Digital Commons Network^™

An Examination Of The Perceptions Of Educational Leaders On The Ensuring Literacy For All Initiative’S Impact On Student Reading Achievement In Louisiana, Khanh Kim Nguyen-Dufour

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of Louisiana’s Ensuring Literacy For All (ELFA) initiative from the perspective of

educational administrators in order to identify: (a) the factors within ELFA that contributed to student reading performance; (b) the effects of the perceptions of ELFA administrators on student achievement; and (c) the components of effective leadership that attributed to the success of ELFA implementation. Bandura‘s (1993) socio-psychological theory of self efficacy was used to frame this study, which included six ELFA administrators from the state, district, and school level. The five findings of this study revealed …

Cultivating Educational Resilience: An Examination Of Teacher-Student Interactions In The Elementary Classroom, Hazel S. Parker

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Experiences And Perceptions Of Novice Associate Degree Nursing Faculty Assuming A Classroom Instructors Role, Mary N. Fontenelle

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore the classroom experiences and perceptions of novice faculty in the classroom setting of an Associate Degree of Nursing programs, located in community colleges. The transition from expert practitioner to novice teacher can be a difficult experience for new classroom nursing instructors. Novice nursing faculty often has very limited educational preparation or background in classroom instruction skills. Nursing research, typically conducted at university level, has minimal applicability for the community college nursing programs. Community colleges educate sixty percent of the graduate Registered Nurses in the United States and have scant research into their …

Senioritis -- Or An Opportunity For Growth?, Lori Desautels

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

Walking into the kitchen, she spots the community college acceptance letter on top of a stack of mail. Early in December, the Marine Corps notifies him that basic training starts in six months. She's dreamed about attending her mom's alma mater for the last few years, and admissions has responded positively. The auto shop where he's had an afterschool job since junior year has just promised full-time employment beginning two weeks after graduation.

Now what?

This question concerns me as an educator of K-12 and higher education.

Empowering Teachers To Become Change Agents Through The Science Education In-Service Teacher Training Project In Zimbabwe, Yovita N. Gwekwerere Dr., Emmanuel Mushayikwa, Viola Manokore

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

This paper presents findings from a study of three Zimbabwean science teachers who participated in the Science Education In-service Teacher Training (SEITT) program. At the turn of the century, the SEITT program was designed to develop science and mathematics teachers into expert masters and resource teachers for Zimbabwe’s ten school districts. The study investigated the successes and challenges faced by the three teachers who were in the process of reforming their pedagogical practices as well as writing and using contextualized science curriculum materials to teach secondary science. Data were collected through telephone interviews. The three teachers reported that the SEITT …

December Agenda, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting agenda.

Meeting Minutes, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting minutes.

The Influence Of Montessori-Based Literacy Instruction And Methods On Reading Achievement Of Students In Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, And 7, Frances Bowman

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Abstract

This study examines the influence of Montessori-based literacy curriculum and instruction on student achievement in Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. I studied 71 matched pairs of urban charter school students (n=142) to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in reading achievement, as measured by the Maryland School Assessment (MSA), between students who were instructed by their teachers in Montessori literacy methods and curriculum and students from a nearby charter school who were instructed by their teachers using a basal reading method. T-tests were used to compare the mean scores of the combined grade levels …

Graduate Student Research Meeting Minutes, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting minutes.

How Does Student Understanding Of A Concept Change Throughout A Unit Of Instruction? Support Toward The Theory Of Learning Progressions, Brian Jay Dyer

Dissertations and Theses

This study documented the changes in understanding a class of eighth grade high school-level biology students experienced through a biology unit introducing genetics. Learning profiles for 55 students were created using concept maps and interviews as qualitative and quantitative instruments. The study provides additional support to the theory of learning progressions called for by experts in the field. The students' learning profiles were assessed to determine the alignment with a researcher-developed learning profile. The researcher-developed learning profile incorporated the learning progressions published in the Next Generation Science Standards, as well as current research in learning progressions for 5-10th grade students …

Promoting Student Engagement Within A Practical Class Through The Use Of A Learning Portfolio, Niall Delaney, John A. Nolan

Conference papers

This paper looks at an exploratory case-study undertaken to try and investigate student engagement within a practical wood machining class.

Due to the nature of the course and the cohort of students, the current lecturer pedagogic practice has to be behaviourist, but from this a culture of expectancy has developed among the students. It was felt that something had to be done to revitalise student interest in the work they were doing and also give them the chance to address the perceived shortfall in their learning. There was potential for a lot of failures, but also much worse, there was …

Revisiting The Roles And Responsibilities Of Speech-Language Therapists In South African Schools, Anna Maria Wium, Brenda Louw

Brenda Louw

Moral Turbulence And The Infusion Of Multimodal Character Education Strategies In American Elementary Schools, Mark A. Lamport, Ph.D., Kristi L. Cobb, M.A.

