Education Commons^™

Importance Of School Library Programs, Cynthia Strong

SPU Works

Within the discipline of library science, over 20 research studies have been done in the United States attesting to how high-quality school library programs contribute to improved academic achievement. On the other hand, in the fields of education, school counseling, administration, and school leadership, and so on, there is a dearth of scholarship and recognition of the positive impact librarians and library media program have on student success. This conceptual paper first presents an overview of the empirical research on school library programs and the positive impact they have on the academic achievement of students in the United States. Second ...

Henderson News [Volume 2, Issue 2], Ashley D. Lowery, Sonya Shepherd, Del Presley Dr., Paolo P. Gujilde, Jessica Minihan

Friends of Henderson Library Newsletter

In This Issue:

• Reflections for Sale
• Digital Commons Update
• Assessment
• Back Home 72 Years Later
• Donating Books & Materials
• New Resources

‘The Sacred Spark Of Wonder’: Local Museums, Australian Curriculum History, And Pre-Service Primary Teacher Education: A Tasmanian Case Study, Peter Brett

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article explores the intersections between museum learning – in a distinctive Tasmanian setting, the possibilities of a new national History curriculum, and the evolving views and professional practices of pre-service primary teachers at one Australian university. Following a brief overview of the framework for local and Australian history that is embedded in the ACH, the relevant literature around museum education, and the specific museum context, the article draws upon a survey of second year pre-service primary teachers’ views towards history, museums, and a pedagogical planning task and analyses features of students’ work. It concludes with some wider reflections on the ...

The Effect Over Time Of A Video-Based Reflection System On Preservice Teachers’ Oral Presentations, Michael Cavanagh, Matt Bower, Robyn Moloney, Naomi Sweller

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

We report the development of preservice teachers’ oral presentation performance based on a technology-mediated Video Reflection system. Participants video-recorded oral presentations and uploaded them to an online blog to view and reflect on their performance and that of their peers. Four presentations by forty-one participants were analysed using a range of criteria based on what we call the Modes of Communication (voice, body-language, words and alignment between them) and the Constructed Impression of the communication acts (confidence, clarity, engagement and appropriateness). Results indicate a significant improvement across all criteria with a decreased rate of improvement for later iterations.

Generating Cultural Capital? Impacts Of Artists-In-Residence On Teacher Professional Learning, Mary Ann Hunter, William Baker, Di Nailon

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The introduction of the Australian Arts Curriculum and the rise of a twenty-first century creativity agenda in education signal an opportunity for teacher educators to re-examine the outcomes and potential of arts-based initiatives on teacher professional learning. This study re-visits the outcomes of the Australian Artist-in-Residence program in this context and analyses a subset of data collected for its evaluation. The study reveals that while teachers perceive an improvement in creative capital, it is important to consider questions about the capacity for such programs to generate long term changes in practice. The study illustrates how some States and Territories embedded ...

Preservice Mathematics Teachers’ Personal Figural Concepts And Classifications About Quadrilaterals, Emel Ozdemir Erdogan, Zeliha Dur

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The aim of this study was to determine preservice mathematics teachers’ personal figural concepts and hierarchical classifications about quadrilaterals and to investigate the relationships between them. The participants were 57 preservice primary mathematics teachers in their senior year at a state university in Turkey. The preservice mathematics teachers were administered a questionnaire that consisted of 13 questions extracted from studies on the descriptions and images of quadrilaterals, identification of quadrilateral families among given images, and identification and classification of the relationships between quadrilaterals. The results showed that the preservice mathematics teachers’ knowledge of quadrilaterals learnt at primary-secondary school level and ...

"Inside-Out Pedagogy": Theorising Pedagogical Transformation Through Teaching Philosophy, Rosie Scholl

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This retrospective interview study focused on the impact that training and implementation of Philosophy, in Lipman's tradition of Philosophy for Children, had on the pedagogy of 14 primary teachers at one school. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to document the impact of teaching Philosophy on pedagogy, the resources required to facilitate and sustain such change, including the necessary dispositions required to teach Philosophy, and the critical junctures in pedagogical change associated with teaching Philosophy. Interview data were coded and analysed to generate a grounded theory regarding the efficacy of teaching Philosophy in terms of its impact on the pedagogy of ...

