Electronic Theses and Dissertations

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When the Faculty Feels Like Family: The Role of the Principal-Teacher Relationship in Rural School Improvement
(December 2023) Wheeler, Danella Kay 1974-; Bigham, Gary; Bigham, Gary; Hindman, Janet; Nix, Jerry V.
The research focus of the scholarly delivery is the principal-teacher relationship in rural schools during times of mandated school improvement. The first scholarly deliverable is a case study that can be used for teaching doctoral or master’s candidates in the field of educational leadership. The title of this article is “When a Teacher Chooses Non-Compliance: Harnessing the Power of the Principal-Teacher Relationship”. This case study uses the story of a new rural school principal’s conflict with one of her teachers to highlight the importance of building trust and using effective communication to strengthen the principal-teacher relationship. The final scholarly deliverable is an empirical article titled “When Faculty Feels Like Family: The Role of the Principal-Teacher Relationship in Rural School Improvement”. This article details how two rural Texas principals used positive relationships to garner academic growth on their campuses.
Reaching Adult Learners Located in Rural and Remote Areas through Community College Branch Campuses in Texas
(December 2023) Walton, Ilene J. 1964-; Hindman, Janet; Hindman, Janet; Johnson, Brad; Nix, Jerry V.
Due to the need for more qualified and credentialed employees, Texas introduced a new funding model that encourages community colleges to seek new ways to provide the local workforce with credentials of value (McGee, 2022, McGee, 2023). Community colleges are being asked to expand their educational focus to include all working-age adults, often called nontraditional students or adult learners. Through a strategic plan, community colleges may use their branch campuses in rural and remote areas to meet the challenge of educating adult learners proposed in the new funding model. This qualitative research used narrative inquiry described by Connelly and Clandinin (2006) and thematic analysis methodologies and approaches recommended by Braun and Clarke (2023) to identify ways community college branch campuses might recruit, educate, and provide credentials of value to adult learners in rural and remote areas, to meet the growing needs of the expanding Texas workforce outlined in the 2023 higher education funding model. This study identified barriers and aligned various ways by which branch campuses might effectively serve adult and nontraditional students in rural areas.
What Really Works? How Successful School Leaders Retain Teachers
(December 2023) Stephens, Amy 1975-; Harper, Irma; Harper, Irma; Dr. Ray Barbosa; Dr. Minseok Yang
This final composite explores the challenges and strategies campus-level leaders at high-poverty schools use to retain teachers. The first scholarly deliverable is a case study article that could be used to teach and grow aspiring principals through their master’s or doctoral work in educational leadership. The title of this article is “We Turned Around a Struggling School, Now What?” This case explores the sustainability of school improvement work through the lens of retaining quality teachers after turnaround funding and initiatives end. The final scholarly deliverable is an empirical article titled “What Really Works, How Successful School Leaders Retain Teachers.” This empirical article focuses on examining the unique challenges high-poverty campuses face when it comes to recruiting and retaining quality teachers.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MERIT-PAY ON TEACHER RETENTION AND STUDETNT ACHEIVMENT IN A RURAL SCHOOL IN TEXAS
(December 2023) Sizemore, Patrick; Harper, Irma; Bigham, Gary; Garrison, Mark
The final composite explores the challenges faced by rural schools in the retention of high-quality teachers. The first scholarly deliverable is a case study article that could be used to teach masters or doctoral candidates in the field of educational leadership. The title of this article is “Teacher Incentive Allotment: Attempts at Teachers Recruitment and Retention.” This case reviews a teacher’s experience with the teacher incentive allotment as she attempts to earn an additional $20,000 a year and the impact it has had on her retention. The final scholarly deliverable is an empirical article titled “The Relationship Between Merit-Pay on Teacher Retention and Student Achievement in a Rural School in Texas.” This empirical article explores a rural school district’s first 3 years of participating in the Teacher Incentive Allotment program in Texas and its relationship to retention and student achievement
THE EFFECT OF HARVEST CUTTING HEIGHT AND HYBRID MATURITY CLASS ON FORAGE NUTRITIVE VALUES AND RATOON REGROWTH POTENTIAL OF SORGHUM SUDANGRASS IN THE TEXAS HIGH PLAINS
(December 2023) Sirmon, Preston; Bell, Jourdan M.; Blaser, Brock C.; Bell, Jourdan M.; Blaser, Brock C.; Tim Steffens
Sorghum Sudangrass (Sorghum x drummondi), a crop that is drought tolerant and readily regrows, is an option that producers in the Texas High Plains are turning to as water limitations become more prevalent. The objective of this study was to i) investigate the effect of clipping height on yield and ratoon production, and ii) evaluate the forage nutritive values of a single harvest versus ratoon harvest system of sorghum sudangrass varieties under limited irrigation in the Texas High Plain. Seven different sorghum sudangrass hybrids were cut to leave 10 and 20 cm of stubble and allowed to regrow. Cutting height did not affect yields, with cumulative yields in 2019 ranging from 8.99 to 16.23 Mg ha-1 and 7.59 to 13.09 Mg ha-1 for the 10 and 20 cm cutting height, respectively; and cumulative yields in 2020, ranging from 4.61 to 7.84 Mg ha-1 and from 3.95 to 8.15 Mg ha-1 for the 10 and 20 cm cutting height, respectively. A ratoon crop was only achieved with the early maturing hybrids in this study. Forage Nutritive values were greatest with the early maturing hybrids and their ratoon crops; however, overall yield was greater for the longer maturing hybrids.