Christian Perspectives in Education

Pockets of American society are marked by increase in violent crime with concurrent decline in moral character. This phenomenon is infiltrating the nation’s school system as evidenced by growing numbers of aggressive incidents in the classroom. As a result, there is an increasingly accepted need for effective character education programs in the schools as a means to help change the décolleté trajectory of the behavior of the nation’s school children. While more money and growing numbers of legislation have been put forth to support such an endeavor, research is still lacking as to what activities, skills, goals, and approaches would …

Building The First Gaming Master’S Program: An Industry Perspective, Toni Repetti, Soyeon Jung

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

The gaming industry has dramatically expanded not only domestically and internationally, but further to the online market. This growth has caused the industry to be more complicated than ever, and face massive challenges, competition, and opportunity. Consequently, there is a need for more qualified candidates in the gaming industry. Few gaming degrees are offered at a university level and more importantly, there is currently no master’s program in gaming management in the United States. Results of this survey of 201 industry professionals show that the majority would be interested in a master’s in gaming with most preferring an online of …

Common Core 4th Grade Environmental Science Lesson Plans For California Teachers, Gillian Schoenfeld

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

This project and its analyses were conducted to assist California fourth grade elementary school teachers in adjusting to teaching Common Core standards and science curriculum in their classrooms. The project included the creation of lesson plans, which could be utilized throughout the state of California.

As the Common Core standards, California’s Next Generation Science Standards for K- 12, were just proposed in June of 2013, these lesson plans would help teachers update their lessons and provide them materials and concepts of how to do so. These lessons provide higher-order thinking for students, which is the whole concept of the new …

The Development Of A Comprehensive Adhd Program For Elementary School Educators, Angie Lee Echoles

Doctoral Projects

On average, teachers will teach at least one student with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in any given school year without receiving any instructions at all on ADHD. ADHD affects 3% to 7% of school-age students and one in every twenty children (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2010). It is classified as one of the most common mental health disorders affecting school-age students. The American Psychiatric Association (APA, 2013) defines ADHD as a hereditary, non-curable, common childhood disorder. A triad of symptoms is associated with this disorder: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, which all have a major impact on …

Creative Classrooms To Teach And Learn Grammar Lessons For Middle School Students With The Design Of Tim, Christina M. Belesovski (Demarco)

Master's Projects

Project Abstract

Creative Classrooms to Teach and Learn Grammar Lessons for Middle School Students with the Design of TIM

This project focuses on creating a classroom as a learning environment to help to teach Middle school students at the level of 8^th grade lessons on grammar. Also incorporated in this project will be the emphasis on the Torrance Incubation Model of Teaching and Learning (TIM).

E. Paul Torrance, better known as “the father of creativity” was quoted once saying, “tomorrow’s world will be vastly different for today’s children. They will do kinds of work that do not exist now. …

The Prickly Embrace Of Engaged Scholarship: What It Means To Do Research In An Urban Secondary (6-12) School, Mary Beth Schaefer, Lourdes M. Rivera

Curriculum & Instruction Faculty Publications

This paper describes how two professors struggled with traditional and non-traditional approaches to scholarship in order to understand how they could best serve students in a new secondary school (grades 6-12) while fulfilling expectations for tenure and promotion. Using methods related to reflexive autoethnography, the authors explore the rewards and challenges of building a partnership between a college and school that enabled the development of a comprehensive and systemic college and career readiness program called the Career Institute (CI). The professors explore the tensions that arose when they tried to both build and study this program. Over time, the professors …

Investigating The Effect Of Real Life Knowledge On Mathematical Problem Solving In Grade 7 In The Uae., Latifa Saeed Mohammed Al Marshedi

Accounting Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Mathematics Curriculum Coaching And Elementary School Students’ Mathematics Achievement In A Northeast Tennessee School System, Evandro R. Valente

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Educators and policymakers have demonstrated interest in finding ways to better equip mathematics teachers so they can help students achieve at a higher level. Academic coaching has been identified as an effective professional development activity for teachers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference between students’ achievement levels before and after a mathematics initiative in a Northeast Tennessee school district. In this study I analyzed grades 3 – 6 students’ Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program or TCAP scores in the year prior to the hiring of a mathematics coach and their respective scores 2 years after the placement …

Benefits Of Video Presentations In Product Design, Alex Lobos

Articles

Product Design uses a human-centered process to develop solutions that solve unmet user needs. Because of the sequential nature of this activity, final designs are often presented in printed process books or digital slideshows, which visually communicate the development of the solution from start to finish rather than focusing just on the final result. Storytelling is a key element to consider when creating these process books in order to communicate the design solution as well as where it came from. An alternative to these presentations is the use of short videos, which offer the advantage of communicating the design process …

Teaching Fact Fluency Through Focused Strategies, Kelly Jahn, Joan Selle

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The action research study was conducted in two third grade classrooms in North Dakota. There were 23 students in one class and 20 in the other. All but one student was Caucasian, and all were middle to upper class. This study was conducted to focus on the rate of improvement of fact fluency through focused strategies. Pre-assessment data were collected in the form of surveys and baseline assessments given to students. Students were surveyed on feelings toward mathematics, addition, and fact fluency. Students were also given a baseline assessment to demonstrate prior abilities before the intervention. After pre-assessment data were …

