Digital Commons Network^™

Professional Learning Community As An Impetus For My Development Into A Teacher Leader: An Autoethnographic Study, Rabia Shahbaz

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Recently, the notion of educational leadership has expanded from school administrators to instructional coaches, department chairs, and teacher leaders. This expansion is the result of the 1980s education reform initiatives with which the concept of teacher professional development has evolved into building professional learning communities (PLCs). The PLCs play multiple roles by providing: (a) sources for ongoing instructional support; (b) forums for collaboration and reflection; and (c) platforms for developing leadership skills among teachers. Many studies emphasize the need for teacher leaders (TLs) to lead these communities. However, little is known about the reciprocal role of these communities in the …

A Case Study Of Student Instructor Connectedness In An Asynchronous Modular Online Environment, Orazio Antonio D'Alba

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The use of the Web as an instructional medium has gone hand in hand with the ever-increasing growth of the computer and the proliferation of the Internet and the World Wide Web. Early studies provided a foundation on building web-based learning environments and focusing on presenting the online content. However, as online or e-learning continues to grow, it has brought pivotal changes to the educational landscape (Gatlin). Online learning has now been adopted by many throughout the world, precipitating a shift in research from “how to develop courses online” to “what attributes best contribute to the success of an online …

Investigating The Effects Of Delivering Content Based On A Waves Learning Progression On Learning Outcomes In An Online High School Physics Unit, Timothy Maley

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Effective instruction starts with an understanding of the learner’s pre-existing knowledge (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000). That being said, online instruction often involves inflexible content presented the same way to each student regardless of their current level of understanding (van Rosmalen, Vogten, van Es, Passier, & Poelmans, 2006).The shortcomings of static instruction are intensified in online high school learning because online learning is often used for remediation and credit recovery for students that have not been successful in their traditional class (Queen & Lewis, 2011). Learning progressions, which are research-based, testable models of how learners develop their understanding of a …

Acknowledging The Elephant In The Room: A Multiple-Case Study Exploring The Experiences Of Social Studies Teacher-Coaches, Caroline J. Conner

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Social studies teachers are frequently athletic coaches, yet little educational research attends to the experiences of social studies teacher-coaches (SSTCs). Research in role conflict theory, however, suggests that TCs, those who occupy dual professional roles of academic teacher and athletic coach simultaneously, often face increased levels of stress, which can lead to role strain, burnout and/or role retreatism. Through a multiple-case study of three football SSTCs in a large, metropolitan county in the Southeastern United States, the researcher explored participants’ experiences over the course of the 2013-2014 school year. Conducting a series of interviews with each participant, the researcher investigated …

Students' And Teachers' Perceptions Of The Engagement Of Creativity In Secondary Choral Ensemble Classes, David W. Langley

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The purposes of this study were (a) to explore the individualized meanings of creativity of students within choral ensembles; and (b) to identify the effects that teachers’ perceptions and classroom environment have on helping students shape the meaning of creativity. The study took the form of the Explanatory Sequential mixed methods design of Creswell and Plano Clark (2011). The first phase of research was a survey administered to middle/high school chorus students (N = 314) and middle/high school chorus teachers (N = 11). Participants were selected from 6 middle schools and 5 high schools across 3 different school …

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Literacy Instruction, And Teacher Decision Making: A Formative Experiment Investigating Shifts In Teachers' Beliefs And Practices, Natasha A. Thornton

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Educational policies and systemic inequalities have created “very different educational realities” for African American students and their white counterparts (Darling-Hammond, 2005) resulting in low literacy rates, low test scores, and high dropout rates. Culturally relevant pedagogy has been shown to increase the academic achievement of culturally diverse students (Gay, 2000; Howard, 2003; Ladson-Billings, 1994). However, many in-service teachers struggle to effectively implement a culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) (Esposito & Swain, 2009; May, 2011; Rozansky, 2010), and limited research has been conducted on professional development aimed at supporting teachers’ knowledge and practices around CRP (Knight & Wiseman, 2005; Milner, 2009). Guided …

Instructional Designers' Perceptions Of Their Personal Background And Experiences In Their Work, Shabana Figueroa

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

This study examined how the personal characteristics of instructional designers influenced their current instructional-design practice (ID). I first looked at the instructional designers’ perceptions of the relationship between their personal characteristics and their ID practice. I then looked at how these variables were used by the designers to influence their ID practice. The study was guided by the following questions: What specific personal characteristics instructional designers perceive as being an important influence on their ID practice? How do instructional designers use specific personal characteristics to influence their ID practice? How do instructional designers use specific personal characteristics to diversify their …

Teacher Planning Problem Space Of Expert Technology Integrating Teachers, Erin Davis

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Designing meaningful technology-integrated learning remains a challenge for teachers. To address this problem, the purpose of this single case study was to examine how experts plan for technology integration. The conceptual framework of this study drew from information processing theory and combined two existing constructs: the notion of a problem space (Simon & Newell, 1971) with a process model of teacher planning (Yinger, 1980). The resulting combination was a new construct called the teacher planning problem space. The significance of this study was in the application of this new construct to focus on thoughts, decisions, and judgments of teachers …

