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Innovative Techniques For Inspiring Efl Students' Enthusiasm And Participating In English Classroom Activities, Yinghung Natalie Chiang
Innovative Techniques For Inspiring Efl Students' Enthusiasm And Participating In English Classroom Activities, Yinghung Natalie Chiang
Master's Projects and Capstones
Since 1990, the government of Taiwan has sought to position the country as an international economic and trading center. As a result, English became a compulsory subject for Taiwanese students in 2005 (Lu, 2011). The Taiwan Ministry of Education (MOE) is promoting communicative language teaching (CLT) and encouraging learners to develop and increased desire to improve their language skills. However, many Taiwanese English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers still focus on memorization and the grammar translation method (Chung & Huang, 2009). The author discovered two major issues related to English language teaching in Taiwan. The first issue was many Taiwanese …
Writing Groups In Eighth-Grade Honors Language Arts: Student And Teacher Perceptions, Jennifer Sara Meister Denmon
Writing Groups In Eighth-Grade Honors Language Arts: Student And Teacher Perceptions, Jennifer Sara Meister Denmon
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
In this qualitative case study, I investigated eighth-grade honors students’ and their language arts teacher’s perceptions of the support provided in writing groups, the climate in writing groups, and student and teacher support that enhanced students’ motivation to write in writing groups. Eleven study participants engaged in the inquiry, 10 middle school students and one language arts teacher. I collected data during the fall semester of 2014. Data were individual interviews, classroom observations of participants in writing groups, and program-related documents. The main aim in this investigation is to discover middle school students’ and their teacher’s perceptions of the support, …
Hiv-1 Transgenic Rat: Selective Alterations In Motivation And Histological Examination Of Medium Spiny Neurons Of The Nucleus Accumbens, Michael N. Cranston
Hiv-1 Transgenic Rat: Selective Alterations In Motivation And Histological Examination Of Medium Spiny Neurons Of The Nucleus Accumbens, Michael N. Cranston
Theses and Dissertations
Motivational alterations in HIV-1+ individuals are associated with decreased performance on tasks involving frontal-subcortical circuitry and the nucleus accumbens. In the present study, the HIV-1 transgenic (Tg) rat was used to assess long-term HIV-1 viral protein exposure on motivated behavior using activity chambers (40x40cm) and voluntary wheel running. Adult ovariectomized female HIV-1 Tg animals (n=21) to F344 controls (n=26) were pair-housed under a 12:12 light/dark cycle. Voluntary running was measured with 34 cm-diameter running wheels for ~60 minutes/day for 3 ½ months. There were no significant differences between HIV-1 Tg and F344 control rats in voluntary wheel running during the …
Incorporating Study Abroad Experiences Into The High School Classroom Using Practices Informed By Cognitive Research, Grace Carroll Zimmermann
Incorporating Study Abroad Experiences Into The High School Classroom Using Practices Informed By Cognitive Research, Grace Carroll Zimmermann
Senior Theses
This senior thesis project is a Unit Plan designed for at-risk high school students that incorporates literature from places where I have studied abroad and employs classroom practices that are based upon research in the fields of cognition, motivation, and pedagogy. The accompanying paper addresses the rationale behind choices made for each lesson and the research that supports it.
Factors That Lead Students To Study Music Education : A Descriptive Study., Alexander T. Hamilton Ii
Factors That Lead Students To Study Music Education : A Descriptive Study., Alexander T. Hamilton Ii
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to survey music education students in their first year of undergraduate studies to learn what influences and/or musical experiences affected their choice in selecting music education as their major. Participants (N = 28) were enrolled in an Introduction to Music Education course at a mid-sized metropolitan university. Subjects were asked to complete a survey and rate perceived degree of influences on the selection of the music education major. Participants were also asked to provide written responses on personal influences that led them to select music education as a major. Survey results indicated that …
Living Out Faith: Reflections On Motivation For Academic Achievement And Career Choice, Felicia D. Richardson-Mcgee
Living Out Faith: Reflections On Motivation For Academic Achievement And Career Choice, Felicia D. Richardson-Mcgee
College of Education Theses and Dissertations
It has often been said that conversations concerning religion, sex and politics should be avoided in most, if not all social settings. In general, it was believed that discussions on these topics could lead to very heated and argumentative debates as the participants openly expressed their views on these subjects. Increasingly, however, religion has become a popular discussion topic in many areas, such as politics, health and medicine, and even the business world. This is likely because religion, for many, is an important part of daily life. It shapes how individuals see themselves and others in the world and may …
Perspectives Of Foreign Language Teachers On Influences, Challenges, And Practices Affecting Language Choice, Brant M. Lloyd
Perspectives Of Foreign Language Teachers On Influences, Challenges, And Practices Affecting Language Choice, Brant M. Lloyd
Theses and Dissertations
In light of the 2010 recommendation of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages that teachers use the target language (TL) "as exclusively as possible," teachers face the necessity of promoting target language use and assessing how their language choices influence their students. The purpose of this study was to analyze teachers' perspectives and practices of whether to use students' first language or the target language. Data from over 100 foreign language teachers, predominantly those in the K-12 sector, were collected through a survey in order to measure how teachers manage the phenomenon of language choice. The findings …
Effect Of Vocabulary Test Preparation On Low-Income Black Middle School Students' Reading Scores, Ingrid Nadia Mitchell
Effect Of Vocabulary Test Preparation On Low-Income Black Middle School Students' Reading Scores, Ingrid Nadia Mitchell
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Black middle school students in the United States perform poorly on standardized reading achievement tests in comparison to other racial and ethnic groups. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a vocabulary-focused test preparation program for underachieving Black middle school students. Thorndike's concept of test-wiseness, a test-taking capacity, provided the theoretical foundation for the study. Research questions investigated the difference in reading test scores on the Discovery Education Assessment of underachieving Black middle school students who participated in a key vocabulary test preparation program and those who did not. An intact-group comparison was used in which …
International Students Use Of Technology For Improving Writing Skills In College, Margaret Godwin
International Students Use Of Technology For Improving Writing Skills In College, Margaret Godwin
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Many college-level students choose to study in another country and in a second language, often in English. In this context, a high standard of written English is important to attain good grades in college and earn degrees with distinction, which may lead to successful careers. One international college provided computer tools to students to improve their writing; however, students were reluctant to use the tools provided. This qualitative study explored these college students' perceptions of their lack of motivation to use computer tools and the barriers that prevent them from improving their English writing. The research questions investigated the technology …
Gendering Fiction: A Mixed Methods Examination Of The Influence Of The "Boy" Book/ "Girl" Book Phenomenon On The Willingness To Read Of Young Adolescents, Megan Farley Munson-Warnken
Gendering Fiction: A Mixed Methods Examination Of The Influence Of The "Boy" Book/ "Girl" Book Phenomenon On The Willingness To Read Of Young Adolescents, Megan Farley Munson-Warnken
Graduate College Dissertations and Theses
Well-meaning educators often recommend more "boy" books to increase reading motivation amongst boys. This experimental mixed-methods study investigated the influence of the "boy" book/ "girl" book phenomenon on willingness to read using a researcher-designed instrument called the Textual Features Sort (TFS). The TFS measured two attitudinal constructs—gendered beliefs about texts and willingness to read—in relation to individual textual features of selected young adult novels. Data came from 50 sixth and seventh grade students at a mid-sized public school in a rural New England state. Mean scores, frequencies, and percentages were analyzed using independent samples t-tests, paired t-tests, and Fisher's exact …