Dynamic Variables Of Science Classroom Discourse In Relation To Teachers’ Instructional Beliefs, Sibel Kaya

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The current study examines if the occurence of dynamic variables namely, authentic questions, uptake, high-level evaluation and student questions in primary science classrooms vary by teachers’ instructional beliefs. Twelve 4^th grade teachers from two different schools volunteered to participate in the study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to determine teachers’ instructional beliefs, classroom practices and dynamic variables of classroom discourse. Results showed that teachers were more teacher-centred in their classroom practices than their instructional beliefs. There were no differences among teachers with different instructional beliefs in terms ...

Are You Ready To Be A Mentor? Preparing Teachers For Mentoring Pre-Service Teachers, Angelina Ambrosetti

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The use of mentoring has nowadays become a predominant practice for the professional placement component of pre-service teacher education programs. Research however has identified that being an effective teacher doe not make you an effective mentor. The present research investigated the role of professional development in the preparation of mentor teachers for their mentoring roles. Specifically, this paper presents the findings of a pilot mentoring preparation course that engaged mentor teachers in developing their knowledge about the nature and process of mentoring, and the roles of mentors and mentees. Data about changed understandings of mentoring and changed mentoring practices of ...

Why Do Undergraduate Women Persist As Stem Majors? A Study At Twotechnological Universities, Ronald Brandt

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Women continue to be underrepresented in STEM fields despite significant policy efforts to increase the number of qualified women. Prior research focused on access for women into advanced high school mathematics and science courses. Parity has been achieved in academic prerequisites for STEM studies in higher education, yet the number of women majoring in STEM has remained static. Recent research has focused on the socio-cultural obstacles that women face, including a lower self-confidence in their abilities, bias and gender stereotypes.

A survey was undertaken to examine the self-confidence, opinions and backgrounds of female students persisting as STEM majors at two ...

Perceptions Of Kindergarten Teachers Regarding Professional Development In New Jersey's Public Schools, Deborah Fitzpatrick

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

PreK-3 is a growing national initiative designed to transform the educational experiences of young children. Research indicates that young children’s educational gains are more likely to last when quality preschool programs are linked with the elementary years. A PreK-3 approach integrates and builds strong connections between the learning experiences of children ages three through eight. Kindergarten is the grade where preschool and primary grade experiences intersect.

The purpose of this study was to examine kindergarten teachers’ opinions regarding professional development opportunities in early childhood education which may help facilitate implementation of the PreK-3 continuum. This was accomplished through an ...

Teachers' Attitudes Towards Code Switching Within A Bilingual Classroom, Wendy N. Olmo-Castillo

Education and Human Development Master's Theses

Within the United States, the number of native Spanish speaking students entering our schools has increased as the years have passed (Alanis & Rodriguez, 2008). Once they are in the school system, these students are labeled as English Language Learners (ELLs) or Limited English Proficient (LEP) with each entering with varying levels of the English language as well as their native language, Spanish. As more of these students come in, the more students our schools need to accommodate for their linguistic and academic needs. Thus, the purpose of bilingual programs is to develop students' native language and develop their second language ...

Middle School Transition: Faculty And Parent Perceptions Of The Academic, Procedural, And Social Changes That Occur Between Elementary And Middle School, Barbara Mckeon

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of parents and faculty regarding the transition from a private special education school to the middle school environment. Research was conducted using a mixed methods design to investigate the attitudes and perceptions of those directly involved with the transition process. Seventeen participants, nine parents and eight faculty participated in both the interviews and questionnaire processes. Social competence, academic competence, procedural challenges, maturational readiness and program planning were dominant themes in this study. The study examined the academic, procedural and social changes that occur in middle school from the stage-environment fit ...

