Digital Commons Network^™

An Inquiry Approach To Reading Instruction: A Case Study Of The Relationship Between Instruction And Motivation, Tammy Turri-Scodeller

Dissertations

This research is a qualitative case study analysis of the experiences of five fifth grade students who were involved in a classroom, action research project. The purpose of this action research was to measure the impact of this method of instruction on reading motivation of the fifth grade class as a whole. From the action research project, five, individual, student cases were purposefully sampled for further in-depth analysis. The objective of the individual student case study analysis was to explain how the behaviors of five students with a low level of reading achievement, activity, and motivation changed, or did not …

The Dissemination And Effective Use Of Physics Education Research In Undergraduate Instruction, Trevor Stefanick

Masters Theses

Based on the results of a national survey of physics faculty, a set of interviews was conducted of 70 physics faculty from a diverse set of institutions. The interviews included questions about the dissemination and effective use of curricula and instructional strategies based on Physics Education Research (PER), focused to obtain recommendations to the PER community that might help to spread the use of these PER-based materials. Approximately half of the interviews (those with faculty who indicated knowledge about or use of Peer Instruction) have been previously analyzed. This project is the analysis of the 38 interviews that were conducted …

The Professional Development Practices Of Two Reading First Coaches, Charlotte A. Mundy, Dorene D. Ross, Melinda M. Leko

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

To establish job-embedded, ongoing professional development recent policies and initiatives required that districts appoint school-based coaches. The Reading First Initiative, for example, created an immediate need for coaches without a clear definition of coaches’ responsibilities. Therefore, the purpose of this case study was to investigate how two Reading First coaches interpreted and enacted their professional development responsibilities. Cross-case analyses identified similarities and differences in coaches’ enactments. Findings revealed that while each coach engaged in similar professional development responsibilities (e.g. modeling, observing, and classroom walkthroughs) their approach to these responsibilities differed — collaborative versus expert driven. These differences in approaches indicate …

Call For Submissions, Jonathan Bush

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Call for submissions

Competency Vs. Achievement: Why Connections Are So Important In Writing Teacher Education, Kristen Turner

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This article focuses on the importance of community in writing teacher education, focusing on the role of the National Writing Project in teacher development.

Promising Connections: Uniting Writing Teachers, Elizabeth Brockman, Ken Lindblom

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This article considers work that has brought writing teacher educators together in professional, social, and academic forums and looks towards the future of Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education.

Teaching Writing Together: Joining Stories, Joining Voices, Kirk Branch, Lisa Eckert

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This article considers the relationships and common bonds that helps composition specialists and English educators find opportunities for mutually supportive professional relationships and collaboration.

The Future Of Writing Teacher Education, Kia Jane Richmond, M. Kilian Mccurrie

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This article provides background for the creation of the journal and suggestions for future submissions and directions.

Opening Editorial: The Next Step In A Disciplinary Journey, Jonathan Bush

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

The opening editorial provides context for the journal.

Writing Teacher Education: Past And Present, Michelle Tremmel, Robert Tremmel

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This article provides an overview of some of the recent developments in writing teacher education and considers how the journal can add to this community,.

Inaugural Issue (Spring 2012): Full Issue

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

The inaugural issue of Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education includes invited articles by key figures within writing teacher education.

Teaching And Understanding The Concept Of Critical Thinking Skills Within Michigan Accredited Associate Degree Dental Hygeine Programs, Kimberly S. Beistle

Dissertations

This study explores dental hygiene faculty's perceptions regarding the issues surrounding the concept of critical thinking skills integration within Michigan accredited associate degree dental hygiene programs. the primary research goals are to determine faculty understanding of the concept of critical thinking, identify personal and departmental rational and support for integrating critical thinking into the curriculum, describe teaching strategies used to teach critical thinking skills, and identify challenges by incorporating critical thinking skills into the curriculum. Using the Critical Thinking Model developed by Paul and Elder (2005), along with their research-based teaching strategies promoting critical thinking, a qualitative study approach is …

The Perception Of Adult Learners Concerning Their Satisfaction Of Their Educational Experiences In A Midwestern Community College, Constance L. Mccallum

Dissertations

In the United States, over 90 million adult students, aged 25 years or older, are engaging in post-secondary studies (Stokes, 2006). Adult learners are the fastest growing segment in higher education and this trend is expected to continue into the future (Benshoff & Lewis, 1992). This expanding influx of adult learners into colleges and universities has required post-secondary educational institutions to provide for the special needs, desires and expectations of their adult learner populations (Nesbit, 2001). Therefore, this study examined the relationship between adult learners’ educational experiences and their satisfaction levels with their educational experiences by recognizing the differences within …

Interpreting And Implementing English Language Arts State Standards/Expectations In Secondary Classrooms, Amanda Stearns-Pfeiffer

Dissertations

In my dissertation, I investigate the way in which English Language Arts (ELA) state standards are being interpreted and implemented, and how this implementation process affects the curricular decisions teachers make. This project focuses generally on the standards movement in American education, and more specifically on the ways teachers navigate the standards in their own classrooms.

The goal of this study is to problematize and better understand the end-result of current standards as they are conceived of by the final arbiters and interpreters of those standards – classroom English language arts teachers. Much work has been done in creating standards, …

Accelerated Degree Completion Programs: The Effects Of Core Professors In Nontraditional Higher Education, Dale Frederick Gadd

Dissertations

Nontraditional Accelerated Degree Completion Programs (ADCPs) became popular in the 1980s at many private, higher education institutions, and involved cohort groups facilitated by core or major professors. There has been little research addressing the effectiveness of a core-professor or multiple-professor approach within ADCPs, or research on how students view their learning experiences under this unique concept. This study therefore examines: (1) the effects of using a core-professor concept within nontraditional ADCPs, and (2) students' experiences under the core-professor and multiple-professor concepts.

Two sources of data were used, as obtained from students who had been involved in an ADCP program at …