Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons^™

Student Perspectives On Proficiency-Based Learning In Vermont's High School Completion Program, Hayley J. Shriner

Capstone Collection

This Independent Practitioner Inquiry Capstone (IPIC) paper examines student perspectives on proficiency-based learning at an adult education center in Vermont. Through Vermont’s High School Completion Program (HSCP), adults can earn their high school diplomas through proficiency-based Personalized Learning Plans (PLPs). This qualitative study focuses on high school-aged students who received referrals to the program from area schools within the context of the current shift toward proficiency-based learning mandated by Vermont Act 77. The study draws on resources specific to Act 77, as well as literature on the nationwide trend toward personalized learning and proficiency-based learning. The researcher uses holistic student …

Book Review: Spotlight On China: Chinese Education In The Globalized World, Jingzhou Liu

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

No abstract provided.

Life Satisfaction: A Study Of Engagement And The Academic Progress Of High School Students With Specific Learning Disabilities, Rebecca Dilling

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand how high school students with specific learning disabilities describe life satisfaction and its impact on student motivation, academic engagement, and academic progress. Bruner’s constructivist theory guided this research. Other theories included: Piaget’s cognitive development theory, Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory, Vygotsky’s social learning theory, Erikson’s psychosocial development theory, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, Bowlby’s attachment theory, Dewey’s brain-based learning theory, Glasser’s control theory of motivation, Bandura’s social cognitive theory, Deci and Ryan’s self-determination theory, and Bandura’s self-efficacy theory. Data collection tools included the researcher’s journal, classroom observations, student interviews, two student focus …

Differences In Students' Satisfaction Of The Economics And Personal Finance Virtual High School Course Between Students Attending Economically Disadvantaged And Non-Economically Disadvantaged Schools In Virginia Id: 11707, Lhe Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Virtual learning is a mandated high school graduation requirement for students entering high school during the 2013 school year in the state of Virginia. The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to analyze the differences of perceived overall satisfaction of high school students enrolled in a virtual course in different socioeconomic status schools, as measured by the e-Learning Student Satisfaction (ELS) instrument. The study participants were high school students enrolled in an Economics and Personal Finance virtual/online high school course in Virginia, n = 249. The study utilized a one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to determine if there …

The Effect Of Group Counseling Intervention On The Performance Of Rural Students On The Georgia High School Graduation Tests, Donna Caudel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

With an increase in high-stakes testing, educators continue to search for the best methodologies for assisting students in maximizing academic achievement and successful completion of graduation requirements including mandatory tests for high school graduation. At the time of this study, students graduating from Georgia high schools were required to pass five academic subject area tests in order to receive a high school diploma. Psychometric theory, social cognitive theory, and cognitive behavioral theory provided the theoretical framework for this study. Students from a rural high school in Georgia comprised the sample. This quantitative study employed a posttest-only control group design with …

The Experiences Of University Faculty Expected To Implement Edtpa Within A Teacher Preparation Program, Lance Kilpatrick

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of university faculty expected to implement a teacher performance assessment called edTPA within a teacher preparation program. This study synthesized the experiences university faculty members have when preparing and implementing the edTPA. A deep examination of 12 university faculty members who teach in teacher preparation programs in a Midwestern state where the edTPA is required for licensure offer their experience through a questionnaire, an individual interview, and a focus group interview. The data were collected, organized, and analyzed by employing transcendental phenomenological systematic data analysis procedures positioned to …

An Examination Of Motivational Levels Of Non-Traditional Undergraduate Business And Education Majors, Kristopher Bradshaw

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research dissertation was developed for the purpose of advancing the literature in the realm of student motivation. Previous research in the field has placed little emphasis on the adult, non-traditional student population. Adult, non-traditional students represents an important part of the higher education climate in the United States and the unique motivators of this population needs further examination in order to more closely align academic programs and services with motives and goals. The research questions seek to answer if a significant difference exists between the intrinsic and extrinsic motivational levels of business majors compared to education majors in the …

Interview With Bettina Love: Creating Spaces That Matter, Meca Williams-Johnson

Department of Curriculum, Foundations, & Reading Faculty Publications

This is an interview with Dr. Bettina Love on her work with the Kindezi Schools, a small, high-performing charter group in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Love’s thought provoking responses provide insight into the dynamics that make Kindezi Schools successful at reaching their students. Additionally, she shares concerns about the dilemma of Opportunity School Districts (OSD) and the schism OSD’s create in minority communities. Lastly, she shares how Kindezi became an opportunity school for Atlanta youth. This interview will be beneficial for parents, principals, teachers, and stakeholders who are interested in understanding how and why creating spaces to nurture student learning matters.

