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Floodplain And In-Channel Sedimentation In The Bedrock Congaree River, Sc, Mahsa Ahmadpoor
Floodplain And In-Channel Sedimentation In The Bedrock Congaree River, Sc, Mahsa Ahmadpoor
Theses and Dissertations
The Congaree River planform is characterized by an abrupt increase in channel sinuosity in the downstream direction. Such a change is not typical of alluvial meandering rivers but has been observed in mixed bedrock-alluvial rivers. This motivated the first study of this dissertation, specifically designed to determine if the Congaree River is indeed a mixed bedrock-alluvial river in its low sinuosity (upstream) reach. To test this hypothesis, sonar-based measurements of channel bed and sublayer elevation were performed from Columbia to the Congaree River-Wateree River confluence. The sublayer is here defined as the first surface visible in the sonar measurements underneath …
Transforming Lessons And Those Who Write Them: Professional Development For Educational Content Writers To Integrate Technology Into Lessons Using The Tpack Framework, Rachael Patricia Santopietro
Transforming Lessons And Those Who Write Them: Professional Development For Educational Content Writers To Integrate Technology Into Lessons Using The Tpack Framework, Rachael Patricia Santopietro
Theses and Dissertations
Efforts to improve technology integration for K–12 teaching and learning focus on professional development for teachers. This research study, however, implemented a professional development course in technology integration for educational content writers at a publisher in the Southeastern United States. This research is strategic because most writers surveyed do not integrate technology to align with pedagogy and content, because developing 21st century learning is important, and because educational resources should meet national standards for integrating technology. This action research involved designing and implementing a professional development course that instructed content writers (n = 6) in technology integration using the TPACK …
Is Teacher Pay Adequate: Teachers' Opinions On Their Expectations, Requirements, And Pay In Columbia, Sc, Presley Garrard
Is Teacher Pay Adequate: Teachers' Opinions On Their Expectations, Requirements, And Pay In Columbia, Sc, Presley Garrard
Senior Theses
The notion of raising teacher pay has been a topic for discussion in the past decades. There are many reasons to raise teacher pay. This paper discusses expectations, requirements, and the professionalism of teachers as being some of the reasons for increasing teacher pay by analyzing peer-reviewed articles and journals. There is an argument that teacher pay does not need to be raised and this argument is acknowledged. In addressing teacher pay, primary research sought teachers’ opinions on the demands and expectations of their job and their pay as an accurate reflection of such demands and expectations. This data was …
Promoting Self-Reflection Of Foreign Language Teachers Through Professional Development: An Action Research Dissertation, Hanan Khaled
Promoting Self-Reflection Of Foreign Language Teachers Through Professional Development: An Action Research Dissertation, Hanan Khaled
Theses and Dissertations
This explanatory mixed-method action research describes how a social constructivist professional development program impacts self-reflection of foreign language teachers at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC). The problem is that traditional professional development for foreign language teachers does not improve self-reflection. Despite their individual differences and qualifications, most teachers receive traditional in-service professional development (Darling-Hammond, Hyler, Gardner, & Espinoza, 2017) on a specific topic and have no time to reflect on their existing practices, newly presented concepts, or students' responses to instruction. The effectiveness of such professional development is questionable (Darling-Hammond, Wei, Andree, Richardson, & Orphanos, 2009; Penuel, …
Exploration Of The Use Of Computer-Mediated Communications To Support The Face-Toface Collaborative Efforts Of A Sixth-Grade Professional Learning Community, Christine Horowitz
Exploration Of The Use Of Computer-Mediated Communications To Support The Face-Toface Collaborative Efforts Of A Sixth-Grade Professional Learning Community, Christine Horowitz
Theses and Dissertations
Noting the lack of resources to meet face-to-face, most notably time, a significant body of research has investigated the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) to replace face-to-face interactions of teacher professional learning communities (PLCs). Equally noted is the research on social constructivist theory that supports social interaction as the foundation of learning (Vygotsky, 1978). The purpose of this qualitative case study was to determine how a successful sixth-grade PLC leveraged available technologies in support of their face-to-face collaborative efforts by answering the following research question: How do participants in an established PLC use CMC as a means of supporting and …
Examining Professional Music Teacher Identity: A Mixed Methods Approach With Stringed Instrument Teachers, Elizabeth A. Reed
Examining Professional Music Teacher Identity: A Mixed Methods Approach With Stringed Instrument Teachers, Elizabeth A. Reed
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception of professional music teacher identity (PMTI) among stringed instrument teachers who are alumni of the University of South Carolina String Project (USCSP) preservice teacher education program. Using a fixed mixed method design, I first surveyed all USCSP alumni from the past 20 years using the PMTI Questionnaire. For the qualitative portion of the study, the researcher interviewed three USCSP alumnae in their post-second stage of teaching (year 11–20). All USCSP alumni identified, rated, and ranked their expertise in subject matter, didactical, and pedagogical aspects. USCSP post-second stage alumnae also identified …
Knowledge Practices In Professional Web Design, T. Zachary Frazier
Knowledge Practices In Professional Web Design, T. Zachary Frazier
Theses and Dissertations
This study examines the use and construction of knowledge by individuals involved in the professional design of websites. Its focus is on the knowledge practices of those who identify as web designers; professionals engaged primarily in the aesthetic design of websites. This study employs a qualitative semi-structured interview to explore this population’s practices, and adopts a constructivist approach built on critical realist ontology in analyzing the data. The study addresses the general lack of scholarship focusing on web designers, and helps build an understanding of the processes and forces that govern the development and creation of websites. The findings of …
The Effects Of Implementing An Online Professional Learning Community For Teachers Of Gifted And Talented Courses: An Action Research Study, Chelsey A. Mintz
The Effects Of Implementing An Online Professional Learning Community For Teachers Of Gifted And Talented Courses: An Action Research Study, Chelsey A. Mintz
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this action research study was to examine the effects of implementing an online professional learning community (PLC) designed explicitly for teachers of gifted and talented (GT) English language arts (ELA) courses. The present action research (AR) is a limited mixed design study, including quantitative and qualitative elements, to discover the effects on collaboration and professional growth focused on best practices for GT instruction. The quantitative data were collected through surveys, which included Likert scales and nominal items and were analyzed through descriptive statistics. The qualitative data were collected through guided and semi-structured interview questions and transcribed before …
Conversations With Chris: Discussing Racial Diversity In A Professional Book Club, A. Brennan Davis
Conversations With Chris: Discussing Racial Diversity In A Professional Book Club, A. Brennan Davis
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to understand and describe the experiences and the effects of one high school teacher’s membership in a professional development book club focused on issues of racial diversity with the overall aim of change toward equitable teaching practices through the following actions: confronting personal biases, discussing and reflecting on personal experiences and beliefs, questioning and critiquing personal beliefs and teaching practices, interacting with other professionals and with the readings in a supportive environment in which we celebrated and supported articulations of social justice or positive change. Thematic analysis was used to analyze …
Exploring The Professional Identity Of Examplar Novice High School Counselors, Kimberly A. Nelson
Exploring The Professional Identity Of Examplar Novice High School Counselors, Kimberly A. Nelson
Theses and Dissertations
This phenomenological study investigated how exemplar novice high school counselors described the development of their professional identities. Through interviewing high school counselors who have been practicing between 1 to 5 years, experiences and themes emerged to understand the process of how exemplar novice high school counselors developed a professional identity. Through the themes, researchers will analyze whether novice high school counselors benefited from certain courses as trainees, current job experiences and professional involvement in developing their professional identities.