Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/732
Browse
8 results
Search Results
Item Mentoring student leadership : a comparison of two high school programs and the development of student success(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2015) Westlake, Renee Elyse; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: William Ruff.School district leaders, by coaching teachers to be mentors via professional development, can elevate student success through the establishment of student leadership (Daggett, 2012). Mentoring student leadership by guiding students in skills, practices and behaviors is a topic that has the potential to take student success to a more rigorous and relevant level for all learners (Magner, Soulé & Wesolowski, 2011). This study was intended to reveal how participation in programs that mentor leadership contributes to the development of the portraits of the Common Core State Standards (Wilhoit, 2010) in students. Since 21st century skills have been combined with the Common Core State Standards for the purposes of student achievement in a variety of literature, the researcher cross-referenced these and developed a working model of mentoring student leadership utilizing: 1. Leadership practices (Kouzes & Posner, 2006) 2. Identity leadership theory behaviors (Haslam, Reicher & Platow, 2011) 3. 21st century skills (McGaw, 2009) 4. Portraits of the Common Core State Standards (Wilhoit, 2010) Student leaders and adult mentors were the participants in this multiple case study: high school pupils who experience specific mentoring in student leadership and teachers who mentor these students. Through interviews, observations, and document analysis, programs that offer a prescribed framework orchestrating the development of leadership were examined. Lack of research in mentoring student leadership was investigated through the study. By exploring two high school programs that guide adolescents through a formal framework, it was possible to witness a snapshot of the development of student leadership. Although the student groups studied were diverse, five similarities were discovered when student leadership was mentored : citizenship, communication, collaboration (Griffin, McGaw & Care, 2010), representing the group (Nohria & Khurana, 2010), and modeling the way for others (Kouzes & Posner, 2008). Utilizing an existing mentoring model (Rhodes, 2002), a new model for mentoring leadership was structured and is still being developed. Viable information gathered about developing student leadership and adolescent success suggests expanding the study outside of the high school examined to other communities and states. If a goal in education is to increase student success through leadership development, exploring other influences on student leadership will be valuable as a next step in facilitating progressive education.Item A Delphi study to identify principal practices of Montana's Office of Public Instruction formal mentoring program for principal interns(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2015) Pease, Gerald Eugene; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Arthur W. Bangert; William Ruff (co-chair)The literature describes many different formal principal mentoring programs and the mentoring activities in which new principals are asked to participate. Common program features that have been identified for implementing effective formal principal mentoring programs include socialization, reflective practice, mentor/protégé matching, the training, program understanding, and mentor commitment (Daresh, 1995 & 2001; Gray, Bottoms & O'Neil, 2007; Bangert, 2012; Wallace, 2007). Although the effective formal mentoring program characteristics for new and aspiring principals have been identified by the literature, there have been no efforts to determine how Montana's Formal Mentoring Program for new and aspiring principals incorporates these important program elements. The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify and describe the program characteristics of Montana's state-mandated formal mentoring program for new principal interns that mentoring experts agree are necessary to create a supportive learning experience for new principals.Item The effectiveness of the Montana Office of Public Instruction K-12 School Administration Internship and the regular university K-12 school administration internship(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2001) Stout, Ramona AnnItem Distance-mediated mentoring : a telecommunication-supported model for novice rural mathematics and science teachers(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1998) Luebeck, Jennifer LynItem A comparative analysis of factors affecting productivity levels in professors of education in U.S. land-grant universities(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1991) Schoenstedt, Linda JoItem Bridges to Science : effects of a science outreach program on High school students.' understanding of science concepts(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2012) Orr, Kimberley R.