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Conceptual Change: The Integration Of Geologic Time Into The Teaching Of Evolution, David L. Ramseyer Dec 2012

Conceptual Change: The Integration Of Geologic Time Into The Teaching Of Evolution, David L. Ramseyer

Theses and Dissertations

This study attempts to discern if geologic time is a threshold concept for student understanding of evolutionary theory. A threshold concept enables the learner to unpack other concepts because of its importance in thought construction. In this study three teachers and ten sections of biology were investigated from the same high school. Each teacher used the same activities, in the same sequence, and with identical evaluation methods. Students in the treatment group covered a unit on geologic time prior to completing course work on evolutionary theory. Student misconceptions in both control and treatment groups were assessed using a composite concept …


Uwspółcześnienie: The Contemporization Of Polish Education, Politics, And Society In The Enlightenment Period, Holly Dzwilefsky Nov 2012

Uwspółcześnienie: The Contemporization Of Polish Education, Politics, And Society In The Enlightenment Period, Holly Dzwilefsky

Theses and Dissertations

UWSPÓŁCZEŚNIENIE: THE CONTEMPORIZATION OF POLISH EDUCATION, POLITICS, AND SOCIETY IN THE ENLIGHTENMENT PERIOD examines the contemporization of educational, governmental, and societal structures that occurred in eighteenth-century Poland. Italian educational models and English governmental models influenced the development of Poland’s structures since the fourteenth century. The introduction and pervasiveness of Sarmatism in szlachta culture during the fifteenth century created the foundation for the szlachta democracy. Continued interference from neighboring rulers coupled with the erosion of educational standards inside Poland contributed to the szlachta’s susceptibility to corruption, which resulted in non-functioning government. Following the Partition of 1772, the Poles employed the assistance …


Learning Within A Computer-Assisted Instructional Environment: Effects On Multiplication Math Fact Mastery And Self-Efficacy In Elementary-Age Students, Loraine Jones Hanson Nov 2012

Learning Within A Computer-Assisted Instructional Environment: Effects On Multiplication Math Fact Mastery And Self-Efficacy In Elementary-Age Students, Loraine Jones Hanson

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of basic multiplication mastery (0-12) and self-efficacy outcomes for elementary age students attempting to master multiplication facts in a Computer-Assisted Instructional (CAI) environment. Timez Attack (TA), a modern Internet based 3-D multiplication video game, was the computer program used in this study. Four third- and four fourth-grade classes of students at a public charter school received either 12 20-minute Teacher-Led Instructional (TLI), or TA multiplication practice sessions. Pre- and post Math Attitude Survey (MAS), timed multiplication tests, observations, and informal interviews were used to assess and compare TA and …


Desire And Opportunity To Marry Among Black South African Women, Colleen Rebecca Johnson Oct 2012

Desire And Opportunity To Marry Among Black South African Women, Colleen Rebecca Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how demographic and attitudinal variables are associated with Black South African women's desire to marry. Data from the South African Social Attitudes Survey are used to measure the impact of age, education, living standard, religiosity, urbanicity, cohabitation, and attitudes towards woman's careers, the acceptability of cohabitation, gender roles, unwed childbearing, and the financial and emotional security marriage provides on the desire to marry. Analyses indicate the following are associated with the desire to marry among Black South African women: age, cohabitation, attitudes towards cohabitation, and attitudes towards the financial and emotional security marriage provides. Secondly, data from …


From No Choice To Forced Choice To School Choice: A History Of Educational Options In Milwaukee Public Schools, James Kenneth Nelsen Aug 2012

From No Choice To Forced Choice To School Choice: A History Of Educational Options In Milwaukee Public Schools, James Kenneth Nelsen

Theses and Dissertations

Americans cherish freedom and value local control of education. The issue of "school choice," a movement that supports publicly funded tuition vouchers for students who attend private schools, appeared on the public agenda in the 1980s and has remained a controversial topic into the twenty-first century. Milwaukee had one of the first and most expansive school choice programs in the United States. If one is to understand school choice, one must understand its origin in Milwaukee. Milwaukee moved through three eras of choice--the eras of "no choice," "forced choice," and "school choice." The Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) followed a "comprehensive" …


A Qualitative Analysis Of High School Students' Experiences In The Latinos In Action Program, Johann Paul Simonds Jul 2012

A Qualitative Analysis Of High School Students' Experiences In The Latinos In Action Program, Johann Paul Simonds

Theses and Dissertations

This research was a qualitative program evaluation of students' perceptions of Latinos in Action (LIA), a peer-mentoring program that seeks to improve high school Latino graduation rates and college admittance. The study was conducted with college students who participated in the program in high school. LIA graduates were interviewed to determine what major factors influenced and supported them in their academic decisions. Additional data included an interview with the program director, results from the High School Survey of Student Engagement (HSSSE), and a video of one of the interviewees. The researcher explored students' experiences in the LIA program with the …


What Types Of After-School Programs Benefit Lep Students?, Patricia Grace Gaither Jul 2012

What Types Of After-School Programs Benefit Lep Students?, Patricia Grace Gaither

Theses and Dissertations

With the increase in federal funding for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) after-school program, more intricate evaluations are needed to assess the needs and successes of the programs. And with many programs targeting students of minority and limited-English proficiency (LEP) status, additional analyses should focus on these targeted populations. This study examines a regional 21st CCLC program with math and English standardized test scores (CRT scores) for students prior to participation and after two years of participation. These test scores were used to create a score change variable, which provides a unique approach to assessing after-school programs. …


