Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2016 The Relationship Between the APEX Program for Instruction and High School Student Academic Success David Gordon Krosner Walden University Follow this and additional works at:https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of theEducational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, and theInstructional Media Design Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please [email protected]. Walden University COLLEGE OF EDUCATION This is to certify that the doctoral study by David Krosner has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Michelle Powell-Leake, Committee Chairperson, Education Faculty Dr. Dannett Babb, Committee Member, Education Faculty Dr. Michelle Brown, University Reviewer, Education Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2016 Abstract The Relationship Between the APEX Program for Instruction and High School Student Academic Success by David Krosner MA, Georgia State University, 2002 BME, Jacksonville University, 1996 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Walden University August 2016 Abstract An alternative high school campus in the State of Georgia introduced a new program to support academic growth and engagement among at-risk students. This program, the APEX program, merges technology with content to provide students with self-paced learning facilitated by teachers with the objective of improving test scores, course completion, and graduation. The purpose of this goals-based evaluation was to examine the relationship between APEX program usage and the academic success measures of EOCT scores, course credit accrual, and graduation; it was grounded in the behavior objectives approach. The study followed a cohort of students who were enrolled in Grade 9 in 2010-2011. Data sources were archival test scores and preexisting APEX data. This APEX data included accrued credit hours, completion rate, and documentation of mastery learning outcomes for the enrolled students in Grades 9-12. Analysis of the quantitative data sets entailed the use of ANOVA, Chi-Square, and t tests. The study findings showed that students using the hybrid APEX instructional model accrued significantly more credit hours, were more likely to graduate, and have higher end of course grades than students using the APEX-only model. These results suggest that a broader use of APEX labs for students identified as at-risk in both alternative and traditional schools provides a flexibility in instructional settings that helps more students succeed. This study suggests the most effective use of resources with the implementation of APEX to reach the largest number of students. This study promotes positive social change by confirming the efficacy of a tool for reaching more students to improve higher district-level graduation rate, course accrual, and end-of-course test scores. The Relationship Between the APEX Program for Instruction and High School Student Academic Success by David Krosner MA, Georgia State University, 2002 BME, Jacksonville University, 1996 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Walden University August 2016 Dedication When I was 18 years old, in the same weekend I graduated from high school, I saw my brother graduate from college, and my dad got his PhD. Dad started his doctorate when I was in the first grade. For 12 years, I watched my dad come home after work, coaching my soccer team, taking my brother to swim practice, and all of the other tedium involved in adult life, and work on furthering his education. As I sat in Bobby Dodd stadium watching the final of three graduations that weekend, I planned my own future. I saw my dad walk across the stage and receive his degree. He was in his early 50s at the time and a lifelong learner. My plan was to go straight through undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral studies and be finished by the time I was 26. It didn’t quite happen that way. I went to college, finished a Bachelor’s degree, and decided to begin working. I was four years into my career as a middle school band director when I shared my plans with my then girlfriend Yudit. Through the course of my Master’s program, Yudit became my wife. We found out right around the time of my graduation that she was pregnant with our first child. A few years went by. Yudit and I had two children and both of them started school. When my youngest started first grade, I recalled those many years ago when I was in first grade and longed for the goal I had set when I was 18. I sat my family down and told them of my plans to pursue a doctorate at Walden. This study is dedicated to family. Before everything else, family was the inspiration to begin, the desire to continue, and the fortitude to complete. Acknowledgments Many warm and heartfelt thanks go out to my doctoral committee. Dr. Michelle Powell-Leake has been a beacon of hope and optimism in the journey of scholarship. Her support and mentorship kept me going when I thought I could not do any more. In addition, the rest of my committee, Dr. Dannette Babb, and Dr. Michelle Brown have guided me with insight through action and compassion. Table of Contents List of Tables .......................................................................................................................v List of Figures ................................................................................................................... vii Section 1: The Problem ........................................................................................................1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 Definition of the Problem ..............................................................................................2 Description of the Research Site Alternative School ...............................................3 Function of APEX Software ....................................................................................4 Implementation and Practical Application of APEX ...............................................6 Rationale ........................................................................................................................7 Evidence of the Problem at the Local Level ............................................................8 Evidence of the Problem From the Professional Literature .....................................9 Definitions....................................................................................................................11 Significance..................................................................................................................11 Guiding/Research Question .........................................................................................13 Review of the Literature ..............................................................................................14 Similar Program Evaluations Using Hybrid Model for Learning Communities ..............................................................................................15 Related Studies on Hybrid Technology Based Instruction for Self-Efficacy ........18 Standards for e-Learning........................................................................................20 Technology in Education Program Evaluations ....................................................21 Hybrid Technology/Instruction Blended Learning Studies ...................................22 Classical Theories of Instructional Design ............................................................25 i Gagne’s Model for Instructional Design ................................................................27 Theoretical Framework ..........................................................................................31 Program Goals .......................................................................................................31 Indicators of Success..............................................................................................32 Resources ...............................................................................................................33 Activities ................................................................................................................33 Purpose of Outcomes-based assessment ................................................................34 Implications..................................................................................................................34 Summary ......................................................................................................................35 Section 2: The Methodology ..............................................................................................37 Introduction ..................................................................................................................37 Design ..........................................................................................................................38 Setting and Sample ................................................................................................40 About the School....................................................................................................41 Data Collection and Analysis.......................................................................................41 Quantitative Data Collection..................................................................................42 Quantitative Data Analysis ....................................................................................43 Protection of Human Subjects ...............................................................................44 Results ..........................................................................................................................45 Research Question 1 ..............................................................................................46 Research Question 2 ..............................................................................................47 Research Question 3 ..............................................................................................51 Additional Findings ...............................................................................................52 ii Validity and Reliability ..........................................................................................54 Limitations ...................................................................................................................54 Role of the Researcher .................................................................................................56 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................56 Section 3: The Project ........................................................................................................59 Introduction ..................................................................................................................59 Description and Goals ..................................................................................................59 Rationale ......................................................................................................................60 Review of the Literature ..............................................................................................61 Outcomes-Based Evaluation: Credit Recovery as a Measure of Program Effectiveness ..............................................................................................62 Outcomes-Based Evaluation: Graduation Rate as a Measure of Program Effectiveness ..............................................................................................64 Outcomes-Based Evaluation: Alternative Schools as Instructional Settings .........65 Project Evaluation ........................................................................................................67 Implications Including Social Change .........................................................................68 Local Community ..................................................................................................68 Far-Reaching ..........................................................................................................68 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................68 Section 4: Reflections and Conclusions .............................................................................70 Introduction ..................................................................................................................70 Project Strengths and Limitations ................................................................................70 Recommendations for Alternative Approaches ...........................................................71 iii