UMD Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3

New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a given thesis/dissertation in DRUM.

More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.

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    MAKING IT THROUGH: PERSISTENCE AND ATTRITION ALONG MUSIC, EDUCATION, AND MUSIC EDUCATION PATHWAYS
    (2019) Grisé, Adam Twain; Elpus, Kenneth; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    In this secondary analysis of data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, I examine predictive factors related to uptake, persistence, and attrition on professional and educational pathways leading individuals to careers in music, education, and music education. I investigate seven years of longitudinal data comparing persistence and attrition factors between pathways, utilizing a multiple perspectives approach to conceptualize the equity of each point along the path. Using recently updated restricted use data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, an ongoing study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics drawing on a nationally representative sample of over 25,000 individuals, I isolated people who, during their high school or college years, indicated intentions to pursue either educational or professional pathways leading to a career in music education. Additionally, I identified individuals who either expressed intentions to pursue pathways toward teaching a non-music subject or toward becoming a professional musician. Tracking these individuals across four sampling points over a seven year period from the beginning of high school to the end of college illuminates the entry and exit points for aspirant music educators, non-music teachers, and professional musicians. I provide a tripartite conception of equity to evaluate the pathway outcomes associated with persistence and attrition along each of these respective paths by framing each outcome phase in terms of demographics, societal influences, and individual contributions. Comparing these populations horizontally to each other provides perspective on how the music education pathway relates to and differs from these parallel trajectories. Comparing persistent to attritive populations within each stream uncovers systematically predictive factors at key junctures. Findings show the significant influence environmental factors, demographic profile, and individual navigational contributions have on uptake into, persistence along, and attrition from the music, education, and music education pathways. Further, these results illustrate key similarities and differences between those who persist on each parallel path. By illuminating some of the systemic choke points along the progression from high school student to professionally-intent degree seeker, this study may have recruitment, matriculation, retention, and attrition implications for music teachers, music teacher educators, policy makers, gatekeepers, and advocates.
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    REDUCING TEACHER ATTRITION: THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF BUILDING PRINCIPALS IN A LARGE URBAN DISTRICT TO SUPPORT TEACHER RETENTION
    (2016) Holden, Shawna Detrice; Imig, David; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The high rate of teacher attrition in urban schools is well documented. While this does not seem like a problem in Carter County, this equates to hundreds of teachers that need to be replaced annually. Since school year (SY) 2007-08, Carter County has lost over 7,100 teachers, approximately half of (50.1%) of whom resigned, often going to neighboring, higher-paying jurisdictions as suggested by exit survey data (SY2016-2020 Strategic Plan). Included in this study is a range of practices principals use to retain teachers. While the role of the principal is recognized as a critical element in teacher retention, few studies explore the specific practices principals implement to retain teachers and how they use their time to accomplish this task. Through interviews, observations, document analysis and reflective notes, the study identifies the practices four elementary school principals of high and relatively low attrition schools use to support teacher retention. In doing so, the study uses a qualitative cross-case analysis approach. The researcher examined the following leadership practices of the principal and their impact on teacher retention: (a) providing leadership, (b) supporting new teachers, (c) training and mentoring teaching staff, (d) creating opportunities for collaboration, (d) creating a positive school climate, and (e) promoting teacher autonomy. The following research questions served as a foundational guide for the development and implementation of this study: 1. How do principals prioritize addressing teacher attrition or retention relative to all of their other responsibilities? How do they allocate their time to this challenge? 2. What do principals in schools with low attrition rates do to promote retention that principals in high attrition schools do not? What specific practices or interventions are principals in these two types of schools utilizing to retain teachers? Is there evidence to support their use of the practices? The findings that emerge from the data revealed the various practices principals use to influence and support teachers do not differ between the four schools.
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    MATURATIONAL AND NON-MATURATIONAL FACTORS IN HERITAGE LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
    (2012) Moon, Jihye; De Keyser, Robert; Second Language Acquisition and Application; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This dissertation aims to understand the maturational and non-maturational aspects of early bilingualism and language attrition in heritage speakers who have acquired their L1 incompletely in childhood. The study highlights the influential role of age and input dynamics in early L1 development, where the timing of reduction in L1 input and the quality of L1 input largely determine ultimate L1 attainment. Ninety heritage speakers of Korean in the United States who took part in this study showed great variability in their knowledge of L1, depending on the age at which L1 exposure was reduced and on the types of L1 knowledge tested. A multivariate regression analysis explored to what extent such L1 variability can be explained by maturational and non-maturational factors, in order to provide rational explanations for the divergent L1 outcomes in heritage language acquisition. It also examined how different types of L1 knowledge are selectively affected by each factor. The results showed that the maturational factor accounted for the largest variance in their ultimate L1 outcomes, but that non-maturational factors aided in further explaining the L1 variance. The multivariate model was able to predict not only the degree of incomplete L1 knowledge among heritage speakers, but also the types of L1 knowledge that they are likely to acquire incompletely. The current study suggests that variability in ultimate L1 outcomes among heritage speakers can largely be understood as a function of the age at which their exposure to the L1 was reduced and the nature of L1 input they received in childhood. It is argued that lack of exposure to the L1 in childhood has a long-lasting effect on heritage speakers' L1 grammar and that, in this input-constrained context, non-maturational factors come into play, where language aptitude compensates for reduced L1 input, and language attitude allows for prolonged L1 input.
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    Understanding the Mechanism of Panel Attrition
    (2009) Lemay, Michael; Kreuter, Frauke; Survey Methodology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Nonresponse is of particular concern in longitudinal surveys (panels) for several reasons. Cumulative nonresponse over several waves can substantially reduce the proportion of the original sample that remains in the panel. Reduced sample size increases the variance of the estimates and reduces the possibility for subgroup analysis. Also, the higher the attrition, the greater the concern that error (bias) will arise in the survey estimates. The fundamental purpose of most panel surveys is to allow analysts to estimate dynamic behavior. However, current research on attrition in panel surveys focuses on the characteristics of respondents at wave 1 to explain attrition in later waves, essentially ignoring the role of life events as determinants of panel attrition. If the dynamic behaviors that panel surveys are designed to examine are also prompting attrition, estimates of those behaviors and correlates of those behaviors may be biased. Also, current research on panel attrition generally does not differentiate between attrition through non-contacts and attrition through refusals. As these two source of nonresponse have been shown to have different determinants, they can also be expected to have different impacts on data quality. The goal of this research is to examine these issues. Data for this research comes from the Panel Survey of Income Dynamics (PSID) conducted by the University of Michigan. The PSID is an ongoing longitudinal survey that began in 1968 and with a focus on the core topics of income, employment, and health.