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  Synching up on a Satisfaction: A Mixed Methods Study Exploring Synchronous Online Classroom Learning Satisfaction in the Corporate Training Environment

  Andrew Burklund

  Despite rapid evolution and innovation, “online learning” is no longer a universal term. There is a need to expand the existing research base to include subsets of online classrooms and include more diverse populations of learners. The overarching question for this study focused on synchronous online classroom satisfaction in a corporate setting. The researcher analyzed four years of historical learner- satisfaction data from post-class Level-1 satisfaction surveys from a Fortune 100 company. In total, 15,577 learner responses were collected, analyzed, and converged with data collected from employee focus groups related to synchronous online classroom satisfaction. The statistical analysis of learning satisfaction survey data yielded a significant difference in the scores reported by learners, with in-person classes receiving a higher overall score than synchronous online classes. The focus group results yielded a similar discovery, with participants indicating a preference for in-person classroom experiences and providing recommendations for improvement in the synchronous online classroom. Although there was a preference by a majority of the participants to attend trainings in-person, the majority also noted that they tended to feel a similar level of satisfaction for both modalities.

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  The Effects of Service-Learning on the Moral Development of College Students

  Mike Coquyt

  In the last few years, several national reports on higher education have called for colleges and universities to take a more central role in providing moral and democratic education to college students. These developments suggest a renewed interest in collegiate goals that go beyond those that benefit the individual, continuing an emphasis in addressing the moral dimension of higher education that has existed for centuries. Courses with a service-learning component can be a powerful instrument for moral transformation. Working within Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory, this 16-week quasi-experimental case study investigated the extent to which service-learning advances moral development (movement from conventional to post conventional or principled judgment) in college students. Student outcomes were measured by using the Moral Judgment Interview (MJI) technique and follow-up interviews were conducted and analyzed. Results of this project suggest that students who participate in service learning projects reap many benefits, including enhanced personal skills, motivation to learn, and most important, an increased moral development. Further research into this area is needed to inform policies and practices of higher education institutions regarding the connection between moral development and service learning pedagogy.

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  Methods in Practice: Grounded Theory in Media Arts Education Research

  Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson

  Grounded theory qualitative research is a powerful method of practice, particularly for researchers aiming to explore complex processes through the perspectives and experiences of others. Grounded theory is also a powerful method of practice for researchers seeking to deepen a field of study in which the literature is thin and few theories exist. However, grounded theory is an often-overlooked research method, perhaps due to its inherent messiness. The purpose of this article is to demystify grounded theory practices by walking the reader through a grounded theory study conducted by the author in the field of media arts education. The study’s findings led to the development of The Theory of Dispositions in Filmmaking, which will be used to illustrate the data analysis process. The article will describe the process of moving from raw qualitative data to open, axial, and selective codes. The study will also demonstrate how techniques such as sketching can be used to develop figures and diagrams in order to draw connections between codes and cultivate the data’s visual narrative. Providing readers with an example of grounded theory methods in practice, specifically in the field of media arts education, will hopefully encourage additional studies in the realm of media arts research and education leadership, while also illustrating the methodological process for researchers new to grounded theory.

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  Full-Service Community School Intervention: Case Study of Somali Parent-School Engagement Within a Rural Midwestern School District

  Anne Leland

  The purpose of this three-stage qualitative phenomenology case study was to characterize Somali refugee parents’ understanding of their role in school-parent relationships and investigate the impact of a research-based parent involvement intervention model adapted for use with this study. Research questions included: 1) What are Somali refugee parents’ understanding, perceptions, and expectations of school parent involvement; and 2) Did the adapted training intervention, designed to enhance school-parent relationships and parent engagement behaviors among Somali refugee parents, succeed? Following an initial interview stage, Epstein’s School-Family-Community Partnership Model (2019) was adapted and used to design a training intervention that was delivered as a component of the district’s Community School model. The pre-training interview identified that none of twelve parents in the study had attended school in their home country or the United States. The Somali refugee parents reported that their lack of English skills caused difficulty for them to understand school policies, their child’s school progress, and teacher expectations. Coded and themed results from post-training interviews revealed the parent involvement training interventions had resulted in both increased parent engagement knowledge and behaviors. The study verified parent engagement barriers for Faribault Public Schools’ Somali parents, and the engagement trainings provided the study sample group with focused, evidenced-based knowledge, skills, and recommended actions. Recommendations for practice include aligning school-parent involvement activities with a comprehensive, structured approach such as the Epstein model and the thorough identification of parent engagement barriers for the targeted subpopulation.

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  Making Summer Learning Equitable for Students in a Rural, Title I School District: Turning on the Faucet of Resources

  Kathrina O'Connell

  This research explores summer learning loss and the effect of summer resources on students’ literacy growth. Using the faucet theory, this mixed methods sequential explanatory study was designed to provide equitable resources and educational support for students in grades five through eight in a rural, socioeconomically disadvantaged school district. Transportation, breakfast, lunch, books, and a literacy-focused enrichment program were coordinated and provided for all participants in an effort to reduce learning loss during summer break. The pragmatic approach to inquiry incorporated both quantitative (e.g., literacy outputs, registration, and attendance data) and qualitative data (e.g., parent open-ended question responses). Convenience sampling was used to recruit 97 students for this study. Summer learning gains were reported for two grade levels and three grade levels maintained above benchmark status throughout the summer. Students (74%) believed that their reading skills had improved and parents (100%) wanted the program to continue in the future. Registrations increased by 746%, retention increased by 34%, and daily participation increased by 18%. This study did not attempt to measure all factors that affect students’ summer learning, but factors that could reasonably be provided by a school district. Recommendations for practice include the provision of school-year resources and the delivery of enrichment-focused instruction during the summer months. Additional research is recommended to study the summer learning loss of male and female adolescent learners. In addition, continued research and multi-year studies are suggested for summer learning programs for adolescent learners.