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy Taylor.Many of my students are not prepared for postsecondary education because they feel unprepared in terms of experience and knowledge. This project focused on evaluating the impact the Bridges to Science outreach program had on students' understanding of science concepts. Students' level of understanding, attitude and motivation, and thoughts about science careers were considered as well. This project also investigated the impact on classroom teachers' professionalism, on the program staffs' pedagogy, and on my own professionalism and involvement with the program. The Bridges to Science program offered by the University of Lethbridge targets urban high school students in biology, chemistry, and physics, and attempts to increase their interest in science by providing engaging lab activities implemented by graduate students. Students' understanding of science concepts was assessed by comparing nontreatment lab activities conducted by classroom teachers to treatment lab activities conducted by the outreach volunteers. Pre and postassessment data for nontreatment and treatment units were collected using concept questions, interviews with concept maps, and teacher observations. Other forms of data collection such as surveys, journals and personal observations were used to assess students' level of understanding, attitude and motivation, knowledge about career options, teachers' professionalism, volunteers' pedagogy, and my own professionalism and involvement with the outreach program. The results indicated a greater increase in students' understanding and level of understanding through the implementation of the program compared with classroom activities. Not only did students' motivation and attitude improve, but their knowledge of career options increased as well. Pedagogical improvement occurred with volunteers, but there was little impact on teachers' sense of professionalism. My involvement with Bridges to Science had a positive impact on my relationships, professionalism, and involvement with the program.Item An investigation into the effects of college research shadowing on the perceptions of high school science students(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2012) Metzger, Randy Arnold; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy Taylor.The National Science Foundation and National Research Council have identified a sharp decline in positive attitudes toward science. These predispositions are becoming more commonplace in middle and high school classrooms for various reasons. The NSF has identified a decline in students pursuing post-secondary careers in science and engineering, predominantly due to the negative perceptions seen in high school science classes. This study focused on the implementation of project based learning as a method for changing students' perspectives toward science and possibly altering their post-secondary choices towards a science career. Projects involved the shadowing of college researchers and professors in field-based environmental activities. High school students worked alongside college researchers and professors, while collecting data and preparing documentation in an inquiry based setting.Item Investigating the effectiveness of a formal principals' mentoring program(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2012) Skillestad Bangert, Kareen Mary; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Joanne EricksonThe purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between the National Association of Elementary School Principals formal mentoring program attributes and perceptions of protégés and mentors of program effectiveness. Program attributes examined included training prior to mentoring, input into the mentoring process, Mentor Commitment and Program Understanding. The participants for this quantitative study consisted of 201 mentors and 80 protégés who participated in the National Association of Elementary School Principals'(NAESP) formal mentor certification program. Both mentors and protégés were asked to complete a questionnaire adapted from research conducted by Allen, Eby & Lentz (2006b) to assess their perceptions of Mentor Commitment, Mentor Program Understanding, training prior to participation in formal mentoring, input into the mentoring process and Perceived Program Effectiveness. Data from both protégé and mentor questionnaire using multiple regression was used to develop a path model to investigate the relationships between formal mentoring program attributes and Perceived Program Effectiveness for NAESP's formal mentor certification program. Results from the analysis of the protégé questionnaire responses found the program attributes variables to have a significant and direct relationship with Perceived Program Effectiveness were Training Quality and Program Understanding. The effects of Training Quality on Perceived Program Effectiveness was significantly mediated when passing through Program Understanding but not Mentor Commitment. Similar results were found for the multiple regression analysis used to determine the path coefficients for the mentor results. In addition to Training Quality and Program Understanding, received training and match-input was also significantly related to Perceived Program Effectiveness. Training hours, match input and voluntary participation were not found an important attributes for explaining protégés Perceived Program Effectiveness. For the mentors, the relationship of the program attributes variables of Received Training and Training Quality with Perceived Program Effectiveness was found to be significantly mediated by Program Understanding only. Findings from this study suggest including training prior to formal mentoring and the quality of training is essential for creating an effective formal mentoring program. Establishing mentoring programs that create committed mentors and promoting Program Understanding through quality training will increase the effectiveness of the mentor experience for both protégés and mentors.