RURAL SCHOOL CHALLENGES WITH TEACHER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION
(December 2023) Saxton, Darla N.; Hooper, H.H. (Buddy), Jr.; Hooper, H.H. (Buddy), Jr.; Harper, Irma; Yang, Minseok
The purpose of this study is to examine the unique challenges rural school districts face when it comes to recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers. A qualitative, exploratory case study research design was implemented through open-ended focus group interviews with seven teachers from rural districts. The findings in this study indicated that rural teachers identified three factors common to rural teacher recruitment and retention challenges: (a) pay, (b) rural location, (c) resources. Findings suggest that lower pay, rural location, and limited resources are the core challenges in the recruitment and retention of teachers in rural areas. Furthermore, this study provides possible solutions for rural teacher recruitment and retention challenges.
Concern for the Leader: A Within-Person Examination into the Perceived Effects of Servant Leadership
(December 2023) Ruffin, Mark 1986-; Harper, Irma; Harper, Irma; Hooper, H.H. (Buddy), Jr.; Yang, Minseok
This composition of research focuses on servant leadership by school leaders. The scholarly deliverables include a case study and an empirical article. The case study titled, “The Consequences of Servant Leadership Implemented by Rural School Principals” chronicles the dilemma faced by a rural school principal implementing servant leadership. The second scholarly deliverable is an empirical article titled, “Concern for the Leader: A Within-Person Examination into the Perceived Effects of Servant Leadership.” This study examined servant leadership through a unique perspective, a within-person focus. This approach provides an opportunity to begin to understand adverse effects that may face school leaders as they implement servant leadership.
POSITIVE INTERVENTION BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN RURAL MIDDLE SCHOOLS
(December 2023) Richardson, Brian; Hooper, H.H. (Buddy), Jr.; Hooper, H.H. (Buddy), Jr.; Gary Bigham; Jerry Nix
This final composite explores classroom behavior management and the use of positive intervention behavior management strategies (PIBMS) in rural middle schools. The first scholarly deliverable is a case study article that could be used for teaching doctoral or master’s candidates in the field of educational leadership. The title of this article is “A Case Study on Classroom Behavior Management.” This case explores how organizational communication and accountability can be used to impact and empower classroom behavior management strategies. The final scholarly deliverable is an empirical article titled “Positive Intervention Behavior Management Strategies in Rural Middle Schools.” This empirical article focuses on the most difficult challenges rural middle school administrators face in implementing PIBMS successfully.
What and How Can District Strategies Be Used to Retain Teachers?
(December 2023) Nichols, Melissa 1980-; Bigham, Gary; Bigham, Gary; Dr. Irma Harper; Dr. Mark Garrison
This composite submission addresses teacher retention, which has been an area of concern for school districts for decades. The first scholarly deliverable is a case study titled “Can Using Strengths Find and Keep a Teacher Workforce?” This article challenges how the reader thinks about solving issues like teacher turnover and could be utilized in a graduate program for educational leadership to discuss and explore different solutions that would help decrease teacher turnover rates. The second scholarly deliverable is titled “What and How Can District Strategies Be Used to Retain Teachers?” This article explains how one Texas school district addressed its teacher turnover rates over 5 years.
INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF HURRICANE HARVEY ON SCHOOLS
(December 2023) McKinney, Sharon; Hooper, H.H. (Buddy), Jr.; Hooper, H.H. (Buddy), Jr.; Dr. Irma Harper; Dr. Vincent Nix
This final composite explores the challenges school districts face in the aftermath of a major hurricane. The first scholarly deliverable is a case study article that could be used for teaching graduate students in educational leadership who are planning to become school district superintendents. The title of this article is “Nowhere to Go: When All Classrooms are Unusable After a Natural Disaster”. This case explores efforts to reopen schools after a hurricane leaves all school facilities uninhabitable. The final scholarly deliverable is an empirical article titled “Investigating the Impact of Hurricane Harvey on Student Achievement”. This empirical article focuses on how a major natural disaster and the resulting school disruption affects student achievement.
