staff, and administrators. This process allowed those individuals to reflect on their students and themselves in regards to the school districts commitment to facility upgrades and improvements.

School culture has a multitude of definitions and can be perceived differently by every stakeholder group. The value and measure of importance of school culture can vary drastically from building to building and district to district. The purpose of this action research study was to examine the perceptions of school culture as it relates to the Moniteau School District. Results indicated that school culture was perceived in a favorable light, with community members feeling the faculty and staff, as well as administration supported the student population. Additionally, the community provided suggestions for what can be done to improve school culture, if the opportunity would
present itself. Implications of the study were that the district is on target with the extracurricular offerings and the communication methods it employs, which has led to a positive view of the current school culture. Feedback was offered on suggestions for
improvements that could enhance school culture.

The severe shortage of teachers is a critical concern in education today. This project investigates this complex issue by delving into its root causes from diverse angles. The study explores the difficulties that hinder the recruitment and retention of competent educators, impacting the overall educational landscape. Employing a mixed-methods approach, this research employs qualitative and quantitative data to probe the teacher shortage phenomenon. Through an extensive review and analysis of existing literature, the study identifies and examines factors dissuading potential educators from joining the profession and obstructing the continuity of experienced teachers. Factors like low morale, excessive workloads, limited career advancement, inadequate compensation, insufficient professional growth opportunities, and challenging work conditions are thoroughly examined. Policies, institutional practices, and the teacher shortage are examined in the study. By scrutinizing educational policies, licensing requirements, and teacher training programs, the research underscores systemic issues unintentionally deterring capable candidates from pursuing and staying in teaching roles. It also explores effective strategies educational institutions and school districts use to attract and retain quality educators, proposing potential remedies to alleviate the shortage. The study's findings underscore the imperative for an inclusive, collaborative approach to tackle the teacher shortage crisis. It emphasizes the necessity for reforms in recruitment, compensation, professional development, and fostering supportive work environments. In conclusion, this research provides insights into the teacher shortage by examining it through diverse lenses.

Data from initial third-grade diagnostic assessments for the last two years, as well as results of third-grade PSSA tests, indicate that students in the Dover Area School District are demonstrating weaknesses in foundational reading skills. This research is critical at this time not only to provide information to assist in closing learning gaps created by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also given the relationship between a student's level of reading proficiency in third grade and future success. The focus of this action research was to gather qualitative and quantitative data relative to instructional practices in primary classrooms specific to foundational reading skills, teachers' use of assessment to drive instruction, and kindergarten through second grade student performance on triannual diagnostic and benchmark assessments. Data was collected through teacher surveys, direct classroom observations, semi-structured teacher interviews, and diagnostic and benchmark scores for students in kindergarten through second grade during the 2022-23 school year. The results of the research indicate that instructional practices are inconsistent within and among primary classrooms. Additionally, student growth in foundation skills was inconsistent between measures, with some students demonstrating growth but not gaining as expected according to criterion referenced-benchmark scores and national norms. Performance in one measure, ORF, was supported by teachers' reported confidence in teaching the skill and instructional time spent on it. The study concludes with recommendations for increasing consistency of instructional practices and all staff's understanding of effective instructional practices and data analysis.

Educator induction programs are designed to support new educators and educational specialists during their first years of teaching. The research problem this study aimed to
remediate was the challenge of designing an induction program that comprehensively supports educators and educational specialists with different job types. A comprehensive
educator induction program systematically and explicitly teaches new educators workplace systems, routines, and policies, while sharpening the instructional lens of the practitioner. The purpose of this study was 1) to determine if correlations existed between the relationships of educators and mentors and the level of engagement of the educators during induction and 2) to identify the components of comprehensive educator induction programs. A quantitative research approach, through closed surveys, was used to collect data to answer the research questions. Three groups of stakeholders participated in the study: educators and educational specialists, mentors, and intermediate unit educator induction leaders. The data analysis concluded there was no significant evidence to suggest the strength of the relationship between mentee and mentor impacted the engagement of the mentee during induction.