The Black Middle Class: Negotiating Literacy Identities In Church And School, Kamania Wynter Hoyte

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The aim of this comparative case study is to investigate the ways two Black middle class children negotiated their literate identities between school and church. This study is distinctive because it targeted an underrepresented population in-and-out of school. Currently, there are a few studies that focus on the Black church as a learning domain (Hale, 1994; Kelly, 2001; McMillion, 2001; McMillion & Edwards, 2000) and fewer literacy studies that research the Black middle class (Heath, 1983 & Williams, 1991 ). The disregard of the Black Middle class in literacy research is problematic because members are uniquely positioned as they have …

The Effects Of Using Visual Statistics Software On Undergraduate Students' Achievement In Statistics And The Role Of Cognitive And Non-Cognitive Factors In Their Achievement, Kori Lloyd Hugh Maxwell

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

This study examined the effects of visual statistics software on undergraduate students’ achievement in elementary statistics and the role of cognitive and non-cognitive factors in their achievement. An experimental design was implemented using ViSta – a visual statistics program. A sample of 273 undergraduate students at a leading, urban, southeastern research university enrolled in six sections of Elementary Statistics were selected and randomly assigned to experimental and comparison groups. The participants completed four surveys, with pre and post-test measures, which assessed their attitudes, statistics self-efficacy, perceptions of their learning environment, and statistical reasoning abilities. To further guide this study, the …

Growing Up On Burritos And Black-Eyed Peas: An Autoethnography Of Multiracial Identity Development, Marie Bruner

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The immigration debate is not new to the United States; however, today’s heated discussions include strong anti-Mexican sentiments (Bean & Stone, 2012; Hughey, 2012). As Americans attempt to secure borders in an effort to insure safety and economic security, current legislation includes elements of racial profiling against Mexicans that could extend to those who possess varying levels of Mexican blood since physical characteristics tend to guide racial labeling (Aoki & Johnson, 2009; Bernal, 2002; Fernandez, 2002; Quiñones et al, 2011). As an individual of Mexican and White bloodlines, racial categorization has resulted in internal struggles and social dilemmas for me. …

An Examination Of The Impact Of Pedagogical Preparation, Teaching Experience And Future Career Plans On Mathematics Graduate Teaching Assistants' Efficacy, Patrice Parker

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The urgency of improving teaching and learning in undergraduate mathematics education is deepening and graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are becoming increasingly responsible for taking on this task. However, differences in GTAs training, GTAs actual teaching experience, and the goals and aspirations these students set for themselves, makes it difficult to assess the GTAs efficacy and ultimately their effectiveness in the undergraduate classroom. Using Denham and Michael (1981) Teacher Sense of Efficacy Model as a framework, the aims of this study were (a) to examine the impact pedagogical preparation, teaching experience and future career plans (FCP) have on teacher efficacy (TE) …

Meta-Didactical Slippages: A Qualitative Case Study Of Didactical Situations In A Ninth Grade Mathematics Classroom, Nathan J. Wisdom

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Research on the mathematical behavior of children over the past forty decades has considerably renewed and augmented the body of evaluative tests of the results of learning (Lester, 2007). Research however, has provided very little knowledge about the means of improving students’ performance on these tests. Nevertheless teachers, students, and others are being pressured to improve students’ performance, but in order to concentrate on basic skills, the learning itself is made more difficult and slower. The combination of requirements has led to a variety of uncontrolled phenomena such as meta-didactical slippage (Brousseau, 2008).

The purpose of …

Narratives Of Caring In The Elementary Art Room, Lauren Christine Phillips

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Caring is an essential part of any classroom environment, but most investigations about caring in schools do not include the voices of art educators. How art teachers perceive and model caring has not been addressed in previous literature. Looking through a theoretical lens shaped by Dewey, Vygotsky, and feminist theory, specifically an ethic of care, this study examined three elementary art teachers' caring practices and beliefs. Narrative analysis was used to find connections and points of departure in the participants' stories of caring in their classrooms with existing literature. By sharing art teachers' stories of caring, the findings from this …

Up Close And Personal: Latino/A Immigrant Children Making Sense Of Immigration And Developing Agency Through Critical Multicultural Literature And Online Discussions In A Third Grade Classroom, Eliza G. Allen

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

This multiple case study explores the ways in which Latina/a immigrant children make sense of immigration by reading critical multicultural texts and blogging. As U.S. immigration policy shifts have created more punitive policies for immigrant adults, these changes place both documented and undocumented children in difficult situations. With many children born in the U.S. as citizens, these families are identified as "mixed-status" families because of the rights and privileges that immigrant children and parents are afforded or denied (Capps & Fortuny, 2006). What appears to be missing from the research around immigration status and children of immigrants is how literacy, …

The Effectiveness Of Emotional Motivational Feedback Messages, Firat Sarsar

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

An important technique for learning, feedback has been described as responses to students’ behaviors, tasks, assignments, and outcomes. In this study, the researcher used a new kind of feedback message called an Emotional Motivational Feedback Message (EMFEM). EMFEM is a feedback message which includes motivational strategies and emotional content for motivating and encouraging students to learn more and to focus on a specific topic. EMFEM is based on Visser and Keller’s (1990) motivational message design, which was influenced by Keller’s (1987) ARCS theory and emotional content strategies. Because EMFEM is primarily used in text-based, online learning environments, it is limited …

