The impact of an extracurricular student leadership club on student affect, student achievement, and school technology use at the middle school level, 2021

Item — Call Number: MU Thesis Tra

Identifier: b7930404

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

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The collection consists of dissertations written by students enrolled in the Monmouth University graduate Educational Leadership program. The holdings are primarily bound print documents that were submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Doctor of Education degree.

During the fall 2022 semester (in instances where the requisite waivers were received from consenting student authors), the Monmouth University Library, together with the University's Graduate School and School of Education, began providing open access to select full-text digital versions of current theses and dissertations through links to the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global website in the Library's Online Public Access Catalog. Links to these open access digital publications can also be found in the "External Documents" section under any conforming titles that are listed among the holdings itemized in the collection inventory for this finding aid.

Dates

Creation: 2021

Creator

Tranchina, Derek (1984- ) (Author, Person)
Zambak, Vecihi S. (Vecihi Serbay) (Thesis advisor, Person)
Greason, Walter (Thesis advisor, Person)
Raj, Erik X. (Thesis advisor, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use. Access is by appointment only.

Research appointments are scheduled by the Monmouth University Library Archives Collections Manager (732-923-4526). A minimum of three days advance notice is required to arrange a research appointment for access to the collection.

Access to the collection is confined to the Monmouth University Library and is subject to patron policies approved by the Monmouth University Library.

Patrons must sign a completed Researcher Registration Form and provide appropriate identification to obtain access to the collection. Copies of these documents will be kept on file at the Monmouth University Library.

Extent

1 Items (print book) : 129 pages ; 8.5 x 11.0 inches (28 cm).

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Research strongly suggests that a students' attachment to school is directly correlated with their health, social well-being, and academic achievement (Blum, 2005; CDC, 2009). Unfortunately, the problem of low attachment to school is widesread (Klem & Connell, 2004; Quin, 2017). Extracurricular clubs are one solution to the problem of low student attachement to school (Bayat, 2015; Gilman, 2001). Schools that have embraced 1:1 technology programs should consider leveraging students' strengths as digital natives by creating student technology leadership clubs. These clubs have been shown to enhance students' achivement and attachment to school while also providing much needed support to school technology programs (Ertmer & Hruskocy, 1999; Harper, 2008).

Research suggests that many school technology programs face new challenges that were not initially anticipated, such as the need for ongoing training and support for teachers and students to drive purposeful, meaningful, and active technology usage in the classroom (Harris & Hofer, 2009; Sheninger & Murray, 2017; Warschauer, 2012). A gap in the literature exists with regards to the impact a student technology leadership club can make on student affect and achievement, as well as teacher technology use at the middle school level.

This mixed methods study took place at a middle grades school with eight student participants and blended student interviews with quantitative student achievement and attendance data, as well as teacher technology use survey data from 84 teacher participants. The study has determined that student technology leadership clubs that empower students as leaders can make a profound impact on the overall school climate by enhancing students' attachment to school while also improving teacher technology use. Futhermore, the technology training that students received as members of the club provided an essential foundation for success, improving their abilities to complete school assignments and boosting their confidence to help others. The study suggests that schools with one to one techology programs should strongly consider creating a student technology leadership club for added technology support while also enhancing the affect and overall school connectedness for those students involved.

Partial Contents

Dedication -- Acknowledgements -- Table of contents -- 1. Introduction -- Review of the literature -- 3. Methods -- 4. Findings -- 5. Discussion -- References -- Appendices.