A Principal's Perception on Instructional Coaching
(December 2023) McCall, Damon; Hooper, H.H. (Buddy), Jr.; Hooper, H.H. (Buddy), Jr.; Harper, Irma
ABSTRACT This final composite explores the challenges that principals in public schools face. The first scholarly deliverable is a case study that can be used in college for candidates seeking a master's in education with a focus on being a principal. The case, “Cultures Colliding,” explores issues faced by a middle school principal that is associated with integrating new students from a low socioeconomic, low-performing campus into an upper-middle-class achieving campus. This case study illustrates the trials and tribulations that this principal faced from parents and staff not wanting the new students, to the students' struggle over whose school this is and who will run it. The final empirical article, “A Principals’ Perception on Instructional Coaching,” is a qualitative study that looks at elementary and secondary principals who have experienced various levels of instructional coaching. These principals speak of how the coaching relationship impacted student learning and teacher development on various campuses in a mid-sized Texas school district.
Things Are Closer Than They Appear
(December 2023) Matmanivong, Chasely Kade 1998-; Revett, Jonathan D.; Von Lintel, Amy; Lemnitzer, Anna
My thesis investigates the themes of identity, nationality, and place. My work draws on the theories of spiritism and animism, and on the history of Laotian traditions and culture through the incorporation of found objects and family photographs of my heritage. To visualize my own rediscovery of my family’s diverse past and present, I use a broad selection of media including paintings, photographs, cyanotypes, and sculptural installations. Through my synthesis of diverse materials, I create new worlds where I belong. Reuniting and harmonizing the content in my work is a form of remembrance. I have come to realize my own ancestral history is closer and more connected to me than I expected.
EVEN THOUGH STUDENTS ARE GETTING A HEAD START, WHY ARE TEACHERS NOT FINISHING THE RACE?
(December 2023) Martinez, Bernadine Flores; Harper, Irma; Yang, Minseok; Coneway, Betty
The final composite examines factors contributing to teacher attrition in Head Start programs and explores the potential of leadership support and preparation in retaining these teachers. The initial scholarly deliverable is a case study article that can be utilized to instruct doctoral or master's degree candidates in the field of educational leadership. Titled "Battling Teacher Attrition in Head Start," this case study concentrates on challenges faced by Head Start programs, offering innovative approaches to advertising, hiring, and onboarding to reduce resignations and attract highly qualified educators. The concluding scholarly deliverable is an empirical article titled "Even Though Students are Getting a Head Start, Why Aren't Teachers Finishing the Race." This empirical study delves into the factors contributing to teacher attrition in Head Start programs and explores the potential of leadership support and preparation in retaining these teachers.
ELASTO-MECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF SOLID-LIQUID COMPOSITES
(December 2023) Kundapur, Karthik 1985-; Unnikrishnan, Vinu; Unnikrishnan, Vinu; Fisseha M. Alemayehu; Anitha Subburaj
Solid-liquid composites (SLCs) are a class of soft materials with soft solid matrix encapsulating liquid inclusions. These novel composite materials have a wide range of potential applications, including thermal management, biomedicine, soft-robotics, and flexible electronics. By manipulating the type and volume of the liquid inclusion, the properties of SLCs can be fine-tuned to suit specific requirements. In this work, a dilute SLC is developed using commercial grade silicone (Smoothon Ecoflex 00-30) as the solid phase and laboratory-grade Glycerin as the liquid inclusion. While Eco-flex 00-30 mimics the behavior of a certain class of human tissues, Glycerin was selected as it is non-toxic and immiscible with silicone. A novel fabrication technique was developed for the precise distribution of the liquid inclusion in the soft polymeric material. The elastic properties of the SLCs were then determined experimentally for various volume fractions of the inclusion phase. The experimental data was then used to characterize the linear-elastic and hyperelastic material properties. The fabricated SLCs are also shown to exhibit properties similar to biofidelic materials from literature.
PRINCIPAL PRACTICES AND THE EFFECTS ON NEW TEACHER RETENTION
(December 2023) Holloway, Cody Jack 1987-; Hooper, H.H. (Buddy), Jr.; Hooper, H.H. (Buddy), Jr.; Harper, Irma; Yang, Minseok
The purpose of this study is to explore the principal practices regarding new teachers’ experiences and the effects those practices have on new teacher retention. A qualitative study using the case study exploratory approach was executed through interview questions with three focus groups with a total of ten new elementary teachers located in a rural school district located on the fringe of a large urban school district in Texas. The findings in this study indicated that principal practices that increase the retention of new teachers can be identified through the following themes: bonding, support, and intentionality. Findings suggest that to positively influence new teacher retention, principals incorporate practices such as team-building exercises, mentor programs, celebrations and recognitions, competitions, availability to interact with teachers, affirmations, and effective communication through technology and social media.
SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER IN HIGHER EDUCATION
(December 2023) Hedke, Robyn Colleen 1994-; Hindman, Janet; Hindman, Janet; Nix, Vince; Simmons, Michelle
This scholarly delivery focused on students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) entering higher education. The whole delivery was comprised of two parts. First was a case study focused on a girl with ASD on the verge of the transition to higher education and the choices that the education system forced her to make in terms of support. Second was an empirical study that aimed to analyze support structures and the impact these supports had on the lived experiences of students with ASD in higher education. The study used a literature review, semi-structured interviews, and qualitative coding methods to identify three areas of support: Academic, social, and familial. The research revealed an interconnectedness of support structures with multiple implications for future researchers, educators, and students.
The Interconnected Landscape
(December 2023) George, Katherine Elizabeth 1985-; Revett, Jonathan D.; Revett, Jonathan D.; Von Lintel, Amy; Gamble, Misty
My work is an exploration of abstract landscapes of the Oklahoma and West Texas Panhandle regions, the land I call home. It serves as a metaphorical mapping for both nature and humanity as fluid realms, while utilizing concepts of home, comfort, and wellbeing drawn from my own personal experiences. My artworks contemplate meanings of entropy and transformation, informed by the evolution of geological landscapes and by changes in the human body and psyche over time. I use the material of bedsheets as both a medium and a tool to conceptualize these ideas. My work aims to inspire my audience to contemplate the interconnectedness between these fluid realms and to appreciate the shared patterns that my artworks display.
Personal Financial Literacy in Mathematics Teacher Education
(December 2023) Eatinger, Austin Chase 1995-; Meador, Audrey; Lockwood, Pamela R.; Seth, Daniel; Meador, Audrey; Lockwood, Pamela R.; Seth, Daniel
The concept and topic of Personal Financial Literacy (PFL) comes into the field of K-12 education as a relatively new discipline. This study investigates the question, what do pre-service educators know about Personal Financial Literacy? A project was developed to measure what pre-service educators know and how they mathematically calculate financial questions posed in the context of a personal financial literacy project filled with life simulated questions. Findings indicated a disconnect with conceptualizing applied mathematics in the context of finances and how to determine a procedural solution. Pre-service educators’ understanding of PFL ideas were low, especially in the area of earning income and calculating monthly credit. The recommendation is to better prepare our preservice educators with guided practice, reinforcement of PFL standards in their education-based curriculum, and more feedback on pre-service educators’ answers in PFL based learning. Informing our educators in PFL can impact the socioeconomic outlook for careers related to the pre-service K-12 industry.
ADDRESSING DISPARITIES IN STEM DEGREE ATTAINMENT FOR UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY STUDENTS
(December 2023) Childs, Mirescha 1978-; Hindman, Janet; Hindman, Janet; Peeples, Shanna; Garrison, Mark
This paper synthesizes insights from two scholarly articles focused on the critical issue of STEM degree attainment among underrepresented minority students. The first scholarly article was a case study titled “Disparity in STEM Degree Attainment for Underrepresented Minority Students,” that explored the overarching challenges faced by one racially minoritized female student while pursuing a STEM degree at a predominantly white institution. Second was an empirical case study titled “Disparity in STEM Degree Attainment for Underrepresented Minority Students: How One Community College is Working to Increase Participation and Persistence for Degree-Seeking Underrepresented Minority Students.” This study provided a detailed examination of the strategies implemented by a community college to address this disparity, along with an overview of the current landscape and potential pathways for improvement. Through a review of documents provided by the college, secondary data from focus group interviews with students, and a factual interview with a faculty member, five themes emerged that may be instrumental in shaping a program’s successful implementation: faculty support, family support, teaching style, learning approach, and inclusivity. The findings aim to inform educators, policymakers, and stakeholders interested in advancing initiatives that promote diversity and success in STEM fields.
Palo Duro rock art : Indian petroglyphs and pictographs
(West Texas State University, 1972) Upshaw, Emily SoRelle
This thesis deals with the problem of recording the petroglyphs and pictographs at nine sites in Palo Duro Canyon in the Panhandle of Texas. Photographs and drawings were made to give visual records of this truly American art and its current condition. Included is a comparative analysis of the styles, subject matter, possible meaning and purpose, as well as the tribes or peoples involved. Background material considered pertinent includes a brief account of the history of early man in the New World, in the Great Plains region, and in this Llano Estacado area of the Southern High Plains. A review of rock-art studies in Europe, Africa, Australia and in North America gives further understanding of the importance of these examples of art of the American aborigine. Even though examples of rock art in Palo Duro Canyon are not found in profusion, they do show an interesting variety of styles and expression. The two established regional styles represented are the Plains and the Puebloan. Petroglyphs are in the majority but two interesting pictograph sites were reported also. Because these outdoor art galleries are so rare and vulnerable to destruction, all efforts should be made for detailed recording of each remaining example of rock art. This complex subject was selected and developed for its value to the history of art and to the study of anthropology.

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