Emergent Bilinguals' Use Of Social, Cultural, And Linguistic Resources In A Kindergarten Writing Workshop, Sanjuana C. Rodriguez

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

While many research studies have examined the early literacy development and experiences of monolingual children (e.g. Clay 1982, 1991, 2001; Dyson, 1984, 1993, 2003), there are few studies that investigate the early literacy development of young emergent bilingual students (Dworin & Moll, 2006; McCarthey et al., 2004; Moll, Saez, Dworin, 2001). Drawing on sociocultural theory (Rogoff, 1990; Vygotsky, 1978), 1995), critical race theory (Ladson-Billings, 1998; Solorzano & Yosso, 2009; Taylor, 2009; Yosso, Villalpando, Delgado Bernal, & Solórzano, 2001) and ethic of care perspectives (Noddings, 1984), this case study examined emergent bilingual students’ writing development during writing workshop in the context …

The Influence Of A K-5 Science Endorsement On The Professional Knowledge Bases Of Elementary Teachers, Donna Barrett-Williams

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Elementary teachers face many constraints when teaching science including limited time, content knowledge, confidence, and experience with reform-oriented instructional practices (Lee & Houseal, 2003; Davis, Petish & Smithey, 2006; Appleton, 2007; Metz, 2009; Wilson & Kittleson, 2011). The scope of this study was to (a) explore the influence of a K-5 science endorsement on the dimensions of professional knowledge of elementary science teachers and (b) to explore how those knowledge bases inform a teacher’s Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). Within the consensus definition of PCK, PCK is defined as “knowledge of, reasoning behind, and planning for teaching a particular topic in …

Retention Of Accomplished Veteran Social Studies Teachers, Russell Hardin

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

RETENTION OF ACCOMPLISHED VETERAN SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHERS

by

Russell Brett Hardin

Almost 30 percent of new teachers flee the profession after just three years, and more than 40 percent leave after 5 years (Allen, 2005). Studies conducted by Borman and Dowling (2008), Guarino et al. (2006) and Ingersoll and Smith (2003) indicate that teacher attrition rates are also high in the later years of teaching careers. While these rates of attrition reflect both public and private school teachers, numerous studies have found that private schools see higher attrition rates, potentially damaging an independent school’s ability to fulfill its stated mission …

How School Library Media Specialists Support Reading And Information Literacy Skills Instruction For English Language Learners, Melinda Morin

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

HOW SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS SUPPORT READING AND INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS INSTRUCTION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS by Melinda Morin

This study explored the school library media programs in four schools. The percentage of English language learners (ELLs) enrolled in each of these schools was among the highest on their respective levels in their school districts. Moreover, the percentage of ELLs in these schools who met and exceeded the standard for reading and English/language arts on the Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) in the spring of 2010 was more than the Annual Measureable Objective (AMO) of 73.3% or slightly less. The …

Critical Success Factors Of Technological Innovation And Diffusion In Higher Education, Terry Dennison

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

This case study surveyed faculty members and information technology (IT) leaders within the State System of Higher Education (SSHE) and at Southern Regional State University (SRSU) to examine their perceptions of technological innovation, adoption, and diffusion in higher education. The data gathered identified seventeen critical success factors affecting technological innovation, adoption, and diffusion and was used to evaluate how the perceptions faculty compared to those of IT leaders within a single university setting. Examining and comparing the perceptions of these two groups provided insight into elements influencing technological innovation efforts. This insight may be beneficial for enhancing future endeavors and …

Process And Product: High School English Learners Redefined, Sarah Mantegna

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Despite 21^st Century technology, our nation’s high schools deliver a print-centric curriculum driven by high-stakes tests. A majority of states have adopted Common Core State Standards that incorporate producing and consuming multiple media texts. Some teachers have begun to include multimodal activities but few are exploiting the affordances of multimodal composition specifically for the benefit of English learners. Public high school teachers hold deficit views of English learners and fail to offer them challenging, creative tasks.

Framed by the complementary sociocultural theories of ecological linguistics (van Lier, 2004), multimodality (Kress, 2010), and identity (Gee, …

Wordsmith: Examining The Role Hip-Hop Texts Play In Viewing The World, Crystal Lavoulle

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

ABSTRACT

WORDSMITH: EXAMINING THE ROLE HIP-HOP TEXTS

PLAY IN VIEWING THE WORLD

by

Crystal LaVoulle

Originally the voice of a silenced group of inner city Black males, hip-hop culture contains a historical road map that chronicles the experiences of its members. This study attempted to examine hip-hop through the stories of adults who incorporateaspects of hip-hop culture into their daily lives. Specifically, this study investigated, “How is hip-hop a critical element in the lives of poets, artists, and educators who are actively and intimately involved in its music and culture?” Additionally, this study will explore the following sub-questions: (1) What …