This mixed-methods study explored the relationship between teacher academic optimism and personalized professional learning in a rural Appalachian elementary school in southeastern Ohio. Twenty K-5 educators participated, with pre/post-surveys utilizing the Teacher Academic Optimism Scale-Elementary (TAOS-E) yielding quantitative data. Six…

Equitable access to a quality music education for all students and healthy music class enrollment continue to be prominent goals for music teachers and advocates. While 92% of Ohio public secondary schools offer at least one music class, fewer than half of all students actually enroll. Past literature on equitable access to and enrollment in music…

The purpose of this research was to determine how to identify, recruit, develop, and retain suitable adjunct faculty in rural community colleges in Ohio. The research problem resulted from a limited availability of potential faculty possessing the required credentials and andragogical training in Ohio's rural and Appalachian areas. Research…

This study was conducted based on the limited availability of research comparing the KABC-II and WISC-IV. The study included 30 Caucasian students between the ages of 6 years, 7 months to 16 years 11 months who attend rural school districts in Ohio and West Virginia and were referred due to academic concerns; the sample consisted of 19 females and…

Disrespect is an ambiguous term that has been shown to be predictive of emotional exhaustion and burnout of teachers. This study examined 120 rural teachers' definition of disrespect. Seventeen different definitions of disrespect emerged from the data. Implications of identifying these definitions are discussed as well as how researchers can…

Background: This paper was written for a graduate level action research course at Muskingum University, located in New Concord, OH. Purpose: The purpose of this research was to determine which method of instruction best serves ALL high school students. Is it more advantageous to track ("ability group") students or not to track students…

Computers are now a ubiquitous part of US elementary school education. With policy reports suggesting that inequities in information and communication technology (ICT) access across US schools are a thing of the past, investigating how such resources and their use may nonetheless continue to vary becomes all that much more important. Through a…

This dissertation describes research designed to investigate the influence of select teacher and school characteristics on the perceived professional development needs of in-service physical educators in the state of Ohio. Data were collected using a self-report survey instrument comprised of the Professional Development Needs…

Since the Coleman Report (1966), educational researchers have tried to identify school properties that make a difference in student achievement and overcome the negative influence of low socioeconomic status. We theorized that academic optimism was a latent construct that enhanced student achievement and that enabling school structure provided a…

Previous studies found that the small size of schools or school districts mitigated the negative influence of poverty on academic achievement in California, Alaska, and West Virginia. The Matthew Project extends this research in four additional states selected to provide varied settings. Ohio is a very diverse, urbanized state with a large…

A self-reporting questionnaire (57 items) was administered to all high school sophomores (599 completions) in 3 rural Ohio high schools for purposes of identifying correlations between selected social factors and acts of vandalism. The variables examined and the student responses indicated: 52% had committed 1 or more acts of vandalism; 37% were…