The Effects Of Leveled Book Room Resources On The Attainment Of Reading Standards, Deanna Krueger

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The objective of the research was to establish if a well-stocked, leveled book room and the resources contained within it could affect the acquisition of rigorous Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The research was conducted in a second grade classroom in a public elementary school in the upper Midwest. The five data sources utilized in the study included a reading leveling system, a student survey, district-developed baseline assessments, teacher-developed formative assessments, and teacher observations. The data revealed a respectable increase in students that became proficient in the four targeted standards, but a significant surge in students that achieved measurable growth …

Implementing A Successful Collaborative Learning Environment, Andrea P. Beasley

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research report summarizes a study of 65 diverse student learners in a 10^th grade AP US History class. This research investigates the implementation of a collaborative learning environment to elicit positive effects on student attitudes toward learning and their achievement. To gain pre-intervention data, students were surveyed on their attitudes and took multiple-choice assessments. During the intervention period, students completed surveys regarding the effectiveness of the collaborative learning implementation and completed multiple-choice assessments. After the interventions, students were surveyed again on their attitudes toward learning. The results demonstrated insignificant effects on student attitudes but improvements in student …

Positive Behavior Intervention And Support On The Playground, Teri M. Miller

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this action research project was to implement the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) model on the playground environment and determine the effects on student behavior observed during recess. The study was conducted at an elementary school with first grade teachers and students. Data collection methods included surveys, student goal sheets, and a web-based application, School-Wide Information System (SWIS), used to document referrals on playground behavior. Results from the eight-week study yielded positive results, showing a dramatic decrease of problematic behaviors on the playground. Recommendations based on the results of the investigation include creating Active Recess (AR) …

The Effects Of Using Ipads To Increase Basic Math Fact Automaticity, Nicholas P. Sunderman, Kyle S. Shaughnessy

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

Our investigation was on the effects of using iPads to increase basic fact automaticity. We wanted to explore what strategy worked best to increase fact fluency: flashcards and paper/pencil practice or iPad practice. The project took place in one fourth-grade classroom and one fifth-grade classroom. The fourth-grade classroom had twenty-one students. The fifth-grade classroom had twenty-two students. We collected data with pretest and posttest instruments. We also collected data through weekly observations. Students using the iPads were also monitored using the Moby Max fact fluency program. The results indicated that daily flashcard and paper/pencil practice provided a higher rate of …

Instructor Interaction As It Relates To Facilitation Of Spiritual Development Within An Evangelical Institution: A Case Study, Joseph Butler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to understand the impact of instructor interaction on the facilitation of spiritual development in an online environment for undergraduate non-religion majors attending a distinctively evangelical university. The qualitative case study shadows and evaluates three sections of a required introductory religion course. Over the period of one academic term, the following online interactions were observed in order to gauge potential facilitation of spiritual development: announcements, emails, forums, assignment feedback, and course content. An interview was conducted with the instructor following the course to understand how they engaged the course and their perspective in …

Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Literacy Professional Learning: An Amalgamation Of Adolescent Literacy, Mathematics Teaching, And Adult Learning, Janet L. Larson

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study uses practitioner research to examine secondary mathematics teachers’ learning of literacy integration practices in the context of a district-wide literacy professional development series. The author, a secondary mathematics curriculum and instruction facilitator in a large, Midwestern suburban district, engaged in a two-year partnership with seventeen Mathematics Teacher Facilitators (MTFs) who taught literacy practices to their colleagues via a train-the-trainer model. This study provides an explicit rendering of professional development practices and ongoing, job-embedded learning vignettes of six MTF’s experiences in (a) teaching literacy practices to their colleagues and (b) how they learned and enacted these practices in their …

Using Common Formative Assessments To Guide Fluency Instruction, Kelly Adrian, Abbigail Volek, Christa Ranweiler

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

In the Spring of 2013, first-grade literacy data were reviewed and we concluded that changes needed to occur with teacher instructional methods to ensure growth in student reading fluency. We collaborated to find what effect common formative assessments would have on teachers’ abilities to help students meet reading fluency benchmarks. Data were collected on 52 first-grade students within three classroom settings. Throughout this process, teachers monitored student progress toward proficiency in reading fluency, in particular rate, through the use of common formative assessments, teacher observation notes and teacher collaboration. After the data collection period, results showed that the use of …

Improving Kindergarten Students’ Knowledge By Enhancing Engagement In Literacy Centers, Magdalene B. Pearson

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The action research was conducted in a kindergarten classroom with 18 participating students, in a Northern Midwest elementary school. Baseline data was collected by assessments in the areas of letter identification, onset sounds, rhyming, and concepts of print. Literacy centers were set up for students using differentiated activities in these areas. Conferencing with students and formative assessments were used for monitoring student progress and engagement in the literacy centers of Read to Self, Word Works, Writing Center and Listening Center. The students were assessed again at the end of the research period. The results of this study showed increased learning …