The ACT KeyTrain Program and the ACT WorkKeys Test Performance

177 Pages·2017·1.97 MB·English

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Theses and Dissertations
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Matthew T. Thompson
University of South Carolina
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The ACT KeyTrain Program and the ACT WorkKeys Test Performance:
An Action Research Study

by
Matthew T. Thompson

Bachelor of Science
College of Charleston, 2002
Master of Education
University of Massachusetts at Lowell, 2007

_________________________________________________

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

For the Degree of Doctor of Education in
Curriculum and Instruction
College of Education
University of South Carolina
2017
Accepted by:
Susan Schramm-Pate, Major Professor
Kenneth Vogler, Committee Member
Suha Tamin, Committee Member
Vic Oglan, Committee Member
Cheryl L. Addy, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
Dedication
I dedicate this thesis to my wife and my son, who supported me each step of the
way.

ii
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Dr. Susan Schramm-Pate, Dr. Kenneth Vogler, and Dr.
Richard Lussier for their guidance in completing this study. I would like to thank Dr.
Randy Reagan and the South Carolina Department of Corrections Research Division for
allowing me to complete the research and study.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this study are those of the author and
do not necessarily reflect those of the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
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Abstract
The purpose of this quantitative action research study was to describe the
effectiveness of the American College Testing (ACT) KeyTrain program in the South
Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC), conducted with 50 inmate-student-
participants who were enrolled in the Palmetto Unified School District’s Tyger River
High School’s (TyRCI) adult education program. The identified problem of practice for
this dissertation in practice (DiP) was an evaluation of the effectiveness of this program
for one group of low socioeconomic status Black male inmate-student-participants. This
evaluation was of vital importance to the Palmetto Unified School District (PUSD) and
SCDC because ACT WorkKeys is one of the educational opportunities offered to inmate-
students in an effort to improve the reintegration of inmates into society through reduced
recidivism. Surveys, questionnaires, ACT KeyTrain curricula, and official ACT
WorkKeys scores constituted the data for this research. Inmate-student-participant
performance and patterns were described using a statistical t test. A correlation test was
employed to describe the predictive ability of the ACT KeyTrain program. The primary
research question “How effective is the ACT KeyTrain program at predicting and
improving ACT WorkKeys performance for 50 low socioeconomic-status, Black, male
inmate-students in South Carolina?” drove the data collected in this study that implies
that the ACT KeyTrain program was not effective in improving ACT WorkKeys
performance for 50 low-SES Black male inmate-student-participants at TyRCI.
However, when accounting for inmate-student “work ethic” (defined and quantified
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through a quality study time statistic), the data collected in this study showed that the
ACT KeyTrain program was somewhat effective in improving ACT WorkKeys
performance for 50 low-SES Black male inmate-student-participants at TyRCI. The
researcher-participant reflected on the data with the inmate-student-participants to design
an action plan for the school. Based on feedback from inmate-student-participants, Tyger
River High School will continue to use and expand the use of ACT KeyTrain to prepare
inmate-students for ACT WorkKeys.
v
Preface
The following research study was conducted entirely at the Tyger River
Correctional Institution of the South Carolina Department of Corrections. The research
study was approved by the Director of the Division of Resource and Information
Management division of the agency as well as by the superintendent of the Palmetto
Unified School District. I was both the researcher-participant and the principal of the
school within the institution. I was responsible for most of the data collection and all of
the analysis. Some data were collected by a teacher-participant, a Title I teacher. Data
were collected from the ACT KeyTrain program as well as from ACT WorkKeys scores.

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Table of Contents
Dedication ........................................................................................................................... ii
Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iii
Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iv
Preface................................................................................................................................ vi
List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... ix
List of Figures ......................................................................................................................x
List of Abbreviations ........................................................................................................ xii
CHAPTER 1: RESEARCH OVERVIEW ...........................................................................1
Introduction ..............................................................................................................1
Methodology ............................................................................................................5
Dissertation Overview .............................................................................................9
Conclusion .............................................................................................................18
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ..........................................................................19
Introduction ............................................................................................................19
Purpose of the Literature Review ..........................................................................23
Review of the Literature ........................................................................................24
Conclusion .............................................................................................................54
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY .....................................................................................55
Introduction ............................................................................................................55
Research Design.....................................................................................................56
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Conclusion .............................................................................................................74
CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS AND INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS..............................75
Introduction ............................................................................................................75
Findings of the Study .............................................................................................78
Interpretation of the Results of the Study ............................................................110
Conclusion ...........................................................................................................115
CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION ...........................................................118
Introduction ..........................................................................................................118
Focus of the Study ...............................................................................................121
Overview/Summary of the Study.........................................................................121
Action Plan: Implications of the Findings ...........................................................124
Suggestions for Future Research .........................................................................140
Conclusion ...........................................................................................................142
References ........................................................................................................................145
Appendix A – Informed Consent Form ...........................................................................154
Appendix B – Research Participation Demographics Survey .........................................156
Appendix C – Data Collection Work Sheet .....................................................................159
Appendix D – Work Ethic Survey ...................................................................................161
Appendix E – Attitude Survey .........................................................................................162
Appendix F – Inmate Satisfaction Survey .......................................................................163
Appendix G – Teacher Satisfaction Survey .....................................................................164
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List of Tables
Table 3.1 Participant Demographic Data .......................................................................... 59

Table 3.2 The Adaptive KeyTrain Pretest ........................................................................ 67

Table 4.1 Participant ACT KeyTrain Results ................................................................... 75

Table 4.2 Participant ACT WorkKeys Results ................................................................. 83

Table 4.3 Teacher-Participant Work Ethic Responses ..................................................... 88

Table 5.1 Participant Attitude Survey Responses .......................................................... 125

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