The Price Of Prestige: A Study Of The Impact Of Striving Behavior On The Expenditure Patterns Of American Colleges And Universities, Kevin Iglesias

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study examined the effect that striving behavior has upon an institution’s expenditures. While not the first study to examine such effects, it was the first to look across a multitude of institutional types, spanning seven levels of Carnegie classifications and encompassing public and private not-for-profit bachelors-granting schools to public and private research institutions. Further, by including 8 distinct lines of expenditures, the study was the first to provide such a comprehensive look at changes in institutional expenditures. The study drew on numerous theoretical constructs, including resource dependency, theory of strategic balance, isomorphism, and Perrow’s theory of prestige ...

Exploring The Factors That Influence And Motivate Female Students To Enroll And Persist In Collegiate Stem Degree Programs: A Mixed Methods Study, Rosemary L. Edzie

Educational Administration: Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research

Nationally, the need for an increase in interest, enrollment, and degrees awarded from science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degree programs continues to suffer. While students are enrolling in collegiate STEM degree programs, it is not occurring at a rate that meets the workforce demand. In addition to the concern that there is not a sufficient amount of collegiate STEM majors, there is a concern over too few females enrolling and persisting in collegiate STEM degree programs.

This mixed methods sequential exploratory research study considered the factors that influence and motivate undergraduate female students to enroll and persist in collegiate ...

Elementary School Teachers' Interpretation And Promotion Of Creativity In The Learning Of Mathematics: A Grounded Theory Study, Yinjing Shen

Open Access Theses and Dissertations from the College of Education and Human Sciences

Creativity is important for young children learning mathematics. Comparing the investment theory of creativity and national standards and principles for early mathematics shows that doing mathematics is more than applying rules and procedures; rather, learning mathematics takes a lot of creativity. However, much literature claimed that creativity for young children in the learning of mathematics was not adequately supported by teachers in the classroom due to teachers’ poor college preparation in mathematics content knowledge, teachers’ negativity towards creative students, teachers’ occupational pressure, low quality curriculum, and the like. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to generate a model ...

An Analysis Of Pre-Service Versus Experienced Special-Education Teachers’ Perceptions Of Attrition, Derek M. Kreider

Master of Education Theses

In this quantitative study, I assessed the presence of factors related to attrition in pre-service special educators. I surveyed 23 pre-service special educators regarding various attrition factors identified in the research literature and then compared their responses to the perceptions of 32 seasoned special educators to test for statistical significance. Participants were located at a large, public university in the southeast United States and the largest public-school system in proximity to the university. The results of the study indicated that attrition factors may be evidenced in pre-service educators and therefore detectable prior to entering the teaching field. The study also ...

The Multilingual Reality In American Business, Zachary Z. Lim

University of Tennessee Honors Thesis Projects

No abstract provided.

Graduation Rates: A Comparison Of College Graduation Success Rates Of Dual Enrollment Versus Non-Dual Enrollment Students In The Community College, Kathy O. Thacker

Theses and Dissertations

Dual enrollment programs are designed to offer students academic opportunities and college access, along with the potential to decrease the amount of time it takes to complete a college degree and to lower the cost of college. This study was a comparison of college success rates for dual enrolled and non-dual enrolled students at a community college. The research study compared graduation success rate data from four consecutive years of high school graduates through the completion of their associate degrees. Five research questions were assessed. RQ1: Was there a statistical difference in the percentage of dual enrollment participants attending the ...

School Culture: Teachers' Beliefs, Behaviors, And Instructional Practices, Chantarath Hongboontri, Natheeporn Keawkhong

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This mixed-methods research project documents the school culture of Hope University’s Language Institute and reveals the reciprocal relationship between the school culture and the instructional practices of the English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in this particular institute. Altogether, 62 EFL teachers agreed to complete a questionnaire. Of these, 14 participated in semi-structured interviews and classroom observations; 2 agreed to be interviewed but did not allow their classrooms to be observed. Quantitative data demonstrated strong correlations among eight social organizational variables of a school culture. Qualitative data further revealed the influences of a school culture on these teacher ...