"Let Me Tell You What I See" Creating A Culturally Relevant Arts Based Education Through The Use Of Photography And Storytelling, William Tran

Master's Projects and Capstones

There are many constructs that can hinder the ability of students of color to succeed in a classroom environment. Factors such as the construct of whiteness, microaggressions, the banking method, as well as cuts in arts based classes create a learning environment where oppression occurs on multiple levels. The construct of whiteness creates an environment in which only the ideas, values, lived experiences, and knowledge of whites are considered valid. Microaggressions uphold the construct of whiteness by insulting and invalidating any ideas, values, lived experiences, languages, and knowledge that are outside the construct of whiteness. The constructs of whiteness as …

Minority Middle And High School Students' Interest In Science: An Exploration Of Teachers' Perceptions, Caroline Makere

Dissertations

A high school teacher conducted a study about minority middle and high school students’ interest in science. The problem was to find out why African American and Hispanic students were showing very little interest in science. The researcher used four middle school science teachers and nine high school science teachers, all from inner city schools in a big city of the Midwest United States except for one middle school teacher from a nearby suburb. The participants answered a survey questionnaire followed with a face-to-face recorded interview. The findings of the study confirmed that students showed little interest in science due …

Pedagogías Críticas Para Nuevos Horizontes Emancipadores, Peter Mclaren

Education Faculty Articles and Research

En una sociedad como la nuestra fuertemente marcada por los efectos de la globalización neoliberal, ¿cuál es el papel de una educación crítica para contribuir a un cambio cultural que acabe con todas las visiones androcéntricas, eurocéntricas y productivistas que tan profundamente han calado en nuestro pensamiento?

An Analysis Of Reflective Thinking In Teacher Candidates' Eportfolios, Cristina Salinas-Grandy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Preparing the next generation of teachers to prepare students for the 21st Century is a challenging endeavor. Teacher candidates need to possess critical thinking and evidence-based pedagogical skills. It is believed that teacher reflection is the cornerstone to making informed decisions and timely modifications to daily instruction (Cochran-Smith, & Zeichner, K. 2005, Darling-Hammond, L. & Bransford, J., 2005 NBPTS, 2014; Schon, 1987;). What has been less examined is how an ePortfolio can be utilized as a tool to aid in the development of reflection among teacher candidates. This case study significantly contributes to our understanding of how to develop reflective …

Refreshment For The Soul: A Phenomenological Study Of The Student Experience Of Beauty In School, Paul Reiff

Dissertations

Prompted by the ratio-scientific emphasis in the curriculum, I conducted this study to explore the lifeworlds of students to understand their lived experience of beauty in school. This investigation entailed a phenomenological study, the method of which included in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with four high school students. This study aimed to examine the essence of beauty in the lived experience of students in school, to explore the perceptions of students regarding school as a place to appreciate beauty, and to understand the needs of students as a place that develops their aesthetic sensibilities. The findings include the description …

Infusing The Arts Into Science And The Sciences Into The Arts: An Argument For Interdisciplinary Steam In Higher Education Pathways, Christopher W. Thurley

The STEAM Journal

This article presents an argument for the integration of science into English courses in order to emphasize the usefulness of a Science, Technology, Education, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education. The idea for this approach arose after the implementation of a divisional initiative to create learning communities with a STEM cohort of students called Student Persistence and Retention via Curricula, Cohorts, and Centralization (SPARC³). The author’s involvement in teaching a science-infused English course for this program inspired the argument that follows, which outlines why/how the sciences should learn from the humanities and why/how the humanities should learn from the sciences. The …

Progression: Preventing Recidivism Through Post-Secondary Education, Frelimo Omari Amili

MAIS Projects and Theses

In the United States of America there are more people incarcerated than in any other developed country. The majority of people released from incarceration become recidivists. Many people who are incarcerated serve their time and return to the same circumstances that led to their incarceration. First time offenders are often released to much worse circumstances because they now have their options in regards to life essentials such as housing and employment limited by a criminal conviction. Despite these unfortunate realities, the potential within many people affected by this vicious cycle can still be reached.

Many researchers have concluded that post-secondary …

Biographies, Jodi A. Patterson

Artizein: Arts and Teaching Journal

Includes biographies of authors who contributed to Artizein: Arts and teaching journal special edition "The Peter London Papers."

Words In Honor Of Peter London, Rain Gianneschi-Mcnichols

Artizein: Arts and Teaching Journal

Article contains presentation Patricia Rain Gianneschi gave at the Symposium for the Peter London Papers at the University of Illinois, Carbondale.

Art's Disclosive Dimensions: Reflections On The Work Of Peter London, Aaron Darrisaw

Artizein: Arts and Teaching Journal

When I initially came to this project, I vaguely remembered hearing of Peter London once before – in passing perhaps. Yet I knew nothing really of his art or his work as an educator. Each day I came into work, however, I was met with a series of very interesting correspondences, articles, conference presentations, lecture notes, and more that offered a thoroughgoing vision of art as a personally, socially, and spiritually transformative and enriching enterprise. The collection contained document after document of valuable contributions to the instrumental role that art can and does play in opening up individuals to their …

A "Secondhand" Reflection R. Buckminster Fuller And Peter London, Jon D. Davey Phd Aia

Artizein: Arts and Teaching Journal

Dr. John Daniel Davey presented this article as a PowerPoint presentation during the inauguration of The Peter London Papers to the University of Illinois, Carbondale.

Dewey's Philosophy Of Art And Aesthetic Experience, Thomas M. Alexander

Artizein: Arts and Teaching Journal

Thomas Alexander presents a lineage of John Dewey's aesthetics at the inauguration symposium for "The Peter London Papers" at the University of Illinois, Carbondale.