Browsing by Author "Mondak, Michael Joseph"

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    Academic Expectations of a High School and the Frequency of AcademicDishonesty as Reported by High School Principals in Virginia
    Nichols, Richard Duane (Virginia Tech, 2014-06-12)
    A review of research indicates that academic dishonesty is a common occurrence at all levels of education with high school being a significant determinant in whether one will engage in cheating at the college level. Current research is heavily concentrated on cheating at the college level. This study investigated the academic expectations of a high school and the frequency of academic dishonesty as reported by high school principals. Specifically, four research questions were addressed: 1. To what extent are the academic expectations of a high school related to the frequency of academic dishonesty as reported by high school administrators? 2. To what extent is the implementation of an honor code at a high school related to the frequency of academic dishonesty as reported by high school administrators? 3. What do high school administrators perceive as the most important causes of academic dishonesty? 4. To what degree do high school administrators perceive academic dishonesty as an important problem in high schools? This quantitative research study used a sample drawn from public high school administrators (principals or assistant principals) in the Commonwealth of Virginia. A total of 129 participants from a possible 267 public high schools were surveyed. There was no relationship found between the implementation of an honor code and the frequency of academic dishonesty. School administrators perceived the academic expectations of the school and teacher, the lack of an honor code, and the enforcement of an honor code as less likely to be contributing factors to academic dishonesty in comparison to other factors. The main causes for student cheating perceived by the principals were a fear of failure, laziness or procrastination and ease of cheating. Overall, the principals placed less importance upon academic dishonesty in comparison to other disciplinary problems they face at the high school level.
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    The Essential Components of a Comprehensive Ninth Grade Transition Program: A Delphi Study
    Healey, Timothy L. (Virginia Tech, 2014-10-31)
    The transition to high school is a critical juncture of a student's educational career. The type of ninth grade transition program a high school has in place can be a deciding factor regarding whether students 'make it or break it' during their first year and, ultimately, have success throughout all of high school. Currently, resources are available about different aspects of the ninth grade transition, but nothing provides principals with a research-based and practitioner-endorsed comprehensive approach to designing and implementing a ninth grade transition program. A comprehensive approach starts with proper goals and objectives, includes essential specific components and ingredients needed in a ninth grade transition program, and requires data or measures to judge the effectiveness of the program. Therefore, a Delphi study was undertaken to answer the following research question: What should be the goals/objectives of a comprehensive ninth grade transition program (i.e., academic success alone or are there other things that also are important)? The secondary questions focused on the components or ingredients that are essential and how to evaluate the success of a ninth grade transition program. This Delphi study included three rounds during which data were gathered from a 20-member panel of experts that included both national leaders and education practitioners. The panel produced 21 consensus items on goals/objectives of a ninth grade transition program, 10 consensus items on essential components of a ninth grade transition program, and 15 consensus items on the data/measures to evaluate the success of a ninth grade transition program. Results indicated that transition programs need to address both academic and social/emotional needs of students. The data provided evidence that principals need to take great care in teacher quality, instructional practices, and a systematic approach to monitoring the performance of ninth grade students as well as ensuring students make a positive connection with an adult in the school.
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    Infuences on Teacher Selection
    Mondak, Michael Joseph (Virginia Tech, 2004-10-29)
    With increasing emphasis being placed on the selection of highly qualified teachers as mandated by the No Child Left Behind legislation (NCLB) of 2001, growing numbers of student populations, and the decreasing numbers of teachers entering the profession, it is evident that the teacher selection process must assume a more scientific path. In order to improve the selection process it is necessary to look at many aspects of this procedure. Specifically, what characteristics do teacher candidates possess that would qualify them for a particular position and, to what degree do the school identifiers play in this process? This is a study of the affects various school characteristics have on the selection process of elementary school teachers in one Virginia school district. Through a literature review conducted on the teacher selection process, a common group of thirty teacher characteristics grouped into four domains have been identified that if associated with teachers, have positive effects on instruction. The four domains that have been identified are Instruction, Personality, Orientation to Students, and Qualifications. A survey was utilized to determine the degree to which school administrators and teachers involved in the interview process place on the identified teacher characteristics and domains. Descriptive factors that reflect the differences in the schools for this study have been identified and an impact challenge index has been developed for each school. Descriptive factors utilized to determine the impact challenge index included minority and special population percentages of students, mobility indexes, and free and reduced price lunch percentages. In addition, data distinctive to each school's accreditation status and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) have been determined. ANOVAs were performed to determine if there were significance between variables presented in this study of challenge impact levels, AYP performance, and position. Results of this study are mixed and revealed only a few significant differences and/or substantive meaningful results between variables.