Third grade is regarded as a milestone year. From kindergarten to second grade, students learn to read, but from grades three and beyond students read to learn. This longitudinal
mixed methods research study examines the impact of third-grade reading proficiency (as measured by the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment) on later high school learning outcomes. Specifically, the study tracks three cohorts of third-grade students from 2009, 2010, and 2011, examines the eighth-grade instructional reading level (IRL) of these students five years later, then analyzes the types of courses these students enrolled in three years later as students at Parkland High School in 2017, 2018, and 2019, respectively. The focus is on the number of students enrolled in Advanced Placement and Project Lead the Way courses, both college-level courses considered to be among the most rigorous offered by the Parkland School District in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The quantitative analysis determined there was a strong positive correlation between third-grade reading proficiency level and the enrollment of students in these programs. In addition, Parkland elementary teachers participated in the Progress in International Reading and Literacy Study (PIRLS) to provide qualitative data on Parkland’s early literacy program by examining the specific teaching techniques, strategies, and resources Parkland’s elementary teachers use on a daily or weekly basis. The combined datasets provide a more complete picture of Parkland’s early literacy program and its impact on students throughout their academic career at Parkland School
District.

School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) is a framework that has been proven to be effective at elementary and secondary schools through ongoing research. The researched middle school educates students grades 6-8 and is located in Western Pennsylvania. The middle school reintroduced their SWPBIS PRIDE program back to its staff and students during the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year after a COVID-19 hiatus. Managing student behaviors was a difficult task post the COVID-19 shutdown. The middle school wanted to provide students and staff with a positive reward system for following expectations versus only relying on punitive practices to address negative student behaviors. This mixed methods research is focused on analyzing staff perceptions in conjunction with out-of-school suspensions (OSS) and SWPBIS data to understand the SWPBIS program's effectiveness and sustainability. The research compared quantitative and qualitative data focused on the 2021-2022 and the 2022-2023 school year. Results indicated that the SWPBIS rewards had no impact on improving students receiving OSS. The SWPBIS program itself did not improve the OSS numbers at the middle school. Finally, the middle school staffs perception of the SWPBIS program improved from year one to year two of implementation. Findings from this action research will be utilized to improve the researched SWPBIS program, as well as other schools who currently implement a SWPBIS program.

The action-research was completed at Northern High School in the Northern York County School District. The focus of the research was on the impacts of Tier 1 supports through the Multi-Tiered System of Supports framework on ninth-grade student academic achievement. Teacher observations were conducted in the core ninth-grade academic classrooms – English, Earth and Space Science, English I, and Algebra I – to observe the Tier 1 instructional academic strategies being used. Additionally, academic performances from those classrooms were gathered in the form of grades to evaluate passing rates. Additionally, grades in the courses for the past three years were gathered and used comparatively with the student grades during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Each year, Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 conducts a large number of at the request of school districts. The current action research plan investigated the impact of providing professional development and collaboration from an occupational therapist in the regular education setting. Regular education teachers in the intervention group received classroom-based occupational therapy consultation visits over five months. Participants in the intervention group and a control group completed pre and post surveys to analyze their own perceptions of self-competency related to addressing occupational therapy concerns in the regular education setting and the teachers’ perceptions of the value of school-based occupational therapy services. The occupational therapist and building principal participated in post-intervention interviews to gather insight on their perceptions regarding the impact of OT services. In addition, referral data was analyzed to determine whether the provision of pre-referral professional development and class wide consultation could impact the number of initial referrals for kindergarten occupational therapy evaluations. Overall, the survey data and interviews provided some support that the provision of pre-referral professional development and class wide consultation can impact the teachers’ perceptions of self-competency related to addressing occupational therapy concerns in
the regular education setting and the value of IU OT services. The results also showed that the intervention was associated with a decrease in referrals for OT evaluations for the teachers in the intervention groups when compared to the prior year.

School leaders are always looking for ways to create welcoming environments for students and staff. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact that mindfulness activities had on teacher perceived stress. This study also examined the causes of the teachers’ stress and supports that can be put in place to help reduce teacher stress. This mixed-methods study used surveys to collect data prior to the study, during the study, and after the completion of the 24 mindfulness activities conducted over an eight-week period. Quantitative and qualitative data was gathered using Likert scale, multiple choice, and an open-ended response. The data was gathered and then analyzed to determine the impact of mindfulness activities on perceived stress. The pre, post, and mindfulness activity data was triangulated to determine the relationship between mindfulness activities and teacher stress. The research questions focused on the causes of teacher perceived stress and the perceived effect that mindfulness activities had on their stress. The last two questions examined if demographics made a difference on teacher perceived stress and the teachers’ perceptions of what impact the mindfulness activities would have if implemented into their classroom. The overall finding was that the mindfulness activities did decrease teacher perceived stress and that the largest stressor for teachers was not having enough time. All teachers in the study believed that the mindfulness activities would have an impact on students in their classroom and demographics did not show a significant difference in the decrease of stress of the participants.