Browsing by Author "Dr. Paul Bitting, Committee Co-Chair"

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    The Effects of the New Wake County Public School System Eighth Grade Promotion Standard During Its First Year of Implementation.
    (2004-03-24) Gainey, Stephen Bruce; Dr. Paul Bitting, Committee Co-Chair; Dr. Anthony Rolle, Committee Co-Chair; Dr. Michael Vasu, Committee Member; Dr. William Johnston, Committee Member
    This study focused on the new eighth grade promotion standard initially implemented in the Wake County Public School System during the 2000-2001 school year. The first part of the methodology compared the overall eighth grade promotion results for the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 school years. This task was completed to determine whether or not a statistically significant difference in the annual promotion results existed in relation to the last year under the old promotion standard and the first academic campaign governed by the new promotion policy. A one sample t-test was used to complete this comparison. The second part of the study pertained to analyses associated with the following student demographic characteristics: academically gifted, free/reduced lunch, female, male, minority, and special education. As a result of these efforts, conclusions regarding the presence or absence of statistically significant differences between demographic sub-groups' 2000-2001 eighth grade promotion rates were generated. Furthermore, comparisons between the demographic sub-groups' 2000-2001 eighth grade promotion rates and the total 2000-2001 eight grade promotion rate were conducted. Independent samples t-tests and one sample t-tests were used to complete these analyses. Analyses to determine the presence of any statistically significant correlational relationships between these demographic characteristics and promotion rates were associated with the final sections of this study. The methodology involved the application of the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient and logit regression. Nonetheless, as with the second part of the study, the data to be analyzed only pertained to the 2000-2001 school year. Overall, this study generated several important results. For example, a statistically significant difference between the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 total eighth grade promotion rates was identified. Thus, the Wake County Public School System eight grade promotion standard had an adverse effect on the promotion results during its first year of use. Achievement gaps between the demographic sub-groups, in relation to this new policy, also were found by this study's methodology. Furthermore, the target sub-group in need of the most attention to promote success with this new promotion policy was determined to be the special education students.
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    An Interpretive Biography of Benjamin S. Ruffin, the first African American Chair of the UNC Board of Governors: How Life Experience Informs Practice.
    (2009-04-23) Robinson, Jo-Ann; Dr. Thomas Conway, Committee Member; Dr. Bonnie Fusarelli, Committee Member; Dr. Paul Bitting, Committee Co-Chair; Dr. Robert Serow, Committee Chair
    ABSTRACT ROBINSON, JO-ANN. An Interpretive Biography of Benjamin S. Ruffin, the first African American Chair of the UNC Board of Governors: How Life Experience Informs Practice. (Under the direction of Dr. Robert Serow and Dr. Paul Bitting). This qualitative study examined the life experience of Mr. Benjamin S. Ruffin through an interpretative biography and portraiture. The interpretative biography is a non-traditional approach to biography that creates the subject in context (Denzin, 1989) and portraiture extends the narrative from a story of life experience to a “dynamic interaction of values, personality, structure, and history†(Lawrence-Lightfoot, 1997, p. 11). The American university is one of society’s key institutions, perhaps the leading organization available to respond to changing social imperatives (Benjamin, 2003). Examining the life experiences of Ben Ruffin as a social activist and education leader in North Carolina enhanced our understanding of governance in higher education. The data drawn from interviews, observations, document review, photo elicitation and archival research concluded that Ruffin’s black consciousness, cultural cohesion, and leadership development informed his practice in university governance. Ben Ruffin’s life experience provided him with a black consciousness that helped him analyze and empathize with the difficulty of growing up poor and black in America. This phase of his development shaped how he would come to view the world. Through cultural cohesion, he achieved success against difficult odds and recognized the role of poverty and racism in the marginalization of first a community and then a people. The Civil Rights era resulted in the development of Ruffin as an activist. Ruffin’s formal and informal roles within organizations propelled him to assume leadership positions as he engaged in activities that ensured social justice and access to opportunities for blacks in the Jim Crow South. This phase would define Ruffin’s leadership style, one that would require him to create a bridge between his world in black Durham and that of white Durham. The development of key leadership skills strengthened his resolve to enhance life for blacks and also to reach beyond the boundaries of race and class to affect change across North Carolina. The Ruffin model demonstrates an individual’s ability to transcend circumstance and move beyond circles of race and class to affect change on significant levels for the broader community.
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    A Study of Educators' Perceptions of Spatial Thinking
    (2009-04-22) Branch, Benjamin DeWayne Jr.; Dr. Stacy Nelson, Committee Member; Dr. Robert Serow, Committee Member; Kenneth H. Brinson, Jnr., Committee Co-Chair; Dr. Paul Bitting, Committee Co-Chair
    ABSTRACT BRANCH, BENJAMIN D. A Study of Educators’ Perceptions of Spatial Thinking (Under the direction of Dr. Paul Bitting and Kenneth H. Brinson, Jnr.) The purpose of this dissertation study was to explore perceptions of policy makers and educators towards spatial thinking. Following the issuance of Executive Order 12906, Coordinating Geographical Data Acquisition and Access: The National Spatial Data Infrastructure, by the federal government in 1994, educators have become interested in exploring their possible roles in spatial thinking, broadly defined as the use of space to define, formulate and solve problems. This work was a qualitative study that relied on interview data from educators and policy makers who have some knowledge and/or experience with spatial thinking. From the interviews, four themes emerged: public interest, administrative capacity, classroom use and policy and research. Suggestions are offered for enhancing the role of spatial thinking in each of these areas.