Realizing The Right To Education In Egypt: An Assessment Of Primary Education In Relation To International Standards, Fawziah Abdel Rahman Qadir Jun 2012

Realizing The Right To Education In Egypt: An Assessment Of Primary Education In Relation To International Standards, Fawziah Abdel Rahman Qadir

Theses and Dissertations

The right to education in international human rights law is contained in number of international treaties. The most comprehensive coverage of the right is found within the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) under articles 13 and 14. The primary level of education is an essential and integral phase in the development of a child, without the right to education children are unable to realize other rights. This research assesses the functionality of the Egyptian primary education system and its compliance with the international human rights standards of education, specifically the utilizing the 4-A schematic. The indicators …


Civil Society Engagement And Education For Sustainable Development (Esd) In Egypt: A Case Study Of El-Warraq Area, Heba Shaheen May 2012

Civil Society Engagement And Education For Sustainable Development (Esd) In Egypt: A Case Study Of El-Warraq Area, Heba Shaheen

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the level of civil society engagement in an initiative implemented in an area in Egypt called El-Warraq. The main objective of the initiative was to promote ESD through a summer educational and recreational program using hands-on activities that bring key sustainable development concepts to school students. The main objective of this research was to examine a framework for implementing ESD in schools in Egypt. The target population in this study was EL-Warraq community. The sample used for investigation was one of the public schools chosen for the EduCamp II pilot implementation, El-Saddat School. This research was based …


Assessing The Socio-Economic Characteristics Of Higher Education Subsidies’ Beneficiaries In Egypt. Problem Of Subsidizing The Rich, Sarah El-Gerby Feb 2012

Assessing The Socio-Economic Characteristics Of Higher Education Subsidies’ Beneficiaries In Egypt. Problem Of Subsidizing The Rich, Sarah El-Gerby

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the socioeconomic characteristics which influence the decision of joining HE in Egyt. it assesses the characteristics of the beneficiaries, and identifies the socioeconomic characteristics of students of private vs. free public universities in Egypt. It examines the socioeconomic correlates of joining higher education in Egypt; and among university students the correlates of the choice between joining public versus private university. It uses probit and logit models adjusted for self-selection bias. The study focuses on three key variables to assess equity issues: gender, wealth, and urban/rural/slum residence. Results show that the socioeconomic background of students’ families is highly …


Thank You, Merci, Shukran! Private Education And Language In Egypt, Ericka Galegher Feb 2012

Thank You, Merci, Shukran! Private Education And Language In Egypt, Ericka Galegher

Theses and Dissertations

My thesis examines the processes by which the reproduction of power and social hierarchies transpire in the field of international, private schools in Egypt. More specifically, I will analyze how the linguistic system in these schools reproduce and reinforce forms of power and inequality. I will consider the process by which nonnative languages, principally English, became the dominant and legitimate linguistic system of these schools, and how the complexities of their habitus have influenced students' language beliefs and practices. Language is a place for ideological contestation and identity assertion reinforcing power relations between groups and individuals. Differences in accent, grammar, …


Perceptions Of Elementary Teachers From An Urban School District In Southern California Regarding Their Inquiry-Based Science Instructional Practices, Assessment Methods, And Professional Development, Romanus Iroabuchi Ugwu Jan 2012

Perceptions Of Elementary Teachers From An Urban School District In Southern California Regarding Their Inquiry-Based Science Instructional Practices, Assessment Methods, And Professional Development, Romanus Iroabuchi Ugwu

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to describe the perceptions of elementary teachers from an urban school district in Southern California regarding their inquiry-based science instructional practices, assessment methods and professional development. The district's inquiry professional development called the California Mathematics and Science Projected, CaMSP lasted for two years. The CaMSP is a competitive grant awarded by the California Department of Education for the National Science Foundation (NSF) to schools and districts that meet the grant criteria for inquiry-based professional development. This district's professional development model was the five essential features of science inquiry recommended by the National Science …


An Investigation Of The Relationships Between Technology Use And Teachers' Self-Efficacy, Knowledge And Experience, Jenith Mishne Jan 2012

An Investigation Of The Relationships Between Technology Use And Teachers' Self-Efficacy, Knowledge And Experience, Jenith Mishne

Theses and Dissertations

Dramatic changes have occurred in the area of technology development and society's use of technology in daily life and the workplace. Yet in many classrooms, technology integration remains a significant challenge for educators, creating a digital disconnect that threatens to handicap students as they graduate and compete for jobs in the 21st century. The purpose of this study was to examine whether teacher self-efficacy, teacher knowledge, and teaching experience influence levels of technology integration in the classroom. The research question asked was: How well do measures of self-efficacy, teacher knowledge and teaching experience predict teachers' scores on a state measure …


High Schools In California That Are Beating The Odds And How They Are Doing It, Jason Viloria Jan 2012

High Schools In California That Are Beating The Odds And How They Are Doing It, Jason Viloria

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to determine the common programs and practices that Beating the Odds (BTO) high schools in California are using to achieve high graduation rates. More specifically, this study identifies specific programs and practices that the high schools are using to address at-risk student behaviors as well as what the principals perceive as the most effective program or practice that has helped the schools achieve their respective high graduation rate. This qualitative nonexperimental study collected interview data from 9 high school principals who were identified as BTO school leaders by the American Institute of Research …